Hindemith: Symphony in B Flat; Schoenberg: Theme & Variations; Stravinsky: Symphonies for Wind Eastman Wind Ensemble & Frederick Fennell

• Paul Hindemith (1895-1963): Symphony in B-Flat Major for Concert Band
• 11. Moderately fast, with vigor06:23
• 22. Andantino grazioso05:27
• 33. Fugue04:42
• Arnold Schönberg (1874-1951): Theme and Variations, Op. 43a
• 41. Theme00:59
• 52. Variation 100:50
• 63. Variation 201:15
• 74. Variation 301:09
• 85. Variation 400:54
• 96. Variation 501:12
• 107. Variation 600:35
• 118. Variation 701:14
• 129. Finale02:37
• Igor Strawinsky (1882-1971)
• 13Symphonies for Wind Instruments08:41
• Total Runtime35:58

Info for Hindemith: Symphony in B Flat; Schoenberg: Theme & Variations; Stravinsky: Symphonies for Wind

This is the premiere recording for Paul Hindemith’s Symphony in B Flat (1951) and for Arnold Schoenberg’s Variations, Op. 43a (1943), two serious scores of fairly recent vintage. By coupling these “new” works with Igor Stravinsky’s thirty-seven-year-old masterpiece, Symphonies of Wind Instruments (1920 — revised 1947), it is possible for us to present three divergent concepts of the current wind medium in these major contributions to its ever-growing musical literature by composers of the first rank. With this continuing series of long-playing records by the Eastman Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Mercury and the Eastman School of Music seek to set forth the present state of the musical literature for the wind band and for the symphonic wind ensemble. Our previous recordings for Mercury in the field of symphonic repertory have included representative scores by American and British composers. Much of the best in the areas of field music and military marches by outstanding creators of these little masterpieces likewise has been both British and American in origin.

This far from accidental emphasis upon Anglo-American repertory has come about mostly because the music of quality which it represents has been or is becoming the basic repertory of our country’s vast wind band activity. The interest, understanding, and sympathy of the composers thus represented is only now beginning to reward those long-patient and devoted souls to whom the wind medium is a happy and exciting form of musical life. This interest, however, is by no means confined to Englishmen and Americans. We are all the more pleased, therefore, to present on this disc three provocative scores by men who descend creatively from origins other than Anglo-American.

Eastman Wind Ensemble
Frederick Fennell, conductor

Recorded March 24, 1957
Engineered by C. R. Fine

Digitally remastered



Please Note: We offer this album in its native sampling rate of 44.1 kHz, 24-bit. The provided 96 kHz version was up-sampled and offers no audible value!

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Booklet for Hindemith: Symphony in B Flat; Schoenberg: Theme & Variations; Stravinsky: Symphonies for Wind