I have a vague memory of The Prairie, an orchestral work by Sowerby,
played by the Vienna Symphony on a Desto LP - I needed to exhume an old
Schwann catalogue to find this information.  I haven't heard it for many
years, but it might be a candidate for Naxos's American Classics series.
Or is it a case of the work being less good than I remember it? Does
anyone else recall it?

Incidentally, the conductor of the piece, Dean Dixon, was once the chief
Conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.  At the time - the early 70s
or thereabouts - a documentary about various members of the orchestra was
made, using rehearsals for Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra.  Just before
filming began, Dixon had a mishap which meant he had to conduct with one
arm in a sling.  The film was very successful.  However, I don't recall
hearing anything of Dixon after his time in Sydney, so I'd be interested
in any information about his subsequent career.

Richard Pennycuick
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