Karl Miller writes:

>Mats Norrman wrote:
>
>>I have tried this Piston.  I had never heard any Piston before - I found
>>it to be carefully constructed, but dry academic music.  I don't think the
>>recording, without being bad, stands out as something special.  Maybe there
>>is a recording to compare it with?
>
>While I don't know what one means by academic music, I find most of
>Piston's music to be refreshing, engaging, tuneful...brilliant.

_Most_ of it, yes, including the First Concerto.  I was disappointed by
the Second Concerto, though - it sounded to me as if it had been stitched
together from left-overs from the Second Symphony.

The Second Symphony itself is still my favourite Piston work, and I'd
recommend the Delos CD (DE 3074) which contains that and two other fine
pieces, the Sixth Symphony and the Sinfonietta, as a way into Piston's
music.

Peter Varley
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