CSO
show highlights legacy of Anderson
Wednesday,
January 16, 2008
June 29
marks the 100th birthday of American composer Leroy (pronounced
Le-ROY) Anderson, best known for such instantly recognizable pops
favorites as Sleigh Ride, The Syncopated Clock, Blue Tango, The
Typewriter and many others. On Saturday,
Carl
Topilow
will lead the Colorado Symphony in a full evening of
Anderson
’s music. Rocky music writer Marc Shulgold spoke with the
composer’s widow, Eleanor, 89, and his son, Rolf, 55.
Anderson
’s biggest hits were written
more than 50 years ago but are still played and enjoyed. Why is that?
Rolf:
“There is a timeless quality to them, although this was very much
music of its day (in the ’40s and ’50s). It became popular not as
concert music or commercial music. People danced to it. Ballroom was
big back then, and his music was suited to that. Things like Blue
Tango. Early on, Dad played bass in a dance band.
“There
was a time when pops programs were looked down upon by orchestras. But
thanks to people like Arthur Fiedler (leader of the Boston Pops), the
format became a staple. Fiedler liked Dad’s arrangements and
encouraged him to compose. Dad was derided for wanting to write pop
music. He loved ‘serious’ music but was drawn to music that would
make people happy. He was a joyful person, with a great sense of
humor.”
Eleanor:
“His music was an expression of his love of life. He came out of the
Harvard Band (which he directed), and that was a fun-loving group.
There was something instantly likeable about his music. A lot of it
was first played at recording sessions, and I remember how some of the
musicians would leave the session whistling those new tunes.”
Perhaps
his most popular song is Sleigh Ride. This past Christmas season, it
was once again in the Top 10 on national radio airplay lists. How did
that piece come into being?
Rolf:
“He always thought of it as simply a winter piece, his response to
Mozart’s Sleigh Ride. But there’s a funny story about how he came
to write it. Mom and Dad had just moved to Woodbury (
Conn.
) in July of 1947. It was a particularly hot day, and as luck would
have it, our spring had run dry. He was out looking for a water pipe
— as far removed from composing as you can imagine — and the
refrain just came to him. He didn’t compose at the piano. I think
the piano tuner played it more than he did. Dad composed in his head,
usually after supper, when he’d pace around the house trying out
tunes in his head.”
Eleanor:
“I think what helped make Sleigh Ride a hit was that during
Christmas of 1948 — soon after it was premiered — the music was
played in Macy’s holiday window display. It was true that he never
sat at the piano to compose, because he felt that the fingers would
simply fall into the same old patterns. So, he’d walk around,
sometimes half-singing to himself. He’d never play a piece for me,
though we might discuss a title.”
The
Colorado
Symphony concert includes plenty of favorites, but there are some rare
works, such as the Piano Concerto (included in a new all-Anderson CD
from
Naxos
). Did he get frustrated that audiences only wanted to hear the hits?
Rolf:
“Dad was always surprised by the popularity of some of his shorter
works. He once said, ‘My music has gone beyond me.’
When his popularity slid (in the late ’60s), it did depress
him. But his star rose after his death (in 1975). We weren’t sure
how his music would move forward after he died. Then (pops conductors)
Newton Wayland and Erich Kunzel came along, and then some CD re-issues
and the Internet. Suddenly, we realized that his music was still being
performed around the world.”
Eleanor:
“When the Piano Concerto was premiered (in 1953), it was not
well-received. So Leroy withdrew it, saying he wanted to revise the
first movement, but he never did. We published it posthumously, and
it’s getting a nice number of performances (Simon Tedeschi will play
it with the CSO on Saturday). One thing is clear: This music is not
going away. We know of about 80 (
Anderson
) concerts this year. There’s a big one in
Kristianstad
,
Sweden
, where Leroy’s father was born. I just may go to hear that one.”
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