Schuman and Bernstein

Continuing BBC Radio 3's celebration of American music, here are two less-well known pieces from the States.

William Schuman was a powerhouse in his native land – a prolific composer who still found the time to run the Juilliard School in New York. Of his ten symphonies, his third is quite well known, mainly thanks to two recordings by Leonard Bernstein. But his fifth, written just for strings, has a vigour and vitality all of its own, and the most beautiful, intense slow movement.

Bernstein's Songfest, from the 1970s, is an anthology of settings, from Walt Whitman to Langston Hughes – the styles range from strident to jazzy to deeply poignant.

William Schuman
Symphony No. 5
New York Philharmonic
Leonard Bernstein

Bernstein
Songfest
Clamma Dale (soprano),
Rosalind Elias (mezzo-soprano),
Nancy Williams (contralto),
Neil Rosenshein (tenor),
John Reardon (baritone),
Donald Gramm (bass)
National Symphony Orchestra of America
Leonard Bernstein