Customer Reviews

Howard Hanson Symphonies No. 1 "Nordic" and No. 2 "Romantic"

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Howard Hanson surely deserves better exposure than many other modern composers. This disc is a great way to begin investigating his sumptuous and expertly crafted music - the 2nd movement of the 2nd Symphony was used to accompany the end-credits to Ridley Scott's film ALIEN in 1979. Long melodic lines and a clever juxtaposition of strings with brass leads to very enjoyable listening. The purists may find little to applaud, but why should we not just enjoy good music that does not deliberately try to be new or daring? The Seattle Symphony performs superbly under the expert baton of Gerard Schwarz and does great justice to these underrated works. I heartily recommend this disc to anyone with an ear for "romantic" music.

Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra afford an inspired reading of two magnificent works by a sadly-neglected American genius who deserves a musical renaissance. Anyone who listens to the lilting melodic beauty of these two magisterial works will never again question the rightful place of American classical music within hailing distance of the European greats both within this form and in the general music repetoire. Hanson may well be the greatest American composer, a statement that would scoffed at by a number of people who worship Gershwin, Barber, Copland and even Carlisle Floyd, all of whom of course are at the top of the country's music tradition. But Hanson will one day be fully re-evaluated, and these two symphonies, as well as a few others, his haunting "Elegy in Memory of Serge Koussevitsky" and his opera "Merry Mount" will be at the center of this inevitable revistitation of his canon. The composer still holds the all-time record at the Metropolitan Opera House for the most curtain calls (50) at the end of this opera's premiere in the 1930's. That is astonishing when you consider works by Puccini, Wagner, Verdi, Mozart and Strauss are done there regularly.
Most of the attention has been lavished on his "Romantic" Symphony No. 2, which is indeed a ravishing work, but too little has been said about the beautiful "Nordic" Symphony No. 1, which contains a main theme in the first movement that is so lyrical and lilting and so piercingly beautiful that it singlarly defines the composer's ability to envelop his listener with lines of such unabashed emotionality, that they leave in their wake a listener reflecting on some of the most unforgettable moments they have experienced in his/her life. Hanson is saying here that a person's undaunting optimism and faith will triumph over adversity, even if it is unavoidable. It is a melodic line that defines the very essence of romanticism, and it's ironic and rather wonderful that an American composer writing his most celebrated compositions in the 30's and 40's has made this statement. Suffused with the influence of Sibelius, the Swedish-parented composer utilizes sweeping themes infused with heroic cadences, and the senic beauty of the outdoors. Of course, inevitably, the "Nordic" gives way in its later movements to a strain of melancholy, which is not only part of Hanson's duality of purpose, but a reflection of brooding Scandinavian melancholy. The "Nordic" is a masterpiece.
The "used" and "like new" prices for this are beyond insane. Obtaining this CD is the 'steal' of 'steals.' These works cry out for recognition from the New York Philharmonic and other world-class orchestras.

I was fortunate to be in the hall for the rehearsals and the North American premiere of the Seattle Symphony's performance of Hanson's "Romantic." The underlying, recurrent theme across all movements is as moving and powerful today as it was in the early 1990s. Gerry managed to coax from the Symphony an emotional commitment to this piece that is evident to this day, with every playing. This music travels with me wherever I go.

It took me a long time to come across the works of Howard Hanson. His work is well worth the wait. I've now heard two different versions of his 2nd Symphony and this one is the superior interpretation. (Of course, I'm from Seattle, so maybe there's a bit of bias here). Like Caesar Franck's Symphony in D minor, Hanson has one main theme that he repeats throughout. One would think that this could easily become tiresome and cloying, but the opposite occurs. It's hypnotic, mesmerizing and beautiful.

The Nordic Symphony is quite good too. It has a heroic sound that is extroverted while the 2nd Symphony has a heroism of its own that speaks more of an inner reality.

There is only one thing that bothers me about this recording and it has nothing to do with the music. What's up with the photo of Gerard Schwarz and his middle finger? Some photo editing was badly needed here!

I bought this CD because I was collecting elegies, and wow,
what an incredible surprise. Haunting melodious music, kind of
like Vaughn-Williams meets Rachmaninoff. I'm now collecting
other CDs from this wonderful composer.

The "Romantic" Symphony is one fantastic composition, and the Seattle Symphony under the direction of Gerard Schwarz has done an incredible job of interpreting this piece and bringing it to life. Without knowing much about the background of Hanson's creation, I view the piece as a vivid tone poem about the life of the Vikings at sea ... there is aggression, war, peace and love ... while listening, if, when you close your eyes, you don't see ships at sea, you are plain old dead.

