Howard Hanson Conducts Howard Hanson [Box set]

Howard Hanson (Composer), Howard Hanson (Conductor), Eastman-Rochester Orchestra and Chorus (Orchestra), Eastman Philharmonia (Orchestra), Alfred Mouledouos (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Alfred Mouledouos
• Orchestra: Eastman-Rochester Orchestra and Chorus, Eastman Philharmonia
• Conductor: Howard Hanson
• Composer: Howard Hanson
• Audio CD (September 13, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Philips
• ASIN: B000A5DLQ0
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #99,668 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hanson Conducts Again, October 10, 2005

By 

Michael B. Richman (Portland, Maine USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Howard Hanson Conducts Howard Hanson (Audio CD)

Those familiar with my reviews on Amazon know of my great love for the Mercury Living Presence series. Equally great is my disgust that so many of these brilliant recordings have been deleted in the last few years! Thankfully, some of these legendary performances are resurfacing, and while the single disc titles are unfortunately listed at full-price, it is wonderful to see the various multi-disc sets basically being sold at budget line. With this 4CD reissue, Howard Hanson's legendary MLP recordings of his own music are restored to the catalog, as two of the original three CDs -- one that collected Symphony No. 3 with "Elegy" and The Lament for Beowulf," and the other the Piano Concerto with "Merry Mount Suite," "Mosaics" and "For The First Time" -- were out-of-print. The music is wonderful, showcasing a sadly unappreciated American composer conducting his own works, but this set does have a few non-musical problems in my opinion. First, a single SACD Hybrid of Symphonies 1 & 2 was just released a few months back and surely some people already bought it. Also, like the original second disc from the set featuring the Piano Concerto and other pieces, CD4 from this collection features Hanson's insightful comments over excerpts from "Merry Mount Suite," "Mosaics" and "For The First Time." This is certainly informative material, but it doesn't necessarily warrant repeated listenings and certainly doesn't need to be factored into the price of this set. Since we are getting three CDs of music, we should pay for three CDs of music, not four! Despite these shortcomings, overall this is an attractive package -- glorious golden age stereo recordings returned to the catalog at a very reasonable price. Once again, Mercury Living Presence lives!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stereophile editor uses this to test / check stereo imaging, March 18, 2008

By 

M. Steel "Miller's "Audio House"" (Santa Clara, Ca. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Howard Hanson Conducts Howard Hanson (Audio CD)

Stereophile editor uses disc 2 where the conductor Howard Hanson takes the listener through the orchestra, one instrument and section at a time with the artists sitting on the stage in front of you in the standard symphony array. A great tool to get to know the sounds of the different instruments and how the author thinks about using the sounds alone and in combination to create a mood or ethnic feel as HH describes. This is a Mercury Living Presence title and is of the highest quality, it was well miked, the engineers knew the venue well and it shows in the end product. HH's original work also included on disks 1,3 & 4 is interesting and well constructed. worth a listen but start with disk 2 and you will enjoy the rest far more, as well your other favorites. Makes a great introduction to the symphony orchestra for a newbie. There are other HH works out there that are also special, there is a 3 channel SACD available.

This Mercury Living Presence SACD of Hanson's "Nordic" and "Romantic" Symphonies presents, for the first time, the composer's celebrated interpretations in their original 3-channel (left, right & centre) versions. In addition to this direct-to-DSD 3-channel stereo, the disc includes a new DSD stereo, plus the original CD transfer.

Features:
A 3-Channel direct-to-DSD transfer from original analogue masters

Musicians:
Eastman School of Music Chorus
Eastman-Rochester Orchestra
Howard Hanson, conductor