Alan Hovhaness Symphony No 48 "Vision of Andromeda"

[DennisS]

Members of UC who appreciate the music of Alan Hovhaness may well be interested in the following CD released earlier this year:-

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/symphony-no-48-vision-of/hnum/6809106

This is a world premiere recording of Hovhaness's Symphony no 48 "Vision of Andromeda".

Before making this post, I trawled through previous threads on this composer, in particular the thread "Hovhaness recommendations", last posting May 2012.Reading this thread,it was obvious that members either liked Hovhaness's music or disliked it (strongly)often  giving the reason that the music was "too samey"! For my part, I have a foot in both camps. When I first discovered Hovhaness, I was immediately taken with a number of works – Sym 2 Mysterious Mountain, Sym 9 Saint Vartan, Sym 19 Vishnu and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam amongst others. This whetted my appetite for this composer's music and I subsequently went on to purchase 18 CDs! By this time though, I too became a little bored with the music as I also found that the music was becoming quite samey!!! I then stopped listening to Hovhaness altogether sometime in 2012! It's only now that , coming across this newish release March 2015 and listening to sound bites and consequently purchasing the CD  that I rediscovered my liking for Hovhaness's music. I had simply forgotten that certain of his compositions are, for me at least, very good indeed! Although I would add that a number of his works do indeed sound similar! So where does this latest work stand? I have played this symphony at least 7 or 8 times now and I have become quite fond of it. I would say that it's not the very best symphony that Hovhaness ever wrote but at the same time it's an attractive work that repays repeated listenings. A four movement symphony, my brief comments on each movement are as follows:-Mvt 1 Andante starts with a long, expansive theme slowly building to a dramatic climax before dying peacefully away. At 6:38 there is a very delightful melody for flute which is memorable. Three times during this movements bells/chimes are heard (a feature of Russian music and of course, Hovhaness is of Armenian descent!). Mvt 2 Fugue allegro is a brief 3 minute fugue which is very exciting and really grabs one attention (Hovhaness had a particular love of the fugue and Bach and wrote many fugues which often found their way into a symphony as here).Movement 2 is a particular favourite of mine. Mvt 3 Andante -  allegro moderato features another longish, expansive theme, almost minimalist at times in its structure but subtly orchestrated and again with prominence given to the flute. Mvt 4 Largo – allegro – andante almost echoes the opening movement with another of those long, expansive, shimmering themes. As in mvt 1, the music is punctuated by bells/chimes 3 times and the music closes in a regal and satisfying way. Although this is not a programme symphony, the music at times, to me at least, suggests travelling in space, indeed on a journey to the galaxy of Andromeda:  a timeless journey, accompanied by the very weightlessness of space itself .

If members already like Hovhaness, they will like this symphony too. No, I would never say that Hovhaness is a great composer but his music, or much of his music, is very attractive indeed and does have value! Listening to this latest symphony has inspired me to get out some of my favourite Hovhaness CDs and listen to them again!

[sdtom]

Does he fall into our unsung category. I don't think so.
Tom

[Mark Thomas]

Oh, I think we're OK with Hovhaness.

[Alan Howe]

I'm afraid it's a yawn from me...

[Mark Thomas]

Oh me too, although I'll be honest and say that I don't know the Symphony about which Dennis is writing, but there's no reason why Hovhaness shouldn't be discussed here.

[Alan Howe]

Did you say something? Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[chill319]

There's not a lot of sympathetic _and_ articulate discussion of Hovhaness's music, so I appreciate Dennis's thoughtful post, even though aesthetically Hovhaness is fishing in very different waters from the romantic composers I learn about on this forum. (For instance, this symphony comes from the period when virtually all the Hovhaness scores I've seen include aleatoric elements.) That said, I find a certain kinship between later Goethe and Hovhaness. Even more, perhaps between Hölderlin and Hovhaness.

[sdtom]

I had a listen to this one last night and this morning and I can't see the tie in to Andromeda at all. The soprano saxophone concerto was pleasant enough but it really didn't seem to go anywhere. Perhaps someone can explain to me?
Tom

[TerraEpon]

I would say Hovhaness almost universally doesn't fit into this forum (though some does)....that's not to say I don't love much of his music.

[Alan Howe]

He does and doesn't fit. Frankly, I find him a more or less total bore, notwithstanding some passing passages of extraordinary beauty.

[JimL]

A former member of this forum once said that one's favorite Hovanhess composition is always the last one heard.