A Gottschalk Festival

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Despite the value revisionists pretend to find in MacDowell and his contemporaries, the only really interesting 19th century American composer is the Creole Louis Moreau Gottschalk, who conquered Europe and South America with his colorful music and extravaganza piano performances. These recordings aren't new, and they don't include any of his solo piano music. But they do include some of Gottschalk's most characteristic music, in performances and recordings that are at least fairly good. It's a lot of fun for the money, and the accompanying booklet does a very good job of telling you what is interesting about Gottschalk's life and music. --Leslie Gerber

Tracks:

Andante - Hot Springs Festival Symphony Orchestra
Presto-Maestoso - Hot Springs Festival Symphony Orchestra
Tempo Di Tarentelle - Michael Gurt
Tempo De Danza: Moderato - Darryl Taylor
Piu Lento - Darryl Taylor
Danza - Darryl Taylor
Tempo De Danza: Moderato - Darryl Taylor
Variations De Concert Sur L'hymne Portugais Du Roi Louis I, RO289 - Michael Gurt
Ave Maria, RO10 - Melissa Barrick
La Casa Del Joven Enrique Por Mehul-Gran Overture, RO54b - Richard Contiguglia
I. Noche En Los Tropicos - Hot Springs Festival Symphony Orchestra
II. Festa Criolla - Hot Springs Festival Symphony Orchestra

Average customer rating:

A worthwhile contribution to musical history
Just plain fun
Enjoyable and Fun Taste of America!
Weak Music
light, fun music

Gottschalk: A Night in the Tropics

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Louis Moreau Gottschalk: Piano Music
A Gottschalk Festival
Gottschalk: Works for piano solo, four hands & with orchestra
Gottschalk: Piano Music
Gottschalk: Piano Music for 2 and 4 hands

ASIN: B00004D3IV
Release Date: 2000-02-22

Tracks:

Celebre Tarantelle, Op. 67, No.5
Souvenir de Porto Rico, Marche des Gibaros
The Dying Poet, Meditation
Tournament Galop
O! ma charmante
Le Bananier, Chanson Negre
Manchega, Etude de Concert
Celebre Tarantelle, Op. 67, No.4
Berceuse (Cradle Song)
Symphonie romantique, 'A Night In The Tropics': I Noche en los Tropicos
Symphonie romantique, 'A Night In The Tropics': II Festa Criolla

Customer Reviews:

A worthwhile contribution to musical history.......2006-06-29

The reviewers who complain of "naive" and "weak" orchestration should read the liner notes. The orchestrations are not Gottschalk's, mostly, but those of Richard Rosenberg, artistic director of the Hot Springs Music Festival. And while it may seem easy to blast Rosenberg, Gottschalk was no master of orchestration himself. I played in the Hot Springs Music Festival Orchestra this summer, including recording more Gottschalk (as well as Nazareth and Bares) for Naxos, and I promise that Gottschalk's treatment of Mehul's "Grande Chasse de Jeune Henri," which will soon be released on Naxos, will leave no doubt in your mind that Gottschalk was right to restrict most of his activity to the piano. (More proof that Gottschalk was indeed the the "Chopin of the Creoles")
At any rate, this series of recordings seems to me a worthwhile historical project. There is some really beautiful music on these discs, in addition to some music that really need never have been revived. In any case, the listener to this disc will find some enjoyment, little offense, and much food for thought about the development of American musical culture.

Just plain fun.......2004-12-13

I'm not sure how other reviewers could have found this music weak and naive--too much Schönberg, maybe? Or maybe they were trying to delve its musical profundity, when in fact this music isn't profound and doesn't claim to be. It's just energetic, fun music from a composer who wasn't content to color within the Classical-era lines. If you can imagine "Creole Classical," in fact, that's a good description of this CD. Although the bulk of the album consists of rollicking showtunes (most of which feature the piano as the dominant instrument, since most of the songs are orchestral arrangements of piano pieces), there are some surprisingly tender, lyrical moments as well. The whole album is imbued with an intriguingly pre-Jazz flavor that combines with the classical structure to create some of the best moments in American music: catchy, energetic and always entertaining. For those moments when Beethoven (or Schönberg) is too much depth for one day, this CD is the perfect alternative... particularly at this price.

Enjoyable and Fun Taste of America!.......2002-04-30

Every once in a while, I like to buy a CD of a composer I'm not familiar with (and with NAXOS's low prices, why not?). When I got home and listened to this one, once wasn't enough. I listened twice through. This CD is real fun!!

In his day, Gottschalk was called "the Chopin of Creoles." Most of his writing was for the piano and this CD is generally short piano pieces arranged for orchestra. The music mixes strong folk melodies and New Orleans Creole inspired syncopation with the European Classical tradition- the result being a distinctly american divertimenti.

The music as a whole is very motif oriented with a touch of variation and some interesting arrangement twists. While and orchestral CD, the piano gets a lot of attention, giving us some nice interplay between the two.

The only complaint I have is that the CD was recorded at a music festival where professional musicians are playing side by side with selected 'pre-professionals.' I'm not a snob and normally it wouldn't bother me, but Gottschalk's unusual syncopation tends to be unprofessionally slopppy at times. Fortunately, any mistakes are in the supporting insturments. No star shall be subtracted because NAXOS has done such a great job giving us a quality CD at a good price.

