# Most-loved Louisville Orchestra (orchestral) recording



## The Deacon (Jan 14, 2018)

LO recorded over 150 lps on their own label.
Works ,in many cases, that otherwise would have never made it to vinyl.

Wot are your favs?


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

My favorite interpretation of the Carter _Variations_ is still with Louisville. The work was composed for them.

I have many of the their recordings, vinyl and CD, in my library.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Yeah, a great collection. I´ve probably got around 25 of the LPs, some rare Cowell symphonies included, Chavez´ Horsepower Suite, Crumb orchestral, etc.

A list from Discogs, unfortunately often not mentioning composers, only works
https://www.discogs.com/artist/1631446-The-Louisville-Orchestra


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

I like their Walter Piston recordings, because I like Piston’s music and recordings are hard to come by


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## The Deacon (Jan 14, 2018)

Funny you mention Chavez - Locomotion because I just found that the other day!

I only have a handful of LO recordings. (Put up this thread mainly to learn.) but that Chavez is certainly a winner.

As is, Paul Creston "Invocation to Dance".


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## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

The Louisville Symphony Orchestra was the first orchestra in the world to create its own label, First Edition, back in 1947; as well as annually commission, perform, and record many new works by living composers (thanks to a Rockefeller grant).

My own highlights from their numerous recordings have included the following new works:

1. Virgil Thomson--Concerto for Flute, Harp, Percussion & Strings:




2. Wallingford Riegger--his Symphony No. 4, Op. 63: 




and fascinating Study for Sonority, for Ten Violins, Op. 7:




3. Vincent Persichetti--Symphony No. 8: 




Along with Persichetti's Serenade No. 5 for Orchestra, Op. 43, and Symphony for Strings, Op. 61:




4. Henry Cowell--Sinfonietta: 




5. John Corigliano--"Voyage" for string orchestra: 




and much else.

Do they still commission as many new works from living composers as it did in the past? I don't hear much about the Louisville Orchestra these days. Is the First Edition label no longer?


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## Eramire156 (Sep 28, 2017)

*Music makes a City* the story of the Louisville Orchestra, clip below






As far my favorites go

Robert Kurka Symphony no.2
Martinu Symphony no.5
Roy Harris Symphony no.5

Are the one that come mind.


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## Oldhoosierdude (May 29, 2016)

What a great thing! I will look into some of those mentioned above.


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## Vasks (Dec 9, 2013)

I have a good number of Louisville LPs (my guess, as I am not going to sift through my entire collection, is around 20). 

The first one I ever got is still one of my favs: Frank Martin - Violin Concerto.

I also think highly of their recording of Balada's "Maria Sabina"

I just listened early this morning the LP that has two Morton Gould pieces. I played to the Carlyle Floyd's "In Celebration"


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## LouisvilleOrchestra (Sep 18, 2018)

*Louisville Orchestra today*

Hello everyone. I'm with the Louisville Orchestra and wanted to respond to the question about current commissions and recordings here at the LO.

The Louisville Orchestra is very busy with new composers and commissions. We premiere a new opera by RACHEL GRIMES titled "The Way Forth" (March 2019) and have works on an upcoming program (Oct 11, 12, 13) of American composers JEREMY BECK, MICHAEL THURBER, and NEIL RAO.

In 2017, we released a new album with Decca Gold that featured a new work by TEDDY ABRAMS titled "Unified Field" and premiered a commission from SEBASTIAN CHANG of a piece titled "War."

We are rather excited about this thread because of the topic.



Josquin13 said:


> The Louisville Symphony Orchestra was the first orchestra in the world to create its own label, First Edition, back in 1947; as well as annually commission, perform, and record many new works by living composers (thanks to a Rockefeller grant).
> 
> My own highlights from their numerous recordings have included the following new works:
> 
> ...


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

Is this the orchestra in Louisville, KY? There was a flute job opening at the beginning of this year but I didn't apply. I just had too much going on at the time.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

The LO has had some terrific music directors - Lawrence Leighton Smith had ears that heard everything. Raymond Leppard! Jorge Mester! And Maestro Abrams is absolutely wonderful. The LO plays music that other orchestras wouldn't dare - this year they have two concerts of American composers - and it's not Gershwin, Grofe, Chadwick, Hanson and company - it's contemporary. Of course, having UK in town helps. I never collected the LPs, but there sure were some fine CDs - the one with the 1st and 3rd symphonies of William Bolcom is a real winner!


