p, 1896-1989 US, Kansas City, Missouri
Musician / Composer of Classical
Virgil Thomson (November 25, 1896 – September 30, 1989) was an American composer and critic. He was instrumental in the development of the "American Sound" in classical music. He has been described as a modernist, a neoclassicist, a composer of "an Olympian blend of humanity and detachment" whose "expressive voice was always carefully muted" until his late opera Lord Byron which, in contrast to all his previous work, exhibited an emotional content that rises to "moments of real passion", and a neoromantic.
Track list and 30sec audio provided by
Title | Artist | Year | Type |
---|---|---|---|
Composers-Critics of the New York Herald Tribune | Paul Bowles, Lou Harrison, Virgil Thomson, Peggy Glanville-Hicks, John Cage | 2017 | Album |
The Mother Of Us All | Virgil Thomson - Manhattan School Of Music Opera Theater, Steven Osgood, Dona D. Vaughn | 2014 | Album |
Three Pictures | Virgil Thomson, Thomas Meglioranza, Kristen Watson, Boston Modern Orchestra Project | 2010 | Album |
Jamestown Concerto, American Music For Cello And Orchestra | William P. Perry, William Schuman, Virgil Thomson, Yehuda Hanani, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, William Eddins | 2008 | Album |
The Red Violin Caprices | John Corigliano - Virgil Thomson | 2008 | Album |
The Plow that Broke the Plains - The River - Symphony No.2 'Romantic' | Virgil Thomson, Howard Hanson, The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Sir Neville Marriner, Leonard Slatkin | 2008 | Album |
The Plow That Broke The Plains / The River | Virgil Thomson, Post-Classical Ensemble, Angel Gil-Ordóñez | 2007 | Album |
Rider On The Plains: Cello Concertos by Virgil Thomson And Charles Fussell | Virgil Thomson & Charles Fussell – Emmanuel Feldman • Nashville Chamber Orchestra, Paul Gambill • New England String Ensemble, Susan Davenny Wyner • Joy Cline Phinney | 2006 | Album |
A Continuum Portrait 7 | Virgil Thomson, Continuum | 2005 | Album |
Festival Overture, Piano Concerto No. 2, Filling Station, Symphony No. 2 | Nikolai Lopatnikoff, Robert Helps, Virgil Thomson, Robert Kurka, Albany Symphony Orchestra, David Alan Miller | 2003 | Album |
Chamber Works | Virgil Thomson | 2002 | Album |
Sacred & Secular Choral Music | Aaron Copland, Virgil Thomson | 2000 | Album |
By The Rivers Of Babylon (American Psalmody Vol. II) | Samuel Adler · Virgil Thomson · Arnold Schoenberg · Charles Martin Loeffler · Robert Starer · Clifford Taylor · Gerald Near · David Ashley White · Kent A. Newbury · Jean Berger · Bruce Neswick - Gloriae Dei Cantores, Elizabeth C. Patterson, James E. Jordan, Jr. | 1999 | Album |
Symphony On A Hymn Tune · Symphony No. 2 In C Major · Symphony No. 3 · Pilgrims And Pioneers | Virgil Thomson - The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, James Sedares | 1999 | Album |
Modern American Vocal Works: Premiere Recordings 1950-1953 | Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, Virgil Thomson | 1999 | Compil. |
The Mask | William Bolcom / Mario Castelnuovo Tedesco / Virgil Thomson - New York Concert Singers, St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble, Judith Clurman | 1998 | Album |
American Masterpieces | Leonard Bernstein, Charles Ives, William Schuman, Samuel Barber, Morton Gould, Charles Griffes, Edward MacDowell, George Gershwin, Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Arthur Benjamin, Richard Rodgers, Virgil Thomson, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy, The New York Philharmonic Orchestra, André Kostelanetz | 1997 | Compil. |
