Golden Years, The

Leroy Anderson (1908-1975), ever-popular in the concert hall for his light orchestral pieces, found a great musical ally in the Boston Pops Orchestra under its director, Arthur Fiedler. Premiering many of his works, they introduced to the world such gems as SLEIGH RIDE, JAZZ PIZZICATO, and The SYNCOPATED CLOCK. On May 31, 1962, Anderson completed his miniature THE GOLDEN YEARS, creating versions for string orchestra and full orchestra. He conducted the first performance in-studio for his last Decca album on June 19. Shortly after, he transcribed the work for concert band and solo piano. Instrumentation: 2+Picc.2.2.2: (3sax opt.): 4.3.3.1: Timp.Perc(1): Hp.Pno(opt.): Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set).