Tony Duggan:

>In an old Penguin Guide I can find just one work recorded.  I
>want to hear more Paul Creston.  Can I? I want to hear more about Paul
>Creston.  Tell me.

Well, Schwarz recorded 2 CDs of his music on Delos.

Creston was a nom de plume (can't remember what his name really was, but
it was Italian).  I think he took it out of the Manhattan phone book.
Anyhow, he was largely, if not entirely, self-taught.  His career peaked in
the 1940s, which was a shame, since he died many years later, still writing
but largely ignored.  He had a reputation as a symphonist, and, of his
series, Nos.  2 and 3 seem to be the most recorded.  Creston's music is
characterized by strong rhythmic and polyrhythmic drive.  It's the kind of
music that makes you want to fling your body around the room.  I find his
lyrical moments less convincing.  Works I especially like include
Symphonies 2 and 3, Partita, and the Concerto for Marimba.

Here's a list of stuff currently available in the US:

BARBER/CRESTON/TOCH
DIES NATALI/PRAYERS OF KIERKEGAARD/CORINTHIANS/JEPTHA
WHITNEY & MESTER/LOUISVILLE OR
Albany ALBA-21

COPLAND/CRESTON/CRUMB/CARTER/+
AMERICAN COMPOSERS
KNARDAHL PNO/SAVIJOKI SAX
BIS-52

CRESTON/HOVHANESS/DELLO JOIO/+
CHANT OF 1942/CELESTIAL FANT/+
AMOS/ISRAEL PHIL ORCH
Crystal CRYS-508

CRESTON/KARLINS/DEMARS/MYERS
SON SAX/QRT SAX 1/2/SEVENTH HE
WYTKO SAX/COSAND PNO
WYTKO SAXOPHONE QUARTET
ACA Digital ACAD-20012

CRESTON/SCHMITT/HINDEMITH/+
WORKS FOR SAX & PNO
BORNKAMP SAX/JANSSEN PNO
Globe (Net) GLOE-5032

DELLO JOIO/CRESTON/BLOCH
VAR/DANCE OVT/EVOCATIONS
AMOS/LITHUANIAN NATL PHIL ORCH
Centaur CENT-2356

HARRIS/CRESTON
SYM 4/GREGORIAN CHANT-STRING
GOLSCHMANN & LIEF/VARIOUS
Vanguard Classics VC-4076

IVES/CRESTON
SYM 2/SYM 2
JARVI/DETROIT SYM ORCH
Chandos CHN-9390

MILHAUD/HUMMEL/CRESTON
PERCUSSION IN CONCERT
SADLOPETER PERC
VARIOUS
Koch Schwann KSCH-364152

P. CRESTON
SYM 3/PARTITA/OUT OF THE CRADL
SCHWARZ/SEATTLE SYM
Delos DLS-3114

P. CRESTON
TOCCATA/STE CHOREOGRAFIC/SYM
SCHWARZ/VARIOUS
Delos DLS-3127

ROCHBERG/CRESTON/HEIDEN/CARTER
SON VLA 3/ELEGY
WHEELER VLA/TOMFOHRDE PNO
Albany ALBA-141

I strongly recommend the Schwarz and the Amos -- in fact, anything by Amos,
a conductor who strikes gold a lot of times with not-so-well-known groups.

Steve Schwartz