Karl Miller wrote: [much abridged]

>Piston's 7th and 8th are, for me, works of genius.

I'll second that...I heard the first two Boston performances [Philadelphia
Orch/Ormandy, right after the premiere, and Leinsdorf/BSO on his first
concert as music director] of #7; managed some 20 years later to schedule
it myself and was delighted but not in the least surprised by the audience
and orchestra reaction to it.  The 8th has an incredible concentration
and intensity which nobody involved at the premiere [conductor/orchestra
included] really dealt with; I've had the score since it was published but
have NEVER heard of a subsequent performance, haven't been able to program
it.

I conducted the Boston premiere of his Ricercare for Orchestra [1967],
hence somewhat later than and stylistically similar to the 8th in summer
1969, this got a better reception; colleagues who've taken it up on my
suggestion have had the same experience.

Interesting and sad that the brief flurry of a Piston revival about
a decade back both on CD and in the concert-hall didn't extend to the
last two symphonies.  Conductors prefer to revive Symphonies 2,4, 6 and
occasionally the Toccata for Orchestra.

Declaration of interest--I was a Piston student during my last undergradute
years at Harvard, and have been conducting his music [with his approval, on
the whole] since 1960...

It's not THAT far back!  It's not as if I was one of Bruckner's organ
students!

Joel Lazar
Bethesda MD