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Centennial Fanfares
In 1970, The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City) was celebrating its centennial and the Director of the Museum, Thomas Hoving, approached iconic American composer William Schuman to write a fanfare to commemorate the occasion.
Mr. Schuman suggested to Mr. Hoving that there be five different works to open each of the five exhibitions to be produced during that centennial season. On behalf of the museum, Schuman reached out to the four colleagues featured on the cover of this recording:
Leonard Bernstein (Shivaree for the exhibit Before Cortes, Sculpture of Middle America)
Virgil Thomson (Metropolitan Museum Fanfare Portrait of an American Artist for the exhibit, New York Painting and Sculpture 1940 - 1970))
Walter Piston (Ceremonial Fanfare for the exhibit, The Year 1200)
Aaron Copland (Ceremonial Fanfare for the exhibit Masterpieces of Fifty Centuries)
William Schuman (Anniversary Fanfare for the exhibit 19th Century America)
This remarkable recording included musicians from the New York and American Brass Quintets, orchestral musicians from the New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and some notable New York freelance musicians.