Customer Reviews

Howard Hanson: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1

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This is a terrific coupling of Howard Hanson's orchestral music, both well-known and barely-known. It is advertised as Volume I of his orchestral works, and, if Kenneth Schermerhorn and Naxos follow through with the rest of Hanson's orchestral works, this could result in a near-definitive essay of one of America's most important and beloved composers.

Others, including Hanson himself, on Mercury Living Presence and Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra on Delos, have recorded his central repertoire, including the symphonies and the larger orchestral works. But no series was ever completed; Hanson's own foray, with the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra, was cut short by his retirement from active conducting in the mid-'60's. So this is a very welcome start to what this Hanson fan hopes to be a complete essaying of the orchestral works.

Basically conservative and an arch romantic, Hanson had been considered a "throwback" composer during much of his life, bypassing the avant garde, serialism, modernism, post-modernism, minimalism and all other "ism's" of the 20th century. But his music is immediately accessible and is characterized by a gift for melody, harmonic lushness and rich chromaticism reminiscent of Bruckner. Born of Swedish stock in Wahoo, Nebraska, his music comes naturally by its "Nordic" sense of place, with the symphonies and other works of Sibelius clearly in his musical DNA. But there are other identifiable musical "signatures" in addition to Sibelius and Bruckner: Hanson's frequent use of tympani ostinato in his symphonies recalls the opening bars of Brahms' 1st Symphony, and his often brilliant splashes of orchestra color, particularly high woodwinds, is a reminder that, after winning the American Prix de Rome in 1920, he studied under Ottorino Respighi while in Rome. (At the time, Respighi had only written "The Fountains of Rome," the first of three parts of his Roman triptych; "The Pines of Rome" and "Roman Festivals" were written after Hanson had returned to the U.S.)

I will cheerfully go on record to state that Schermerhorn's performance of the "Nordic" Symphony is the best available, from the perspectives of interpretation, performance and recorded sound quality. (Hanson's would of course have been the definitive one, were the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra up to snuff, and had Mercury had the access to recording technology that is presently available.) With modestly careful listening, one can pick out all of the musical signatures noted above, yet still conclude that Hanson is his own man, with his own musical thoughts to express.

Hanson's one opera, "Merry Mount," had been an instant success at its premiere, but has since languished in near-obscurity save for the orchestral suite which he fashioned from its incidental music. The "Love Duet" makes a strong case for a remounting of this opera; it is a gorgeous piece of music just waiting for the complete opera to surround it.

"Pan and the Priest" is an early tone poem, making its recording premiere, as far as I know, in this coupling. It brings to mind several of the great tone poems written by Sir Arnold Bax, Hanson's British contemporary, as well as those of Hugo Alfvén, his Swedish contemporary. This is excellent company to be allied with, and it is our loss that Hanson did not write more works in this genré. Identifiably Hanson, it holds up very well in comparison with the the poems of Bax and Alfvén.

"Rhythmic Variations on Two Ancient Hymns" also receives a recording premiere here. Modal in structure and feel, it is reminiscent of the simiarly modal music of Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Spendid performances and recording of a great cross-section of Hanson's orchestral works. Like Schermerhorn's Ives Symphony No. 2 which came immediately after this Hanson disc, yet another American Classics triumph for Naxos, "the little label that could."

Bob Zeidler

The late Howard Hanson was a man of many talents. He was a gifted conductor, an inspired composer, and one of the greatest educators in the history of American music.

Unfortunately, like so many composers, Hanson's work became neglected. Hanson was an arch-romantic. His lush and romantic scores were written at the same time as Stravinsky was shocking Parisian audiences, as Copland and Thomson were stressing the importance of Americana, and as Henry Cowell was touring Europe and America with his music based on tone clusters. However, this is no reason to neglect Hanson's work.

