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Alan Hovhaness: Symphony No. 22 ("City of Light"); Cello Concerto | 
 enlarge | Creators: Janos Starker, Alan Hovhaness, Dennis Russell Davies, Seattle Symphony Orchestra
Label: Naxos American
Category: Music
List Price: $8.99
Buy New: $4.01
You Save: $4.98 (55%)
New (26) Used (12) from $2.99
Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 47405
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
UPC: 636943915820
EAN: 0636943915820
ASIN: B00008V5ZW
Release Date: April 15, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
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| Tracks:
| • | Andante - Maestoso | | • | Allegro | | • | Andante | | • | Allegro moderato | | • | Angel of Light [Largo] | | • | Allegretto grazioso | | • | Finale: Largo maestoso |
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| 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
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| Customer Reviews:
 another "normal guy" review April 24, 2008
Wyote
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I'm starting to make a living here reviewing classical music from the point of view of a guy who doesn't know much about classical music - especially anything technical. I have ears - that's about the extent of my qualifications. If you already know a bunch about classical music, then you know more than me and can disregard this review. If not, this is maybe the only review for you!
That said, this is some of the easiest to hear modern music I've ever heard. At times it sounds, frankly, like a film soundtrack. When it doesn't, it is even more beautiful. I read in This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession that the history of Western art music could be interpreted as gradually elevating timbre (sound, without regard to melody or rhythm) above all other considerations (or something like that) - and at times on this CD I think I can hear what that might mean. In general however, there are supremely catchy and pretty melodies, pleasing harmonies. Making perhaps a really wild leap, I'd recommend this to fans of Screenplaying (Music from the Films ...) because they both obviously strove above all to create beautiful, elevating music.
Until now, had anyone asked (they hadn't of course) I'd've recommended something by Takemitsu - perhaps Takemitsu: Requiem; Twill by Twilight - as a first exposure to modern-sounding (as opposed to "neo-romantic" or something) music. Of course, there are other very accesssible examples of modern music, and more famous ones to boot, such as Holst: The Planets or Carl Orff: Carmina Burana.
Well, and if you're just interested in beautiful music and not trying to "understand 20th century music" or something, this is definitely for you. You can't beat the price, and you can definitely listen to this over and over - enjoy yourself and impress your friends!
True American classics December 15, 2007
Todd Ebert (Long Beach California)
I became an instant fan of Alan Hovhaness upon first hearing his "Mysterious Mountain" conducted by Fritz Reiner. Finally I had found a composer whose training was rooted in Western music, yet incorporated many ideas and sounds from Middle-Eastern and Eastern music, including mysticism and open-endedness in structure of composition.
And being that the cello is one of my favorite instruments to listen to, I felt very excited about giving this recording a listen. What I like most about the concerto is that it is not designed as a display of virtuosity for playing the cello, but rather the cello has its voice within the greater context of the entire piece. There are also several quiet passages throughout in which one hears the interplay between cello and flute.
I also very much enjoy listening to "City of Light". The magisterial playing succeeds in creating "an imaginary city with a million lights".
I do agree with a previous reviewer that these compositions represent "filler material" for one's collection. For certainly this recording has filled my cd player for several weeks now, while also filling my spirits with sonorous and mystical sounds that help turn a grinding day into an evening of musical contemplation in which I search for my own city of light.
 Modal, gentle, genteel November 28, 2007
Philip Spires (La Nucia, Spain)
Alan Hovhaness's music defies description, until you listen carefully. Thoroughly twentieth century, but hardly modern, the idiom is reminiscent of the folk song composers of the earler part of the century. The music is almost defaintly modal, but there are non-Euroepan influences mixed into the cocktail. The 22nd Symphony and Cello Concerto coupled on this disc offer a good introduction to the composer's highly individual yet sometimes less than memorable voice. The performaces are good, without being brilliant. But it's still superb value for money.
Cello Concerto Wins My Heart! January 29, 2006
Kevin S Currie (Reisterstown, MD United States)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
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 October 26, 2005
emmkay (NY)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
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.
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