Achim Breiling <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>I could get the set of all the symphonies by Howard Hanson (on Delos) for
>less than half price.  Convince me to do so!  Are these worth a try?

To be honest, from what I know of Achim's tastes, I do not think that he
will be immediately enthralled by H.Hanson's symphonies.  Nonetheless I'd
advise him (and anybody) to go ahead and buy the set.  Whether Hanson is
a truly great symphonist is difficult to say, but he had his own voice in
spite of his overt Romanticism.  Obviously he remained a tonal composer to
the end, the 7th symphony is broadly lyrical, and a proud acknowledgement
of his own accomplishment, but still his idiom belongs to the 20th century,
with clear hints of modality, clean textures, bold brass writing.

I was first attracted to Hanson because I had read that he was rooted
in the Sibelius tradition.  The influence of the Finnish master is there
indeed, but as a devoted Sibelius lover, I must say that I find Hanson's
moods, temporality, balance between melodic appeal and large form, quite
remote from his model.  I would be curious to hear his symphonies by a
Nordic orchestra!  Hanson's music strikes me as utmostly American, not
buoyantly as in Copland's showpieces or even Harris', but with a kind of
nobility and self-confidence, and it seems rather unlikely that his works
will ever gain a firm foothold in European concert halls.

Oddly enough, my favourite Hanson symphony is the most blatantly American
of all to my ears, namely the 4th, "Requiem" (in memory of his father).
It is particularly simple, transparent, unpretending, eloquent, but free
of superficial rhetoric.  In a totally different style, it reminds me of
Alfven's 4th for its ability to state large melodies in full, without ever
being apologetic about it, which does not mean that they lack refinement or
taste.

No. 2 ("Romantic") is richer, surprisingly opulent at times, too much so
perhaps for a non-accustomed ear (naturally I am not comparing it with
complex atonal works here, where textures are usually less thick anyway).
It also encloses some very lovely things, full of delicacy, evoking a kind
of "prairie lyricism", in particular in the first movement.

No. 7 ("Sea") might be the most exposed to criticism, being the latest,
using Whitman's poetry in a notably unadorned manner, vividly evocative,
with no apparent attempt to formal, harmonic or rhythmic innovation.  I
have never managed to see what Maestro Schwarz meant by comparing it with
Prokofiev's masterworks, but I really like it nonetheless, once again for
its proud seduction, its confident sincerity.  No intellectual challenge,
but a sense of inner certainty, of serene enthusiasm not so frequently
encountered in late symphonies.

Each of the other symphonies has its own charm, and if all of them are
unashamedly appealing, immediately comprehensible, they are seldom facile
as some of their Soviet counterparts could be, even from arguably stronger
profiles such as Ivanovs.

Detailed analysis would probably not be illuminating in this case, such
works do not leave one with deep mystery or musical enigmas.  Yet they
are rich enough to allow me to return to them with unspoiled pleasure
and enjoyment.

Best wishes,

Thanh-Tam Le
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