The Symphony No. 1 "Nordic" is one of my favourite Hanson works. The recording that the composer himself made of Mercury remains my favourite, though this version has quickly become a favourite as well. Maestro Schermerhorn has the advantages of a well trained ensemble. Schermerhorn is a gifted conductor and makes this work sound like what it actually is, one of the masterpieces of American music. The other works on the CD are no less interesting. In short, this is probably the best introduction to Hanson's work as a composer. One hopes that there will be many more Hanson CDs from Schermerhorn and the Nashville Symphony!

At the end of Ridley Scott's 1979 film "Alien," after Sigourney Weaver has at last defeated the eponymous creature by expelling him from the lifeboat's airlock, a music of marvelous relaxation suddenly dominates our awareness: It is the middle movement of Howard Hanson's (1896-1981) expansive Second Symphony, "the Romantic" (1930). Weaver's character is not, at that moment, aware of the impending sequels, so she is able to relax along with the spectators. Howard Hanson oddly resembles Scott's alien. He is a powerful presence whom his modernist nemeses have repeatedly attempted to expel, by declarations of his hopeless Romanticism and obsolescence, who nevertheless keeps reasserting himself to their great consternation. Good for him. The real alien presence is the cacophonic phalanx that seems, at long last, to have entered its final recession. As the atonal tide has ebbed, the mid-century Romantics have flooded into prominence once again, Hanson notably among them. In the dark days of dodecaphonic correctness, the Second Symphony alone betokened Hanson's stubborn persistence. But in the early 1970s, the old Mercury/Eastman Rochester Philharmonic recordings, with Hanson conducting his own music, became available again as Philips Golden Import LPs, some in stereo and some in reprocessed mono; and early in the CD era, Delos released Gerard Schwarz's traversal of Hanson, including all the symphonies, with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, in digital sound. These recordings put Gerard Schwarz (formerly a baroque music specialist) on the star-map. Delos abandoned its American music series, but Naxos seems determined to pick up the slack. They have released the first of what promises to be a Hanson cycle. The disc in question features Hanson's First Symphony, "The Nordic" (1922), and three smaller works - the suite from the opera "Merry Mount" (1938), the tone-poem "Pan and Priest" (1925), and the "Rhythmic Variations on two Ancient Hymns" (an early undated work, probably from Hanson's Roman period). Kenneth Schermerhorn's competition in the First Symphony comes from Hanson himself, who recorded it in the 78 era and again in stereo in the late 1950s, and from Schwarz. Leading his Nashvillians, Schermerhorn takes a very broad view of the First, seeing it as a rehearsal for the Second of eight years later. Perhaps oddly, given the orchestra, this version of the First comes across as less definitively American than either the composer's own readings or Schwarz's. When Hanson wrote "The Nordic," he was Ottorino Respighi's student: That explains the pervasive modality, the pagan feeling, and even the occasional slightly Russian coloration (Respighi had studied with Rimsky-Korsakov). My vote is for Schermerhorn over the competition. He makes of this work a near-equal to the Second, or "Romantic," Symphony. Of the other scores, "Pan and Priest" constitutes the most important addition to the Hanson discography. Hanson takes his unstated inspiration, I imagine, from one of the "Idylls" of the Greek poet Theocritus: Pan is not the quaintly comic goatherd-god, but a terrifying force of nature whose annunciation provokes real awe. (So is he too in Mahler's Third Symphony or in Novak's immense tone-poem "Pan.") We feel the deity's intimidating presence in the music. The notes perpetrate a silly error: Hanson was born in Wahoo, Nebraska, not "Wahoo, New England." That aside, this is a promising first entry in Naxos' implied survey-to-come of the Hanson orchestral oeuvre.

The superlatives never end. Thank you, Naxos. You were one of my least favorite bargain labels (contrary to all of the hoopla), but with this disc, you convince me!

The conducting is outstanding, the music gorgeous, and the Nashville Symphony is just wonderful. Wow. The engineering is even good!

Buy this.

