Wednesday, June 15, 2005
"A vital branch in the stream of American music"
So Leonard Bernstein once referred to composer David Diamond, now dead at age 89.
I have few recordings of his work, but I like the combination of chromatic edginess and lyric melody. Diamond was from Rochester, my hometown, and his music was occasionally performed at the Eastman School. Interest in Diamond flagged while he spent his post-WWII years in Europe. Gerard Schwarz, while at the helm of the Seattle Symphony, was part of Diamond's "rehab," recording several disks of Diamond's works on the Delos label.
Diamond composed eleven symphonies, but is well-regarded for his art songs. I'm not aware of anything he's composed along the lines of sacred music.
