Hovhaness: Visions-The Musical World of Alan Hovhaness

Alan Hovhaness (Composer), Richard Auldon Clark (Conductor), Nicholas Braithwaite (Conductor), Vakhtang Jordania (Conductor), Manhattan Chamber Orchestra (Orchestra), New Zealand Chamber Orchestra (Orchestra), KBS Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Marvin Rosen (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Marvin Rosen
• Orchestra: Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, New Zealand Chamber Orchestra, KBS Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Richard Auldon Clark, Nicholas Braithwaite, Vakhtang Jordania
• Composer: Alan Hovhaness
• Audio CD (August 22, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Koch Int'l Classics
• ASIN: B000001SIJ
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #436,275 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. The Prayer Of St. Gregory

2. Elibris

3. Mystic Flute

4. Aria, Hymn & Fugue: Sympony No 46 - To The Green Mountains

5. Moon Lullaby: Mountain Idylls

6. Adagio

7. Give A Cat A Twig And He Takes A Tree: Sonata Fred The Cat

8. Aria From Haroutiun

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Visions Need Some Glasses, May 31, 2006

By 

M. Stoltenberg (Phoenix, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hovhaness: Visions-The Musical World of Alan Hovhaness (Audio CD)

I must admit that I enjoyed this sampler CD introduction to the musical world of Alan Hovhaness more than the other reviewer. These are peaceful and lovely recordings and renditions of these works. It was refreshing to hear a more varied collection of Hovhaness' sound than the repetitiveness that he is often criticized for. One of the criticisms of Hovhaness was that he was trying to be like Vaughan Williams in every piece (which is not true). He had a specific spiritual "vision" that lent a characteristic sound to his music like many other composers.

My one problem with this affordable disc is that the track listing is incorrect for the pieces: Mountain Idyll and Sonata Fred the Cat (both solo piano works). They are listed as having multiple tracks (#5-7) and (#9-12) when in actuality they are on the CD in single one track movements, so the CD comes out actually having 8 tracks (1 per work sampled). For a while I thought I had the wrong CD or it was defective. Then I figured it out by putting it in my CD Rom and it displayed the actual track listing with titles through Windows Media Player.

If that glitch doesn't bother you too much, this is a nice and afforable intro to Hovhaness' music. - - Max Stoltenberg, LPC

5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Hovhaness needs more maturity, February 1, 2005

By 

Bernard Ellison (michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hovhaness: Visions-The Musical World of Alan Hovhaness (Audio CD)

I was very dissapointed when I heard this album. The sound is tinny, strident, and unbalanced. I can imagine how hard it is for unfunded orchestras to make recordings, but this sounds like a scraggly bunch of pickup players who play with no soul. Hovhaness demands a fuller, burnished tone. Even worse than the poor sound quality and sketchy intonation is the lack of a sense of flexibility and nuance. The hollowness of the playing would not be so offensive if there were a feeling of expansiveness, languidness, or generousity. I can't help thinking the composer would be very saddened by this effort. I hope Mr. Clark's realizes someday that music is not something that can be hammered out like a wall street stock deal. The kind of crassness on display here is better suited to commerce or (lamentably), politics.