Howard Hanson is one of America's great Romantic composers. Also well regarded as a teacher, Hanson unabashedly donned Romanticism when it was out of fashion. Four great works represent this style: Symphony No. 1 "Nordic", Merry Mount Suite, Pan and Priest, and Rhythmic Variations on Two Ancient Hymns.

Hanson's 32-minute "Nordic" Symphony, his first, lends its ear to Sibelius, the Finnish composer, as well as perhaps, Hanson's own Swedish heritage. The best description of the opening movement (three in total), is Romantic sweep. The long melodies are aided by lengthy time signatures (5/4, 9/4, 6/4, and 7/4). The music seems to me like the soundtrack to an old black and white romance movie; the foreboding drama, thick lush strings, forceful horns, long melodic line, and grand climaxes. The second movement carries the cinematic feel with plaintive wind solos, a dramatic climax where the strings take over the melody in a grand sweep. The final movement is just as heroic as you would expect; the work ends in a temperamental minor mode. Perhaps a bit old-fashioned, the symphony is an invigorating experience with ideas popular around the turn-of-the-century.

The famous Merry Mount Suite (18 minutes) is taken from Hanson's opera of the same name. In five parts (Overture, Children's Dance, Love Duet, Prelude to Act II, and Maypole Dances), the subject revolves around 1600's Puritans dealing with temptations of the devil as well as local heathens. The forceful brass chorales and tolling bells of the overture set the scene with an antique quality. The playful nature of the Children's Dance is aided by witty orchestration, a battery of percussion, and a relentless rhythmical quality with jazzy syncopations. The love duet is peacefully tranquil, but builds to a passionate climax on numerous occasions and revels in warmth. The Prelude is an evocation of spring and preparing for a festival, while the Maypole Dances are an almost medieval sounding celebration rooted in ancient ritual. A spirited and varied musical suite, full of great tunes, musical moments, and drama.

The 13-minute symphonic poem Pan and Priest represents musically the age-old conflict between the spiritual and religious and revelry and sensuality. Long chant-like melodies represent spirituality, while aggressive brass and rhythms represent Pan. In its time, this work was regarded a great American work, but rarely found today. Rhythmic Variations on Two Ancient Hymns is scored for full string orchestra; a lush, Romantic contemplation on hymns, including an attractive solo violin section and some great harmonies. At eight minutes, the variation technique shows Hanson's ability to create great musical scenerios.

This budget Naxos recording features Kenneth Schermerhorn and the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, not a first-class ensemble, but by all accounts on this recording, a very fine ensemble of professional musicians. Schermerhorn leads well, a bit langorous in tempo, but solid performances. The recording quality by Naxos dropped the ball, however, the ensemble seems a bit far away and the woodwinds cannot be heard when the full ensemble is playing (save the piccolo) and still some troubles of balance when not the full ensemble. With the exception of the Variations, the strings lack a little in the warmth department and the winds suffer a little too; the brass do well, however. Compared to Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony on Delos, the choice is tough: monetary vs. balance issues; you will have to compare on your own.

Who's ever heard of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra? I hadn't until I saw this CD and purchased it. I can't understand how the works of Howard Hanson are som underaprreciated he played such a big role in the advent of Modern American Music. Symphony no 1 was written in 1922. These works are all romantic at heart. My favorite piece on the disc is Symphony 1. It is a really grand and tuneful work. The playing of the work is very lush. Also the Suite from the Opera Merry Mount is very playful. I wasn't familiar with Rhythmic Variations on Two Ancient Hymns and I can say it is just as stunning as the symphony.

Who's ever heard of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra? I hadn't until I saw this CD and purchased it. I can't understand how the works of Howard Hanson are som underaprreciated he played such a big role in the advent of Modern American Music. Symphony no 1 was written in 1922. These works are all romantic at heart. My favorite piece on the disc is Symphony 1. It is a really grand and tuneful work. The playing of the work is very lush. Also the Suite from the Opera Merry Mount is very playful. I wasn't familiar with Rhythmic Variations on Two Ancient Hymns and I can say it is just as stunning as the symphony.