Four Saints In Three Acts (Abridged) / The Plow That Broke The Plains | Virgil Thomson | 1996 | Compil. |
Symphony No. 5 / Concerto For Flute | Bohuslav Martinů / Virgil Thomson - The Louisville Orchestra, Robert Whitney | 1995 | Album |
Virgil Thomson | Virgil Thomson | 1994 | Album |
The Plow That Broke The Plains · Suite From 'The River' | Virgil Thomson, Symphony Of The Air, Leopold Stokowski | 1994 | Compil. |
American Masters | Samuel Barber / Virgil Thomson – The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra • Andrew Schenck – Westfälisches Sinfonieorchester • Siegfried Landau | 1994 | Compil. |
American String Quartets 1900 - 1950 | George Gershwin, Aaron Copland, Charles Ives, William Schuman, Virgil Thomson, The Kohon String Quartet | 1993 | Album |
Portraits and other Works | Virgil Thomson, Jacquelyn Helin | 1993 | Album |
Louisiana Story / The Plow That Broke The Plains | Virgil Thomson - The New London Orchestra, Ronald Corp | 1992 | Album |
American Miniatures | Samuel Barber • Aaron Copland • Virgil Thomson | 1992 | Compil. |
Great American Landscapes | Ferde Grofé, Virgil Thomson, Aaron Copland | 1992 | Compil. |
Hanson Conducts McPhee, Sessions, Thomson | Colin McPhee, Roger Sessions, Virgil Thomson, Howard Hanson, Eastman-Rochester Orchestra | 1992 | Compil. |
Early and As Remembered | Virgil Thomson, Yvar Mikhashoff, Martha Herr, John Boudler, David Kuehn | 1991 | Album |
Portraits and Self Portraits | Virgil Thomson, Anthony Tommasini, Sharan Leventhal | 1990 | Album |
3 Portraits For Orchestra, 3 Pictures For Orchestra, 4 Blake Songs / 3 Jewish Poems | Virgil Thomson / Ernest Bloch | 1989 | Compil. |
Symphony On A Hymn Tune / Symphony No. 2 / A Solemn Music And A Joyful Fugue / Shipwreck And Love Scene From Byron's Don Juan / Five Tenor Solos From The Opera Lord Byron | Virgil Thomson, James Bolle, Martyn Hill | 1989 | Album |
Untitled | William Sharp, Steven Blier - Virgil Thomson, Paul Bowles, Lee Hoiby, Richard Hundley, John Musto, Eric Klein | 1989 | Album |
Symphony No. 3 / Romeo And Juliet / Piano Concerto | Virgil Thomson, David Diamond, Lee Hoiby | 1989 | Compil. |
The Complete Film Scores: The River, The Plow that Broke the Plains | Virgil Thomson, Philharmonia Virtuosi, Richard Kapp | 1989 | Album |
American Piano Music, Vol. 1 | Aaron Copland / Virgil Thomson / Paul Bowles / Samuel Barber / Leonard Bernstein / Phillip Ramey - Bennett Lerner | 1987 | Album |
20th Century American Chamber Music | The Mirecourt Trio - Paul Reale, Samuel Barber, Roy Harris, Virgil Thomson, Paul Creston, Wallingford Riegger | 1986 | Album |
American Piano Music | Aaron Copland / Virgil Thomson / Paul Bowles / Samuel Barber / Leonard Bernstein / Phillip Ramey - Bennett Lerner | 1984 | Album |
At The Tomb Of Charles Ives / Divertimento / Party Pieces / Academic Graffiti | The Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra, Lukas Foss - Lou Harrison / Vladimir Ussachevsky / John Cage, Henry Cowell, Virgil Thomson / Leo Smit | 1983 | Album |
Piano Music By Virgil Thomson | Virgil Thomson - Nigel Coxe | 1983 | Album |
Four Saints In Three Acts | Virgil Thomson, Gertrude Stein - The Orchestra Of Our Time, Joel Thome, Betty Allen, Gwendolyn Bradley, William Brown, Clamma Dale, Benjamin Matthews, Florence Quivar, Arthur Thompson | 1982 | Album |
A Portrait Album | Virgil Thomson - Paul Jacobs, Joseph Silverstein, American Brass Quintet | 1982 | Album |
