Kelly Rinne:

> Hi all - I attended a concert today that featured works by John
> Creston (nee Giuseppe Guttoveggio), entitled Two Choric Dances.  A
> basic Wikipedia/Internet search turned up zippo - would any listers
> care to enlighten me on John Creston, good, bad or indifferent?

First of all, it's Paul, not John, Creston (wrong Beatle).  On the other
hand, I can never remember his birth name.  He claimed to have picked
out "Paul Creston" from the Manhattan telephone directory, but apparently
his nickname in high school was "Cres," (after "Crespini," a role he
acted in a high-school play).  To me, a wonderful "maverick" composer,
although ultimately minor, with a unique sound.  His Second Symphony I
think is his masterpiece.  However, there's plenty of enjoyable work,
including his Partita and Violin Concerto.  His compositional trademark
is his generation of complex cross-rhythms.  His music was almost totally
forgotten after the early Sixties, along with people like Mennin, Hanson,
and Ward, but performers are now showing signs of renewed interest in
it.

Steve Schwartz

             ***********************************************
The CLASSICAL mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R)
list management software together with L-Soft's HDMail High Deliverability
Mailer for reliable, lightning fast mail delivery.  For more information,
go to:  http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html