Berlin-born Lukas Foss studied music in Paris before settling in Philadelphia in 1937. Though he freely explored diverse compositional styles, three of the works in this recording fall into his early neo-Classical period and exemplify his dictum that “to have a big foot in the future, you’ve got to have a big foot in the past.” Symphony no.1 in G major is lyrical, bucolic and subtly jazz-influenced, while the Three American Pieces show Aaron Copland’s “open air” influence. Foss’s Ode expresses his feelings about the loss of American lives during the Second World War, and Renaissance Concerto is a “handshake across the centuries” ingeniously spiced with unexpected harmonic twists.

Lukas Foss is well represented on Naxos’s American Classics series. His solo piano works are on 8559179: “They are inventive and…delightful pieces. Anyone who feels at home in the musical worlds of Barber and Copland will find this highly congenial” (The Penguin Guide). His Elegy for Anne Frank on 8559438 also won Fanfare’s Want List accolade.

Foss’s Three American Pieces for Violin and Piano can be heard on 8559235. “This is a wonderful album-nothing profound, mostly well-written shorter works in performances that capture their sheer American swing and nostalgia” (American Record Guide).

JoAnn Falletta and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra are a high-profile Naxos pairing and have recorded prolifically. Their recent recoding of Kodály’s Háry János Suite was well-received by critics: “Falletta draws vivid performances from her orchestra, not just in the set-piece exuberance but also the suite’s more contemplative moments. The Buffalo players are warm and reflective in the music…” (BBC Music Magazine).

Multiple Grammy-winning conductor JoAnn Falletta serves as music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) and music director laureate of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. She has guest-conducted many of the most prominent orchestras in America, Canada, Europe, Asia, and South America. As music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, Falletta became the first woman to lead a major American orchestra. With a discography of over 125 titles, she is a leading recording artist for Naxos.