Steve Schwartz wrote at length about: >Eugene Ormandy >American Orchestral Music > >* Schuman: Credendum (Article of Faith) >* Gesensway: Four Squares of Philadelphia* >* Persichetti: Symphony No. 4 > >Oscar Treadwell (narrator)*, The Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene Ormandy >Albany TROY276 (MONO) As a native of Philadelphia, and having come of age in the city during the 1940s, I read Steve's overview of the above recording with a certain amount of nostalgia. Pity there has to be an odd man out here (Schuman is from N.Y.; Yardumian would have been a natural), but Steve's recalling that Ormandy programmed much new American music (not just that of Philadelphia composers) reminds me of the resistance that existed then to that programming, and for which in retrospect Ormandy now is seldom given much credit. My parents generally faint-praised Ormandy by never failing to comment "his Brahms is good" (they were not enthusiastic about much else), and for this reason I suppose I was taken often to concerts featuring one of Brahms' symphonies or concertos, but never ever to a concert that offered what was then termed "modern" music. And so I missed out. But would I have responded to "Four Squares of Philadelphia"? In my youth there were actually only two squares: Washington and Rittenhouse. Logan was a circle, and Franklin was an adjunct to the plaza coming off the Delaware River Bridge (now the Ben Franklin). I realize now there were indeed four squares, and even a fifth, upon which the once imposing Philadelphia City Hall was built. I revel in the knowledge there is music out there to remind me of my city. John Dalmas [log in to unmask]