This recording brings together four extraordinary mid-20th-century composers who helped shape America’s musical destiny. Aaron Copland’s The Tender Land is a moving tribute to the American rancher and farmer. It forms a profound celebration of those unsung heroes of that country’s landscape, and is perhaps his greatest expression of the preciousness of life. Walter Piston is represented by his colourful and beguiling The Incredible Flutist, which depicts a traveling circus led by a magical musician who is able to heal the sorrows of those who hear his music. The two premiere recordings here are the original orchestral version of Paul Creston’s thrilling Saxophone Concerto, and Ulysses Kay’s Pietà – a beautiful elegy inspired by Michelangelo’s masterpiece.

This is the sixth recording in a multi-year partnership between the National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic and Naxos to release one album of American music each year. The National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic consists of the highest-level conservatory students from across the US and abroad.

Previous releases in this series have included Gershwin’s Piano Concerto and other American orchestral works conducted by David Alan Miller (Naxos 8559875), welcomed by Fanfare as ‘a satisfying release combining the old and the new, showing the diversity of style in American orchestral music’ and regarded as ‘a treasurable addition to the Naxos American Classics series’ in MusicWeb International.