Andre Kostelanetz
The Music of Alan Hovhaness
Columbia Masterworks (US) 1977
M 34537 (LP)
sleeve : EX-(some slightly dirts.)
media : EX/EX(some slightly noises.)
An album released in 1977 by conductor/arranger Andre Kostelanetz, who gained fame by arranging classical music for mass audiences on his CBS Radio show after fleeing to the United States in the 1920s following the Russian Revolution. This album features three scores by American composer Alan Hovhaness, who integrated his studies of Indian and Japanese ethnic music into his own compositions. The opening track, "Ruba Iyat," based on the quatrain by the 11th-century Persian poet Omar Khayyam, features readings by actor Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and accordion performances by Italian accordionist Carmen Carrozza, creating a dramatic orchestral piece. The fantasy piece "Japanese Prints" (B2) draws inspiration from Japanese woodblock prints and showcases Japanese percussionist Yoichi Hiraoka. Track B3 also carries a Japanese-inspired mood. With its exotic theatrical orchestra, this album offers enjoyable content that can be appreciated by those unfamiliar with orchestral music.
B2: Fantasy on Japanese Woodprints, Op. 211
B3: Floating World, Op. 209