Orchestra Song

Orchestra Song

Sandwiched in between two of William Schuman’s most potent symphonies is a shocking three-minute waltz from 1963 that is so anachronistic it’s downright revolutionary. Long before Dennis Busch and Milos Raikovich’s new classicism or Stefania De Kennessey’s Derrier Guard, Schuman proved with gusto that in the post-Cage universe where anything goes, new ideas could still… Read more »

Written By

NewMusicBox Staff

Sandwiched in between two of William Schuman’s most potent symphonies is a shocking three-minute waltz from 1963 that is so anachronistic it’s downright revolutionary. Long before Dennis Busch and Milos Raikovich’s new classicism or Stefania De Kennessey’s Derrier Guard, Schuman proved with gusto that in the post-Cage universe where anything goes, new ideas could still emerge within the trappings of old sounding music. An arrangement of an Austrian folk song that sounds more Robert than William, this innocuously-titled ditty reveals itself to be a product only possible in our time through its completely fresh orchestration.

—FJO