George Frederick McKay (1899-1970) was known as the “Dean of Northwest composers”, having made a successful musical career in Seattle where he was professor of music at the University of Washington for more than 41 years. McKay drew upon the sounds of his region for his compositions, and these included the songs and dances of the local Native American peoples that form the basis of From a Moonlit Ceremony (1945), a purely orchestral work that’s both a vivid portrayal of tribal ceremonies and a testament to Mckay’s compositional wizardry. A Harbor Narrative (1934) conjures up a variety of images, from the tranquil eddies of Sea Horizon, to the hustle-bustle of Men and Machines (which has a busy, sophisticated quality not unlike Gershwin’s Second Rhapsody).
By 1951, when he composed his Symphony for Seattle, McKay’s style had become quite personalized and refined. Rather than relying on sound-pictures, McKay here strives to capture the essence of the breathtakingly beautiful region, resulting in music that has a recognizable “outdoor” quality, but closer to Howard Hanson than Aaron Copland. John McLaughlin Williams leads all three works with remarkable sensitivity to McKay’s moods. I continue to be amazed at how well this Ukranian orchestra plays American music, as it has done throughout Naxos’ excellent American Classics series. The recording takes on a slight glare in the tuttis, but is otherwise fine. Naxos has unearthed yet another gem.
