Howard Hanson (1896-1981)

Started by vandermolen, April 10, 2008, 12:47:06 PM

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vandermolen

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on October 05, 2021, 07:29:47 PM


Maybe the Hanson could not be the most relevant work in the work if we have into account its length: less than 7 minutes, However, Before the dawn, Op. 17 is a magnificent marvelous miniature of a piece. It's Hanson at the height of his late-Romantic and heroic powers.

The content of the cd is appealing and different, quite so from certain record labels.
Am looking forward to receiving that disc Cesar.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

vandermolen

Maybe Hanson isn't one of the greatest American composers (although, personally, I rate him very highly), but he is one of the most warm-hearted. I'm greatly enjoying revisiting his moving and eloquent Piano Concerto at the moment:
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

kyjo

Quote from: vandermolen on February 28, 2022, 04:41:37 AM
Maybe Hanson isn't one of the greatest American composers (although, personally, I rate him very highly), but he is one of the most warm-hearted. I'm greatly enjoying revisiting his moving and eloquent Piano Concerto at the moment:


The PC is a beautiful work indeed, Jeffrey. In addition to the songful lyricism of the slower sections, the quicker sections have an almost jazzy "kick" to them which is quite infectious!
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

Karl Henning

Quote from: vandermolen on February 28, 2022, 04:41:37 AM
Maybe Hanson isn't one of the greatest American composers (although, personally, I rate him very highly), but he is one of the most warm-hearted. I'm greatly enjoying revisiting his moving and eloquent Piano Concerto at the moment:

I certainly underrated him in the long past.
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

foxandpeng

Quote from: vandermolen on February 28, 2022, 04:41:37 AM
Maybe Hanson isn't one of the greatest American composers (although, personally, I rate him very highly), but he is one of the most warm-hearted. I'm greatly enjoying revisiting his moving and eloquent Piano Concerto at the moment:


Nope. Hanson is outstanding.

I also rate him highly. He is undoubtedly one of my favourite American composers. You are correct, in my view. Warm hearted.
"A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people ... then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbour — such is my idea of happiness"

Tolstoy

vandermolen

Quote from: foxandpeng on February 28, 2022, 01:51:18 PM
Nope. Hanson is outstanding.

I also rate him highly. He is undoubtedly one of my favourite American composers. You are correct, in my view. Warm hearted.

Am currently playing his 'Mosaics' - a fine work.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

dhibbard

Quote from: vandermolen on February 28, 2022, 04:41:37 AM
Maybe Hanson isn't one of the greatest American composers (although, personally, I rate him very highly), but he is one of the most warm-hearted. I'm greatly enjoying revisiting his moving and eloquent Piano Concerto at the moment:


Yes his symphonies are wonderful!

Mirror Image

I need to revisit the Hanson symphonies. I'm quite fond of the 3rd and 4th in particular.

Symphonic Addict

Quote from: Mirror Image on March 18, 2022, 07:25:57 PM
I need to revisit the Hanson symphonies. I'm quite fond of the 3rd and 4th in particular.

I'm seeing an imminent change of avatar in the next days.  :P ;) ;D
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

Mirror Image

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on March 18, 2022, 07:31:12 PM
I'm seeing an imminent change of avatar in the next days.  :P ;) ;D

Hah! ;D Don't count on it! If I do change my avatar to an American composer, it probably will be either Diamond or Schuman. Of course, Ives, Copland and Barber are never far from consideration either.

kyjo

All of the Hanson symphonies are very fine IMO, save perhaps for the vocal 7th, which, like Atterberg's last symphony, is the weakest of the bunch IMO but includes a rather moving quotation from his 2nd Symphony. It's often tempting (even for me!) to dismiss Hanson's music as sounding "too much like film music" but it's important to remember that he cultivated his distinctive, warm-hearted style quite a bit before most Hollywood film scores were written!
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

Mirror Image

Quote from: kyjo on March 18, 2022, 08:46:57 PM
All of the Hanson symphonies are very fine IMO, save perhaps for the vocal 7th, which, like Atterberg's last symphony, is the weakest of the bunch IMO but includes a rather moving quotation from his 2nd Symphony. It's often tempting (even for me!) to dismiss Hanson's music as sounding "too much like film music" but it's important to remember that he cultivated his distinctive, warm-hearted style quite a bit before most Hollywood film scores were written!

