George Antheil (1900-1959) was an American composer. He became famous in the 1920s for his avant-garde Ballet Mécanique (the score for the Dadaist movie of the same name.) Often referred to as the “Bad Boy” of American classical music, yet his talent was still respected by contemporaries such as Aaron Copland.
This piece has many similarities to the video I posted previously, Shostakovich Symphony No. 8. It was written at the same time – 1942, when Antheil was working as a war correspondent. The jacket notes indicated that the composition was influenced by his thoughts and feelings at the time about the war. Antheil himself wrote in an eclectic style, and one can hear influences of the contemporaries of the day – including Shostakovich.
Final note – One wonders what the Everest art department was thinking when choosing this cover for a work that was so influenced by the WWII? The symphony was certainly not intended to be light-hearted or a surreal piece. And while the short piece Estancia (by Ginestera) is about gauchos – it doesn’t make much sense for that piece either.
Movements:
00:00 Moderato
09:39 Allegro; Andante; Allegro
18:35 Scherzo: Presto
23:36 Allegro Non Troppo
Details:
Album title: George Antheil. Symphony No.4. “1942”
Released by: Everest Records (SDBR-6013)
Year released: 1959
Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Eugene Goosens
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