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HANSON, H.: Symphonies (Complete), Vol. 4 - Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5 / Elegy / Dies natalis I (Seattle Symphony, Schwarz)

Composer(s):Hanson, Howard
Artist(s) Schwarz, Gerard, Conductor • Seattle Symphony Orchestra
Period(s) 20th Century
Genre Classical Music
Category Orchestral
Catalogue 8.559703
Label Naxos
Quality   320kbps
Album Price
 
MP3
USD 6.99
 

 

Hanson’s symphonic cycle reached a profound spiritual crux at the time of the Fourth Symphony, which was written, in effect, as a Requiem for his father. It journeys from turbulence to the simplicity of resolution, in a way both characteristic and also deeply moving. The Fifth Symphony also evokes religious imagery in a tautly structured, richly atmospheric canvas. The Lutheran element surfaces too in Dies Natalis, whilst Hanson’s admiration for Serge Koussevitzky is marked by the Elegy he wrote for the conductor. “Schwarz’s commitment to the music is evident in every bar: you really can take the quality, not least of his marvellous orchestra, for granted.” (Gramophone on the original Delos release)


   




Review By Steve Schwartz,ClassicalCDReview.com,August 2012

An elegy differs from personal grief in that it is a formal public statement. There’s plenty of formality here. The Elegy seems to grow organically from its opening idea…Four minutes in, we get a radiant passage reminiscent of the Second Symphony, the “Romantic.” Indeed, throughout the elegy, we get echoes of the Third and Fourth as well, as if Hanson recalls his personal debt to the conductor and the times they shared. The ending blows me away with a momentary quote from the Second in the brass. The piece sings as only Hanson can—powerful, concentrated, and above all genuine, one of Hanson’s best.

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Review By Dan Morgan,MusicWeb International,May 2012

This really is heartfelt music, persuasively played. Even the traditionally apocalyptic Dies irae has an air of restraint, building to a strong but entirely proportionate climax. Balance and good taste are the touchstones here, and Schwarz never loses sight of that, the rapt Lux aeterna—and its efflorescing peaks—most movingly done. The final bars may be understated but gain added poignancy from being so. A gentle and benevolent work, it’s easy to see why it was the composer’s favourite. And even though it has more sinew, the Passion-inspired Fifth is blessed with the same virtues of simplicity and seamlessness; also, there’s more than a hint of Vaughan Williams in those flowing tunes, the whole naturally paced and incisively played. Short but

Speaking of favourites, Hanson’s tribute to Serge Koussevitzky—who commissioned and premiered so much important music, including the composer’s own—is the piece I admire most here. Those mourning strings and glowing harmonies are deeply affecting, a blend of piercing desolation and indomitable strength. Indeed, it’s a score whose emotional reach far exceeds its deceptively simple means. A treasurable work, and one I can’t imagine more sympathetically played than it is here.

Not only are these fine performance they’re also superbly recorded—well balanced and tonally refined—making them a mandatory purchase for anyone with even a passing interest in American music.

Works of strength and subtlety, supremely well played. © 2012 MusicWeb International Read complete review

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Review By Laurence Vittes,Gramophone,May 2012

Howard Hanson’s Fourth Symphony is exactly what a serious classical music composition would have been like in a hypothetical Hollywood movie of the 1940s and 50s.

The…other [Dies natalis and Elegy in Memory of Sergey Koussevitzky] works are of greater musical interest. The Elegy for Hanson’s friend and colleague Sergey Koussevitzky remains an exquisitely touching lyric. Throughout the disc, the Seattle Symphony perform as the world-class recording ensemble they became under Schwarz and for Delos.

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Review By Juan Berberana,Ritmo,April 2012

Naxos continúa la reedición (las grabaciones son originales del sello Delos) de las sinfonías del americano Howard Hanson (1896–1982), con la grabación de la Cuarta, subtitulada Réquiem, y de la Quinta con el sobrenombre de Sinfonía sacra. Quedarían por reeditar la Sexta y la Sea Symphony. Excelente edición, que pone en valor a un autor cuya inclusión en el sello American Classics sí que está justificada. En la obra de Hanson, pese a predominar una estética de claras raíces post-románticas (probablemente muy cerca de sus orígenes familiares, situados en el norte de Europa), lo que si prevalece es un permanente signo de autenticidad

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Review By Karl Lozier,Positive Feedback Online,March 2012

I find absolutely no audio/recorded faults in this recording, period! A fine addition to any serious classical music lover’s collection of fine music and written by one of America’s great composers. I am not of one mind about recommending it to classical newcomers. © 2012 Positive Feedback Online Read complete review



Review By Remy Franck,Pizzicato,March 2012

HANSON, H.: Symphonies (Complete), Vol. 3 - Symphony No. 3 / Merry Mount Suite (Seattle Symphony, Schwarz) 8.559702
HANSON, H.: Symphonies (Complete), Vol. 4 - Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5 / Elegy / Dies natalis I (Seattle Symphony, Schwarz) 8.559703

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Review By James Manheim,Allmusic.com,February 2012

These Howard Hanson recordings by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra…[is] wonderfully orchestrated and has a certain honest quality that has made it wear well even if there’s a shortage of really memorable melody…musically effective combination, especially given the numerous ways Hanson can deploy the orchestra to set up the chorales… © 2012 Allmusic.com Read complete review



Review By Brian Wilson Download Roundup,MusicWeb International,January 2012

highly recommended…the recordings sound fine. © 2012 MusicWeb International Read complete review



Review By Infodad.com,January 2012

Schwarz has taken the measure of all this music and conducts it with understanding and considerable sensitivity. © 2012 Infodad.com Read complete review



Review By Grego Applegate Edwards,Gapplegate Classical-Modern Music Review,December 2011

The middle period Hanson…strikes me as being a sort of rich Nordic dessert. It is lush, sated, majestic, filled with glorious peaks and pithy quietude in alternation. The Requiem is understandably somber and elegaic; the “Sinfonia Sacre” has a slightly broader range of expression. Both occupy a kind of middle ground between some of the eclecticism of the earlier works and the breakthrough of new elements and the evolving sonic palette of the last symphonies. © 2011 Gapplegate Classical-Modern Music Review Read complete review






 

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