Howard Hanson (1896-1981)

[albion]

Some recent acquisitions on ebay have included the four superlative Delos discs of Hanson's music played by the Seattle Symphony under Gerard Schwarz. I didn't know many of his compositions before (in fact, only the second symphony), but these recordings have really opened my ears to a fabulous wealth of music written in an unapologetically romantic idiom. The four singles were later reissued as two 'Delos Doubles', but I'm not sure whether or not these have been deleted now.

I've just started exploring the discs and already highlights for me so far have been Mosaics (1958) and the Sinfonia Sacra (fifth symphony, 1954). Are there any other strong recommendations for recordings of music by Hanson which I might explore in the future? 

[Alan Howe]

Those Delos CDs are absolutely wonderful, I agree. If you can find them, as I had the good fortune to do on Amazon some while back, they are well worth acquiring. Which reminds me, I must pull them off the shelf...

[Mark Thomas]

Yes, it was a real eye-opener when I got the set. I felt rather ashamed that I didn't know Hanson's vigorous, open-air music. Good stuff.

[alberto]

On Naxos you can find other works (generally inferior to the best Symphonies: for example the Piano Sonata, the Concerto for organ).
If  other recordings of the Symphonies are also concerned, the must should be considered Koussevitzky's Third (appeared on various labels, in "historical" sound).
I owe Hanson's himself recordings with Eastman-Rochester from the late fifties of Symphonies 1, 2, 3, 6 (and of Song of Democracy) on Mercury Label: less polished than Schwartz, obviously with inferior sound.

[petershott@btinternet.com]

More along the same lines as the above. Schwarz in those admirable Delos discs covered just about everything.

However hopes were raised high when way back in 2000 (or so) Naxos released a Symphony 1 (together with hitherto - to me at least - unknown pieces, Pan and the Priest; Rhythmic Variations on Two Ancient Hymns; and yet another Merry Mount Suite) given by Nashville SO / Kenneth Schermerhorn. That seemed to me a far finer performance of the Symphony than even the Schwarz. Disappointingly it was announced as 'Volume 1' - and there has never been a Volume 2. (I wondered at the time whether it would build up to a 7 disc series, with a symphony on each plus other orchestral works.)

There's another nice Naxos with the Philadelphia Virtuosi Ch Orch / Daniel Spalding with pieces not included in the Schwarz recordings - the Fantasy Variations on a Theme of Youth; Serenade for Flute, Harp & Strings; Pastorale for Flute, Harp & Strings.

I have no connection with Naxos - but also worth adding is a Naxos CD of the Piano Sonata and other piano pieces. All pretty early stuff and written before Hanson blossomed.

And finally - and Naxos again! - there is the opera Merry Mount. A huge, sprawling, vigorous work based on Hawthorne, and each time it has been done seems to have really pulled in the crowds. The Naxos recording, dammit, doesn't contain a libretto. And even if you know the Hawthorne work a libretto is still needed since there's so much going on in the opera. There are also some lovely names of characters in for your collection - Wrestling Bradford, Praise-God Tewke, Plentiful Tewke, Love Brewster, Desire Annable, Faint-Not Tinker, and Jewel Scrooby. Ah, you don't meet such characters everyday! Nor do they appear on school rolls!

[mbhaub]

Yes, get Merry Mount! Wonderful, moving, tuneful music. Too bad it's not in the repertoire anymore. I still think that the "Great American Symphony" is the Hanson 2nd.

[eschiss1]

Not sure if I've heard his string quartet- maybe once. Any thoughts?  As to his symphonies I have had a great fondness for the 3rd especially in the composer-conducted recording.

[Pengelli]

Hanson's Second sounds great to me! Copland's 3rd appears to be about the most recorded & I really SHOULDN'T be mentioning his 3rd on a forum like this,but I remember having the Copland 3rd for years,coupled with Harris's 3rd (Bernstein CBS) & I hardly played it all. In fact practically every American symphony I listened seemed to have more impact on me,including Hanson's seven,which I collected on Delos,when they were first released. In fact, Copland's 3rd only clicked with me recently & I now rather like it. But how it is superior to Hanson's Second,or even his Third, beats me. Of course Hanson's music is influenced by his Scandinavian roots,but it still sounds very American to me.
Hanson's Sixth packs a punch too. It's very compact & usually gets overlooked on forums,I notice.
'The Lament for Beowulf' is a marvellous piece. It should be a repertory piece.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Hear! Hear! The "Lament for Beowulf" is thrilling piece.

[alberto]

I heard the String Quartet in one movement opus 23 (1927), lasting about 18 minutes. It is/was part of a three LPs set (1974) by Vox "The string quartet in USA, vol.2 -  1900-1950", performed by Kohon Quartet, comprising (besides Gershwin's Lullaby, Copland Two pieces, a short Scherzo by Ives) Mennin's Second, V.Thomson Second, W.Schuman Third, Piston's Fifth, Sessions' Second). The Hanson, in that group, seemed between the best (and between the easiest for listening).
By the way, I own also the first volume "Early String Quartet in U.S.A." (another set of three LPs, Vox, same performers) containing String Quartets (or works for the medium,or in one case a piano quintet) by D.G.Mason, C.T. Griffes, G.Chadwick, A.Foote, C.M.Loeffler, H.Headley- and even a short piece by Benjamin Franklin.
I don't know if all that material has been transferred to CD .   

[Amphissa]

I've always liked Hanson. As a pedagog and conductor, he was a champion of modern composers. But to me, his own compositions were relatively conservative. Being a throwback, I bought all I could find on LP.

[Pengelli]

I don't really like comparisons,but if I were to list his symphonies in order of their importance, I  would place them in this order:

1) No 2 (greatest)
2) No 3
3) No 6
4) No 4
5) No 5
6) No 1
7) No 7 (weakest)

But if I were to list them in order of which one's I like listening to best,it would be more like this:

1) No 2 (favourite)
2) No 3
3) No 1
4) No 6
5) No 4
6) No 5
7) No 7 (least favourite)

[Pengelli]

OK.no more lists,or we're going to get like a certain other forum with,vote for this & vote for that & polls about whose the composer with the most 'e's' in his Christian name or the biggest nose! Must say,apart from that heart stopping moment when Hanson quotes his own 'Romantic' symphony,the seventh is the one Hanson work I have heard that leaves me a bit cold,and no,I don't mean temperature wise.
The first is a lovely piece & one of my favourites,even if it lacks the cohesion of it's successors & the chamber & instrumental works I have heard are very fine.

[eschiss1]

I do want to put in a strong vote for no. 5 (Sacra ; 1954?) before it sinks too deep - a foray by Hanson into somewhat more modern waters, and successfully so, and with strong emotional charge. (I'm not sure if I've heard no.4 yet and may have been avoiding no.7 so far. I've heard two recordings of no.6, though, and own the Siegfried Landau one on Vox Allegretto.  Anyhow!)

[Hovite]

I admire several of the symphonies, but they do not seem to get performed at concerts. A quick look at the BBC website suggests that none of the symphonies has ever been performed at a Prom concert. Apparently the only Hanson work that has been played is Pan and the Priest (which I don't know), and that was in 1926. I did write to the BBC suggesting that they should celebrate his birth centenary in 1996, but they didn't take the hint.