Audio
Overview
The MP3 files contained here are provided to allow the many people who do not read music to listen to a broad selection of Ornstein's music. This material has been gleaned from a wide variety of sources. It varies greatly in the quality of both performance and sound (volume may also vary), but it is generally adequate to enable the listener to grasp the substance of the music. In a few cases, in order to further illuminate the music, works are represented by more than one performance.
Musicians who perform Ornstein works, particularly works not represented in this audio section, are requested to sumbit MP3 files for possible inclusion. Please email to Severo@Poonhill.com.
Although much of this audio is unavailable elsewhere, those works indicated by * may be found (in different performances) on the commercial CDs listed in the discography section of this website. Scores for most of these works may also be found in the website's Scores section.
There is no one-to-one correspondence between the audio items and items in the list of scores. Some of the scores are composites (sets of pieces such as the Waltzes, Flute Pieces, etc.) whereas the audio files are often (though not always) individual members of the set. Thus the Scores of the Waltzes are listed as S400, whereas the seventeen individual Waltzes are numbered S400 - S416. Note that identifying S numbers do not indicate chronological order in which works were composed. (See S-number categories in the Scores section of the website).
Three of these audio selections involve Ornstein himself at the piano. The first of these is a recording that was made at the time he completed S155 Tarantelle. You can hear him hesitate as he struggles to remember just what he'd written. The other two are recordings of working (composing) sessions made many years ago on an ancient reel-to-reel tape recorder in Ornstein's tiny studio in New Hampshire where he worked on a bad upright piano. The sound quality is dreadful, but these samples are included to give some insight into the way he worked. They were made during a period in which he tried using a tape recorder to capture ideas. Not surprisingly, searching for a desired segment turned out to be too difficult as it became thoroughly lost among the welter of material that got laid down. Often the tape was simply allowed to run while he worked, then it would be backed up and more things recorded on top of earlier material. The result is a montage of snatches of music, but it gives some insight into his inspirational style of composing. Among other things, you can hear him working on the material that eventually turned into S102 A Long Remembered Sorrow. You can also hear other ideas that were never finished. There is a considerable quantity of such material stored in the sound archives at Yale University.
Audio (MP3s)
| Play | Title | Length (min) | Performer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Composing Session 1 | 10:49 | Leo Ornstein | |
| Composing Session 2 | 8:41 | Leo Ornstein | |
| S005 - Three Moods | 9:20 | William Westney | |
| S006 - Suicide in an Airplane* | 4:01 | Niek de Vente | |
| S052 - Dwarf Suite | 22:09 | Dwight Peltzer | |
| S054 - Wild Men's Dance* | 2:38 | Marc-André Hamelin | |
