Alan Hovhaness: Symphony No. 22 ("City of Light"); Cello Concerto

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Hovhaness wrote stunning music, and many of his symphonies are coming into their own both on recordings and in concert halls. Almost unknown, however, is his Cello Concerto, composed early in his career (1936). It's a nice, if not glorious, work, and it foreshadows much of his later output. In particular, in it one gets the sense of his mysticism and spirituality which permeates his symphonies. Janos Starker plays it handsomely, the orchestra is good, and the sonics are excellent. The Symphony No. 22, titled "City of Light," is grand Hovhaness, with massive brass statements and elegant contrapuntal doodlings. Again, playing and sound are first-rate. This CD is a beautiful bargain. --Robert Levine

Tracks:

Andante-Maestoso - Janos Starker
Allegro - Janos Starker
Andante - Janos Starker
Allegro Moderato - Alan Hovhaness
Angel Of Light (Largo) - Alan Hovhaness
Allegretto Grazioso - Alan Hovhaness
Finale: Largo Maestoso - Alan Hovhaness

Amazon.com

Hovhaness wrote stunning music, and many of his symphonies are coming into their own both on recordings and in concert halls. Almost unknown, however, is his Cello Concerto, composed early in his career (1936). It's a nice, if not glorious, work, and it foreshadows much of his later output. In particular, in it one gets the sense of his mysticism and spirituality which permeates his symphonies. Janos Starker plays it handsomely, the orchestra is good, and the sonics are excellent. The Symphony No. 22, titled "City of Light," is grand Hovhaness, with massive brass statements and elegant contrapuntal doodlings. Again, playing and sound are first-rate. This CD is a beautiful bargain. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Cello Concerto Wins My Heart!.......2006-01-29

While the rest of the "classical" music world was paving the road to hell with serialism a la Shoenberg and "experimentalism" a la Cage, a select few of the more sensible composers stuck with good old reliable tonality to get their point across. Sadly, it is the more "avante garde" composers that are remembered today (more because their music was different than good).

Alan Hovhaness was one such composer than undeservedly fell by the wayside. Halfway between the impressionism of Ravel and the (what would be) minimalism of Philip Glass, Hovhaness's music tends to rely on fairly static, dronelike harmonies, long but often repeated (and modal) melodies, and a marvelously measured blending of Eastern and Western sounds. At a time when "classical" music became more bizarre and less accessible, Hovhaness was a uniquely unique, yet accessable composer.

While other amazon reviewers seem to prefer the Symphony ("City of Lights"), I want to chime in to rave about the Cello concerto.

In contrast to "City of Lights," the Cello concerto is suprisingly sparse sounding (especially considering that it is scored for a full orchestra). Where the symphony's first movement utilizes bold, rich, and full chords, the cello concerto's first movement generally consists of one instrument (cello or flute, mostly) playing a melody over a drone provided by the strings (with a little wind coloration here and there). The melodies in this first movement (using the phrygian mode) are some of the most hauntingly sweet melodies I have heard, sounding like a darker version of Ravel.

By contrast, the second movement (less than three minutes) is a rhythmically steady allegro with a Germanic sounding cello melody in front of steadily pulsing pizzicato strings.

The third movement returns to the slow, haunting beauty of the first, this time throwing a harp into a substantial supporting role. The soft melody is thrown back and forth between the cello, clarinet and flute.

In all candor, this cello concerto is like no piece of music I have ever heard before: at the same time, so sparse and so rich, so simple yet so interest-keeping and full of flavor. As evidenced by my four star review, it is not that I disliked the "City of Lights" symphony. It is simply that, at least to this reviewer's ears, the cello concerto is so beautiful as to render "City of Lights" a supporting act. (Of course, as disagreements in music have more to do with taste than rights and wrongs, you should get this wonderful CD and judge for yourself!)

