Grofe: Death Valley Suite; Hudson River Suite; Hollywood Suite.(William Stromberg, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra)(Product/Service Evaluation)

William Stromberg, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Naxos 8.559017.

While Ferde Grofe's reputation lies squarely with the Grand Canyon Suite from 1931, he composed any number of other such pictorial pieces of music, most of them coming after the Grand Canyon and most of them either less inspired or imitative. The three works on this disc, the Hollywood Suite, Death Valley Suite, and Hudson River Suite, dating from 1938,1949, and 1957 respectively, are typical examples.

The Hollywood Suite is, in my opinion, the least successful. Like Hollywood itself, the music is flashy and flamboyant, starting out with a rather silly movement called "On the Set--Sweepers," complete with the sounds of sweeping brooms, and ending with "Director-Star-Ensemble," a big, largely forgettable production number. The Death Valley Suite is supposed to be the disc's big attraction, but it, too, is rather overambitious. It attempts to be another Grand Canyon affair, adding local color with the ...