Country : Germany / United States Label : CPO Genres and styles : Classical / Contemporary Year : 2020

George Antheil: Orchestral Works. Serenades 1 & 2; The Golden Bird; Dreams

· by François Vallières

It was during the 1920s that the American pianist and composer George Antheil (1900-1959) moved to Germany, then to France, to develop his undeniable creative potential. Like many of his compatriots, he met a good number of creators, thinkers and artists of all kinds. Very quickly, Antheil built himself a reputation as an enfant terrible, and cultivated an aura of admiration among the composers in vogue at the time, including Darius Milhaud, Erik Satie and, for a time, even the great Stravinsky. 

In 1933, seeing the rise of Nazism and the potential ostracization of his works, Antheil decided to return to the United States. The aesthetic and avant-garde boldness of his music that he had shown during the roaring twenties gradually dissolved, giving way to a resolutely neo-classical language. It’s this period that’s examined in this recording of some of the composer’s many orchestral works, which were, incidentally, very prolific. 

The Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen offers us here four works, heavily influenced by the Group of Six, by Stravinsky of the 1930s, American rhythmic music, and Shostakovich’s Suites for Jazz Orchestra. This seemingly heterogeneous profusion of influences creates a result that is far from uninteresting, without showing any real originality. Fortunately, the musical inspiration of the members of the orchestra and its conductor, the American Fawzi Haimor, infuses these pieces with a palette of colours and a liveliness of sound that should thwart the detractors who think that Antheil wasted his true talent.

Latest 360 Content

Transforming Hiroshima mon amour into contemporary opera: Christian Lapointe and Rosa Lind tell the story

Transforming Hiroshima mon amour into contemporary opera: Christian Lapointe and Rosa Lind tell the story

Sparks – MAD!

Sparks – MAD!

“Hiroshima, mon amour”: An Evening to Remember

“Hiroshima, mon amour”: An Evening to Remember

Peter Murphy – Silver Shade

Peter Murphy – Silver Shade

Ken Pomeroy – Cruel World

Ken Pomeroy – Cruel World

Art of the Line: Klangkarussell’s Euro Vision at SAT

Art of the Line: Klangkarussell’s Euro Vision at SAT

Festival des Saveurs | Closing With Reggae

Festival des Saveurs | Closing With Reggae

Centroamérica – a powerful docu-play about truth and connection in an age of distance and denial

Centroamérica – a powerful docu-play about truth and connection in an age of distance and denial

Lido Pimienta – La Belleza

Lido Pimienta – La Belleza

Tamir Barzilay – Phosphene Journal

Tamir Barzilay – Phosphene Journal

The best ‘’Candlelight concert‘’ ever.

The best ‘’Candlelight concert‘’ ever.

Men I Trust – Equus Caballus

Men I Trust – Equus Caballus

The Halluci Nation – Path of the Baby Face

The Halluci Nation – Path of the Baby Face

A lap steel guitar choir and an angel to end the Innovations en concert 24-25 season

A lap steel guitar choir and an angel to end the Innovations en concert 24-25 season

The OSM and Abel Selaocoe: Evenings When You’d Like to Stop Time

The OSM and Abel Selaocoe: Evenings When You’d Like to Stop Time

Reaching for the sky: Francis Choinière’s challenge to end his OPCM’s 10th season

Reaching for the sky: Francis Choinière’s challenge to end his OPCM’s 10th season

Piknic 3: A Little Bit of Everything Under the Sun

Piknic 3: A Little Bit of Everything Under the Sun

Cazzu – Latinaje

Cazzu – Latinaje

Stereolab – Instant Holograms On Metal Film

Stereolab – Instant Holograms On Metal Film

SMCQ | In memoriam Jocelyn Morlock

SMCQ | In memoriam Jocelyn Morlock

Abbey Road at Festival Classica

Abbey Road at Festival Classica

Mira Choquette – Hier encore

Mira Choquette – Hier encore

Jared Dunn; Anna Gorecka – Gorecki’s World of the Piano

Jared Dunn; Anna Gorecka – Gorecki’s World of the Piano

Subscribe to our newsletter