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Hovhaness: Mysterious Mountains / Hymn to Glacier Park Mount St. Helens / Storm on Mount Wildcat

Alan Hovhaness (Composer), Gerard Schwarz (Conductor), Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra) Format: Audio CD
4.8 out of 5 stars 16 ratings
$22.80
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Audio CD, CD, July 9, 2006
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Editorial Reviews

Product description

Hovhaness: Mysterious Mountains

Amazon.com

Alan Hovhaness's symphonies contain hauntingly beautiful music full of fascinating orchestration and striking timbres. The Symphony No. 2, "Mysterious Mountain," was championed by Stokowski and Fritz Reiner, whose RCA recording put Hovhaness on the map. Like the other works on this disc, it reflects Hovhaness' view of mountains as "symbolic meeting points between the mundane and the spiritual world." A work of great depth and gorgeous effects, like the scintillating double fugue in the second movement, its molto cantabile section of the finale will delight fans of Vaughn Williams' Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis. The 66th Symphony, "Hymn to Glacier Peak," dates from Hovhaness' 80th year and shares the same spirit as "Mysterious Mountain," with a moving Andante whose oboe and flute coloratura float high above a bed of strings, evoking wide, open spaces. Perhaps best known is Symphony No. 50, "Mount St. Helens," which includes a depiction of the volcano's 1980 eruption that will show off audiophile systems. Gerard Schwarz is Hovhaness' leading contemporary advocate and he gets terrific performances from the British band, all recorded in typically superb Telarc sound. This is a "don't-miss" release. --Dan Davis

Product details

  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.63 x 5.51 x 0.39 inches; 2.96 ounces
  • Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Telarc
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ 2023334
  • Date First Available ‏ : ‎ September 2, 2000
  • Label ‏ : ‎ Telarc
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00008PROE
  • Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 out of 5 stars 16 ratings

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4.8 out of 5 stars
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Captain Video
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, spiritual music.
    Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This disc contains three very beautiful and spiritual symphonies and a shorter early work. Since the three symphonies are all in the same basic style, the disc may reinforce the misconception that all of Hovhaness' music sounds just about the same. Anybody who thinks so needs to listen to works that sound very different from these like, for example, Symphony 19, Vishnu, Symphony 14, Ararat, and Fantasy on Japanese Woodprints. As a matter of fact, the short early work, Storm on Wildcat Mountain, sounds significantly different. This record is especially suitable for people who love Mysterious Mountain and want to hear additional music in that style.
    Hovhaness had the bad fortune of composing beautiful, spiritual music at a time when the classical music establishment insisted that atonal, dissonant, and abstract music was the wave of the future. As a result, his music was unfairly neglected. But the 20th century is over and composing beautiful, spiritual music is back in fashion. Therefore it is time that Hovhaness finally receives the recognition he deserves: AS ONE OF THE GREATEST COMPOSERS OF THE 20TH CENTURY.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Barry N. Bishop
    5.0 out of 5 stars Mystical Mountains
    Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    When we first truly became aware of Alan Hovhaness it was through attending a performance of "Mysterious Mountain", his second symphony. Slowly his works are becoming available in the broadcast media and in concert halls, and this is fortunate because his his rich orchestral chord shifts and meditative sounds echo our own spiritual longings in music. This CD offers three of his symphonies--No. 2, No. 50, "Mount St. Helens", and No. 66, "Hymn to Glacier Peak"--along with a shorter piece, "Storm on Mount Wildcat". It reveals his mystical attachment to mountain fastnesses, and his music carries the listener both into the high reaches of such regions and also inward to confront the searching chords of our own souls. With his Armenian heritage melding into his American life, Hovhaness is an American gem all too often not recognized in his home country. Fortunately that lack of awareness is slowly changing and this CD could offer a wonderful introduction to those still unfamiliar with this composer.
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  • Eric S. Kim
    5.0 out of 5 stars So Mysterious
    Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    This is the first CD from Hovhaness that I've ever bought. Well, obviously, this isn't going to be the last. The symphonies "Mysterious Mountain" and "Hymn to Glacier Peak" are two of the finest 20th-Century Classical pieces ever written and performed. The composer's love for mountains are really apparent here, and you could almost picture yourself on these peaks when the music drives into your ears. The most powerful on this CD is "Mt. St. Helens". At the time when the moutnain erupted, Hovhaness brings a more sophsticated and dramatic quality. It's riveting, all right.

