Howard Hanson leads the Eastman Rochester Orchestra in music by Porter, Donovan and Hively

Howard Hanson in more from Mercury's "American Composers" series. Here he conducts very tonal, enjoyable music - Quincy Porter's "Poem and Dance," Richard Donovan's "New England Chronicle" and Wells Hively's "Tres Himnos." With the exception of Porter, the other two composer-teachers are all but forgotten and its too bad.

Here's a little bit from the Saturday Review of August 27, 1955 regarding this lp.

"It is gratifying to see Richard Donovan receiving attention at last (Mercury MG-40013). "New England Chronicle" (Eastman-Rochester Symphony, Hanson conducting) seems to me more solid than Porter's Poem and Dance, filling out the side. But both works have more to offer than "Tres Himnos" of Wells Hively, on the reverse side. Donovan's rhythmic and contrapuntal devices suggest Hindemith, but he has a quality of his own, as well as a drive and expertness not to be found in many a more touted composer's works."

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A little bonus now. Several years ago, I transferred a Forum lp of Gershwin featuring Joyce Hatto (yes! a real JH record) playing Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue with George Bryd conducting the Rhapsody and An American in Paris. Here's a new and better transfer. Surprisingly, it was recorded rather idiomatically in Hamburg of all places. Conductor Byrd was, like the admired Dean Dixon, an African American music who found that he could practice his art more effectively in Europe rather than the United States. Byrd became known in Germany as an expert in Gershwin and he certainly has the measure of the music here. Recorded in 1960, this stereo record was touted as Joyce Hatto's debut recording. She acquits herself well.

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Riegger, Hovhaness and Cowell with Howard Hanson and the Eastman Rochester Orchestra

Another wonderful recording, Mercury MG 40005, generously loaned to me by Ray in Montana. This record had appeared on another blog and Ray felt the transfer did not do the music justice. He sent along his copy of the lp to me and asked that I have a go at it. More then happy to oblige since this is a terrific program from start to finish. Maestro Hanson put together a concert for this record, from a zippy opening piece to a concertante culminating in a sadly neglected symphony of stature.

The Riegger pieces, New Dance, is a gem of a gem. This is an awesome piece to open up any concert program. It's extremely accessible, driving yet not overtly forceful or in your face. This is probably one of Riegger's more "mainstream" works since he experimented with rhythm and harmonies on much of his music and it can make for rather dense listening.

The Hovhaness work is from early in that composer's creative life. It's tuneful, ingenious and not minimalist like much of this composer's later works. Delightful contrasts are heard between the movements which keep the listener fully engaged.

The Cowell Symphony No 4 is in the same tradition as the best of Copland, Harris and Schuman's symphonic works. I think this symphony can stand confidently alongside the best of the mid 20th century symphonies, surely a work that could be included on the short list for the "great American symphony." This work is chock full of great ideas that are skillfully developed and marvelously orchestrated.

Howard Hanson and his band of students, professors and professionals give each work its full due. Clearly, Hanson loved this music and was able to convey his feelings to the orchestra, receiving musical results that are an A+. Great record and thank you Ray!


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A Whole Lot of American Music

I'm going to do something a bit different today. I've got a bunch, a BUNCH, of recordings of American classics that I have transferred over the months and been sitting on. In one fell swoop, I'm offering them up here for some industrial size transferring. Here goes!

The first one is the jacket above of music of Ruggles and Cowell, a monaural Columbia recording, ML4986. Pianist John Kirkpatrick shines in Evocations! It's a masterpiece played by a master!

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Monaural ARS-38 - music by Henry Brant and Burrill Phillips.

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The excellent Beveridge Webster playing Copland, Sessions and Carter on Dover HCR5265 - monaural.

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Dean Dixon conducts symphonies of Cowell and Piston on ARS 112 - monaural. One of my favorite conductors.

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Music of Swanson, Diamond and Hanson of ARS6 & ARS 7 - monaural. Dean Dixon again along with the underrated Texan, Walter Hendl.

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Chamber Music of Harris and Diamond with Lawrence Sobol, clarinet. Grenadilla GS1007 Stereo. Mid 70's Super, super musicianship here.

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Longtime New England Conservatory professor Veronica Jochum plays MacDowell and Griffes on stereo Golden Crest CRS4168. Mid 70's. If you do not know Eugen Jochum's daughter, now is your chance to make her acquaintance!

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Have fun! Whew!

Howard Hanson leads Americana for Solo Winds

A little homage today to Howard Hanson and his tireless efforts to promote, educate, and record modern American music of the midcentury. This is volume 4 of Mercury's "American Music Festival" series, MG40003, recorded in 1954 at the Eastman Theatre. Here, we have pieces written for solo winds accompanied by string orchestra.

The composers on this record are pretty much forgotten, what with the exception of Hanson and Copland. Bernard Rogers, Homer Keller, Kent Kennan, and Wayne Barlow were contemporaries of Howard Hanson and worked with him frequently at the Eastman School. All of them write in what might be called a "romantic" style which features lovely melodies and easy harmonies. It's conservative music led by a conservative composer conductor who reveled in full, rich, string passages and welcomed extended solo lines for woodwinds.  This is a lovely album and a bit of an antidote to the spiky rhythms and often disjointed melodic lines of these composers' colleagues on the other side of the spectrum.

I don't think that enough can be said for the work done by Howard Hanson and Robert Whitney to promote and argue the validity of modern American composition during their lifetimes. These recorded documents remind us of a time when offering and nurturing culture to the masses really mattered.

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Dean Dixon and Howard Hanson conduct American Masters of the mid 20th century

Catching up on some transfers since I've basically been tied to the house this weekend with a queasy stomach. Perhaps its the chicken I ate the other night....

Here's some American music of the middle part of the last century. My pick here is the 10 inch (in honor of Buster) that I picked up a while back of Dean Dixon conducting Walter Piston's 2nd symphony with the "American Recording Society Orchestra." Recorded around 1950, it is the label's ARS-1 and the results of this first issue are absolutely thrilling. In my opinion, a composer could not ask for more powerful advocacy then what Dixon puts forth here. Orchestral playing is in spades here, a remarkable achievement for a pickup orchestra of sorts and this is possibly Dixon's finest recording of anything - it is THAT good. I am VERY happy with this transfer and I hope that you the listener will derive much pleasure from it. Piston's second is truly THE American symphony!

Howard Hanson conducts the balance of the program which includes Sessions' Suite from the Black Maskers, Hovhaness' Prelude and Quadruple Fugue, Barber's Overture to the School for Scandal and Adagio for Strings, and LoPresti's The Masks. I like the last piece very much; LoPresti was a rather prolific composer and arranger and he has a firm grasp on orchestral textures along with a solid gift in melody. Hanson, of course, proves a strong advocate of the music in this program since he was well acquainted with each composer in both a professional and personal setting. All composers write in a highly listenable vein which is bent on a conservative streak. Nuthin' wrong with that!

I think these compositions make for a nice, quite representative program of a very rich period in the musical life of my country.

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