Foss: Ode; Renaissance Concerto; Three American Pieces; Symphony No. 1 in G Major. Amy Porter, flute; Nikki Chooi, violin; JoAnn Falletta, conductor; Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Naxos 8.559938. ISBN: 636943993828.
German-American composer Lukas Foss (1922-2009) was one of those prodigies who never quite fulfilled his early promise. He had plenty of musical talent, but a rather limited stamp of compositional personality. So he did what many such figures have done: he tinkered. Eclecticism can have a way of masking the lack of a strong personal voice. He experimented with various styles and "isms," but his authentic self was a neo-classicist with a little neo-romanticism thrown in. And this is all perfectly okay. Foss did write a number of fine, enjoyable works. Some of the best ones are on this new Naxos recording, which is about as ideal an introduction to the composer as one could ask.
I enjoyed the heck out of the Renaissance Concerto (1985), which features recycled music from the eponymous period. I grinned in recognition when I heard in the third movement Orfeo's recitative melody (if you can call it that) from Monteverdi's opera. The other movements are just as good. My first thought while listening was that this is kind of like Respighi's Ancient Airs and Dances, but perhaps a bit freer in spirit. It would make a terrific concert piece for wide audiences, being so engaging and accessible. A similar description applies to the Three American Pieces, which were completed in 1945 but are heard here in Foss's 1989 violin-and-orchestra scoring. These are wonderful - full of direct appeal and American character. Violinist Nikki Chooi proves a splendid advocate for them.
The main course is the First Symphony, completed in 1944 when Foss was 22. When I listened to this symphony for the first time, I was driving my vehicle through some rural areas. I must say that my surroundings heightened its effect. Though I couldn't remember many of the materials well after hearing them, I did very much enjoy the piece while it was on. This symphony is mostly a gentle, graceful work that recalls American orchestral music by Aaron Copland and Roy Harris. It definitely merits an occasional hearing in live concert.
That leaves the Ode, composed at the time of the First Symphony. Foss intended it as a memorial to the World War II dead, considering it to represent "crisis, war, and ultimately faith" (liner notes). It's a well crafted piece, with moments of real beauty and passion. Again, I can't say that it is terribly memorable outside of the moment, but it's absolutely worth hearing in that moment.
Conductor JoAnn Falletta very astutely leads the Buffalo Philharmonic through each selection. We should be grateful to them and to Naxos for promoting this music.
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