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Hovhaness: Celestial Gate / Werthen, I Fiamminghi


Release Date: 08/29/1995 
Label:  Telarc   Catalog #: 80392   Spars Code: DDD 
Composer:  Alan Hovhaness
Conductor:  Rudolf Werthen
Orchestra/Ensemble:  I Fiamminghi
Number of Discs: 1 
Recorded in: Stereo 
Length: 1 Hours 19 Mins. 

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This CD is reissued by ArkivMusic.

Notes and Editorial Reviews

This new release offers an excellent selection of music by Alan Hovhaness. The performances show more interpretive insight than is often the case in programs of this composer's works, although they display a bias toward a quiet, gentle passivity that is not always as appropriate for this music as many seem to think. In his own words and performances, Hovhaness has always emphasized brisk tempos and a vigorous, assertive spirit, which provide a desirable sense of inner strength. On the other hand, the renditions offered by this Flemish ensemble reveal an attention to nuances of phrasing and balance often missing from the perfunctory, underrehearsed performances of this composer's music often heard.

The selections on the Read more program date from the 1940s and 50s—when Hovhaness was producing his most convincing scores—and all have been recorded before. During this period, the composer's judgment with regard to the parameters of temporal duration and compositional complexity resulted in a higher, more rewarding level of creative expression than he was able to sustain during the subsequent decades. Put more simply, the rate and quality of musical activity held one's attention. This is clearly evident in the two major works offered here—Symphony No. 6 and Concerto No. 7—which are accorded I Fiamminghi's most impressive performances. Unfortunately, the shorter pieces receive somewhat less care and attention.

This is the third recording of the Symphony No. 6, "Celestial Gate," the most deeply felt and consistently inspired of the dozens of works with which I am familiar that Hovhaness has identified as "symphonies" (see Fanfare 17:5, pp. 168-70). Aside from an unfortunate wrong note proclaimed by the trumpet at 12:33, this new performance reveals a quiet intensity and an attention to details of phrasing that enhance the work's sense of ecstatic rapture. The result is a more deeply moving reading than the composer's own rough-hewn traversal (on Crystal) or Richard Auldon Clark's more refined but rather bland account (on Koch).

There is no formal or conceptual distinction between those eight compositions from the 1950s that Hovhaness designated "concertos for orchestra" and those fifty pieces he called "symphonies," although the former group happens to include some of his finest—and least performed— works. Concerto No. 7 was commissioned in 1953 by the I^ouisville Orchestra and was recorded by them shortly thereafter. This substantial twenty-four-minute work is one of the composer's most "symphonic" scores, with regard to its employment of a robust orchestral sonority and its sense of cumulative forward progression, although there is little semblance of classical symphonic form. I find it a more interesting and varied work than the somewhat comparable but more popular Mysterious Mountain. The Flemish ensemble offers an optimal balance between delicate refinement and massive strength. This work and the Concerto No. 8 (available on Crystal CD810) are two works of which no admirer of Hovhaness should remain ignorant.

Tzaikerk is scored for flute, violin, timpani, and strings, and inhabits the pure Armenian-derived style Hovhaness cultivated during the mid 1940s. Although some of the pieces in this vein, such as Anahid, Khaldis, and Lousadzak, are among the composer's most vivid and exciting works, Tzaikerk rambles aimlessly and monotonously for its eleven-minute duration. The piece can also be heard on a Crystal CD that includes the Symphony No. 11, "All Men Are Brothers," and the ubiquitous Prayer of St. Gregory.

The three remaining pieces, which might be described as among Hovhaness's "hits," all appeared on a recent Schwarz/Seattle/Delos disc (DE-3157 see Fanfare 18:1, pp. 216-17), and I have discussed them at length there and elsewhere. Prelude and Quadruple Fugue receives a meticulously refined reading here, but it is a bit too sober and reserved. I prefer Schwarz/Seattle's more outspoken, dramatically contoured account.

