Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 5 hours ago

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Score: archives.nyphil.org/index.php/artifact/42c51b07-3113-4f24-a4a0-9693291213a9-0.1/fullview
Audio: youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m5CZE9AsnexB0EEqr87jC_TBZocW0zoeI
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
William Stromberg, conductor

Santa Monica, California, May 21, 1955.....

The idea for the 'Hudson River Suite' was born last winter in New York during a luncheon with Andre Kostelanetz, which took place a few days after he had conducted a performance of my "Mississippi Suite" at one of his regular Non-Subscription concerts with the New York Philharmonic Symphony in Carnegie Hall.

At one point during our meeting he mentioned that for a long time he had had an idea for a composition based on the Hudson River. Although his enthusiasm should not have come as a surprise to me, because he has always been a champion of expressing the American scene in musical terms and has commissioned several important works in the past, he became so persuasive while telling me of his synopsis for his proposed orchestral suite, that without much hesitation I found myself agreeing to compose the work along the lines he has suggested.

And thus the "Hudson River Suite" tells of:

0:00 I. The River
The "River" movement starts with the lower reaches of the Hudson, its broad sweeping and majestic flow before it reaches the Atlantic. It also describes the colorful cliffs and woodlands of the Palisades along its shores. This is the mood of the music heard in the broad melodic line with its varied embellishments reflecting the sweep of the mighty Hudson.

5:15 II. Henry Hudson
"Henry Hudson" is a musical portrait of the famous explorer. The melody is heroic and depicts the temperament and courage of the immortal navigator.

8:02 III. Rip Van Winkle
"Rip Van Winkle" is the tale of Washington Irving in a musical setting. It begins with Rip whistling for his dog, answered by his barks. Then follows the happy stroll up the mountainside in the Catskills. Eventually Rip meets up with the dwarfish little men with their beards, playing ninepins in the ravine. The rolling of the balls sounds like thunder in the distance. Rip joins them in their festivities. The twenty years' sleep follows. Finally his awakening. He whistles for his dog, but there is no answer. His tattered clothes, disheveled appearance, rusty barrel and rotted stock of his gun are all that is left. Eventually he is reunited with his daughter and finds solace with her and his grandchildren, telling them tales of Henry Hudson and his motley crew.

12:30 IV. Albany Night Boat
The music reflects the moonlit night aboard the boat, as expressed in a romantic theme. While the boat glides smoothly over the water, a small jazz band begins to play on deck. There is general gayety, laughter and dancing, while romance highlights the scene.

17:28 V. New York
"New York," with its skyline, the myriads of lights, the commotion and excitement of the Big City. The turbulent and unending flow of life brings the suite to a climactic end.

This composition is dedicated to Andre Kostelanetz. - Ferde Grofé