    I think now is the time to see which Hovhaness CD I should purchase next. I think I'll go with "And God Created Great Whales" next time. A+
    3 people found this helpful
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  • R. Walters
    4.0 out of 5 stars All right performances, but I find the conductor's performance ...
    Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    All right performances, but I find the conductor's performance of the Mt. St. Helen's Symphony with the Seattle Symphony much stronger and more audibly 'present.'
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  • Paul A. Powell
    5.0 out of 5 stars Three winners on one disc
    Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I wanted this disc especially for Hymn to Glacier Peak which is out of print. Having Mysterious Mountain, Mt. St. Helens, and Storm on Mount Wildcat is a convenient way to access some of the mountain symphonies Hovhanes has written. Hint to NAXOS, how about a disc set of all of his mountain symphonies? And maybe another one with all the planets?
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  • David L. Sharp
    5.0 out of 5 stars turn it up pretty loud, and lie on the floor in the ...
    Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    If you need to get over some sadness or crisis in your life, put Mysterious Mountain on your stereo, turn it up pretty loud, and lie on the floor in the sweet spot to appreciate the richness of this symphony in four movements. Pretty much guarantee you will feel better by the end.
    One person found this helpful
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  • P. Busby
    5.0 out of 5 stars Unexpectedly Great
    Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    I didn't know what to expect when I bought this CD, basing my interest on the reviews of others, but if you are a fan of symphonic music, you will enjoy the works of Alan Hovhaness.
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  • Russ
    5.0 out of 5 stars The best Hovhaness CD available
    Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2006
    If you don't know Hovhaness, you should, and this is the best CD of his works currently available. Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000), was born in Massachusetts but drew inspiration from several of the world's cultures, including Armenia (the homeland of his father). Hovhaness is one of the most prolific composers, ever, with 67 symphonies (!) to his credit. Many of his works contain subtitles making reference to nature ("Mountain of Prophecy," "Spirit of the Avalanche," "The Divine Fountain," etc.) Although this may seem a little corny, don't let this deter you from getting to know this lovely music.

    One could describe his music as serene, haunting, ethereal and beautiful. His music is often compared to Vaughan Williams; however I believe that both are very different composers. Hovhaness' music contains more baroque influences, with the inclusion of chorales and fugues. Also, Hovhaness makes less frequent use of "traditional" melody. Although, I think it is fair to say that if you like Vaughan Williams you'll like Hovhaness.

    I first came across Hovhaness' music several years ago which I dismissed as all sounding the same and being very boring. I now know much better, and realize that Hovhaness was actually a very gifted composer of beautiful music, and was actually ahead of his time, especially when considering the popularity of modern composers, such as Rautavaara.

    The three symphonies on this disc are all outstanding. Symphony No. 2 "Mysterious Mountain" is his most frequently performed work, but I am not sure why, as the other two symphonies are equally appealing. The opening movements of each symphony are among the most beautiful symphonic pieces I have heard. My favorite is the opening of Symphony No. 50, with majestic string chords over pizzicato bass, followed by a woodwind solos over a moving harp part (this is typical of Hovhaness' technique). Each symphony is filled with beautiful and majestic solo playing (oboe, flute, horn, trumpet). As serene as all of this sounds, the music does occasionally build to great intensity. The "Volcano" movement of the "Mount St. Helens" symphony, for instance, shows Hovhaness at his most aggressive, with pounding drums, fanfaring brass and pulsating strings.

    Hovhaness' reputation may be damaged by his own prolificy. If someone wrote 500 works, they are probably mediocre works at best, right? Well, I have purchased several Hovhaness CD's and have been uniformly impressed with this difficult to classify composer. It is a convenient assumption by the listening public, as well as the major CD labels, that Hovhaness only has a handful of works (ex: Symphony No. 2) worth hearing. This is a belief which, I believe, will be discredited, as enterprising artists and labels begin to shed light on Hovhaness' other works. The question is which label will be daring enough to issue the CD, "Hovhaness: The Symphonies, Volume I." I am partially kidding, but we do need more new recordings of Hovhaness' works.

    Conclusion: Lovely, majestic music and fantastic playing on this CD!! Don't make the same mistake I initially did. Have an open mind and get to know the beautiful music of Hovhaness.

    71:45
    26 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • happysalvo
    5.0 out of 5 stars American Mystic's Odes to the Mountains
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 30, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    As the title suggests, mountains are the inspiration behind the four works on this disc. There are three symphonies and a short tone poem (one of the composer's earliest works). Having read some rather sarcastic comments about Hovhaness's music in the press, I was unsure what to expect, but in the end I was very pleasantly surprised.

    There is much to enjoy in these works - lyricism, moments of great beauty and high drama (particularly in Symphony no 50, "Mount St Helens"), and it's all performed by the wonderful Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under the American maestro Gerard Schwarz, both of whom do the music full justice. The recording is excellent, but we have of course come to expect this from our friends at Telarc.

    Don't be put off by any negative publicity you may read about this composer - if you buy this disc you will enjoy it. This would make an ideal introduction to the orchestral music of Hovhaness and his sound world. Investigate without fear - highly recommended.
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