Weak Music.......2002-04-24

Upon listening to this CD I understand why Gottschalk is noted mainly for his piano compositions. I found the whole CD weak musically and the orchestration naïve. It seems as if these pieces are piano works that want to be orchestral compositions when they grow up.

I have several other CDs by this conductor, not sure of his credentials, who seems on a mission to champion the music of the unknown composers. While I applaud his work in bring the music of composers of color to the public's attention I must say that there are many more notable Black and Hispanic composers who deserve to have their music played before we go dipping into this well of musical obscurity.

I think that this conductor needs to ask himself something that many musicologist ask before wasting time on second rate composer: why is a composer's music not known in the first place?

light, fun music.......2000-07-29

this CD is one of the best in the "american classics" series i have heard. the playing is warm, playful and full of energy.

Tracks:

Grande Tarantelle For Piano & Orchestra
Symphony No. 2 'A Montevido'
'The Union' Concert Paraphrase On National Airs
Marche Solennelle
Radieuse, Grande Valse De Concert
Ses Yeux, Polka De Concert
La Gallina, Danse Cubaine
Ojos Criollos, Danse Cubaine
Pasqinade, Caprice

Tracks:

Grande Fantaisie Triomphale Sur L'Hymne National Bresilien, Op. 69
Marcha Triunfal Y Final De Opera, For Orchestra & Band (RO 157)
Symphony No. I 'La Nuit Des Tropiques' (RO 157)
Variations On The Portuguese National Hymn For Piano & Orchestra (RO 289)
Track 5
Escenas Campestres (Cuban Country Scenes) Opera (RO 77)

Amazon.com

Despite the value revisionists pretend to find in MacDowell and his contemporaries, the only really interesting 19th century American composer is the Creole Louis Moreau Gottschalk, who conquered Europe and South America with his colorful music and extravaganza piano performances. These recordings aren't new, and they don't include any of his solo piano music. But they do include some of Gottschalk's most characteristic music, in performances and recordings that are at least fairly good. It's a lot of fun for the money, and the accompanying booklet does a very good job of telling you what is interesting about Gottschalk's life and music. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Gotschalk Festival.......2007-02-19

This CD had a piece that I was looking for everywhere that my father, a classical music connoisseur had been wanting for some time. When he received this CD as a gift, he was very pleased with the selection.

Very good performances of Gottschalk's works.......2005-04-13

The United States has produced very few great composers of anything that might be called classical music. Who was the best of them? While there have been many American composers, including MacDowell, Joplin, Rodgers, Copland, Gershwin, Sousa, Anderson, and Bernstein, well, how many were truly great?

My choice for the best of them is Gottschalk. And these discs give one a good idea of what he composed. A couple of "symphonies," some piano duets, some marches, a one-act opera. Yes, there are bombastic patriotic marches. And some precursors to ragtime. And plenty of what sounds like modern program music. Maybe my favorite of the orchestral works is "La Nuit des Tropiques." Now, is this performance as good as the ones by the Utah Symphony with Abravanel? Some folks think Abravanel's best one is better, but you may not be able to find it so easily. And I prefer this one.

Gottschalk's many solo piano compositions may be his best works, and they aren't included. But I still like these discs and performances.

An essential American composer.......2002-05-24

When I bought my first component stereo system some 30 years ago, Gottschalk was one record I took along to test the sound. Gottschalk remains as enjoyable now, but this cd would never be my test case of a stereo. The performance and recording are adequate but they lack the vitality one can find in other recordings. However, except for the lack of solo piano pieces, the album has a nice selection of Gottschalk's work and it's inexpensive. The last track on disc 1, Pasquinade, Caprice is probably his best known piece - a good introduction to his work.

Gottschalk's music is decidedly American - he grew up in New Orleans at the height of Creole culture. His father was of Spanish Jewish descent, his mother was French. However, Gottschalk began training in France at the age of 13. Thus he was very familiar with the European music of his era (1829-1869); in many ways, his music serves as a bridge between the European and American piano traditions - Scott Joplin being an example of the trajectory of American piano music. Depending upon your taste you may consider his music as classical, as salon orchestra music, as early decidedly American multi-cultural music or as just plain enjoyable fun.

My two cents.......2001-04-02

This is not a terrible album, but I do find it wanting. My greatest complaint is with the quality of the recordings and the CD's themselves (scratched too easily). My copy also has some misprints on the cover (the pieces are not listed in the correct order- if you didn't know any better you might think that you were listening to an arrangement of the Pourtuguese national anthem instead of "A Night in the Tropics"!). However, it is inexpensive (it is a 2 CD set) and worth it to those who are giving Gottschalk a first try. It also has an interesting and informative booklet on Gottschalk and the pieces featured (unfortunately I am not enough of an expert to verify their acuracy).

There are better performances.......1999-06-06

This album will disappoint Gottschalk fans. A better version of Night in the Tropics is the Maurice Abravanel & Utah Symphony. Only buy this one if you've already heard the Abravanel and want to know what it sounds like mangled by Europeans.

Rarities of Piano Music at Schloss vor Husum from the 2005 Festival

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Rarities of Piano Music at Schloss vor Husum from the 2005 Festival

Manufacturer: Danacord Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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