This CD release restores the music of Stephen Douglas Burton to the recorded archive. Burton was a major figure in the 1970s and 80s (his symphonic works were commissioned and played by the Berlin Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, and the Israel Philharmonic and championed by such conductors as Sir Georg Solti, Antal Dorati and Hans Werner Henze, and his opera, The Duchess of Malfi, was called “America's finest opera” on the National Public Radio broadcast of the Wolftrap premiere. Burton was born in Whittier, California in 1943. His Symphony No. 2 “Ariel” sets poetry of Sylvia Plath and features Diane Curry, mezzo-soprano; and in his only commercially available recording, the great baritone Stephen Dickson. Burton's symphony, completed in 1975, is an ambitious and dazzlingly colorful work in 5 movements. The recording is a newly mastered performance of the long out of print 1978 LP.
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Reviews:
“The ‘Ariel’ Symphony is not a reading of Mahler and earlier Teutonic Romantics with a Yankee accent: it is a journey through more than a century of Romantic edifices that has an unmistakably American destination. It is a score of beauty and punch, and Bridge Records and renowned writer, academic, and Arts administrator Henry Fogel, the producer of the original LP recording, are to be heartily thanked for introducing this performance to a new generation of listeners.” - Voix des Arts
“The performers give committed performances and this disc serves to remind us of the loss entailed in the early deaths of both Christopher Keene and Stephen Dickson. The 1978 recording has been re-mastered for this release and the sound is quite good. Bridge is to be commended for bringing back a notable example of late 20th century American romanticism.” - MusicWeb International
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Stephen Douglas Burton: Symphony No. 2 “Ariel”
Syracuse Symphony Orchestra
Diane Curry, mezzo-soprano
Stephen Dickson, baritone
Christopher Keene, conductor
BRIDGE 9436