Synopsis

At Carnegie Hall on today’s date in 1893, the New York Philharmonic gave the premiere performance of a new symphony by a 37-year-old American composer and New York native named George Templeton Strong, Jr. This was a pretty big deal at a time when the Philharmonic rarely played works by non-European composers.

As the Philharmonic’s program book put it, somewhat defensively: “The acceptance of a work for performance is to a certain extent a declaration that it belongs to the very best class of contemporaneous literature according to the unbiased judgment of those who are entrusted with these concerts.”

Strong’s Symphony No.2, subtitled “Sintram,” was inspired by a literary work of that name depicting the victory of good over evil.  The New York Times review gave it high marks, praising the composer’s imagination and mastery of instrumentation, but ventured to suggest the new symphony WAS a tad long and “unremittingly serious in tone.”

Strong himself was not present. He was in Switzerland, a country he was soon to adopt as his permanent home.  His absence on the American scene caused his music, despite its merits,  to be soon forgotten on this side of the Atlantic.

Music Played in Today's Program

George Templeton Strong (1856–1948) — Symphony No. 2 (Sintram) (Moscow Symphony; Adriano, cond.) Naxos 8.559018