Ode (1944, rev. 1958)
Renaissance Concerto (1985)
Three American Pieces (1944/45, orch. 1989)
Symphony No. 1 in G major (1944)

From what I hear on this new Naxos recording, it would be safe to say that this composer has been unjustly sidelined over the years. Most other available recordings that feature some of his music, have him sharing the disc with other composers. So it's nice to see a release devoted solely to his music. German-born American pianist, conductor and composer Lukas Foss (1922-2009) moved to the United States in 1937 following piano and theory studies in Paris and Berlin, and once in Philadelphia, studied conducting with Fritz Reiner at the Curtis Institute of Music, and composition with Paul Hindemith at Yale University.

Imagine if you may what the music of Aaron Copland would sound like had he lived in Europe rather than the States, and you get an idea of what the orchestral music of Foss sounds like. For example, in Ode (initially titled Ode to Those Who Will Not Return), composed to pay homage to the American lives lost during the Second World War, I discern echoes, especially during its final two minutes, from Aaron Copland's Organ Symphony, actually composed while Copland was living in Paris studying with Nadia Boulanger. And obviously, within the Three American Pieces there are whiffs of Copland's cornpone, big-sky country sound, but all expressed in Foss' very own style.

A fine example of this composer's diverse facets, can be heard in the aptly titled Renaissance Concerto, a work for Flute and Orchestra, wherein the orchestration includes a harpsichord, and tips of the hat are bestowed to Rameau and Monteverdi. Flutist Amy Porter conveys a wide range of expressive and technical touches within its four highly diverse movements. And his Symphony No. 1 in G major, the first out of four symphonies, is where his orchestration skills come to the fore. He displays a knack for picking the right instrument(s) at any given moment to bring focus to a key motif or melody, like signposts along the way. The development process is highly organic, and doesn't feel as contrived as Copland's, and similar to Leonard Bernstein, once in a while you hear the influence of jazz in the background.

Conductor JoAnn Falletta and the musicians of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra do this composer's versatility and open-air sound full justice.