Leroy Anderson occupies a unique place in American music. Rigorously trained in the classical tradition, Anderson wrote tunes that topped the pop charts, making compositions such as Sleigh Ride and The Typewriter world famous. Anderson was a meticulous craftsman who could seemingly compose marvelous tunes at will, and he has been praised by composer John Williams as ‘one of the great American masters of light orchestral music’. This first set of Anderson’s orchestral music includes several previously unpublished pieces made available by the Anderson family, with world premiere recordings included among many familiar and not-so familiar titles.

This edition has the advantage of including premiere recordings of pieces not released in Anderson’s lifetime, and made available to us by the Anderson family. It is a significant attraction, alongside the sheer verve and quality of Leonard Slatkin’s conducting and the marvellous playing of the BBC Concert Orchestra, an ensemble brought into being for this very genre of light music. Anderson’s music has its own associations with Christmas for a wide public, and the release of this boxed set in advance of the holiday season is no coincidence.

Each individual release of this edition attracted a great deal of interest and was warmly welcomed by the critical press, with Vol.1 (8559313) much admired by Gramophone: ‘This is an album to buy – even if you have tons of Leroy Anderson in your collection already.’ ClassicsToday.com wrote of Vol.2 (8559356) that ‘Anderson’s brand of melodious charm is timeless, and you’ll doubtless find many very enjoyable discoveries on this well-played, well-engineered disc.’

Internationally acclaimed conductor Leonard Slatkin is music director laureate of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) and directeur musical honoraire of the Orchestre National de Lyon (ONL). He maintains a rigorous schedule of guest conducting throughout the world and is active as a composer, author, and educator. Slatkin has received six Grammy Awards and 34 nominations. His recent Naxos recordings include works by Saint-Saëns, Ravel and Berlioz (with the ONL), and music by Copland, Rachmaninov, Borzova, McTee, and John Williams (with the DSO).

Jeffrey Biegel is soloist in the tuneful Piano Concerto in C major, received with excitement by Gramophone: ‘Biegel plays the “over the top” Concerto with pizzazz!’ His many other Naxos recordings include concertos by Neil Sedaka and Keith Emerson (8573490), in which Fanfare stated: ‘Jeffrey Biegel’s artistry is beautifully showcased on this recording.’