Those unfamiliar with Piston's work should investigate this Naxos disc that repackages performances originally issued on Delos. This one is arguably the best of the lot as it features the Fourth Symphony (1951) and the Three NewEngland Sketches (1959), two of the composer's greatest and most attractive scores.
The Fourth's rollicking syncopations show that Piston had been listening closely to Copland's ballets.
This is a symphony in the true sense, though, and its musical ideas are as lucidly argued, profoundly uttered and strongly structured as any in the classical repertoire. Perhaps the surface dissonance of 'Seaside', the first of the Sketches, might be off-putting to some, but how could anyone resist the exquisite colours Piston conjures up.
'Summer Evening', with its flitting, twittering evocation of insect activity, is as vivid as the best of Mendelssohn's scherzos, and the craggy majesty of 'Mountains' is truly awesome.
We also get the delightfully atmospheric Capricciofor Harp and Strings, and the quality of both the performances and recorded sound is as impressive as ever. At budget price, this disc should prove utterly irresistible.