It is a shame that Hanson is not more well-known in music circles. Hanson was born October 28, 1896, in Wahoo, Nebraska to Swedish parents, Hans and Hilma (Eckstrom) Hanson. In his infancy he studied music with his mother. Later, he studied at Luther College in Wahoo, receiving a diploma in 1911, then at the Institute of Musical Art in New York City, where he studied with the composer and music theorist Percy Goetschius in 1914. Afterwards he attended Northwestern University, where Hanson studied composition with church music expert Peter Lutkin and Arne Oldberg in Chicago. Throughout his education, Hanson studied piano, cello and trombone. Hanson received his BA degree in music from Northwestern University in 1916, where he began his teaching career as a teacher's assistant.

Hanson was director of the Eastman School of Music for 40 years, which is the longest tenure of any director of a top American conservatory. He also founded the Eastman-Rochester Symphony Orchestra, which consisted of first chair players from the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and selected students from the Eastman School. To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Serge Koussevitzky commissioned Hanson's Symphony No. 2, the "Romantic", and premiered it on November 28, 1930. In 1944 Hanson was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Symphony No. 4, subtitled "Requiem". In 1946, Hanson was awarded the George Foster Peabody Award for outstanding entertainment programming for a series he presented on the Rochester, New York radio station WHAM in 1945.

He retired as director of Eastman School in 1964, but he remained active with the school and as a composer and conductor until his death on February 26, 1981 at age 84.

Whether you first heard the Hanson 2nd Symphony as the trailer to the movie "Alien", or came to it in the more tradional manner, there could hardly be a more American or hyper-romatic symphony than the 2nd. The Schwartz verson is full, rich and shows all the lyricism that the earlier versions do not....much of this due to vast improvements in recording technology. And if your bent is to audophile pleasures, no movement of any symphony I know will test a pair of high-end speakers better than the final movement of this joyful work. It will send chills up the most jaded spine.
A CD not to be misssed!

Couldn't agree more with the previous reviewer; Howard Hanson's music deserves more attention and appreciation as much as other better-known composers such as Copland, Bernstein, and John Williams. His musical style is very Romantic, his orchestration colorful, so it might as well reach a large audience.

Of all his music, probably his most famous are the first two symphonies; the "Nordic" and "Romantic" Symphonies both could have been used as soundtracks for a typical Golden Age Hollywood movie! In the glorious finale of the "Romantic" Symphony in particular, one might feel he/she is inside the silver screen.

I first knew Howard Hanson when I listened to those two works. The CD featured the composer himself conducting his school orchestra, from the Eastman School of Music/University of Rochester. The unfortunate drawback was the bad sound quality. Besides being dated, its seemly poor acoustics (thus giving this "yanking" sound) made me feel I was watching some 30s movies, its sound obviously far inferior to today's sound engineering.

So I had to look elsewhere, and I felt lucky to find this album. Gerald Schwartz (who's also a trumpet player) has made the Seattle Symphony Orchestra into one of the greatest orchestra in the west coast, and thanks to relatively modern recording engineering, I can sit down, relax, and pretend I'm listening live at a concert hall.

Simply put, a great album! Whether you're new to Hanson's music, or want to listen to American Classical Music, you gotta buy it; you'll be convinced what a great composer Hanson was.

I own A LOT of excellent classical CDs and SACDs, but this one is incredible! The recording is audiophile-grade. The performance is stellar. The music is first-rate. AND, the price is CHEAP! Actually, I can't get this CD out of my player. I don't normally listen to the same music over and over, but this one I have heard at least four times since I put it in my CD player.

I had heard of this composer, but didn't know that his music was so excellent. Hanson is definitely influenced by the greats -- DVORAK, WAGNER, etc. But, his composition is definitely his own. Even if you never buy another disc of Hanson's music, but this one and you won't regret it!

I tend to write mostly positive reviews because I don't want to hurt anyone. So, if I don't like something, I just don't say anything on Amazon. However, when I run across a gem like this one, I want to share with others. I bought this based on the reviews, but sometimes this doesn't work out. This time, the reviewers are spot on!

For under $10, this is a steal. I don't know how a regular CD can sound any better than this! I played a JVC 24-bit outstanding recording right before hearing this one and there was no drop off in sound quality.

I wouldn't be this positive if this wasn't such a grand recording. Listen and enjoy!

Howard Hanson hit the nail on the head with his Symphony #2, nick named - "Romantic." If you have never heard of H. Hanson, this symphony is the place to start.