The Piano Music of Virgil Thomson | Virgil Thomson, Arthur Tollefson | 1980 | Album |
Symphonies | Virgil Thomson / Robert Helps | 1980 | Album |
American Historic | Virgil Thomson With The Philadelphia Orchestra | 1979 | Album |
Symphony On A Hymn Tune / Feast Of Love / Four Psalms | Virgil Thomson, Howard Hanson, Eastman-Rochester Orchestra | 1978 | Album |
The Mother Of Us All | Virgil Thomson, Gertrude Stein | 1977 | Album |
Music For The Films The Plow That Broke The Plains, The River | Virgil Thomson - The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Sir Neville Marriner | 1976 | Album |
Quartet No. 2 / Voyage | Virgil Thomson / William Schuman | 1973 | Album |
Symphony No. 6 / Louisiana Story (Suite) | Howard Hanson, Virgil Thomson, Siegfried Landau | 1973 | Album |
Quintet In B Minor For Flute, String Trio & Piano / Serenade For Flute & Violin / Quintet For A-Clarinet, String Trio & Piano | David Diamond / Virgil Thomson / Robert Palmer | 1972 | Album |
HiFi/Stereo Review Presents Three Works by Virgil Thomson | Virgil Thomson, Lillian Fuchs, Betty Allen, Joseph Fuchs, Arthur Balsam | 1965 | Album |
Four Saints In Three Acts | Virgil Thomson • Gertrude Stein | 1964 | Album |
Four Saints In Three Acts | Virgil Thomson • Gertrude Stein | 1964 | Album |
The Plow That Broke The Plains / Suite From 'The River' | Virgil Thomson / Symphony Of The Air / Leopold Stokowski | 1961 | Album |
Western Symphony / Filling Station | Hershy Kay - George Balanchine, Virgil Thomson - Lew Christensen, New York City Ballet Orchestra, Leon Barzin | 1954 | Album |
Four Saints In Three Acts | Virgil Thomson, Gertrude Stein, Soloists, Chorus, And Orchestra | 1954 | Album |
Variations On Sunday School Tunes / Four Chorale Preludes | Virgil Thomson / Roger Sessions - Marilyn Mason | 1954 | Album |
The River / Prelude On A Hymn Tune By William Billings And Two Symphonic Interludes | Virgil Thomson, Otto Luening | 1952 | Album |
Our Town / Orchestra Suite From The Plow That Broke The Plains | Aaron Copland / Virgil Thomson - The Little Orchestra Society, Thomas Scherman | 1952 | Album |
A Concert Of American Music In Schönbrunn | Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, Walter Piston, Randall Thompson, Virgil Thomson | 1952 | Album |
Concerto For Violoncello And Orchestra / The Mother Of Us All Suite For Orchestra | Virgil Thomson, Janssen Symphony Of Los Angeles, Luigi Silva, Werner Janssen | 1951 | Album |
Louisiana Story / Five Portraits | Virgil Thomson | 1950 | Album |
The Plow That Broke The Plains | Virgil Thomson, Leopold Stokowski, Thomas Chalmers | 1946 | Album |
Virgil Thomson: Suite "The River" / Robert Ward: Symphony No. 1 | Virgil Thomson, Robert Ward – Wiener Symphoniker / Walter Hendl, Dean Dixon | Album | |
Modern American Music Series: Stabat Mater / Capital, Capitals / Suite For 'Cello And Harp / Suite No. 2 For String Quartet | Virgil Thomson, Lou Harrison | Album | |
Two Chamber Works and a Song-Cycle | Virgil Thomson | Album | |
Bicentenaire U.S.A Bicentennial 1776 - 1976 | John Philip Sousa, Edward MacDowell, Charles Griffes, Charles Ives, Ferde Grofé, Virgil Thomson, Howard Hanson, Robert Russell Bennett, George Gershwin, Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, Morton Gould, William Schuman, Walter Piston, Leroy Anderson | Compil. | |
Concerto For Violoncello And Orchestra / The Mother Of Us All Suite For Orchestra | Virgil Thomson, Janssen Symphony Of Los Angeles, Werner Janssen | Album |