American Discoveries Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra & Reuben Blundell

• Priscilla Alden Beach (1902 - 1970):
• 1Beach: City Trees04:26
• Linda Robbins Coleman (b. 1954):
• 2Coleman: For a Beautiful Land10:46
• Alexandra Pierce (b. 1934): Behemoth:
• 3Pierce: Behemoth: I. Quarter Note = 8005:11
• 4Pierce: Behemoth: II. Delicately, yet Assertive. Eighth Note = 12801:40
• 5Pierce: Behemoth: III. Quarter Note = 6303:47
• 6Pierce: Behemoth: IV. Quarter Note = 6301:27
• 7Pierce: Behemoth: V. Jazzy. Quarter Note = 11203:05
• Total Runtime30:22

Info for American Discoveries

The Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra and conductor Reuben Blundell release American Discoveries, a continuation of their series of promoting previously unrecorded orchestral repertoire. This collection features music by three female composers: Priscilla Alden Beach, Linda Robbins Coleman, and Alexandra Pierce.

Priscilla Alden Beach’s City Trees reflects her studies at Eastman School of Music in the 1920’s and more specifically the influence of composition mentor Howard Hanson. The work is in a ternary form, with languid outer sections and a heroic internal più mosso. Beach’s writing is evocative and colorful, painting vivid scenes with lush orchestration.

Linda Robbins Coleman’s Copland-esque For A Beautiful Land is an homage both to her home state of Iowa but also a general paean to the natural world. Heroic, expansive gestures are contrasted by playful sections featuring sections of the orchestra. The overall tone is extroverted, alternating between rhapsodic and rhythmically taut material.

Alexandra Pierce’s five movement Behemoth is the most ambitious work in this collection. A tone poem that utilizes the rich colors of the orchestra to their fullest effect, Behemoth is inspired by the Book of Job from the Old Testament, and by humanity’s struggle with existence. The first movement features ominous textures framed by dark harmonies and insistent snare drum punctuations. The second movement is scherzo-like, with short gestures on the temple block imitating passagework in the orchestra. The work’s only slow movement is the third, a melancholy unfolding of melodic ideas that are split between the oboe and horn. The short fourth movement fuses the temple block and snare drum material from the first and second movements, creating anticipation by keeping the pitched instruments mostly at bay before the final movement. The fifth and last movement takes an unexpected turn towards the burlesque, placing much of the melodic material in the bass instruments. Instead of resolving the built up tension that has accumulated throughout the work, Pierce chooses instead to layer it with subtle sardonic humor, closing this piece in a cloud of ambiguity.

Throughout, Blundell leads the Lansdowne Symphony admirably, coaxing vibrant colors and spirited playing from the group. This collection continues Blundell’s admirable work advocating for corners of the American orchestral legacy that have not been exhaustively explored. (Dan Lippel)

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 Discoveries