Hovhaness Symphonies, etc
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Alan Hovhaness, Traditional
Label: Classics
Magazine Review Date: 7/1994
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 73
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: 37208-2
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Symphony No. 39 |
Alan Hovhaness, Composer
Alan Hovhaness, Composer KBS Symphony Orchestra Michael Long, Guitar Vakhtang Jordania, Conductor |
Symphony No. 46, 'To the Green Mountains' |
Alan Hovhaness, Composer
Alan Hovhaness, Composer KBS Symphony Orchestra Vakhtang Jordania, Conductor |
Milyang Arirang |
Traditional, Composer
KBS Symphony Orchestra Traditional, Composer Vakhtang Jordania, Conductor |
Author: Andrew Achenbach
And still they appear! The record companies, it seems, are beginning to catch the Hovhaness bug, and, make no mistake, there are plenty more symphonies where these came from. Suffice it to say, if you've invested in and enjoyed the other two Hovhaness CDs that have recently come my way (Symphony No. 2 and Lousadzak on Music Masters, 5/93; Symphonies Nos. 22 and 50 on Delos, 12/93), then this newcomer should also be very much to your liking. At the risk of repeating myself (and therein, perhaps, lies the chief problem with this music), both 'symphonies' inhabit a serenely modal, non-Western world, where melody and atmosphere take precedence over any traditional 'working out' of material one would expect to find in a piece designated thus. Too much of this music would, I fancy, quickly expose its relative dearth of emotional variety, but, taken individually, these works have the power to intrigue and entrance in equal measure (for the time being, at least); certainly, one can readily understand the composer's cult status.
These are quite excellent, full-toned performances from the KBS (Korean Broadcasting System) Symphony Orchestra under their Georgian Principal Guest Conductor, Vakhtang Jordania, and guitarist Michael Long contributes admirably in the Symphony No. 39. Moreover, Michael Fine's natural production leaves little to be desired. Hovhaness fans (and I suspect their numbers are growing daily) need not hesitate.'
These are quite excellent, full-toned performances from the KBS (Korean Broadcasting System) Symphony Orchestra under their Georgian Principal Guest Conductor, Vakhtang Jordania, and guitarist Michael Long contributes admirably in the Symphony No. 39. Moreover, Michael Fine's natural production leaves little to be desired. Hovhaness fans (and I suspect their numbers are growing daily) need not hesitate.'
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