Search - Ferde Grofe, Victor Herbert, Harold Lawrence :: Ferde Grofé: Grand Canyon Suite; Missippi Suite; Victor Herbert: Cello Concerto No. 2

Grofe lost no time capitalizing on the spectacular success of his Grand Canyon Suite, churning out several others, of which the Mississippi Suite is probably the best. Both pieces are very well performed by composer/conductor Howard Hanson and his excellent conservatory orchestra. The music itself is charmingly jazzy and very much of its period. Victor Herbert's Cello Concerto is a typically well written work by the famous operetta composer, and it has the singular distinction of having inspired Dvorák to compose his own Cello Concerto--the greatest ever written for the instrument. It's nice to have it back in the catalog in such a sympathetic performance. --David Hurwitz