Mennin: Moby Dick; Symphonies Nos. 3 & 7

Peter Mennin ranks with Piston, Harris, and Hanson as among the finest of the American neoclassical symphonists active in the first half of this century. During his years as director of the Juilliard School in New York, Mennin's music had a measure of attention, but since his death it has disappeared without a trace. That there are signs of renewed interest is a welcome turn of events, for these excellently crafted, vital, and compact works sport the dual virtues of integrity and approachability. Schwarz's series of American orchestral works for Delos has picked up where Howard Hanson's famous Mercury Living Presence recordings left off. They are uniformly excellent, and this one is no exception. --David Hurwitz