Alleluia and Fugue is a personal favorite of mine, and this is its third representation on CD. However, I am disappointed by all of them, as none imbues the music with the passion, vigor, and intensity captured by Carlos Surinach in his mid-1950s monaural recording on MGM. I Fiamminghi's rendition is especially flat and uninspired.

Prayer of St. Gregory may be the biggest Hovhaness "hit" of all, with too many recordings to name. The performance here is precious and overinterpreted. The preferred reading is the Clark-conducted recording with trumpeter Chris Gekker (Koch International 3-7221-2H1; see review cited in third paragraph above) that also includes Symphony No. 6.

How to summarize and arrive at a conclusion? If you are a Hovhaness fan, this disc is essential for its superb performances of Symphony No. 6 and Concerto No. 7. If you don't know Hovhaness, but love music like Vaughan Williams's Tallis Fantasia and Barber's Adagio, this is a good introduction to the elderly Armenian-American visionary. If you don't like Hovhaness, you won't like this disc and you probably haven't read this review.

-- Walter Simmons, FANFARE [1/1996] Read less

Works on This Recording

1.
Symphony no 6, Op. 173 "Celestial Gate" by Alan Hovhaness
Conductor:  Rudolf Werthen
Orchestra/Ensemble:  I Fiamminghi
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1959/1960; USA 
 Date of Recording: 08/1994 
Venue:  Vellereille-les-Brayeux, Belgium 
Length: 21 Minutes 51 Secs. 
2.
Tzaikerk, Op. 53 by Alan Hovhaness
Conductor:  Rudolf Werthen
Orchestra/Ensemble:  I Fiamminghi
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1945; USA 
 Date of Recording: 08/1994 
Venue:  Vellereille-les-Brayeux, Belgium 
Length: 10 Minutes 41 Secs. 
3.
Prayer of St Gregory, Op. 62b by Alan Hovhaness
Conductor:  Rudolf Werthen
Orchestra/Ensemble:  I Fiamminghi
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1946; USA 
 Date of Recording: 08/1994 
Venue:  Vellereille-les-Brayeux, Belgium 
Length: 5 Minutes 37 Secs. 
4.
Prelude and Quadruple Fugue, Op. 128 by Alan Hovhaness
Conductor:  Rudolf Werthen
Orchestra/Ensemble:  I Fiamminghi
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1936/1954; USA 
 Date of Recording: 08/1994 
Venue:  Vellereille-les-Brayeux, Belgium 
Length: 7 Minutes 45 Secs. 
5.
Concerto no 7 for Orchestra, Op. 116 by Alan Hovhaness
Conductor:  Rudolf Werthen
Orchestra/Ensemble:  I Fiamminghi
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1953; USA 
 Date of Recording: 08/1994 
Venue:  Vellereille-les-Brayeux, Belgium 
Length: 24 Minutes 12 Secs. 
6.
Alleluia and Fugue for String Orchestra, Op. 40b by Alan Hovhaness
Conductor:  Rudolf Werthen
Orchestra/Ensemble:  I Fiamminghi
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1941; USA 
 Date of Recording: 08/1994 
Venue:  Vellereille-les-Brayeux, Belgium 
Length: 8 Minutes 39 Secs. 

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review:  ( 2 Customer Reviews )
 My Prayer for Saint Gregory January 3, 2015 By Bonnie M. See All My Reviews "This cd is the only one I could find with Symphony No 6 "Celestial Gate" and "Prayer of Saint Gregory" on it. I own an original Poseidon Stereo record of the two pieces and am trying to replace my old records with cds. I am overjoyed to find this." Report Abuse
 An American Original March 30, 2014 By bess holloway (Boulder, CO) See All My Reviews "Alan Hovhaness was American born but tied closely to his paternal Armenian roots. This influence permeates everything he wrote. I've heard many discs devoted to his works, but this is my favorite. The recording is 79 minutes long and includes his famous short piece, Prayer of St. Gregory. If you like British composer Vaughn Williams, this music should be appealing." Report Abuse
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