| S054 - Wild Men's Dance* | 2:59 | Niek de Vente | |
| S056 - Impressions of Notre Dame | 12:06 | Jeanne Golan | |
| S056 - Impressions of Notre Dame | 8:31 | Niek de Vente | |
| S060 - A la Chinoise* | 5:07 | William Westney | |
| S060 - A la Chinoise* | 4:55 | Marthanne Verbit | |
| S060 - A la Chinoise* | 4:42 | Marc-André Hamelin | |
| S060 - A la Chinoise* | 5:02 | Niek de Vente | |
| S061 - Poems of 1917 | 15:38 | Robert Nasveld | |
| S062 - Arabesque #1 L'Isle D'Éléphantine* | 1:37 | Marthanne Verbit | |
| S062 - Arabesque #2. Echo Primitif* | 1:25 | Marthanne Verbit | |
| S062 - Arabesque #3. Mélopée des Prêtres Hindous* | 1:32 | Marthanne Verbit | |
| S062 - Arabesque #4. Eaux Ombragées* | 0:41 | Marthanne Verbit | |
| S062 - Arabesque #5. Paysage Mélancolique* | 1:26 | Marthanne Verbit | |
| S062 - Arabesque #6. Fresque Pompéienne* | 0:58 | Marthanne Verbit | |
| S062 - Arabesque #7. Passion* | 0:23 | Marthanne Verbit | |
| S062 - Arabesque #8. Les Basoches* | 0:32 | Marthanne Verbit | |
| S062 - Arabesque #9. Le Vent qui gémit et rage* | 1:21 | Marthanne Verbit | |
| S067 - Water Color #2 | 1:39 | Severo Ornstein | |
| S067 - Water Color #5 | 1:39 | Severo Ornstein | |
| S072 - Nine Miniatures #2 Mazurka | 1:04 | James Adler | |
| S072 - Nine Miniatures #4 Humoresque | 0:38 | James Adler | |
| S072 - Nine Miniatures #8 Valse | 1:31 | James Adler | |
| S102 - A Long Remembered Sorrow* | 4:03 | Severo Ornstein | |
| S106 - A Morning In The Woods* | 6:38 | Marthanne Verbit | |
| S106 - A Morning In The Woods* | 6:00 | Sarah Cahill | |
| S111 - A Rendezvous At The Lake | 5:29 | Sarah Cahill | |
| S116 - Solitude | 3:55 | Sarah Cahill | |
| S154 - To a Grecian Urn | 3:26 | Christopher Oldfather | |
| S155 - Tarantelle* | 4:11 | Leo Ornstein | |
| S155 - Tarantelle* | 4:30 | William Westney | |
| S200 - Metaphor No. 1* | 3:31 | Sarah Cahill | |
| S202 - Metaphor No. 3* | 5:18 | Sarah Cahill | |
| S207 - Metaphor No. 8* | 2:20 | Sarah Cahill | |
| S208 - Metaphor No. 9* | 4:09 | Sarah Cahill | |
| S210 - Metaphor No. 11* | 2:33 | Sarah Cahill | |
| S215 - Metaphor No. 16* | 4:37 | Sarah Cahill | |
| S300 - Four Impromptus | 17:03 | Christopher Oldfather | |
| S320 - Intermezzo #1 | 4:44 | Severo Ornstein | |
| S350 - Legend #1 for Piano | 4:07 | Jennifer Rinehart | |
| S360 - Piano Sonata #4 1st mvt.* | 4:36 | Marthanne Verbit | |
| S360 - Piano Sonata #4 2nd mvt.* | 4:19 | Marthanne Verbit | |
| S360 - Piano Sonata #4 3rd mvt.* | 3:24 | Marthanne Verbit | |
| S360 - Piano Sonata #4 4th mvt.* | 7:01 | Marthanne Verbit | |
| S360 - Piano Sonata #4 complete* | 19:59 | William Westney | |
| S361 - Piano Sonata #5 complete* | 49.54 | Michael Sellers | |
| S362 - Piano Sonata #6 (single mvt.) | 13:04 | Marvin Tartak | |
| S363 - Piano Sonata #7 1st mvt.* | 5:48 | Janice Weber | |
| S363 - Piano Sonata #7 2nd mvt.* | 4:12 | Janice Weber | |
| S363 - Piano Sonata #7 3rd mvt.* | 5:30 | Janice Weber | |
| S363 - Piano Sonata #7 complete* | 20:55 | Marvin Tartak | |
| S364 - Piano Sonata #8* | 28:40 | Marc-André Hamelin | |
| S400 - Waltz #1 | 1:52 | Tra Nguyen | |
| S403 - Waltz #4 | 2:32 | Severo Ornstein | |
| S405 - Waltz #6 | 2:18 | Tra Nguyen | |
