This remarkable 6-CD set consists of gems from Delos’ Great American Composers Series, releases that garnered 5 Grammy nominations, Stereo Review‘s Record of the Year (Hanson Symphony No. 2), top Billboard Classical Chart rankings, and Time Magazine‘s Best Classical Recording (Hanson Symphony No. 4). These groundbreaking recordings’ Grammy nominations included those for artists, engineer, and label — and have helped to reawaken American interest in its own classical music. A quick glance at the descriptive titles in this magnificent collection reflects its celebration of our American heritage. These great mid-century classics embrace our spirit of freedom, respect for our fellow human beings, and reverence for our natural environment.
Listeners will find this beautiful music inspiring and accessible, yet sophisticated in its artistic value. In the wake of the 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial, Portraits of Freedom, included in this box set, is particularly relevant. As noted in The New York Times, “(Copland’s) Lincoln Portrait… has finally found a speaker equal to its musical merits. James Earl Jones succeeds in making the text as relevant to our day as it was to the 1940s… vibrant, precise playing from the Seattle Symphony, captured with hair-raising sonic presence.”
- Copland: Lincoln Portrait; Fanfare for the Common Man; Outdoor Overture; Canticle of Freedom
- Hovhaness: Mysterious Mountain; And God Created Great Whales; Prayer of St. Gregory; Celestial Fantasy; Alleluia and Fugue; Prelude and Quadruple Fugue
- Hanson: Symphonies 2, 4, 6, 7; Serenade for Flute, Harp & Strings; Serenade for Oboe, Harp & Strings; Elegy in Memory of Koussevitzky; Fantasy Variations on a Theme of Youth; Mosaics; Piano Concerto
- Diamond: Romeo & Juliet; Concerto for Small Orchestra
- Creston: Choreografic Suite
- Piston: Serenata; Sinfonietta
- Harris: American Creed; When Johnny Comes Marching Home
