Hanson - Symphony 2 [Slatkin-Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra]
Hanson - Symphony 2 [Slatkin-Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra]
Hanson's Second Symphony is now eighty years old, it's of course very romantic as the title suggests, nothing like the avant garde of other Composers, it remains his most popular work, the two works on this disc make a very logical coupling, both blessed with serene slow movements, they are similar in a number of way, of course one of the obvious is that they're both American Composers.
Leonard Slatkin is also American, now 66 years old, he made these recordings in 1987.
The second movement is wonderful, unashamedly romantic [as the title suggests], at times he can sound like a film Composer, and certain parts of this Symphony wouldn't be out of place in the reflective moments of a Star Wars movie [and the slow movement was used at the end of the Alien movie!], it starts off with gentle flutes [0:00-0:44], and the horns bray in the background, the music gets harder and more serious [0:44-1:38], with horns / brass, and certainly those sweet romantic strings, this quietly introduces the lovely main tune to this movement, later there's an orchestral 'cloudburst' [3:22-3:55], the music turns to major, and the horns blaze away, the strings soar sweetly, with more horns [3:55-4:28], towards the end, the opening theme reprises [5:38-6:52], nice and gentle again, but with brass / trumpet in the background, and the harp strumming away, and again the opening theme comes back much the same as before [6:52-7:15], if you like your music sugary and tonal, then this soothing music is just your thing, i'm glad i acquainted myself with this Symphony today.
Here's the second movement being played on YouTube.