Powerful works -- stunning performance.......2005-10-26

I bought this CD on a whim, not being familiar with much of Hovhaness' work other than "Mysterious Mountain". The real gem on this recording is the Starker performance of the Cello Concerto. There are few cellists around who can get such a powerful and dark sound out of the instrument as he does without sounding forced. The performance is emotionally compelling from the first bar to the last. A pleasant surprise for me was the Seattle Symphony which plays gorgeously in both the Cello Concerto and the Symphony No.22. The lower brass, in particular, display stunning ensemble playing and total security in intonation. Their interjections communicate nicely with the cello part in the Concerto. Altogether a highly recommendable disc.

Enticing, sinuous, poignant music........2005-10-02

Alan Hovhaness, a fascinating and prolific exotic among American composers, sought to combine Eastern and Western thought--not only musical, but religious--in his work. Dissatisfied with his progress as a composer, Hovhaness burned more than 1,000 apprentice works in 1940 (he was only 29!). One of the few early Hovhaness works that escaped the bonfire was his Cello Concerto of 1936; even so, it was not performed until 1975 or recorded until 1999, the year before the composer's death. Listening to this sinuous, poignant work, alternately delicate and majestic, I can only wonder how it took so long to make it to disc. Janos Starker, one of the great modern masters of the cello, is the soloist on this disc, with Dennis Russell Davies conducting the Seattle Symphony; their account of this work argues cogently for its being made a permanent part of the repertoire. The Cello Concerto is accompanied here by one of Hovhaness' major symphonies, "City of Light," conducted by Hovhaness himself; less immediately lovable than the Cello Concerto, nevertheless it stakes its claim as an eloquent, big-hearted work of art.

lackluster.......2005-08-30

I like Hovhaness pretty well. The works on this CD and, particularly the cello concerto, I found to be less interesting than some of his other works. This recording is more for the "Completist" who is trying to collect every recording of H. he or she can find. If you are new to H. I might recommend Mysterious Mountain or Celestial Gate as a place to start. The sound quality here is good.

Why now?.......2005-08-08

This Renaissance of music by American composer
Alan Hovhaness is great, Mr. Hovhaness is
one of my favorite composers; but why now?
why not when Mr. Hovhaness was still around?
so he too could have enjoyed his music performed
by the very best. This is a great recording and
the Cello Concerto is just a smash hit!!!
Starker, Mr. Davies, and a above all Mr. Hovhaness
did a wonderful job. I just wish Mr. Hovhaness had
lived long enough to hear Starker play the Cello Concerto..
Great recording at the great Naxos price...

Hovhaness: Symphony Nos. 22 "City of Light Symphony" & 50 "Mount St. Helens Symphony"

Average customer rating:

Ron In Denver
Volcanic talent
One of the Greatest Piece Reflecting Nature
Turn down your amplifier...the third movement is starting!
An Awe-Inspiring Recording

Hovhaness: Symphony Nos. 22 "City of Light Symphony" & 50 "Mount St. Helens Symphony"

Manufacturer: Delos Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Hovhaness: Mysterious Mountain/And God Created Great Whales
Music of Alan Hovhaness
Alan Hovhaness: Mysterious Mountains
Hovhaness: The Rubaiyat / Exile Symphony (Symphony No. 1) / Meditation on Orpheus / Fantasy on Japanese Woodprints
Hovhaness: Symphonies Nos. 4, 20 & 53; The Prayer of St. Gregory

ASIN: B0000006YO
Release Date: 1993-12-01

Tracks:

Symphony No. 50 'Mount St. Helens' Op. 360: I. Andante
Symphony No. 50 'Mount St. Helens' Op. 360: II. Spirit Lake (Allegro)
Symphony No. 50 'Mount St. Helens' Op. 360: III. Volcano (Adagio-Allegro)
Symphony No. 22 'City Of Light' Op. 236: I. Allegro moderato
Symphony No. 22 'City Of Light' Op. 236: II. Angel Of Light (Largo)
Symphony No. 22 'City Of Light' Op. 236: III. Allegretto grazioso
Symphony No. 22 'City Of Light' Op. 236: IV. Finale (Largo maestoso)

Customer Reviews:

Ron In Denver.......2005-09-14

Hovaness at his best! The Seattle Symphony does a splendid job of performing both pieces -- especially Mt St Helens. The CD, which is what we really must evaluate, is excellent. I listen to this with a Bose sound-cancelling head set. The widly ranging volume is excellent in this CD.

