Howard Hanson: Bold Island Suite [Hybrid SACD] [Hybrid SACD - DSD]

Howard Hanson (Composer), Erich Kunzel (Conductor), Cincinnati Pops Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
• Conductor: Erich Kunzel
• Composer: Howard Hanson
• Audio CD (September 27, 2005)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Hybrid SACD - DSD
• Label: Telarc
• ASIN: B000AQKUDQ
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #185,170 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Fanfare for the Signal Corps for brass ensemble

2. Merry Mount, suite from the opera, Op. 31: Overture

3. Merry Mount, suite from the opera, Op. 31: Children's Dance

4. Merry Mount, suite from the opera, Op. 31: Love Duet

5. Merry Mount, suite from the opera, Op. 31: Prelude to Act 2 and Maypole Dances

6. Bold Island Suite, for orchestra: Birds of the Sea

7. Bold Island Suite, for orchestra: Summer Seascape

8. Bold Island Suite, for orchestra: God in Nature

9. Symphony No. 2 ('Romantic'), Op. 30: Adagio - Allegro moderato

10. Symphony No. 2 ('Romantic'), Op. 30: Andante con tenerezza

11. Symphony No. 2 ('Romantic'), Op. 30: Allegro con brio

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure Hanson, May 12, 2009

By 

Robert L. Edwards (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Howard Hanson: Bold Island Suite [Hybrid SACD] (Audio CD)

Erich Kunzel is a champ. He is often overlooked by "serious" classical music lovers because he is so successful as a "crossover" conductor like Arthur Fiedler. But just as Fiedler achieved great heights with his Gershwin Concerto in F, American in Paris, and Rhapsody In Blue, so has Kunzel with this release of Hanson's iconic music.

Kunzel serves the music well and the Cincinnati Pops negotiate technically tricky passages with ease and smoothness. The Telarc soundfield is very deep. Winds and brass are given lots of air space, and percussion is kept at bay so neither overwhelms the strings.

One of the highlights of this recording is a wonderful unknown miniature, the World Premiere Recording of the 24 minute "Bold Island Suite," Hanson's paean to his summer home in Maine. The writing is mature; you recognize this both from the depth of the orchestration and classic Hanson melodic inventiveness. This is a very personal piece clearly imbued with Hanson's love for his land. (Kunzel notes that from the living room window of his own summer home in Maine, he can see "Hanson's Island". For fun, GoogleEarth Swan's Island, (not Swan Island) then move west and you can see what was Hanson's rustic house sitting by itself in its own little cove on its own tree-filled island.)

The disc also includes the Merry Mount Suite, in a classic performance. Merry Mount is filled with colorful orchestration underlying Hanson's signature melodic gift. Merry Mount is a delightful piece and Kunzel fleshes it out perfectly.

The main work on this Telarc Hanson disc is Hanson's most successful composition, the Symphony No. 2, Op. 30, "Romantic". I've loved this piece since I first heard it as a teenager in the 1960s with Hanson himself conducting. Kunzel renders the first movement of the Second Symphony in a straightforward, no-nonsense manner. He never milks the inherent emotionalism, moving the piece along, letting the music speak for itself. This is a clean, comfortable performance with inner melodies perfectly balanced. It impresses with its honesty. Kunzel's approach here presages his handling of the climax in the third movement.

The second movement is also clean and we get another clue as to how Kunzel will handle the big climax in the third movement. (Hanson has built-in references in each of the movements.) Here again, Kunzel applies his no-nonsense approach, and we hear more of the energetic forward motion Kunzel used in the first movement.

From the start of the third movement, we know the long-drive to the final climax is underway. When it gets to that climax, Kunzel drives it passionately with no letup, setting up the "quiet moment" in a way that is almost shocking (the sudden "rest" is heart-stopping). This rendering is the opposite of the Schwarz/Seattle performance that milks the music for all its worth. But Kunzel's honest approach is almost cleansing. While the Schwarz approach is endearingly successful, its too easy for bad conductors to misappropriate this type of writing; Kunzel sets a standard of veracity here.

Perhaps its the clarity, the simple directness, the honesty of this performance that is so refreshing that enables it to linger. Kunzel never messes with the music; he lets Hanson's writing speak for itself.

It may be a long time before the engaging emotionalism of the Schwarz Seattle recording of the Symphony 2 is surpassed, but it would be a huge mistake to miss this Kunzel Cincinnati Hanson on Telarc. Its a pure, honest and simple performance enhanced by the cohesiveness of an orchestra that knows its conductor and a conductor that really understands this music. (Reminder: Telarc is out of business, grab this while you can!!!)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SWEEPING ROMANTIC CLASSICAL SACD., January 6, 2008

By 

Soul Bird - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Howard Hanson: Bold Island Suite [Hybrid SACD] (Audio CD)

If you close your eyes this majestic yet tender music transports you into other places. Hanson is known for his Symphony No. 2 "Romantic" which was the theme used in the movie Alien. Excellent surround sound highlights the nuances of this great romantic music. This disc gets my vote as the best classical CD of 2007. If you like melodic sweeping music then you'll like this CD.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love it, April 2, 2007

By 

J. Milton "jmilton7043" (MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Howard Hanson: Bold Island Suite [Hybrid SACD] (Audio CD)

What an unsung hero Hanson is. I have his recording of the 3rd with the Rochester group on the Mercury lable. Though it is conducted by Hanson, himself, the Telarc has the advantage of superior sound and surround. This is great classical music for a novice or a long time listener. You will not be dissapointed in this disc!