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