Léo Smit

Leo Smit (1900-1943) - Complete Works (2000) {4CD Set Donemus Composers' Voice CV90-93}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.12 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 708 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 48 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2000 Donemus Composers' Voice CV90-93
Classical / Early 20th Century / Symphonic / Orchestral / Chamber Music / Dutch

The Dutch composer Leo Smit (1900-1943) was a Holocaust victim, not to be confused with the fine American composer-pianist Leo Smit. This set collects all the surviving music by the Dutch composer, most of which he hid away safely before being shipped with his harpist wife to an extermination camp. Smit's composing personality has a wide range, but his most characteristic style owes much to Ravel (to whom he wrote an homage) and, often, to American jazz. Smit's chamber music has clear textures, firm rhythms, and a great deal of melodic and harmonic interest; his orchestral works are brilliantly scored, usually quite concise and effective.

The sparkling overture to Leonard Bernstein's 1956 musical Candide immediately found a prominent place in concert programmes all over the world and is now one of his most frequently performed pieces. Many of Bernstein's best-loved works drew inspiration from the city of New York, and this is true both of the three sailors pursuing female conquest in the ballet Fancy Free, and of the rip-roaring swing rhythm and big tunes from the musical Wonderful Town. Bernstein celebrated his friends and family with his Anniversaries - piano vignettes heard here for the first time in colourfully expanded orchestrations. Marin Alsop's long association with Bernstein gives her unique insights into his music.