Volcanic talent.......2003-04-21

What makes Hovhaness great? Certain patterns linger in the mind -the repeating phrases, over and over again (often in elegiac, minor keys) until the music flows into a kind of major chord bloom, where all the pieces come together and then 'morph' into something completely new. The skillful use of bass lines, always weaving. And, often, a lone trumpet. I think there is a lot of the loner in Hovhaness' music. (He himself was a loner on the American music scene, and proud of it. In an answer to a biographical survey for the American Music Center in 1949, he wrote in his own hand "It is best that no mention be made of my scholarships or education because my direction is completely away from the approved path of any of my teachers - thus the responsibility will be inflicted one no one but myself"). Above and beyond this is the magic, mystery and majesty of the natural world in Hovhaness' music. No where is this more true than in this CD.

One of the Greatest Piece Reflecting Nature.......2003-01-30

As a fan of classical and orcehstral music, I have always loved musical pieces which depicts a natural or mystical setting, since they are easy for me to close my eyes, and visualize the very scene. Out of the countless pieces and opii (or opuses), Hovhaness's "Mount St. Helens" Symphony, in my opinion, is by far one of the greatest piece reflecting nature. Based on the volcanic eruption of the mountain on May 18, 1980 which destroyed nature, and later be restored, I believe that this piece is a perfect epitome of a musical storybook reminding the natural background, comprising each different act and feeling. There is a scene of introduction and praise in the first movement, placidity and peace minutes away from chaos in the second movement, and finally the climatic desturction and the resolution of the tale in the third movement.

Before I got the chance to enexpectedly encounter this CD for the first time at a used audio store, I had no idea about this sensational American composer's existence, but when I heard it for the very first time it was incredibly fasciniting. I was incredibly moved by the piece, and I felt very blessed listening to this magnificent music about the infamous mountain which had caused as inescapable huge damage to the natural playground.

From the very first note in the first movement, you can visualize the magnificent blue mountain surrounded by belts of trees, before the violent eruption, and the beautiful trinkling cascades and a the surrounding flora and fauna in the second. And while listening to the climatic third movement, you can feel the sudden volcanic eruption, the looming grey smoke growing like a massive titan, and the shower of buring rocks zipping past by, while the ground continues to shake withing the rumbling sounds brought by drums (and I love percussion). At the end of the piece you can visualize nature being restored again to, what Hovhaness had stated, "the life-giving power that builds mountains, rising majestically, piercing the clouds of heaven."

This is a definite piece to be recommended to people who appreciate music on nature as much as I do. Another feature on the CD, the "City of Light" symphony is very visualizing too. Despite living through a culture which pop, rock, rap, and other conptemporary music seems to endanger the existence of classical or orchestral music, I hope Hovhaness's legacy would radiate like thriving nature, explaining how wonderful and glorious his volcanic symphony can ever be in millions of listeners who love nature.

If you're reading this, regardless of what music you like, "Mount St. Helens" symphony is something to listen, and imagine that you're there. Don't hesitate to buy it either. It can reason out how wonderful orcehstral sounds can really be in the scene of nature.

