Sunday, November 4, 2012

Dello Joio: Harp Concerto

Norman Dello Joio
Next year will see the centenary of American composer Norman Dello Joio (1913-2008), godson of Pietro Yon (famous for the Christmas carol "Gesu Bambino") and student of Paul Hindemith - although, unlike many of Hindemith's composition students, his music sounds nothing like his master's.  To get a jump on the celebrations, I present a work which, as far as I can tell, has received only this one recording, and that shortly after the work was written.  This is his Harp Concerto, a two movement-work consisting of an Introduction and Passacaglia, and a Scherzo-March.  This is masterfully played by Edward Vito, at the time principal harpist in Toscanini's NBC Symphony.

Dello Joio: Concerto for Harp and Orchestra (1944)
Edward Vito, with the Little Orchestra Society
conducted by Thomas K. Scherman
Recorded November 21, 1947
Columbia Masterworks set MX-339, two 78-rpm records
Link (FLAC file, 45.09 MB)
Link (MP3 file, 23.4 MB)

5 comments:

  1. Thanks so much, Bryan - rare and appreciated!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Goodness - this must be a rarity of rarities - many thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love all your American Orchestral works you share. Thank you so much!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I believe this music was never published. When I sought a copy, I had to talk to the editor at Carl Fischer, and I think it was still in manuscript. I don't know why my teacher thought it would not be effective enough for me, but I ended up selecting the equally unperformed Concerto by Nicolai Berezowsky.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn't know Berezowsky wrote a harp concerto! He was the first violinist in the Coolidge Quartet, which recorded his First String Quartet in the late 30s. Alas, I don't have that recording, though I have several others by this group, all of which I have posted here at one time or another.

      Delete