Morton Gould conducts music of Herbert and Ketelbey

A "Symphonic Serenade" for my distinguished colleague Buster at the  Big Ten Inch Record . Buster has posted some really nice work of Morton Gould in the past so here's my chance to reciprocate. Here we have Gould leading the Rochester "Pops" in light classical fare of Victor Herbert and Albert Ketelbey.

This is a fine collection led by an extremely talented and gifted man. Morton Gould was the alter ego of Leonard Bernstein, possessing the latter's immense musical gifts as a composer, conductor, musician, and impresario albeit in a more quiet, conservative and less controversial way. In fact, Gould bore many of the attributes of what would be characteristic of the finest "kapellmeisters" of the 18th century, that is patience, flexibility, endurance and consistent craftsmanship. Please note that I do not use "kapellmeister in a negative way, but rather as a tribute to Gould as I compare him to men like Bach, Telemann and Haydn. Gould could, quite simply, do it all and he did, being highly regarded as one of the leading American musicians of the mid to latter half of the last century. Lest not forget that Gould was practically a household name too!

We don't hear a lot of Herbert and Ketelbey and it is really too bad. Their music used to play an integral role in "pops" concerts but has since been displaced by others, often inferior, and its really too bad. The music on this album is very well crafted, tuneful and highly creative. Just listen to Herbert's "Suite of Serenades" and you'll get an idea of why this composer was one of the most famous and well regarded in his day. This piece brings the world in a rather cute way to the listener's doorstep.  Morton Gould's superb musicianship and ear for detail make this lp a real treat. You can hear the Rochester orchestra enjoying themselves and, so will you!

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