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Oh, so many.
I've had the pleasure of being a subscriber to the First Edition recording program for several years and count most if not all of the Louisvilles in my collection. They are records I return to often. And favorites abound.

But my initial choice of a favorite, the first one to come to mind, is L652, the Ross Lee Finney Symphony No. 1 "Communique". I loved the music when I first played it years ago after receiving the disc in the mail from my subscription. I still love it today. First Edition Records recorded the 2nd and 3rd Finney Symphonies as well, and they are splendid, too. But the First remains an all time favorite.

Too, I thought immediately of Paul Nordoff's "Winter Symphony" on L571. It's a disc I play at least twice each year -- once in winter to celebrate the season, and once it summer to cool things down.

A third I can mention is L 592, Colin McPhee's Symphony No. 2. This is a piece I recommend whenever one brings up obscure music that should be heard more often. I know this symphony was recorded at least a second time, because I also have in on a MusicMasters CD, 01612-671 59-2.

And a fourth is the "Mainescape" by Rohe on LS 673.

And the fifth ... well ... the rest of them.

So much (especially) American composers' music I first was exposed to by way of Louisville discs, but there was a lot of non-American music as well. I probably first heard Penderecki, Milhaud, Fricker, Gerhard, Husa, Toch, and Tcherepnin on First Edition releases. I know for certain that I could probably well survive the rest of my days if my music collection were trimmed down only to those First Edition LPs on my shelves. Plenty of great music there, enough to last a lifetime.


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## Vaan (Nov 17, 2018)

Roy Harris Symphonies 1, 5 and the Violin Concerto. A great composer so sadly neglected today.


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## NoCoPilot (Nov 9, 2020)

Let's resurrect this old, but extremely worthy, thread.

My favorite LO recordings include:
* _Town Piper Music_ by *Richard Mohaupt*
* _Variazoni Concertanti_ by *Nikolai Lopatnikoff*
* _Nocturne_ by *Andrzej Panufnik*
* _Symphony No.2_ by *Alexander Tcherepnin*
* _Music for Prague_ by *Karel Husa*
* _Orchestral Fantasy_ by *Boris Blacher*
* _Genghis Khan_ by *Gene Gutché*
* _Sinfonetta Flamenca_ by *Carlos Surinach*

But really, there are _HUNDREDS _of really wonderful recordings by this organization. I've given up trying to acquire them all.

Couple years ago, I did make an attempt at documenting what they'd released, which was surprisingly not documented anywhere (that I could find):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_First_Edition_Records_releases

One reason for this neglect seems to be that ownership of the catalog is in somewhat of a disaster:
https://louisvillerenaissanceproject.com/2018/11/27/first-editions/


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

I do wish someone would get these recordings organized, straighten out the complex ownership issues, then remaster all the recordings and put them together in a nice, well-documented box. The legacy of those recordings is so important.


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## NoCoPilot (Nov 9, 2020)

The Orchestra would probably like that too. You got the money?

Because it probably wouldn't make a profit, or even break even to do a Proper-type boxed set. There were something like 178 original LPs and 75 CDs released, and Matt Walters apparently digitized a total of 177 Louisville releases－present whereabouts unknown. Some deep pockets individual or organization could do a wonderful thing... but the LO doesn't have the money, and nobody else has stepped forward.

There are a whole bunch available for streaming on Spotify, but the process is less-than-ideal:
https://open.spotify.com/search/louisville orchestra/albums


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Seeing this thread here again -- I see I responded to it initially on Sep-19-2018 -- reminded me of all of the wonders of the Louisville recordings. So I spent a couple of hours combing through my First Edition collection and playing old favorites -- like the three Ross Lee Finney symphonies, Daniel Pinkham's Symphony No. 2, Ray Luke's Symphony No. 2, Roque Cordero's Symphony No. 2, and Benjamin Lees' Symphony No. 3. It proved another enjoyable concert with the esteemed Louisville Orchestra. All on vinyl LPs! And in Mono, for the most part!


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