JOHN KNOWLES PAINE (1839-1906): Symphony No. 2 in A, Op. 34 "In the Spring", Prelude "Oedipus Tyrannus", Op. 35, Poseidon and Amphitrite - An Ocean Fantasy, Op. 44 (World Premiere Recording).

Description: Paine's second and last symphony of 1879 is an assured, beautifully orchestrated slab of German Romanticism - Mendelssohn, Schumann and Liszt thoroughly assimilated into a personal style; at 47:58, this is slightly more fluid and energetic than Mehta's 50:26 New York Philharmonic recording in 1987 for New World. The eight-minute Oedipus overture to a stage play (1880-81) is suitably tense and tragic. Poseidon and Amphitrite (completed in 1888) is a 12-minute tone-poem suggested by two J. Appleton Brown paintings of island scenes in summer sunshine and in a summer storm; a World Premiere Recording, it also represents the last orchestral piece Paine wrote. Ulster Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta