Alan Chatterton:

>My American CD collection of art music runs to Copland's ballets, Quiet
>City and 3rd Symphony; a complete Porgy and Bess; and a Barber violin
>concerto that I can't lay hands on at the moment.
>
>It would be great to have some recommendations for extending this list.
>What other American symphony (..nies) should I seek out? Songs, wind-band
>music, chamber music? I don't know the American Classics collection, so
>some hint of the most desirable elements would be really helpful, if that's
>allowed.

I don't know so much about American music, but I can recommend some
specific works and recordings:

Adams: Piano Concerto or Nixon in China (Nonesuch)
Barber: Songs (DGG - 2 CDs) / Piano Sonata (Horowitz - Sony)
Barati: Chant of Darkness (Naxos "American Classics" CD)
Berstein: West Side Story (Sony) / Symphonies (Berstein - DGG)
Bolcom: Concerto for piano (Hamelin-Hyperion + Bernstein's Symphony no 2)
Carter: Concerto for clarinet (DGG)
Copland: Old American Songs (Warfield-Copland-Sony+songs and chamber works)
Creston: Symphony no 2 (Naxos "American Classics")
Crumb: Songs, Drones and Refrains of Death (Bridge)
Diamond: Symphony no 2 (MTT - DGG)
Druckman: Concerto for viola (New World Records)
Floyd: Susannah (Nagano-Virgin)
Foote: Trios with piano (Naxos - "American Classics")
Foss: Songs of the Song (Berstein -Sony)
Glass: Violon Concerto (Kremer-DGG + Bernstein/Rorem) / Akhnaten (Sony)
Hanson: Symphony no 4 (Swartz - Delos)
Harris: Symphony no 3 (Bernstein - Sony)
Ives: Three Places in New England (MTT-DGG)
Lieberson: Drala (DGG 20/21)
Mennin: Symphony no 3 (CRI)
Perle: Concerto for piano no 2 (Harmonia Mundi - deleted)
Piston: Concerto for violin no 1 (Naxos - "American Classics")
Reich: Tehellim (Nonesuch)
Rorem: Symphony no 3 (Vox + Schuman, etc)
Rouse: Symphony no 2 (Telarc)
Thomson (Virgil): Symphony on a Hymn (Naxos "American Classics")
Thomson (Randall): Symphony no 2 (Bernstein - Sony - see Harris no 3)

I suppose that's enough for now!  I have probably forgotten many great
composers but, eh, this is just a beginning:-) Have fun discovering
American music!

Daniel Beland