Music

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

kim criswell............classical

By: Staff Writer

20/12/2008 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

Classical

Kim Criswell, William Dazeley, BBC Concert Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin

Leroy Anderson: Orchestral Music 5 (Naxos)

Leroy Anderson's light orchestral pieces are the musical equivalent of Disney hand-painted cels, which produced animation of uncompromising quality and distinction without cutting corners. Discovered by Arthur Fiedler and engaged to write arrangements and original pieces for his Boston Pops, Harvard-educated Anderson was a master of his realm.

This year is Anderson's centenary and Naxos' five volumes ranging from the familiar (Sleigh Ride, The Typewriter, etc.) through the forgotten (the splendid Piano Concerto) are must-have releases for all who enjoy this delightful music. The performances are as affectionate as could be. There is also a separate Naxos disc of Anderson's classy Christmas music, compiled from the set.

Volume 5 contains mostly music from Anderson's only Broadway show Goldilocks, which ran for 161 performances in 1958, flopping in the shadows of The Music Man and West Side Story that year. All the same, Anderson produced a most tuneful score, stylishly delivered here with a few numbers by the incomparable Kim Criswell. 'Ö'Ö'Ö'Ö

-- James Manishen

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 20, 2008 C4

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