One of the most popular piano accompanists in the 1940's and 1950's was the Polish-American pianist Artur Balsam. His collaborations read like a Who's Who of music and his list of repertoire was massive.
He also regularly contributed to radio broadcasts, such as the one we're playing today. This is a private recording of the very seldom (if ever) heard Concertino for Piano and Orchestra by the American composer Edward Burlingame Hill. It was from the wartime program Music Of The New World, on which Balsam played frequently.
This recording, made on June 28, 1945 features the NBC Symphony (members of, and referred to as The NBC Orchestra) conducted by Henri Nosco.
The sound is a little dodgy in parts, as is pretty common for Wartime discs. But the piece is all there and is quite good.
A bit of Americana to go with the Labor Day barbecue this weekend.
