Recordings
Gardner Read’s recorded works have appeared on LP and CD on the Albany, Bis, CRI, Crystal, Gasparo, Louisville, Opus One, and Northeastern labels. The following are recent CDs:
Gardner Read: Works for Organ
Performed by Leonard Raver, with the Atlantic Brass Quintet
Includes Passacaglia and Fugue in D minor, Op. 34; Chorale Fantasia on Good King Wenceslas, Op. 50; Elegiac Aria, Op. 91; Sinfonia da Chiesa, Op. 61; “…and there appeared unto them tongues as of fire,” Op. 134; Suite for Organ, Op. 81
Northeastern Records, 1989, Classical Arts NR 239-C D
“This premiere recording encompasses [nearly] all of Gardner Read’s solo organ works, an absolutely excellent legacy of differing style and texture. The frank and artful performances echo the superbly crafted and upright ‘Americanism’ of Read’s music.” The American Organist
The Sacred Trombone
Performed by Christian Lindberg and Gunnar Idenstam, trombone and organ
Includes Invocation, Op. 135, and De Profundus, Op. 71
Bis (Sweden), 1991, CD 488
American Hymn Preludes
Performed by Barbara Harbach, organ
Includes Preludes on Old Southern Hymns, Op. 90 and Op. 112
Gasparo Records, 1995, CD 258
Gardner Read: Chamber Works
Performed by the Boston Composers String Quartet, Janet Packer, Barbara Harbach, et al.
Includes Five Aphorisms, Op. 150; Sonata da Chiesa, Op. 61; Sonoric Fantasia No. 1, Op. 102; String Quartet No. 1, Op. 100
Northeastern Records, 1995, Classical Arts NR 253-CD
“The evidence that Gardner Read’s String Quartet was made to last was in the effect both of solidity and freshness it made. The delights of this piece can be laid only to the workings of a very shrewd and elegant imagination.” The Boston Globe
New York Legends: Thomas Stacy, English Horn
Performed by Thomas Stacy et al
Includes Phantasmagoria for English Horn, Oboe, Oboe d’amore, and Organ, Op. 147
Cala Records, 1996, CACD0511
CRI American Masters: Gardner Read
Performed by the Louisville Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, and Paul Price Percussion Ensemble
Includes Toccata Giocosa, Op. 94; Night Flight, Op. 44; Symphony No. 4, Op. 92; Los Diosos Aztecas, Op. 107
Composers Recordings Inc. (CRI), 1997, CD 742
“[Symphony No. 4] holds the attention and thrills one with the impressive sound of a large orchestra handled with mastery” American Record Guide
The Music of Gardner Read
Performed by Randall Hodgkinson, Eastman Philharmonia, Brass Ensemble, et al.
Includes Concerto for Piano, Op. 130; Epistle to the Corinthians, Op. 144; The Hidden Lute, Op. 132; By-Low My, Babe, Op. 138
Albany Records, 1997, Troy CD 245
Gardner Read: The Art of Song
Performed by D’Anna Fortunato, John McDonald, Ariel Woodwind Quintet, et al.
Includes Songs, Op. 68; Songs for a Rainy Night, Op. 48; Four Nocturnes, Op. 23; Songs to Children, Op. 76; From a Lute of Jade, Op. 36; A Sheaf of Songs, Op. 84; Nocturnal Visions, Op. 145
Albany Records, 1999, Troy CD 336
“With their gracious, comfortable melodic lines, Read’s lovely, sensitively crafted, unpretentious songs should be a boon to singers looking for something fresh and unhackneyed. For the most part, he has set first-rate lyric poems by lesser American poets and interpreted them with sensibility, imagination, and an exceptional gift for evoking their mood.” A Singer’s Guide to the American Art Song
20th Cenutry Harpischord Music, Volume IV
Performed by Barbara Harbach, Harpsichord
Includes Fantasy Toccata, Op. 148
Gasparo Records, 2000, GSCD 290
