MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2024
60,000 reviews
... and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             


Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger

REVIEW
RECORDING OF THE MONTH


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Chandos recordings
All Chandos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 

 

alternatively
CD: MDT AmazonUK AmazonUS
Sound Samples & Downloads

Howard HANSON (1896-1981)
Symphony No. 4, Op. 34, Requiem (1943) [25:45]
Symphony No. 5, Sinfonia sacra, Op. 43 (1954) [15:10]
Elegy in Memory of Serge Koussevitzky (1956) [12:43]
Dies Natalis (1967) [16:07]
Seattle Symphony Orchestra/Gerard Schwarz
rec. 16, 18 February 1990 (No. 4), 18-19 May 1992 (No. 5), 5 January 1988 (Elegy), 6-7 June 1994 (Dies Natalis), Seattle Opera House, Seattle, USA
NAXOS AMERICAN CLASSICS 8.559703 [69:45]

Experience Classicsonline

One of the cannier decisions made by Naxos was to repackage and reissue these Delos releases. As a very recent convert to the music of Howard Hanson I warmly welcomed this team’s recording of the Nordic symphony and Lament for Beowulfreview – the unexpected pleasures of which made me determined to hear this entire cycle. I was struck by the freshness and vitality of those pieces and, even more so, by the warmth and humanity of Schwarz’s readings. I’ve yet to hear Hanson’s recordings of his own works – so well received by RB – but they would have to be very special indeed to rival this Seattle series (review).
 
As its subtitle suggests the Fourth Symphony is cast in four familiar sections – Kyrie, Requiescat, Dies irae and Lux aeterna. There’s certainly a prayerful quality to the first, which has a luminosity and loveliness of line that’s most apt. Indeed, one could almost imagine a choir offering its supplications, to which the orchestra responds with firmness and clarity. The recording is very detailed, the delicate pizzicati at the start of the Requiescat well caught and instrumental colours beautifully rendered. But it’s the Schwarz’s sure sense of mood and scale that impresses most, inwardness matched with elegance.
 
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 surprisingly substantial, the Fifth is joy from start to finish.
 
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.
 
The final piece, Dies Natalis, is made up of an introduction and Lutheran chorale, a set of variations and a finale. It’s also a commemoration of the centenary of the state of Nebraska, the latter evoked in music whose sweeping vistas bring to mind the soundscapes of Aaron Copland. That said, Hanson may speak in predominantly quiet tones, yet it’s the underlying nobility and passion of his oratory that catches the ear and grip the heart. Schwarz, who responds so intuitively to these stirring cadences – echoes of Lincoln, perhaps – fashions a finale of simple but compelling grandeur. Another splendid composition, and a spur to seek out more of Hanson’s generous, open-hearted œuvre.
 
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.
 
Dan Morgan
http://twitter.com/mahlerei
 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


EXPLORE MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

Making a Donation to MusicWeb

Writing CD reviews for MWI

About MWI
Who we are, where we have come from and how we do it.

Site Map

How to find a review

How to find articles on MusicWeb
Listed in date order

Review Indexes
   By Label
      Select a label and all reviews are listed in Catalogue order
   By Masterwork
            Links from composer names (eg Sibelius) are to resource pages with links to the review indexes for the individual works as well as other resources.

Themed Review pages

Jazz reviews

 

Discographies
   Composer
      Composer surveys
   National
      Unique to MusicWeb -
a comprehensive listing of all LP and CD recordings of given works
.
Prepared by Michael Herman

The Collector’s Guide to Gramophone Company Record Labels 1898 - 1925
Howard Friedman

Book Reviews

Complete Books
We have a number of out of print complete books on-line

Interviews
With Composers, Conductors, Singers, Instumentalists and others
Includes those on the Seen and Heard site

Nostalgia

Nostalgia CD reviews

Records Of The Year
Each reviewer is given the opportunity to select the best of the releases

Monthly Best Buys
Recordings of the Month and Bargains of the Month

Comment
Arthur Butterworth Writes

An occasional column

Phil Scowcroft's Garlands
British Light Music articles

Classical blogs
A listing of Classical Music Blogs external to MusicWeb International

Reviewers Logs
What they have been listening to for pleasure

Announcements

 

Community
Bulletin Board

Give your opinions or seek answers

Reviewers
Past and present

Helpers invited!

Resources
How Did I Miss That?

Currently suspended but there are a lot there with sound clips


Composer Resources

British Composers

British Light Music Composers

Other composers

Film Music (Archive)
Film Music on the Web (Closed in December 2006)

Programme Notes
For concert organizers

External sites
British Music Society
The BBC Proms
Orchestra Sites
Recording Companies & Retailers
Online Music
Agents & Marketing
Publishers
Other links
Newsgroups
Web News sites etc

PotPourri
A pot-pourri of articles

MW Listening Room
MW Office

Advice to Windows Vista users  
Questionnaire    
Site History  
What they say about us
What we say about us!
Where to get help on the Internet
CD orders By Special Request
Graphics archive
Currency Converter
Dictionary
Magazines
Newsfeed  
Web Ring
Translation Service

Rules for potential reviewers :-)
Do Not Go Here!
April Fools






Error processing SSI file