Virgil Thomson was not the first to compose musical portraits, but his are singular in that they were drawn from life. Gertrude Stein did this in literature and Thomson, ever her disciple, aspired to do so in music; the "model" would sit for their portrait, and the score page would become a canvas. These discs feature 70 of the 110 portraits for solo piano-representing the largest collection of these piano portraits ever recorded by one artist-brought to life by Craig Rutenberg, distinguished pianist, friend, and colleague of Mr. Thomson.
4 Sea Coast: A Portrait of Constance Askew [01:10]
5 Souvenir: A Portrait of Paul Bowles [01:01]
6 Meditation... Jere Abbott [02:30]
7 Helen Austin at Home and Abroad [02:11]
8 Connecticut Waltzes... Harold Lewis Cook [01:41]
9 A Day Dream... Herbert Whiting (Original Version) [01:13]
10 A Day Dream... Herbert Whiting (Printed Version) [01:14]
11 Prelude and Fugue: A Portrait of Miss Agnes Rindge [02:11]
12 Travelling in Spain... Alice Woodfin Branlière [02:07]
13 Catalan Waltz... Ramón Senabre [01:43]
14 Clair Leonard's Profile [01:14]
15 Pastoral... Tristan Tzara [04:05]
16 I. Introduction [01:03]
17 II. Mac's Dance (Pas Seul) [03:24]
18 III. Scene (Mac and Motorist) [01:24]
19 IV. Acrobatics (Mac and Truck Drivers) [01:56]
20 V. Scene (State Trooper and Truck Drivers) [01:13]
21 A French Boy of Ten: Louis Lange [01:10]
22 Maurice Bavoux: Young and Alone [01:51]
23 Florine Stettheimer: Parades [02:33]
24 Ettie Stettheimer [01:10]
25 An Old Song: A Portrait of Carrie Stettheimer [01:55]
26 Homage to Marya Freund and to the Harp [01:40]
27 Duet... Clarita, Comtesse de Forceville [02:49]
28 Scottish Memories: Peter Monro Jack [02:28]
29 Toccata: A Portrait of Mary Widney [02:03]
30 Fanfare for France: A Portrait of Max Kahn [02:41]
31 Aria... Germaine Hugnet [02:49]
32 With Trumpet and Horn: A Portrait of Louise Ardant [02:48]
33 Cantabile: A Portrait of Nicolas de Chatelain [03:59]
34 Awake or Asleep: Pierre Mabille [01:44]
35 Dora Maar, or the Presence of Pablo Picasso [02:40]
36 Bugles and Birds: A Portrait of Pablo Picasso [03:13]
37 Tango Lullaby: A Portrait of Mlle. Alvarez de Toledo [02:17]
- Disc 2 -
1 Solitude: A Portrait of Lou Harrison [01:42]
2 Persistently Pastorale: Aaron Copland [03:54]
3 With Fife and Drums: A Portrait of Minna Curtis [02:41]
4 I. Prelude [01:35]
5 II. Cowboy Songs [02:11]
6 III. Blues [03:02]
7 IV. Finale: I'm Gonna Leave Ol' Texas Now [05:21]
8 Insistences: A Portrait of Louise Crane [02:23]
9 Stretching: A Portrait of Jaime Campbell [02:52]
10 Prisoner of the Mind: Schuyler Watts [02:47]
11 5-Finger Exercise: Portrait of Briggs Buchanan [03:06]
12 Morris Golde: Showing Delight [00:40]
13 Wiley Hitchcock: Two Birds [01:46]
14 Phillip Ramey: Thinking Hard [00:54]
15 Bennett Lerner: Senza Espressione [01:24]
16 Power Boothe: With Pencil [01:38]
17 Franco Assetto: Drawing V.T. [00:47]
18 Dead Pan: Mrs. Betty Freeman [01:37]
19 Glynn Boyd Harte: Reading [01:21]
20 Richard Flender: Solid, Not Stolid [01:20]
21 Norma Flender: Thoughts About Waltzing [00:57]
22 John Houseman: No Changes [01:47]
23 Rodney Lister: Music for a Merry-Go-Round [00:56]
24 Dr. Marcel Roche: Making a Decision [01:23]
25 Doña Flor: Recei Ving [01:07]
26 Vassilis Voglin: On the March [01:26]
27 Malitte Marta: In the Executive Style [01:22]
28 Bill Katz: Wide Awake [01:18]
29 Man of Iron: Portriat of Willy Eisenhart [01:53]
30 Barbara Epstein: Untiring [00:44]
31 Louis Rispoli: In a Boat [01:27]
32 Buffie Johnson: Drawing V.T. in Charcoal [01:18]
33 Christopher Beach Alone [01:26]
34 David Dubal: In Flight [01:17]
35 Dennis Russell Davies: In a Hammock [01:16]
36 Christopher Cox: Singing a Song [01:09]
37 Mark Beard: Never Alone [01:18]
38 Charles Fussell: In Meditation [01:53]
39 Anne-Marie Soullière: Something of a Beauty [00:48]
40 Scott Wheeler: Free-Wheeling [01:12]
41 Karen Brown Waltuck: Intensely Two [01:20]
42 Craig Rutenberg: Swinging [01:22]
43 No. 1. Slow and Smooth [01:47]
44 No. 2. Not Fast [03:27]
Virgil Thomson was not the first to compose musical portraits, but his are singular in that they were drawn from life. Gertrude Stein did this in literature and Thomson, ever her disciple, aspired to do so in music; the "model" would sit for their portrait, and the score page would become a canvas. These discs feature 70 of the 110 portraits for solo piano-representing the largest collection of these piano portraits ever recorded by one artist-brought to life by Craig Rutenberg, distinguished pianist, friend, and colleague of Mr. Thomson.
