The Howard Hanson recording on Mercury 432 755-2 can't be beat. I was
surprised not to find a Bernstein recording, though there is one with
the New York Philharmonic conducted by Kostelanetz.
I love this music. I think Schuman was mining the Billings pieces simply
as a source of themes to be used when writing a dynamic suite of '50s
orchestra pieces.
The first time I heard the orchestra suite, I was surprised at the
shortness of "Chester." I had played a band version in high school that
was longer. Don't know which version Schuman wrote first.
Enjoy,
Nick Jones
Atlanta, Georgia, USA