Turn down your amplifier...the third movement is starting!.......2001-05-24

Alan Hovhaness was one of America's great cultural treasures and will be greatly missed. His Symphony No. 50 (opus 360, yes this is not a typo!) commemorates the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980. While others may enjoy the aural spectacle of the bombastic third movement during which the volcano sonically erupts, I was particularly drawn to the two luminous movements preceding it...a striding, haunting memento in sound to the majesty of the mountain BEFORE the eruption and the sparkling allegro movement about neighboring Spirit Lake. The accompanying Symphony No. 22 (City of Light) has many memorable features, too. The symphonies are wonderfully played by the Seattle Symphony, the former under the direction of Gerard Schwarz and the latter by the composer himself. The "Mount St. Helens Symphony" has recently been re-issued in a Delos "Double" collection of Hovhaness's works (as "Hovhaness, Vol. 2"), which includes the "Mysterious Mountain" symphony and several other of the composer's greatest works performed mainly by the Seattle Symphony under Schwarz, all for the price of a single CD. This may be a better bargain for those wishing to sample a larger portion of this composer's glorious output.

An Awe-Inspiring Recording.......2000-08-06

Alan Hovhaness (who passed away just a few weeks ago as of this writing) was an amazingly prolific composer, with literally hundreds of works to his credit. Some have unfairly complained that much of his music sounds alike, but I believe that it simply reflects his ultra-distinctive style, in which many thematic and stylistic elements return again and again. Any serious study of his work reveals an amazing variety from piece to piece, while all are linked by a comon reverence for the natural world.

In that sense, ST HELENS SYMPHONY makes a wonderful "bookend" to his career with his other great "nature painting", MYSTERIOUS MOUNTAIN (check out the classic Reiner-CSO recording of that one). While the two works have much in common (even to the point of including some of the same sounds), there is a feeling of appropriateness since both describe a mystical mountain setting in its many moods.

The difference, of course, is that this one includes an eruption at the end. As far as I know, this is the only piece of classical music ever written to commemorate a single real-life natural event (the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980). After two movements of "setting the mood", the third movement "volcano" bursts on the scene in a truly frightening (and sonically very satisying) rush of energy. It is an overwhelming listen, especially when the aural image of the mountain's restored dignity is asserted at the piece's end.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Intro to American Classical Music - Almost a Short Course!.......2005-07-12

Many reasonably sophisticated American and European musiclovers still think there are really no American classical music composers of note other than perhaps Gershwin and Copland. It is to the credit of the Naxos label, via their 'American Classics' series, that the lie is put to that notion. Each month there are new issues from Naxos containing music by American composers. And it was a brilliant idea for them to take selections from their dozens of releases of this music to put together this sampler of such music to illustrate a 100+ page essay on the subject by an eminent writer on music, Barrymore Laurence Scherer. The combination of 2 CDs of music tracks, Scherer's essay, a chronological outline, suggestions for further listening, even a map showing where various composers were born helps the 'student' learn much about our nation's musical heritage.

There are selections by twenty-eight composers stretching from the amazing Wagnerian 'Macbeth' Overture by William Henry Fry (1813-1864) to the very recent 'Rapture,' a percussion concerto by Michael Torke (b. 1961). Some selections are complete movements, others are shorter passages from larger works. Included are such gems as the first movement of Arthur Foote's Piano Quartet, the third movement of Henry Hadley's Fourth Symphony, Charles Ives's 'The Unanswered Question,' 'King Cotton' by John Philip Sousa, 'Maple Leaf Rag' by Scott Joplin, a passage (the exciting Spanish Waltz) from Walter Piston's 'The Incredible Flutist,' the finale of Copland's 'Billy the Kid,' the opening of Samuel Barber's luminous 'Knoxville - Summer of 1915,' 'Tonight' from Bernstein's 'West Side Story,' the opening of George Rochberg's masterful Violin Concerto, and John Adams's incredibly popular 'Short Ride in a Fast Machine.' Plus selections by Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Edward MacDowell, George Whitefield Chadwick, Amy Beach, Charles Tomlinson Griffes, Charles Wakefield Cadman, George Gershwin, George Antheil, Zez Confrey, William Schuman, John Cage, Gunther Schuller, Alan Hovhaness, Elliott Carter and Philip Glass. The performances are more than acceptable and in some instances ('Knoxville,' Rochberg's Violin Concerto) definitive.

