GEORGE ANTHEIL : Symphony No. 3 'American' · Symphony No. 6 'After Delacroix' · Spectre Of The Rose Waltz · Archipelago · Hot-Time Dance (BBC Philharmonic · John Storgårds) (2019) Tree Version | WAV + FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

The fortunes of American composer George Antheil declined after his daring Ballet Mécanique, an accompaniment to a Dada film by Fernand Léger. He wrote film music, which shows up as an influence in the music on this release by the BBC Philharmonic and Finnish conductor John Storgårds. And he flirted with jazz and with major classical styles of the day, never quite finding a fully original voice again but always maintaining an appealing level of ambition. Storgårds is the latest of a diverse group of conductors (including Eugene Goossens) to champion Antheil's orchestral music, and he's not as unlikely a champion as he might seem. Finns have always been enthusiastic programmers of Russian music, and Antheil's models here are Russian: Shostakovich, principally, and to a lesser extent Prokofiev. This is true even in the case of the Symphony No. 3, subtitled "American," whose sound collages suggest that Antheil was familiar with the music of Ives by this time, but whose finale is pure Prokofiev. The Symphony No. 6 ("Delacroix," referring to programmatic inspiration by that painter's Liberty Leading the People) brings several Shostakovich symphonies to mind, which is hardly surprising: Shostakovich appeared on the cover of Time during the war and was an extraordinarily popular figure in the U.S. Probably the strongest pieces are the short ones. The opening Archipelago is in the vein of Milhaud's Brazilian pieces but is lush, with harp glissandos and a bit of everything else, where Milhaud is concise and brisk. The little Hot-Time Dance (the reference is not to Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight but to an old election-night custom) offers a Shostakovich-like clarinet theme, but here Antheil is economical and treats the little tune in a bewitching way. The BBC Philharmonic keeps up with detailed, difficult parts and what was likely unfamiliar music. This album can be recommended to anyone with an interest in American symphonic music. James Manheim
GEORGE ANTHEIL (1900-1959)
1.    Archipelago    (6:01)
2-5.    Symphony No. 3 'American'    (24:47)
6.    Hot-Time Dance (American Dance Suite No. 1; Election Dance)    (4:33)
7-9.    Symphony No. 6 'After Delacroix'    (26:12)
10.    Spectre Of The Rose Waltz    (4:53)
Credits : 
Conductor – John Storgårds
Orchestra – BBC Philharmonic

GEORGE ANTHEIL : Symphonies 4 & 5 (Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt · Hugh Wolff) (2000) Two Version | APE (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

"The symphony is probably the most complete musical depiction of an American circus that has ever been written. There is everything in it: the music of a military band, waltzes, sentimental ditties, a Red Army song, eccentric dances - every kind of joke, acrobatic allusions and glamorous monstrosities. It is brilliant, hard, noisy, pretentious, effective and incredibly real. And all its melodies are memorable," said Virgil Thompson after the premiere of George Antheil's Symphony No. 4, subtitled "1942", in February 1944. While this review is certainly enthusiastic, the work is far more impressive and serious than it would have us believe. In reality, it is a symphony that could only have been written in this way during the Second World War and which, in Antheil's own words, expresses his feelings during this war. An equal sibling work to Shostakovich's Seventh and Eighth Symphonies. Antheil's 5th Symphony is the exact opposite, as its title "Joyous" suggests. Playful, sarcastic, full of musical irony: an orchestral bravura stroke without equal. Hugh Wolff delivers brilliant interpretations with his Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra. jpc.de
GEORGE ANTHEIL (1900-1959)
Symphony No 4 »1942« (1942-43)    (33:26)
Symphony No 5 »Joyous« (1947-48)    (22:10)

Conductor – Hugh Wolff
Orchestra – Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt

EINAR ENGLUND : Complete Music for Solo Piano (Laura Mikkola) (2017) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Einar Englund (1916–99) was not only one of Finland’s major symphonists; he was also one of his country’s most important pianists and was destined for a career as a virtuoso until, as a soldier, he damaged a finger in a battle against the invading Russians. He wrote surprisingly little for his own instrument, but the works he did produce glitter with a Prokofievan steely strength and textural clarity, animated with the ironic humour that was typical of the composer himself. toccataclassics
EINAR ENGLUND (1796-1868)
1-2. Prelude And Fughetta
3-6. Sonatina No. 2, The Parisian:
7-15. Pavane e Toccata:
16-18. Sonatina No. 1 in D minor:
19-23. Sinuhe 
24-25. Introduzione E Toccata 
26-28. Piano Sonata No. 1 
29. The Lauttasaari Rotary Club Festive March 
Laura Mikkola - Piano

BERWALD : Piano Trios Nºs 1-3 (Ilona Prunyi · András Kiss · Csaba Onczay) (1993) Two Version | FLAC (image+tracks+.cue), lossless

For much of the nineteenth century in Sweden, music-making was confined to small-scale chamber music at home and ambitious composers had to move abroad to seek acceptance of their work. Whilst Berwald enjoyed some success in continental Europe, only a handful of his orchestral works were performed in Sweden during his lifetime. This caused him in later years to concentrate on chamber music, completing two piano quintets, three string quartets, four piano trios as well as duos for violin and piano and cello and piano. Berwald received much encouragement from his friend Liszt who praised Berwald’s invention, skill and elegant style whilst adding, somewhat prophetically: ‘you truly possess originality but you will not enjoy success during your lifetime. Nevertheless you must persevere.’naxos

FRANZ BERWALD (1796-1868)
1-3.    Piano Trio No. 1 In E Flat Major
4-6.    Piano Trio No. 2 In F Minor
7-9.    Piano Trio No. 3 In D Minor
Credits : 
Cello – Csaba Onczay
Piano – Ilona Prunyi
Violin – András Kiss

BERWALD : Piano Trio in C Major · Piano Trio No. 4 (Kálmán Dráfi · György Kertész · Jozsef Modrian) (1993) Two Version | FLAC (image+tracks+.cue), lossless

The Swedish composer Berwald found more welcome at home for his chamber music than for his larger scale compositions, in spite of his success abroad. This, the second volume of his Piano Trios, includes two of the five that he completed and fragments of two other unfinished works. naxos
FRANZ BERWALD (1796-1868)
1-3.    Piano Trio In C Major (1845)    (26:52)
4.    Piano Trio In E Flat Major (Fragment)    10:31
5.    Piano Trio In C Major (Fragment)    7:20
6.    Piano Trio No. 4 In C Major 18:46
Credits : 
Performer, Cello – Kertész György
Performer, Piano – Dráfi Kálmán
Performer, Violin – Jozsef Modrian
Painting [View of Lidingobro] – Carl Wilhelm Wilhelmson
Photography By [Photo of Painting] – Connaught Brown, London, UK, Bridgeman Art Library