“While his music is perhaps not as popular as it once was, the attractive and inventive light orchestral music of Morton Gould is still delightful when listened to in the right mood – and particularly when delivered with the panache to be found on this disc. Morton Gould was an American musical phenomenon, equally at home in classical, crossover and film genres, and the recipient of both GRAMMY and Pulitzer awards during his long and distinguished career. The Symphonettes represent Gould’s best crossover work – the Symphonette No. 4 deriving its character from Latin-American dance forms to make it one of his most popular compositions.”

“… His[Gould] technical talent for orchestration and orchestral colours cannot be denied. Add to this a flourishing power of imagination and a sure sense of musical eloquence that everyone can easily understand. The Symphonettes are brilliantly written and extremely original. No less attractive is the effectively composed Spirituals for Orchestra, also known as Spirituals for string choir and orchestra. Gould did not use spiritual melodies for this work, but composed it in the spirit of the spiritual as a musical history of African-American life, with the ‘string choir’ singing as an antiphon in an orchestral context.The initially powerful Proclamation is followed by an introverted, lyrical and peaceful movement entitled Sermon. The movement A Little Bit of Sin is funny, in contrast to the agitated Protest, while Jubilee stages an energetic dance. Arthur Fagen and the musicians of the Vienna Radio Orchestra do an excellent job, and since the sound recording is also of the best quality, this CD can be recommended to anyone who has a penchant for lighter symphonic music.” ****

"... a hugely enjoyable listen." ****