I would heartily recommend this set (especially at its superbudget price) to anyone wanting to know more about the history of American classical music -- Scherer is a master of cogent, clear prose -- and wishing to hear examples of the broad range it has taken over the past couple of centuries. I can easily imagine this set being used in a music appreciation course. And I am sure it will spark interest in the newcomer to this branch of classical music.

2 CDs TT=ca. 160 mins.

Scott Morrison

Hovhaness: Visions-The Musical World of Alan Hovhaness

Average customer rating:

Visions Need Some Glasses
Hovhaness needs more maturity

Hovhaness: Visions-The Musical World of Alan Hovhaness

Manufacturer: Koch Int'l Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

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Alan Hovhaness: Symphony No. 22 ("City of Light"); Cello Concerto
Music of Alan Hovhaness
Hovhaness: Celestial Gate and Other Orchestral Works
Hovhaness Treasures
Hovhaness, "Ani" Symphony

ASIN: B000001SIJ
Release Date: 1995-08-22

Tracks:

The Prayer Of St. Gregory
Elibris
Mystic Flute
Aria, Hymn & Fugue: Sympony No 46 - To The Green Mountains
Moon Lullaby: Mountain Idylls
Adagio
Give A Cat A Twig And He Takes A Tree: Sonata Fred The Cat
Aria From Haroutiun

Customer Reviews:

Visions Need Some Glasses.......2006-06-01

I must admit that I enjoyed this sampler CD introduction to the musical world of Alan Hovhaness more than the other reviewer. These are peaceful and lovely recordings and renditions of these works. It was refreshing to hear a more varied collection of Hovhaness' sound than the repetitiveness that he is often criticized for. One of the criticisms of Hovhaness was that he was trying to be like Vaughan Williams in every piece (which is not true). He had a specific spiritual "vision" that lent a characteristic sound to his music like many other composers.

My one problem with this affordable disc is that the track listing is incorrect for the pieces: Mountain Idyll and Sonata Fred the Cat (both solo piano works). They are listed as having multiple tracks (#5-7) and (#9-12) when in actuality they are on the CD in single one track movements, so the CD comes out actually having 8 tracks (1 per work sampled). For a while I thought I had the wrong CD or it was defective. Then I figured it out by putting it in my CD Rom and it displayed the actual track listing with titles through Windows Media Player.

If that glitch doesn't bother you too much, this is a nice and afforable intro to Hovhaness' music. - - Max Stoltenberg, LPC

Hovhaness needs more maturity.......2005-02-02

I was very dissapointed when I heard this album. The sound is tinny, strident, and unbalanced. I can imagine how hard it is for unfunded orchestras to make recordings, but this sounds like a scraggly bunch of pickup players who play with no soul. Hovhaness demands a fuller, burnished tone. Even worse than the poor sound quality and sketchy intonation is the lack of a sense of flexibility and nuance. The hollowness of the playing would not be so offensive if there were a feeling of expansiveness, languidness, or generousity. I can't help thinking the composer would be very saddened by this effort. I hope Mr. Clark's realizes someday that music is not something that can be hammered out like a wall street stock deal. The kind of crassness on display here is better suited to commerce or (lamentably), politics.

Average customer rating:

A wonderful compilation from an underrated composer
A good place to start

Hovhaness Collection

Manufacturer: Delos Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Percussion | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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Hovhaness Collection, Vol. 2

ASIN: B00000071K
Release Date: 1997-06-17

Tracks:

Prayer Of St. Gregory
Symphony No. 22 'City Of Light' Op. 236: I. Allegro moderato
Symphony No. 22 'City Of Light' Op. 236: II. Angel Of Light (Largo)
Symphony No. 22 'City Of Light' Op. 236: III. Allegretto grazioso
Symphony No. 22 'City Of Light' Op. 236: IV. Finale (Largo maestoso)
Bagatelle No. 1, Op. 30 No. 1
Bagatelle No. 2, Op. 30, No. 2
Bagatelle No. 3, Op. 30, No. 3
Bagatelle No. 4, Op. 30, No. 4
Fantasy On Japanese Woodprints, Op. 211

