Here with a Loaf of Bread, beneath the Bough,
A Jug of Wine, an Accordion… and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
Today is the 110th birthday of Armenian-American composer Alan Hovhaness.
In theory, Hovhaness, with his marked affection for the East, should have been the ideal composer to set “The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.” What is striking is how unconventional his approach turned out to be. Is there a less likely instrument to bring to life the hedonistic fatalism of the medieval Persian master than the accordion?
A recording of the work was issued on a Columbia LP, with Fairbanks as the narrator. To me, Fairbanks’ theatricality is a huge asset, conjuring memories of his turn as Sinbad the Sailor.
Unfortunately, to date, the performance has not been reissued on CD. Presumably the masters languish in the Sony vaults. O that they could be licensed to another label, even to be pressed-on-demand at http://www.arkivmusic.com (which has already made available Kostelanetz’s recording of “Floating World – Ukiyo”). The Bird is on the Wing!
Lo! Someone has posted the audio on YouTube:
Fortunately, there is another fine recording with Michael York, the Seattle Symphony and accordionist Diane Schmidt.
An amusing anecdote: York appeared in Philadelphia a number of years back, in a touring revival of Lerner & Loewe’s “Camelot.” Following one of the performances, I walked around to the stage door, where there was a line of people waiting with memorabilia from “Cabaret” and “Logan’s Run.” Eventually, York emerged and politely signed everything, though you could tell he was a little fatigued after a long evening.
When he got to me, I handed him the CD booklet, and his eyes lit up. “Oh!” he exclaimed. “I would be DELIGHTED to sign this.”
That’s my Michael York story. Here’s a link to York’s mellifluous, though more subdued reading:
Come, fill the Cup, and in the Fire of Spring
The Winter Garment of Repentance fling:
The Bird of Time has but a little way
To fly – and Lo! the Bird is on the Wing.
Happy birthday, Alan Hovhaness!
PHOTOS (clockwise from left): Doug Fairbanks; Omar Khayyam; the composer and Andre Kostelanetz; and Michael York
