Customer Reviews

Hovhaness: Celestial Gate and Other Orchestral Works

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The CD cover art - a bright light shining boldly from deep in space - is an apt visual description of the music on this beautiful and graceful CD. It's the first Hovhaness CD I purchased, and I have bought many more since. Alan Hovhaness was an inspired genius, and not afraid to blaze his own path. In some respects, he reminds me of Jean Sibelius, another of my favorites, for his love of natural beauty and hints of eastern mysticism. The 5 minute Prayer of Saint Gregory alone is worth the price of the CD. I can't write very well about music I like - it's like describing wine and sounding snooty - but if you like to think, be surprised, and transported, then Hovhaness is your man. And this CD is a great place to start.

Make no mistake, Hovhaness is a MAJOR American 20th century composer, but because his music didn't sound American he was not promoted like, say, Copland or Bernstein. Although much of his music sounded Eastern this disc contains at least three Western-sounding gems. Symphony No.6 and Concerto No.7 both display music of deep feeling and serenity. Although easily accessible, beneath their surfaces lurk musical intricacies too subtle for space here. Hovhaness's overriding concern is evidently for beauty and serenity but without cloying or stagnating. The Prelude and Quadruple Fugue is an acknowledged contrapuntal tour-de-force, written in his twenties. Let's sum-up by saying (as one critic did) that this music is "moments of tranquility in a chaotic world". Refreshing music of the utmost integrity.

Alan Hovhaness was born on March 8th of 1911. Around 1940, after studies at the New England Conservatory of Music, he was appointed to the position of organist at an Armenian church near Boston. An inner prompting, around that same time, led to an intensive study of Oriental music, philosophy and religion. These two strong spiritual influences helped to contribute to a mystical disposition in both Mr. Hovhanness's life and in his abundant artistic creations.

The following may help to describe three of the major pieces on this Telarc disc:

"Celestial Gate" was completed in the year 1959. In this piece, Hovhaness describes an interior journey of many years duration, which culminated in the passage, through a 'mental gate', into a spiritual realm of expansive satiating presence. We are invited, through this translation into sound by conductor Rudolf Werthen and The Orchestra of Flanders, to know once again this welcoming spiritual state, in the act of listening to this wonderfully sensual recording.

"Concerto No. 7" was composed between August and October of 1953. A wealth of themes are introduced and woven together during the three movements. As the composer notes: "In the course of it's twenty-four minute duration all unnecessary elements are removed - only a voluptuous essence remains".

The "Prayer of Saint Gregory" is an excerpt from a Hovhanness Opera, conceived in 1946 and titled "Etchmiadzin". As the composer notes: "This music is like a prayer for mutuality and tender emotional reciprocity amidst melancholy social isolation".

The music of Hovhaness remains, to this day, a vehicle for the expression of delicate aesthetic mysteries and it's fine emotional qualities will be embraced by artists and audiences of varying social backgrounds. May you find, in the broad swirling orchestral notes of these performances, the deep blue dance of graceful spiritual release.

Celestial Gate is a CD that is very pleasing to the ear. The pieces are perfect for enjoying on quiet moments. Especially in the Prayer of St. Gregory Alan Hovhaness succeeds in creating a contemplative and inspiring atmosphere. The music is a blend of modern classical music and strong elements of Armenian folk music. Celestial Gate is a CD with 20th century classical music that touches your heart instead of wrecking your nerves.

This was my introduction to this wonderful composer, and I must say he has become one of my favorites. His music is simply beautiful. Yet by no means is it sacharin sweet easy listening. It is in fact very intricate and complex with wonderful tone colors used throughout. Anyone who is looking for calming transcendent music should buy this CD.

I own several recordings of Alan Hovhaness' music and this is the best. The pieces contained are good exemplars of his best work. Symphony #6 is episodic in its structure but contains some of his most mystically atmospheric material and is not overly repetitive. Opp. 128 & 53 are nice works. The Prayer of Saint Gregory might be his best work. The playing here is really good and the sound is also good -- a nice sharp image, good depth. This is an excellent introduction to this somewhat obscure composer.

As is the case with many others, this was the first Alan Hovaness CD I ever purchse and I now own about 11.
For someone interested in getting to know this unique composer it is the best place to start. The variety of pieces are a good representation of this man's work. It is like no music I have ever heard before!

"Mysterious Mountain" was the first thing I had ever heard from Alan hovhaness and that was more than enough to get me interested in his music. Later I came across this CD and it instantly became one of my favorite CD's. "Celestial Gate" and "Tzaikerk" alone are worth the buy.

Hovhaness composed many pieces, including 67 symphonies. The sixth, aka "Celestial Gate" provides a good introduction to both the dancing Hovhaness and the ecstatic brass Hovhaness (and the brief "Prayer to St. Gregory" may be the most beautiful and poignant music ever written for trumpet), with Rudolf Werthen conducting the Orchestra of Flanders (aka I Fiamminghi (this is confused in the Amazon listing as a second, Turin-based ensemble)

IMHO this disc has too much filler between the symphony and the concerto for orchestra. Another symphony could have been included and still left room for the oft-recorded "Prayer of St. Gregory" (filler of the highest order that!).

I guess the profusion of strings on this disc complements the recent Naxos disc of three symphonies for concert bands, but I think that that is a better introduction to Hovhaness--or the Naxos recording of the 22nd Symphony (City of Light) which is more radiant than "Celestial Gate." Or the Crystal disc of performanced conducted by the composer (including "Prayer of St. Gregory" and "Tzaikerk" covered on this disc, plus his 11th symphony (All Men Are Brothers).

Still, the symphony, the concerto for orchestra, and the Prayer of St. Gregory would do fine as an introduction, and the Alleluia and Fugue is an interesting glimpse of early Hovhaness music (it was written for strings in 1936, revised for full orchestra in 1954-55). The Concerto definitely provides a Big Ending

This disc was a gift from an audiophile friend of mine, and I gave it my first spin in the middle of the great December blizzard of 2009. WOW! The incredibly dynamic orchestral arrangement set a delightfully icy mood while the glowing fireplace painted dancing, leaping waves of burnt orange on the walls and ceiling while great swaths of snow-filled breezes churned the swirling snow into a graceful yet chaotic ballet, and dusk fell upon otherwise crisp, still desolation. Celestial Gate + snowstorm + cozy fire = incredible out of body experience. I'm sure it will be a wonderful listening experience without the drama, but those few moments were quite magical indeed.