Tracks:

The Flowering Peach, Op. 125: Overture
The Flowering Peach, Op. 125: Lifting Of Voices
The Flowering Peach, Op. 125: Building The Ark
The Flowering Peach, Op. 125: Intermezzo
The Flowering Peach, Op. 125: Rain
The Flowering Peach, Op. 125: Love Song
The Flowering Peach, Op. 125: Sun And Moon
The Flowering Peach, Op. 125: Rainbow Hymn
Exile Symphony (Symphony No. 1) Op. 17, No. 2: I. Andante espressivo; Allegro
Exile Symphony (Symphony No. 1) Op. 17, No. 2: II. Grazioso
Exile Symphony (Symphony No. 1) Op. 17, No. 2: III. Finale: Andante; Presto
A Rose Tree Blossoms, Op. 246, No. 4
Quartet No. 4, Op. 208 No. 2 'The Ancient Tree' (Under The Ancient Maple Tree): I. Adagio ma non troppo
Quartet No. 4, Op. 208 No. 2 'The Ancient Tree' (Under The Ancient Maple Tree): II. Fugue
Quartet No. 4, Op. 208 No. 2 'The Ancient Tree' (Under The Ancient Maple Tree): III. Adagio; Andante con moto; Allegro

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful compilation from an underrated composer.......2003-01-07

Hovhaness wasn't the typical American composer, so his music isn't all that well known beyond Mysterious Mountain. However, he wrote a wealth of music, including almost 60 symphonies.

Delos is the label that has recorded more music of his than any other label, much of it with the composer conducting, and this is the first of two double-CD compilations of those recordings. The only reason I say this is the better one is that it's more diverse, and contains two of my absolute favorites. Prayer of St. Gregory is a geogeous piece for trumpet and strings, and I simply have not heard very much music that betters it. Beyond that, A Rose Tree Blossoms is a beautiful a capella chourus piece that is unfortunetly too short.

The rest of the compilation contains some very interesting music. The flowering Peach is incidental music for a play, for symphonic band, that is probably the most "modern"/"contemporary" music that I've heard from Hovhanness, along with Fantasy on Japanese Woodprints. The later is a very colorful piece containing many references to Japanese folk music.

The Symphony #22 "City of Light" is a piece that seems to look forward to the later Mount St. Helens Symphony in viciousness, and the Bagatelles are short little pleasent pieces for string quartet.

If you haven't heard Hovhanness's music, this is an exilent place to start, and if you like it, get volume 2 as well.

A good place to start.......2000-06-23

This is a great way to savour the delights of Hovhaness' work. He died today (6/22/00), so there will hopefully be plenty of tribute programs coming soon and this 2 disc set from Delos will give you a good idea why he was so much admired.

Delos recordings are always crystal clear and, despite the Seattle Symphony and Ohio State University Concert Band being not quite as well known as the Berlin Philharmonic, the performances are pretty good too.

He probably suffered from too much success too young (Stokowski conducted the premiere of his second symphony to rave reviews from the press), that and the fact that his compositions weren't as atonal and fragmented as the music critics of the 50's and sixties liked.

Mysterious Mountain, the second Symphony is probably his most well known piece and included here, but all the pieces are well written and not too demanding to listen to. Star Dawn Symphony and Celestial Fantasy give a good idea of his fascination with the bigger picture and the almost whimsical And God Created Whales show he had at least as good an ability to mimic nature as Prokofiev or any other composer before him. Religion and spirituality was always a big part og his life and you get a constant feeling of awe and joy from all his writing.

In conclusion, buy this disc and experience a great writer, incredibly prolific despite his lack of critical acclaim, you won't regret it!

Music Review: