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Thanks so much Tom for taking the trouble to put this up for us to enjoy/critique/despise. I can't recall if I first heard this work when it was broadcast (it would have been the spring of my junior year of high school) or via the Nonesuch vinyl (if I had the record, it is now no longer in my collection, though I may be just thinking of Foss' recording with Buffalo of Xenakis/Penderecki that has the preceding catalog number, which I do have), but I absolutely thought it was the best thing I had ever heard at the time. Of course, it was not too long after I had made certain other discoveries of a mind-altering nature (think back to your late 1960s experiences if you can). I can definitely agree with Steve Smolian that the wit is more Spike Jones than P.D.Q. and I am not able to listen to it in exactly the same way due to the effects of playing, collecting, listening to and thinking about music for almost 50 years in the interim, but I still recall the thrill of having a beloved classic of the baroque being put through the wringer, not ala Stokie in grand romantic style, but by someone who, at least theoretically in my imagination, was touched by Bartok, Mossolov, Carl Stallings, Charlie Christian and Johann Strauss, to name a few, even if I can not still summon up the same enthusiasm as I once did. On a personal level, I can attest to Foss' less than reverent attitude towards contemporary music, which may explain some of his lack of fear in writing such clearly provocative a work: During the years that I was an usher at Carnegie Hall (1969-71, I think), I sometimes was sent down the hallway to officiate at the (pre-Weill) Recital Hall. There was a series of new music concerts in the hall that were presented by the University of Buffalo and overseen by Mr. Foss himself. What I recall the most, other than my first exposure ever to Riley's "In C", from these concerts was Foss standing just outside of the doors to the hall during the performance of most of the pieces, chain smoking away in the lobby (remember those days?). Since the other usher and I were the only others there, he looked over at us and sheepishly said "who can listen to this stuff anyway?" (not guaranteed to be an exact quote but I will never forget his message). Since then, I have always had a soft spot for him and his music, even in spite of some not entirely flattering commentary that has come to me from acquaintances of mine who had to work with or for him in Buffalo, University or Philharmonic. Happy New Year, Peter Hirsch On Thu, Dec 31, 2015 at 4:40 PM, Tom Fine <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > It's not often that a scathing review like this gets written: > > https://www.dropbox.com/s/4qbixnsusqkd5c2/World%20Journal%20Tribune%20670428%20Lucas%20Foss%20piece%20booed%20by%20NYPO%20audience.pdf?dl=0 > or that people jeer at a NY Philharmonic concert! > > Listen and judge for yourself: > > https://soundcloud.com/tom-fine-1/ny-philharmonic-concert-april-27-1967-lukas-foss-phorion-world-premiere/s-LZz7Y > > Recording found on a yard-sale reel tape, the review was included in the > box. Surprisingly good fidelity for quarter-track off-air taping, although > the channels were reversed and there's considerable edge warp on the > ancient acetate-backed 1-mil tape. > > Happy New Year! > > -- Tom Fine