To be honest, I'm at that juncture in life where it doesn't matter what it sounds like just as long as it moves me or stimulates me in some way that makes me glad that I listened in the first-place. If I'm moved by Hanson's music (and I certainly have been), then this is enough for me.

vandermolen

I like the early recordings of the symphonies including Hanson's own recordings (Biddulph) of symphonies 1 and 2 and Koussevitky's amazing recording of No.3 (which has to be heard on Dutton). As with Atterberg (and Rubbra IMO) the last symphony (No.7 'Sea Symphony') is not quite as good as the others but I have been listening to it several times recently and learning to appreciate it more.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

foxandpeng

Quote from: Mirror Image on March 18, 2022, 09:00:57 PM
To be honest, I'm at that juncture in life where it doesn't matter what it sounds like just as long as it moves me or stimulates me in some way that makes me glad that I listened in the first-place. If I'm moved by Hanson's music (and I certainly have been), then this is enough for me.

Very much in that place. I love to other opinions and help on understanding and discovering, but if I like a work, a recording or an artist, then that's enough. Life is too short 🙂
"A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people ... then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbour — such is my idea of happiness"

Tolstoy

Mirror Image

Quote from: vandermolen on March 19, 2022, 12:07:03 AM
I like the early recordings of the symphonies including Hanson's own recordings (Biddulph) of symphonies 1 and 2 and Koussevitky's amazing recording of No.3 (which has to be heard on Dutton). As with Atterberg (and Rubbra IMO) the last symphony (No.7 'Sea Symphony') is not quite as good as the others but I have been listening to it several times recently and learning to appreciate it more.

I'll definitely be giving Hanson's own recordings a listen as I own the Mercury Living Presence box sets. Of course, I own the Schwarz recordings, too, and I enjoy these very much.

Mirror Image

Quote from: foxandpeng on March 19, 2022, 02:43:35 AM
Very much in that place. I love to other opinions and help on understanding and discovering, but if I like a work, a recording or an artist, then that's enough. Life is too short 🙂

Yes, indeed. Life's too short to give a damn what the critical consensus is on a composer's music. As Duke Ellington once said "There's good music and then there's the other kind."

kyjo

Quote from: Mirror Image on March 18, 2022, 09:00:57 PM
To be honest, I'm at that juncture in life where it doesn't matter what it sounds like just as long as it moves me or stimulates me in some way that makes me glad that I listened in the first-place. If I'm moved by Hanson's music (and I certainly have been), then this is enough for me.

Of course, I agree with you! I wasn't trying to demean Hanson's music in any way in my previous post. :)
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

Mirror Image

Quote from: kyjo on March 19, 2022, 07:37:00 AM
Of course, I agree with you! I wasn't trying to demean Hanson's music in any way in my previous post. :)

No worries, Kyle. 8)

kyjo

Quote from: vandermolen on March 19, 2022, 12:07:03 AM
I like the early recordings of the symphonies including Hanson's own recordings (Biddulph) of symphonies 1 and 2 and Koussevitky's amazing recording of No.3 (which has to be heard on Dutton). As with Atterberg (and Rubbra IMO) the last symphony (No.7 'Sea Symphony') is not quite as good as the others but I have been listening to it several times recently and learning to appreciate it more.

There's a live performance of Koussevitsky and the BSO performing the 3rd Symphony on YT. Not sure if it's different from the Dutton recording: https://youtu.be/j6qRZbDXWCE

The sound quality is serviceable at best, but you should have fewer problems with it than I do, Jeffrey. ;) Of course, the Schwarz/Seattle recording on Naxos is very good, but I'd love to hear a brand new modern recording of this great symphony with a really inspired conductor and world-class orchestra. 
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

vandermolen

Quote from: kyjo on March 19, 2022, 07:46:09 AM
There's a live performance of Koussevitsky and the BSO performing the 3rd Symphony on YT. Not sure if it's different from the Dutton recording: https://youtu.be/j6qRZbDXWCE

The sound quality is serviceable at best, but you should have fewer problems with it than I do, Jeffrey. ;) Of course, the Schwarz/Seattle recording on Naxos is very good, but I'd love to hear a brand new modern recording of this great symphony with a really inspired conductor and world-class orchestra.
It sounds like a great performance Kyle - I'm not sure if this is what was released on Dutton but it has the same gravity at the opening, unlike any other recording known to me.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).