Alan HOVHANESS (1911-2000)
Symphony No.1 Exile, Op.17, No.2 (1936, rev.1970) [19:45]
Fantasy on Japanese Woodprints, Op.211 (1965) [14:20]
Symphony No.50 Mount Saint Helens, Op.360 (1982) [31:35]
Ron Johnson (marimba)
Seattle Symphony/Gerard Schwarz
rec. Seattle Opera House, Seattle, WA, USA, 6-7, 12 June 1990 (1); 17, 19
May 1992 (Fantasy; 50).
NAXOS 8.559717 [65:40]
With over 500 works to his name Alan Hovhaness may well be the most prolific
American composer as well as one of the most fascinating. His music cannot
be pigeonholed since he drew influences from so many varied sources. That
said, above all, he insisted on melody, having roundly rejected the path of
‘modernism’ that many others followed in the 20th century.
Among those influences was his Armenian heritage inherited through his father.
These are very much to the fore in his First Symphony subtitled Exile
which references the plight of Armenians who were forced to flee in their
millions in the face of an onslaught by Ottoman Turks during the First World
War. Lovers of big tunes will revel in the lush sonorities on display. They’re
in evidence right from the first notes. These are given to the clarinet which
introduces a plaintive tune taken up by other woodwind with the orchestra
continuing the Middle Eastern-sounding scales and the music becoming disturbed
and agitated. The second, short movement marked Grazioso is further
demonstration of the melodies for which Hovhaness is rightly renowned. Woodwind
sings out against a background of pizzicato from strings and harp. This allows
for an interlude of calm before the third and final movement brings us back
to agitation. Driving strings and winds recall the opening theme in chorale
form which then becomes the main focus of the orchestra. The powerfully expressed
message is that a whole people cannot be suppressed. Its spirit will reassert
itself and prevail against all the odds.
One of the other influences Hovhaness exploits is his love and reverence of
the music of the Far East, particularly Japan and Korea, having studied both.
The second work, Fantasy on Japanese Woodprints, has a title that allows
him to explore his own impressions of the music from this part of the world.
It involves extremely creative ways of approximating the sounds of Japan through
clever and inventive use of the instruments of a Western orchestra. The marimba
is the instrument of choice to carry the main theme against a background of
orchestral experimentation creating a convincing and effective ‘Japanese’
sound for Western ears.
Yet another influence which has shown itself in many of Hovhaness’s
compositions are mountains. He once wrote “Mountains are symbols, like
pyramids, of man’s attempt to know God. Mountains are symbolic meeting
places between the mundane and spiritual worlds”. It was a natural thing
therefore to have been moved to write a symphony that expresses those ideas
following the huge explosion of Mount Saint Helens in Washington State in
1980. The first movement sets the scene and pays reverence to the majesty
and mystery of the mountain through use of gorgeous harmonically and melodically
rich tunes. These emphasise the mountain’s imperious eminence over its
surroundings and its naturally serene nature prior to its being geographically
changed by the explosion. The second movement is also calm since it describes
the fabulous Spirit Lake in whose waters the mountain was often magically
mirrored. Once again Hovhaness uses Japanese-sounding melodies to create the
air of mystery and natural beauty of a place which was obliterated by the
explosion. The finale opens with an almost hymn-like theme from the strings
with tubular bells in the background. A sole flute precedes a representation
of the cataclysmic events that rent the mountain asunder, and which continues
for much of the movement’s 14 minutes. This musical depiction of the
destructive power of nature is extremely potent with plenty of work for bass
drums and gong as wave after wave of explosions tear the very fabric of the
ground on which the mountain stood. Finally the opening hymn returns to re-establish
a measure of calm. Hovhaness doesn’t end the symphony there. Instead
he creates a coda to signify the “youthful power and grandeur of the
Cascades Mountains” that, as he said, renews the vitality of “our
peaceful planet, the living earth, the life-giving force building the majestic
Cascades Mountains (,) rising, piercing the clouds of heaven”. This
symphony represents an extremely satisfying journey that shows the composer’s
unique view of how to use music to describe nature in all its creative as
well as destructive power. The disc as a whole is a wonderful introduction
to this amazing composer’s music that I for one am only beginning to
discover. More of Hovhaness’s works are being recorded all the time.
With 67 symphonies alone there’s plenty left to record and to discover
and that’s an exciting prospect. Gerard Schwarz is a great advocate
of American music and he and his orchestra help do the kind of justice Hovhaness
deserves. Ron Johnson does a sterling job on the marimba in the disc’s
second work. These recordings were originally made by Delos and they offer
an extremely rewarding experience for a whole new audience to discover and
revel in.
Steve Arloff
A wonderful introduction to this amazing composer’s music.