Howard Hanson: Symphony Nos. 6 & 7 "A Sea Symphony"; Lumen in Christo (2011)

Lo, The Unbounded Sea!

The music of the American composer Howard Hanson (1896 -- 1981) is unabashedly romantic with large scale orchestration, emotion, and a quest for vision. His music also is composed in a conservative, accessible musical language. His seven symphonies are readily available in a series of recordings by the Seattle Symphony conducted by, Gerard Schwarz, who recently retired as music director after 26 years. Schwarz has long been a champion of American music. The Delos label issued Schwarz' cycle of the symphonies in the 1990's, and they have now been reissued on the "American Classics" series of Naxos. I have found this series invaluable as a way to broaden and deepen my understanding of American music.

This CD includes Hanson's final two symphonies together with a work for orchestra and women's chorus, "Lumen in Christo". The performances are enthusiastic and well-recorded and the singing by the Seattle Chorale is lovely and sometimes incandescent. Although not overwhelming, the music will reward hearing. Romanticism and feeling are not passe.

Composed in 1968, Hanson's symphony no. 6 is the only purely orchestral work on this CD. It is in six short movement each of which is develops a three-note phrase stated at the outset. This is a tightly written piece with a variety of emotional moods and orchestral colorations, including the extensive use of percussion and brass. The six movements alternate slow and fast sections, with the heart of the symphony an extended third movement adagio. This 20-minute symphony was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic and dedicated to Leonard Bernstein. The recording dates from 1989.

In 1974, Hanson composed a two-movement work, Lumen in Christo, for orchestra and women's chorus commissioned by Nazareth College. Hanson sets texts from Genesis, Isaiah, Esdras, and the Mass. This is deeply mystical, spiritual music which for me was the highlight of the CD. Recorded in 1994, the work opens with an orchestral introduction reminiscent of Haydn's portrayal of chaos at the beginning of his oratorio, The Creation. The two sections of the work include some very hushed singing by the women, especially in their higher registers. After a lengthy orchestral interlude, the work comes to an ethereal conclusion on the phrase "Lux aeterna".

Composed in 1977 when he was 81, and recorded in 1992, Hanson's final symphony, "A Sea Symphony" is a work of summation and hope. The three short movements set texts from the composer's beloved poet, Walt Whitman" and the music has echoes of Hanson's earlier works and of Sibelius. The work requires a big orchestra and chorus and the music includes dramatic shifts in rhythms and in dynamics. In the first movement, Hanson celebrates the quest and the unknown as he and Whitman portray life as sailing on the sea, "Lo, the unbounded sea!" The short second movement exhorts the listener: "Now --voyager -- sail thou forth to seek and find." The finale, which ends with a large orchestral and choral peroration, begins and concludes with the phrase "Joy, shipmate, joy!". A romantic to the last, Hanson urges his hearers to live life to the fullest up to and including death.

In its traditional musical language, this music expresses a distinctly American and personal vision. I enjoyed hearing Hanson's romantic voice in this Naxos American Classics CD by Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony and Chorale. The liner notes include the texts to the "Lumen in Christo" and to the seventh symphony.

Total time: 60:20.

Robin Friedman