Music of Joseph Wagner

Three recordings of orchestral works by Joseph Frederick Wagner, performed by a variety of orchestras, including his “Concertino,” for harp and orchestra, with Susann McDonald on harp and Mehli Mehta conducting the American Youth Symphony in a live performance recorded on Oct. 22, 1972. Born in 1900, Joseph Frederick Wagner was a composer, conductor, author, and founder of the Boston Civic Symphony in 1924. He is perhaps best known for his choral piece “Ballad of the Brotherhood,” but he also produced a number of works for chamber ensemble and full orchestra, including two symphonies, both of which are also included in this program. Wagner conducted the Boston Civic Symphony until 1944. In 1947 he became music director at the Duluth Symphony, where he remained until 1959, after which he moved to Hollywood, where he became a professor at Pepperdine University until his retirement in 1973. Wagner died a year later at the age of 74.