Customer Reviews

Hanson Conducts Fiesta in Hi-Fi

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this CD after hearing one track on WUOL, the local public radio station, "Joe Clark Steps Out," an orchestral spin on an old folk fiddle tune, "Old Joe Clark." Turns out I also thorouoghly enjoyed the rest of the CD. I've been playing the CD almost non-stop in the car since I got it. Fans of Aaron Copland, Gustav Holst, Mitch Miller's TV sing-along, and John Williams' movie music (Star Wars et al) should enjoy the other tracks as well, or at least hear some similarities. Who'd'a'thunk that recordings made 50 years ago could sound so good re-done on a CD and that 20th Century Music could be so enjoyable!!
Happy Listening!!

I had been looking for this CD for quite a while after my LP was ruined in a flood. I just had to have another copy. The pieces recorded in 1956 were excellently put on CD in 1992. Crisp and Clear. The pieces, by mainly American Composers, are refreshing and well executed by a very underrated conductor and orchestra.

Fans of Mercury Living Presence and those who appreciate modern American music will find this disk to be very enjoyable. It's a grab-bag of various pieces. I like them all but especially am fond of "Sahdji," one of the few choral/orchestral pieces recorded by the Mercury team. Not only is "Sahdji" exciting, dynamic music, with African and American influences, but the choral recording is incredibly lifelike. The climax of the piece jumps out of the speakers.

It's too bad this has drifted out of print. If you can find a copy, grab it - but then, that's true of all the Mercury Living Presence CDs. It's hard to imagine being disappointed, and you can bet that Universal is going to let more and more of these drift out of print. It's really a shame.

When I first started collecting classical CDs, I only had a few Mercury Living Presence (MLP) titles. In my quest to get the absolute best, or at least a definitive recording, of the major works of the standard repertoire, MLP discs rarely topped the critics' lists. In fact, only three MLP recordings have been earmarked as "Essential Recordings" by Amazon.com -- Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, Byron Janis performing Rachmaninov's 2nd & 3rd Piano Concertos, and Yehudi Menuhin performing Bartok's 2nd Violin Concerto, all three with Antal Dorati as conductor. It is also safe to say that three other titles are equally essential for their historical value alone. They are Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake by Dorati (the first recording of the complete ballet), Janis performing Liszt's Piano Concertos (the first recordings made in the Soviet Union by American technicians, musical staff and equipment), and Kubelik's Chicago Symphony performance of Pictures at an Exhibition (one of, if not the single best mono recording ever, and the one that led the New York Times critic to coin the phrase "Living Presence," from which the label named its series). But how does a CD line go from having a half-dozen must have recordings, to being this reviewer's all-time favorite classical label?

The answer: consistently magical performances, captured in brilliant golden-age stereo sound, that offer a slightly different take on your typical interpretation of the great works. Of course, MLP also went to great lengths to feature music by more obscure composers, particularly contemporary Americans. While Dorati, and to some extent Paray, recorded these lesser known works, Howard Hanson was their champion. On this set, Hanson and the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra showcase compositions by McBride, Nelson, Mitchell, Vardell, Still and Ginastera (names I had never heard of before and very rarely since). While these are all virtually unknown compositions, Hanson performs them like they were from the classical canon. Maybe that is why collectors prize these recordings, because they are a breath of fresh air in a homogenized world of listening. Of course, collectors love a challenge too, and MLP CDs are becoming increasingly hard to find. It has taken years for me to finally find all of the MLP CDs released to date, and unfortunately I don't think there will be any new releases forthcoming. So collectors, and even those who aspire to be, should pick up as many Mercury Living Presence discs as possible now, before they all die.