| S406 - Waltz #7* | 3:52 | Gloria Cheng | |
| S409 - Waltz #10 | 2:53 | Severo Ornstein | |
| S440 - Fantasy Piece #1 | 2:37 | Severo Ornstein | |
| S600 - Nocturne for Clarinet and Piano | 5:08 | Kathy Matasy & Steve Yenger | |
| S601 - Hebraic Fantasy for Violin & Piano | 4:34 | Caroline Campbell & Dmitriy Cogan | |
| S602 - Prelude and Minuette in Antique Style (Flute/Clarinet) | 7:29 | Barbara Chaffe and Marilyn Martella | |
| S603 - Prelude for Flute and Piano | 7:49 | Kate Steinbeck & Renée Winton | |
| S604 - Intermezzo for Flute and Piano | 4:41 | Jennifer Rinehart & Kathie Lynn | |
| S605 - Poem for Flute and Piano | 4:34 | Kate Steinbeck & Lori Lack | |
| S605 - Poem for Flute and Piano | 4:33 | Barbara Chaffe & Marvin Tartak | |
| S606 - Viola Fantasy #1 | 6:00 | Patricia McCarty & Wm. Westney | |
| S608 - String Quartet #2 1st mvt | 16:04 | Lydian Quartet | |
| S608 - String Quartet #2 2nd mvt | 8:48 | Lydian Quartet | |
| S608 - String Quartet #2 3rd mvt | 10:01 | Lydian Quartet | |
| S609 - Ballade for Saxophone and Piano | 3:40 | Michael Stillman & Severo Ornstein | |
| S609 - Ballade for Saxophone and Piano | 3:44 | Paul Cohen & Jennifer Rinehart | |
| S610 - Piano Quintet 1st mvt.* | 13:28 | Westney, Stepner et al. | |
| S610 - Piano Quintet 2nd mvt.* | 9:45 | Westney, Stepner et al. | |
| S610 - Piano Quintet 3rd mvt.* | 13:42 | Westney, Stepner et al. | |
| S611 - Six Preludes for 'Cello and Piano* | 18:55 | Taco Kooistra & Niek de Vente | |
| S611 - Six Preludes for 'Cello and Piano* | 22:52 | Parry Karp & Howard Karp | |
| S612 - 'Cello Sonata #1 1st mvt* | 8:22 | Bonnie Hampton & NathanSchwartz | |
| S612 - 'Cello Sonata #1 2nd mvt* | 6:38 | Bonnie Hampton & NathanSchwartz | |
| S612 - 'Cello Sonata #1 3rd mvt* | 4:43 | Bonnie Hampton & NathanSchwartz | |
| S612 - 'Cello Sonata #1 4th mvt* | 7:20 | Bonnie Hampton & NathanSchwartz | |
| S613 - 'Cello Sonata #2 (single mvt.)* | 14:39 | Eric Wilson & Patricia Hoy | |
| S614 - Violin Sonata, Op 31* | 14:09 | Joan Berkhemmer & Robert Nasveld | |
| S615 - String Quartet #3 1st mvt* | 13:05 | New Boston Quartet | |
| S615 - String Quartet #3 2nd mvt* | 14:38 | New Boston Quartet | |
| S615 - String Quartet #3 3rd mvt* | 8:42 | New Boston Quartet | |
| S622 - Violin Sonata #1 Op 26 1st mvt* | 4:35 | Keith Kirchoff and Gabe Boyers | |
| S622 - Violin Sonata #1 Op 26 2nd mvt* | 5:21 | Keith Kirchoff and Gabe Boyers | |
| S622 - Violin Sonata #1 Op 26 3rd mvt* | 3:11 | Keith Kirchoff and Gabe Boyers | |
| S622 - Violin Sonata #1 Op 26 4th mvt* | 5:17 | Keith Kirchoff and Gabe Boyers | |
| S623 - Violin Sonata No. 3 Op Posth.* | 10:31 | Keith Kirchoff and Gabe Boyers | |
| S821 - Nocturne for Orchestra | 12:40 | Louisville Symphony | |
| S822 - Dance of the Fates | 7:03 | Louisville Symphony | |
| S824 - Piano Concerto (2 pianos) 1st mvt | 17:01 | Jeanne Golan & Christopher Oldfather | |
| S824 - Piano Concerto (2 pianos) 2nd mvt | 7:46 | Jeanne Golan & Christopher Oldfather | |
| S824 - Piano Concerto (2 pianos) 3rd mvt | 10:26 | Jeanne Golan & Christopher Oldfather | |
| S824 - Piano Concerto 1st mvt | 16:51 | Alan Feinberg | |
| S824 - Piano Concerto 2nd mvt | 8:08 | Alan Feinberg | |
| S824 - Piano Concerto 3rd mvt. | 9:55 | Alan Feinberg |