# SS 16.05.20 - Hanson #4



## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

A continuation of the Saturday Symphonies Tradition:

Welcome to another weekend of symphonic listening!

For your listening pleasure this weekend:*

Howard Hanson (1896 - 1981)*

Symphony #4, Op. 34 "Requiem"

1. Andante inquieto (Kyrie)
2. Elegy. Largo (Requiescat)
3. Presto (Dies irae)
4. Largo pastorale (Lux aeterna)
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Post what recording you are going to listen to giving details of Orchestra / Conductor / Chorus / Soloists etc - Enjoy!


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## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

I want to give triple thanks so much to Cougarjuno for continuing the SS tradition in my absence! Had lots of work during this quarantine and it's hard to get on here.

Another weekend is here and another Symphony is up for your listening enjoyment. This weekend it's American composer Howard Hanson's Fourth and final symphony. It's been quite a while since I've heard this one so I'm looking forward to giving this one a spin and hopefully the others from the last few weeks I missed! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe.

I'll be listening to this one on disc:




Howard Hanson/Eastman-Rochester Symphony Orchestra


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## D Smith (Sep 13, 2014)

I'll listen to Gerard Schwarz here. Welcome back RDB!


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## Vasks (Dec 9, 2013)

realdealblues said:


> This weekend it's American composer Howard Hanson's Fourth and final symphony.


No, he wrote 7.


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## cougarjuno (Jul 1, 2012)

real deal you're very welcome! Glad you're back. I'll go with Schwarz and Seattle, well-known for their recordings of Hanson symphonies.


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## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

Vasks said:


> No, he wrote 7.


Ah, you're right! Symphonies 1-4 were the only ones that were requested and thus were the only ones on my list. Thanks for pointing that out and if someone would like to suggest 5-7 for future SS's I will add them to the list.
Thanks!


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## DaddyGeorge (Mar 16, 2020)

I will go with this:


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## Joe B (Aug 10, 2017)

cougarjuno said:


> real deal you're very welcome! Glad you're back. I'll go with Schwarz and Seattle, well-known for their recordings of Hanson symphonies.


I'll be listening to the same disc. I think it was yesterday or the day before that I listened to "Lament for Beowulf".


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

I'll be listening to Schwarz on this old Delos Double. There are two of these doubles, all Hanson, a great collection of his music on four CDs.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

> Eastman-Rochester Symphony Orchestra Howard Hanson


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## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

[/QUOTE]

This one for me
And another welcome back to RDB


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## Mika (Jul 24, 2009)

D Smith said:


> I'll listen to Gerard Schwarz here. Welcome back RDB!


This one with a bit different packaging (Complete Symphonies)


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Haydn man said:


>


This one for me
And another welcome back to RDB[/QUOTE]

Yep, this one for me too. Just dug it outta the CD racks. This one always reminds me of Sibelius. Not played it in a long time.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

Schwarz from Seattle for me, too.


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## Simplicissimus (Feb 3, 2020)

KenOC said:


> I'll be listening to Schwarz on this old Delos Double. There are two of these doubles, all Hanson, a great collection of his music on four CDs.


This is the recording I'm using off of my streaming service (Amazon Music HD). I gave it a listen late last night and really liked it. I'm going to listen again today when I'm fresher.

I have a sense that a lot of people don't like Hanson as a composer. He gets mentioned in those "what music do you hate" threads. I do like him based on Merry Mount and Mosaics which I have on CD, and now with this symphony.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Merl said:


> Yep, this one for me too. Just dug it outta the CD racks. This one always reminds me of Sibelius. Not played it in a long time.


I usually classify Hanson with Sibelius and Nielsen, all Scandinavians (yes, Hanson was American, of Scandinavian descent)....they all have that somewhat similar sound and orchestration...
I played Hanson's 2nd, with the composer conducting, at school.


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## Joe B (Aug 10, 2017)

Heck148 said:


> I usually classify Hanson with Sibelius and Nielsen, all Scandinavians (yes, Hanson was American, of Scandinavian descent)....they all have that somewhat similar sound and orchestration...
> *I played Hanson's 2nd, with the composer conducting, at school.*


:tiphat:


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

This symphony is about 26 minutes long. Although the movements are named for sections of the requiem mass, it is entirely instrumental. I had never heard it before and listened to the Schwarz/Seattle performance a couple of time. The symphony improved, a lot, on second hearing. Here are my impressions.

1 _Kyrie_: Distinctive triplets underlie polytonal passages mostly in the horns and strings. The music, gloomy, grows intense and then fades, a pattern for most of this movement. A long and striking contrapuntal passage for the trumpet and woodwinds stands out. Much is made of the main theme after that. The triplets, now clearly in the percussion, return for the final pages, seeing the movement through to its somewhat inconclusive close.

2 _Requiescat_: Plucked strings (now in 4/4) time underlie a purely Sibelian theme, giving a purely Sibelian effect. Never a bad thing in my book. Mostly peaceful, there is again the pattern of swelling and then fading. Lots of fine music here. But again, no closure.

3 _Dies Irae_: A brief "scherzo" with a theme seemingly borrowed from the _Rite of Spring_. Rhythmically the most incisive music so far. Complex and interesting, with essentially no close at all. Do I sense a pattern here? 

4 _Lux Aeterna_: Opens softly and lushly, soon growing quite agitated. Brass choirs try to smooth things down, with some success. The opening music returns, introducing (finally!) a mysterious but peaceful ending.

A really fine symphony, and I thank SS for introducing me to it.


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## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

Great little analysis Ken
Definite echoes of Sibelius in there for me too
Another SS success


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