Track Listing

1. Mississippi Suite: I. Father of Waters
2. Mississippi Suite: II. Huckleberry Finn
3. Mississippi Suite: III. Old Creole Days
4. Mississippi Suite: IV. Mardi Gras
5. Grand Canyon Suite: I. Sunrise
6. Grand Canyon Suite: II. The Painted Desert
7. Grand Canyon Suite: III. On The Trail
8. Grand Canyon Suite: IV. Sunset
9. Grand Canyon Suite: V. Cloudburst
10. Niagara Falls Suite: I. Thunder Of The Waters
11. Niagara Falls Suite: II. Devil's Hole Massacre
12. Niagara Falls Suite: III. Honeymooners
13. Niagara Falls Suite: IV. Power of Niagara - 1961

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #30463 in Music
• Released on: 1999-06-01
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

Good Performances
Some might ask, "who the heck is Ferde Grofe?" His two big claims to fame are, (1) he orchestrated Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue", and (2)he wrote the "Grand Canyon Suite" (which is featured as a DVD extra on Walt Disney's "Sleeping Beauty"--Special Edition). There is no question that the "Grand Canyon Suite" is an attractive piece of music--definitely more "pop" than "Classical." And, the performances on this CD are excellent. One could not ask for more! But, the rest of the music on this CD, especially the "Niagara Falls Suite," is mediocre. The only exception is the "Huckleberry Finn" segment of the "Mississippi Suite." It is great fun! Just keep in mind that this music is not really "Classical" in style. It sounds more like movie music of the 1930-1940's, or music from a Jerome Kern or Richard Rodgers musical. However, it is not as good as the latter!

Grand Grofé
What a fabulous collection of the best of Grofé conducted by the composer himself. If there is a better recording of any of these selections, I have not heard it and I have heard many.

The Treasures of Ferde Grofé
Ferde Grofé, born in the late 19th century New York, had a varied musical career as a composer, arranger, and pianist. He was a performer and arranger for the Paul Whiteman Orchestra and later arranged Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" for orchestra. Best known as a composer for "Grand Canyon Suite," his style combined classical, jazz and Hollywood cinematic styles in a series of unique "paintings" that managed to evoke the images that his sounds represented.

This collection from Naxos includes the aforementioned "Grand Canyon Suite," as well as his lesser known "Mississippi Suite" and "Niagara Falls Suite." All are quite moving, although "Grand Canyon" is far and away his most brilliant. Niagara displays a fine range of images and moods, from the power of the waters themselves to the cinematic lyricalism of honeymooners.

The quality of the CD is excellent. I have been quite pleased with the quality of their releases. William Stromberg and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra capture the essence of these wonderful compositions.