Howard Hanson was an American Romantic through and through as
witnessed by the selections on this disc, part of the Naxos
American Classics series. Because of the composer’s
ancestry much has been made of the Nordic influence, especially
that of Sibelius, in his music. To me, this has been overstated.
He is as American-sounding as Roy Harris, if not Aaron Copland.
That he is a conservative by nature is shown here in the relatively
small distance traversed between 1923 and 1958 as far as any
modernistic development is concerned. That is not to say that
the works here are not attractive in their own way, at least
two of them. The Symphony No. 2 remains Hanson’s best known
and loved work and for good reason. Its themes once heard are
never forgotten and it is well orchestrated. The brass, especially
the horns, have a prominent role in the symphony. I have very
fond memories of this work, as my son while a high school student
was selected to play first horn in a countywide orchestra. They
performed this symphony and he was asked to take a special bow
for his part as principal horn. This may not be “great” music
as far as the twentieth-century symphony is concerned, but it
is well constructed in three movements and cyclic in its use
of motifs. As Steven Lowe remarks in his portion of the notes
to the CD, music from this symphony was used during the end
credits of the film Alien. Indeed, there is a cinematic
element in much of Hanson’s music and nothing wrong with that.
The other work that seems to me to be successful is Mosaics,
a short set of variations Hanson composed for George Szell and
the Cleveland Orchestra. It is colorful and tightly constructed,
even if the themes are not as memorable as those in the symphony.
It is a pity that it has been so neglected, as it would enhance
many a concert program and is clearly more than a mere filler
here.
In between the symphony and Mosaics on the disc is
the one piece that does not work for me, Lux Aeterna.
If ever there were a misnomer it is here. Hanson wrote the work
after studying in Italy. He was interested in Gregorian chant
and the music of Palestrina and incorporated this influence
in Lux Aeterna. The work is scored for orchestra with
viola obbligato and it begins well enough, as the viola quietly
plays a modal theme. So far, so good, but before long the music
becomes bombastic and the other main influence on Hanson comes
to the fore: Respighi. No longer is there “eternal light,” but
rather the garish colors that inhabit the Roman landscapes of
the latter composer. Although the viola returns a few times
with its modal theme and the work ends quietly, the mood by
then has been ruined. Some may find this more to their liking
than I do. The mature Hanson had yet to emerge when he wrote
this work.
All of the performances on the CD are excellent, and Gerard
Schwarz is a master when it comes to interpreting twentieth-century
American music of a more or less conservative bent. They easily
replace the composer’s own early recordings with the orchestra
of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, of which Hanson was
president. The three works on the disc are reissued from different
Delos recordings, but the sound is consistent and leaves nothing
to be desired. There are separate notes on the works by Steven
Lowe, Jim Svejda, and Steven C. Smith and all are more than
adequate. The symphony originally appeared on a disc with Hanson’s
Nordic Symphony, but the more varied program here is
welcome, too — even if I find little that is representative
of the composer at his best in Lux Aeterna.
Leslie Wright
See also review by Rob
Barnett
Susan Gulkis Assadi (viola) (Lux Aeterna)