Alex North: Holiday Set

[@klscomus]

This is a work that is long overdue to be re-recorded, along with his Revue for Clarinet and Orchestra that has never received a commercial recording (and the last performance of this work was done in 1987 under my baton) and his first symphony (which I hope his family found). Holiday Set is a fun work that deserves a resurrection in the concert hall. P.S. - I believe it is the Vienna Symphony Orchestra that did this recording as they did many recordings of American music during this period.

[@catchoupiote]

Thanks for your comment. How is it conducting North's music ? I mean, is it really difficult for the orchestra ? He sometimes uses complex rythmic and metric pattern.

[@pianoredux7516]

Wonderfully, imaginatively orchestrated. The overall idiom is very 40s (I mean that as a compliment). This work shows that neither Leroy Anderson nor Copland owned a patent on this kind of musical scenic Americana.

[@harryandruschak2843]

Thank you for uploading this seldom played work by a seldom played composer. How seldom? The You Tube suggestions to the right have nothing more about Alex North, but offer instead Alex BS Jones.

[@Glinkaism1]

Alex North composed the music for the movie UNCHAINED from which came the all time hit song "Unchained Melody."

[@jksteven1]

We are a friendly discussion group here. Disagreements are welcome, but not rude, angry name calling comments. I just deleted a thread of truly unwelcome nastiness from one commenter directed at others.

[@michaelmcdonagh5104]

" which I did for many years "...

[@stephaneabdallah5420]

I' m not sure this piece reflects North cinenmatic approach to music, since it was composed in 45, when he had only composed concerts pieces and stage works.

[@jksteven1]

The composer was versatile.

[@catchoupiote]

@@jksteven1 Sure, he was, but I meant that critics and musicologists like to point out that film composers are always influenced by their cinematic background when they turn to composing concert pieces, even when it can't be the case. North's first film score was for A Streetcar named desire en 1951.

[@mornnb]

What does cinematic approach to music actually mean, is that more meaningful than saying symphonic approach to music. Is it supposed to be an insult or a complement? It's a strange comment.