This, at least for
me, is possibly the ‘best’ of the
three Naxos CDs of Leroy Anderson’s
music released to date. But that is
simply because it has my favourite
Anderson piece on it – the Serenata.
Here is a miniature that conjures
up the summer sunshine in Majorca
or the Costa del Sol. But not just
sunshine – there is quite definitely
a beautiful senorita with smouldering
eyes, blatantly portrayed by the ‘major’
key part of this piece ... But there
are other reasons why this CD is ‘top
of the pops.’ For example, it would
be a stern person indeed who did not
laugh out loud at the antics of the
‘band’ in the 1947 arrangement of
Old MacDonald had a Farm –
complete with a battery of animal
noises, Surely a piece like this would
bring the Albert Hall down on the
‘Last Night’?
The CD opens with
a rather fun pre-war work - the Harvard
Sketches which supposedly describes
the antics of the students. The number
opens quite innocuously with an impression
of the Lowell House Bells,
yet soon there is a change of mood
when a clarinet strikes up a jaunty
tune in Harvard Square. As
it is a ‘freshman,’ I guess he does
not realise this is ‘not appropriate
music’ for the old Alma Mater. There
are lots of ‘wrong’ notes! The silence
of the Widener Reading Room
is presented in a quiet reflective
mood – only to be interrupted by strange
noises representing chattering and
of course the librarian ‘rapping the
desk for silence.’ Harvard Sketches
ends with a Confetti Dance.
Surely the listener cannot help but
be reminded of Charles Ives in this
piece.
Melody on Two
Notes is quite simply lovely.
The tune is, based on the notes G
and D but is presented in such a way
that interest is never lost. However,
it is the harmonies and the orchestration
that bring character to this work.
Alas, it is painfully short.
Mother’s Whistler,
from 1940 and the Penny Whistle
Song written eleven years later
are typical Anderson numbers. The
former was lost to the world until
it was discovered in the Boston Pops
library – this is its first recording.
Apparently the composer was not happy
with the piece. Look out for the barking
dog! The Penny Whistle Song
is really a quiet piece with a catchy
tune; it is well-described as ‘happy
go lucky.’
The Phantom Regiment
is supposed to ‘depict a nameless
body of soldiers marching into and
then trotting across the scene – before
marching away.’ It is interesting
balance of military march and up tempo
quick step. I guess that Plink,
Plank, Plunk needs little introduction
save to say that it has an infectious
tune that stays in my brain for days
after hearing it! It was written as
a ‘sequel’ to the equally memorable
Jazz Pizzicato. Anderson composed
Promenade whilst he was still
in the Army – and this is certainly
obvious in the military atmosphere
of this tune. It is no amble in ‘Central
Park before Dark’ but is much more
West Point on a passing-out parade
day. The Sandpaper Ballet is
one of those pieces that every one
knows but can never quite put their
finger on. I guess it is the rubbing
of the various grades of sandpaper
replicating the old ‘soft shoe shuffle’
that gives the game away – but just
try to recall the title the next time
you hear this piece! The Saraband
is my least favourite number in this
collection – however I know that Anderson’s
‘take’ on the baroque dance –for example,
suddenly doubling the speed of the
music - is popular in many quarters.
Of Sleigh Ride
I need say little – save it is one
of the most Christmassy pieces I know
of. It makes me dream of the deep
snow that we had way back in 1963!
Other well-known tunes include The
Typewriter with its ‘Oh, so obvious’
sound effect – yet it still makes
people smile when they hear it for
the umpteenth time. And then there
is the Trumpeter’s Lullaby
which was composed as a ‘show piece’
for the Boston Pops lead trumpet player
– Roger Voisin. The Syncopated
Clock was used as a theme tune
for the CBS-TVs ‘The Late Show’ and
became a ‘household’ jingle. It does
not need a listener to be a genius
to deduce that Anderson will make
the clock ‘tick’ both on and off beat!
This is a great tune to wrap up the
CD.
However there are
two other works that deserve mention.
In fact, the Suite of Carols
for Brass Choir is the longest work
on this disc. Of course, it is the
wrong time of year for listening to
this kind of music - as it is for
the Sleigh Ride - but it was
well worth hearing. Leroy Anderson
wrote three ‘carol’ suites for a special
‘Holiday’ season album – one for strings,
one for winds and the present Suite.
Rarely for the composer, this music
is almost entirely devoid of the usual
‘fingerprints.’ They are actually
well-written, neo-classical arrangements
and should be listened to as such.
The carols selected include:- In
Dulci Jubilo: Lo, How a Rose E'er
Blooming: I Saw Three Ships: From
Heaven High I Come to You; We Three
Kings of Orient are and March
of the Kings.
And last, but not
least, is the arrangement of George
Gershwin’s Wintergreen for President.
This is a number from the show Of
thee I sing which is set in the
White House! This is one of the composer’s
earliest pieces – but certainly deserves
our attention with its ‘bustling manner’.
It is self-evident
that Leonard Slatkin and the ‘band’
enjoy themselves playing this music.
There is, I guess, an ever-present
danger that players could be condescending
to Anderson’s music when they have
perhaps been wrestling with Mahler,
Boulez or Pärt. However, in this
recording, every note is taken seriously
and every bar is chock-full of ‘pizzazz’.
A great disc – and
I am looking forward to what I imagine
will be the fourth and final CD?
John France
Volume
1
Volume
2
BBC Concert Orchestra/Leonard Slatkin 
