José Iturbi in 1933 (photograph by Carl Van Vechten, from the Carl Van Vechten Photographs collection at the Library of Congress, no known copyright restrictions)
The third CD in Sony Classical’s sixteen-CD collection entitled From Hollywood to the World: The Rediscovered Recordings by Pianist and Conductor José Iturbi has the potential for an adventurous journey of discovery. All of the composers presented on this album are American, including Iturbi himself, who became an American citizen on August 24, 1941. Sadly, that potential has been undermined due to the absence of any useful information about two of those composers, J. Clarence Chambers and William J. Reddick, in Michael Feinstein’s introductory essay in the accompanying “coffee table” book.
To be fair to Feinstein, however, neither of those composers held up very well under Google searches. (Unfortunately, the San Francisco Public Library no longer has a gateway to the Grove Web site; so I have not been able to consult that source.) Where Reddick is concerned, Google will lead the way to several of his publications, most of which are arrangements of spirituals; but I have yet to encounter even a brief biographical sketch. His track on this CD is a short composition entitled “Espanharlem,” performed by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra under Iturbi’s baton; and, as might be guessed, this music was not inspired by spirituals.
It is easier to learn about Chambers, but what one discovers is at least a bit eyebrow-raising. He was an undergraduate at Amherst College, where he served as rehearsal pianist for operetta productions. However, after he graduated, he entered the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons on a John Woodruff Simpson Fellowship. He graduated in 1934 and began his internship at Harlem Hospital. At the same time, however, he was studying music theory and composition at New York University, the Juilliard School, and privately with Roy Harris. All that training eventually led to his composing All American, a “satirical suite for two pianos,” which is performed by both Iturbis (José and Amparo) on the CD being discussed. (Prior to his death, Chambers retired as General Medical Superintendent of the New York City hospital system.)
On more familiar ground both Iturbis perform an arrangement for two pianos and orchestra of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” As on the first two CDs, the ensemble is the RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra. They then follow up with two two-piano arrangements of “Three Blind Mice,” the first a waltz followed by a “Boogie Version.” Both of these are outrageously engaging; and they serve as a “curtain raiser” for All American, which is even more outrageous! (“Rhapsody in Blue,” on the other hand, comes across with all the impact of a dog walking on its hind legs.)
The remaining composer on the album is Morton Gould. This is the other selection involving Iturbi conducting the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. It is the fourth of the compositions that Gould called a “Symphonette,” giving this one the subtitle “Latin-American.” I first encountered this music when I was a graduate student, thanks to my composition teacher Ezra Sims. Back in 2016, when Sony Classical released a Gould anthology, I was particularly disappointed that this “Symphonette” was not included. However, Iturbi knew exactly how to capture Gould’s wit; and I am more than delighted to have a recording of this music after many years of waiting!
The final track is Iturbi’s own “Soliloquy,” which was recorded less than a year after he received his citizenship papers. On the recording he plays the solo piano part along with the Janssen Symphony Orchestra of Los Angeles, conducted by Werner Janssen. Like “Rhapsody in Blue,” “Soliloquy” is a single uninterrupted movement whose duration is also about a quarter of an hour. As a result, these two compositions serve quite effectively as “bookends” for the entire CD.
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