It is good to welcome the second Delos Double, grouping the symphonies of Howard Hanson, and his concertante and orchestral works, in these magnificently played and recorded performances from Gerard Schwarz and his fine Seattle orchestra, with its superb body of strings. The First Symphony, alongside the Second (which is included, with Nos. 4 and 7, on the companion Delos Double, 9/98) is memorable in every bar. Without the neurosis of Mahler, it is deeply felt, and has the same indelible melodic flow as its predecessor, a sombre Nordic ambience and a main theme which holds the structure firmly together. These are the two works most likely to enter the repertoire. Yet No. 3 has much the same atmosphere and confidence, and No. 5 concentrates six sections into a single movement of about a quarter-of-an-hour’s duration. Hanson’s harmonic progressions are instantly recognizable, as personal as those of Grieg, and it is very easy to get hooked on his music, with its broad, sweeping paragraphs and haunting nostalgia.
The opening Lento of the Piano Concerto is compelling, but energy soon takes over, quickly contrasted with lyrical delicacy. In four movements, it too, is succinct: the overall playing time is 23 minutes. Carol Rosenberger is a strong, spontaneous soloist, and she makes as much of the biting, syncopated Allegro feroce scherzo as the expressive Andante, moving easily from tranquillity to ardour, and the buoyant giocoso finale. The suite from the opera Merry Mount is lightweight but engagingly scored. The Lament for Beowulf is powerfully elegiac and lingers in the memory. Everything here rewards the listener who is seeking music which has a personal voice, but which does not seek dissonance for its own sake.'