Orchestral Works. By George Whitefield Chadwick. Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Kenneth Schermerhorn, conductor. Liner notes by Steven Ledbetter. Naxos 8.559117, 2002. American Character: Piano Music of George Whitefield Chadwick. Peter Kairoff, pianist. Liner notes by Peter Kairoff. Albany Troy 745, 2005

The disc offers five single-movement orchestral works: the overtures Thalia (1882) and Euterpe (1903), the dramatic overture Melpomene (1887), the symphonic fantasie Aphrodite (1910-11), and the symphonic poem Angel of Death (1917-18). Written shortly after his return from studies in Europe, Thalia exhibits numerous awkward spots exposing individual instruments and a heavy reliance on brass, but also a youthful exuberance that yields a thrilling conclusion. By the time of Angel of Death, Chadwick was a master of orchestral techniques, working effectively with blended timbres, soaring melodies, and contrasting blocks of sound.