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Label:
  Telarc - http://www.telarc.com/
Serial:
  SACD-60604
Title:
  Hovhaness: Mysterious Mountains - Schwarz
Description:
  Alan Hovhaness: Mysterious Mountains: Mysterious Mountain, Hymn to Glacier Peak, Mount St. Helens, Storm on Mount Wildcat

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Gerard Schwarz (conductor)
Track listing:
  1-3. Symphony No. 2, Mysterious Mountain, Op. 132
4-6. Symphony No. 66, Hymn to Glacier Peak, Op. 428
7-9. Symphony No. 50, Mount St. Helens, Op. 360
10. Storm on Mount Wildcat, Op. 2, No. 2
Genre:
  Classical - Orchestral
Content:
  Stereo/Multichannel
Media:
  Hybrid
Recording type:
  DSD
Recording info:
 

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Reviews: 1

Review by Coffee Kev July 14, 2005 (8 of 8 found this review helpful)
Performance:   Sonics:  
I just wrote less-than-impressed review of Brahms 4th (Walter) after someone else loved it. Here I'm on the other side.

This single disc caused me to love both the composer and SACD sound capability more than any other. I've heard other Hovhaness recordings. Am I the only one who notices that atonal music really shows off SACD? This composer is chiefly tonal and the story goes that Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland discouraged him, and only years later did Stokowski champion his works.

Well, Stokowski was once again ahead of his time. Hovhaness is truly a spiritual composer, one who depicts another world so vividly you almost look forward to going there.

Meanwhile, Schwarz gets such peaceful and powerful sound from his London players it makes me wish he'd recorded his earlier recordings there instead of Seattle. Reiner did this with more personality but I'd wager that's purposeful on Schwarz's part not to inject himself into it out of respect. It's just as valid an approach.

I hear nothing out of place in the music, but that's a matter of personal taste. I'm hardly familiar with mid-20th century secularists like Leroy Anderson. I know you won't hear his "typewriter" symphonette or "Sleigh Ride" in any of this.

But, you may want to read the Psalms :)

My current favorite all-DSD disc.

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Works: 4  

Alan Hovhaness - Storm on Mount Wildcat, Op. 2/2
Alan Hovhaness - Symphony No. 2, Op. 132 "Mysterious Mountain"
Alan Hovhaness - Symphony No. 50, Op. 360 "Mount St. Helens"
Alan Hovhaness - Symphony No. 66, Op. 428 "Hymn to Glacier Peak"