American Romantics, Vol. 3 Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra & Reuben Blundell

• David Stanley Smith (1877-1949):
• 1 Prince Hal, Op. 31 12:35
• Carl Busch (1864-1943):
• 2 Minnehaha's Vision 10:18
• 3 The Song of Chibiabos 10:38
• Gena Branscombe( 1871-1977):
• 4 A Memory (Arr. W. Happich for Orchestra) 02:41
• Edward MacDowell (1860-1908):
• 5 Woodland Sketches, Op. 51: No. 3, At an Old Trysting Place (Arr. E. Tiersch) 02:16
• Charles Wakefield Cadman (1881-1946): Thunderbird Suite:
• 6 I. Before the Sunrise 03:08
• 7 II. Nuwana's Love Song 03:33
• 8 III. Wolf Dance 01:41
• 9 IV. Night Song 04:34
• 10 V. The Passing of Nuwana 07:59
• Cecil Burleigh (1885-1980):
• 11 4 Rocky Mountain Sketches, Op. 11: No. 1, At Sunset (Arr. W. Happish for Orchestra) 02:24
• Ludwig Bonvin (1850-1939):
• 12 Festzug, Op. 27 07:07
• Total Runtime 01:08:54

Info for American Romantics, Vol. 3

“American Romantics III” is the third volume in a project initiated by conductor Reuben Blundell after discovering several scores of previously unrecorded works by 19th century American composers through the Fleischer Collection. Blundell leads Philadelphia area Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra on this recording of premieres, some of which draw on Americana melodies while others reflect the prevailing Central European compositional style of the day.

These world-premiere recordings are the third in conductor Reuben Blundell’s series promoting music by American composers, from the rich but underrepresented (at least in performance) music of the late 19th and 20th century. Some of these composers were born in America, while others, from Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, and the Netherlands, joined and influenced the musical life of their adopted country. Beyond these orchestral works lie tantalizing, and mostly obscured, catalogs of compositions including operas, tone poems, symphonies, chamber music and songs. Blundell unearthed these pieces from the rich troves of the Edwin A. Fleischer Collection of Orchestral Music at the Free Library of Philadelphia. The Fleisher Collection is the world’s largest lending library of orchestral performance material, lending to performing organizations worldwide. Alongside virtually the entire standard repertoire, it houses many rare and out-of-print works, with a current collection of over 22,000 titles and growing. Some of these composers were born in America. Others, from Canada, Denmark, and Switzerland, joined and influenced the musical life of their adopted country. While the previous two recordings in the series featured works for string ensemble, this recording series features the Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra, a regional orchestra near Philadelphia that Blundell conducts.

Reuben Blundell and the Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra
Reuben Blundell, conductor

Reuben Blundell
Music Director of the Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra since 2014, was recently re-engaged to serve the orchestra through its 2019-20 season. Over the past three years, he, the players, and the board have built on the orchestra’s great talent and potential on stage and in the community, making it one of Pennsylvania’s great artistic treasures.

This year the LSO works with Philadelphia Orchestra concertmaster David Kim and also completes its groundbreaking recording project of unheard classics by American Romantic-era composers. Previous seasons have featured soloists including renowned soprano Lisa DiNolfo in Strauss’s Four Last Songs, and flautist David Cramer of the Philadelphia Orchestra. ​

Reuben has performed in his native Australia, as well as in Austria, Chile, Iraq, Japan, Lebanon, and the Netherlands, and across the United States. He conducted the New World Symphony in their 2013 John Cage centennial: Making the Right Choices. For the last eight years, he served as Assistant Professor at CUNY’s Hunter College, growing it into a full symphony orchestra, and he recently joined the conducting faculty at New York’s Trinity School. He is also Music Director of the Riverside Orchestra in New York, collaborating with soloists from across New York including members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and New York Philharmonic. He also performs with The Chelsea Symphony, as a conductor and as concertmaster.

Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra
Founded in 1946 at the First Presbyterian Church in Lansdowne, the Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is one of the oldest community orchestras in the Greater Philadelphia area.

Although the talented musicians who form the core of the 75+ members of the LSO come from many walks of life, they all share a strong love of music.

Our season runs from October to April. This year the orchestra will present five concerts. The repertoire includes orchestral music from the Baroque through contemporary classics, including time-honored favorites and interesting rarities.

Booklet for American Romantics, Vol. 3