Louis Moreau Gottschalk was one of the musical wonders of his era, a time that also produced the Civil War. He was the first American soloist to be highly regarded as a virtuoso performer. Perhaps most important, he was one of the first composers to use the rhythms of Caribbean folk music in his compositions–rhythms that, as conductor Richard Rosenberg points out in his astute program notes, paved the way to ragtime and jazz. This festival recording presents several of the composer’s most buoyant pieces, the lion’s share of them in arrangements. This would not have bothered the composer at all: he was used to performing his music with whatever musicians were at hand, or by himself on solo piano. There are charming small scale arrangements here of the Célèbre Tarantelle and Berceuse, made by 18th century friends and devotees, and there are recent large scale orchestrations made by Jack Elliott for the American Ballet Theater.
And finally there is, in what purports to be a version that adheres to Gottschalk’s original score, a lean and well articulated performance of the well-known Symphonie romantique, “A Night in the Tropics”. Its second movement, “Festa Criolla”, gives the percussion section a good workout, but though this performance is authentic and spirited, it is not as polished, lyrical, or in the same league as Maurice Abravanel’s version on Vanguard. This Naxos CD celebration collection makes it evident that Gottschalk was one of music’s supreme melodists. Had he not died at age 40 his rank in music history might have been quite different. But this disc also is evidence that his music need not be so obscure. The recorded sound is bright and well balanced; the various pianists who perform solo and in ensemble are captured very realistically. All in all this is a thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommendable CD. [2/22/2000]
