This recording was previously released on Delos International and was recorded at the Seattle Opera House in May and February of 1990.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The Overture to Merry Mount uses modal writing, which Hanson considered 'very much in keeping with the Puritan character,' influenced by Swedish folksongs and Lutheran chorale melodies.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Hanson's Third Symphony is a tribute to his Swedish ancestry and the 'sturdy race of northern pioneers' who settled America, particularly those who founded the first Swedish settlement on the Delaware.
Performer Biography
Gerard Schwarz, the conductor, was Music Director of the Seattle Symphony from 1985 to 2011 and has received numerous awards, including two Emmy Awards and thirteen GRAMMY nominations.
Composition History
The opera Merry Mount, from which the suite on this album is drawn, was Hanson's most ambitious work, composed after long days of teaching and administration at the Eastman School.
Composition History
Hanson's Symphony No. 3 was commissioned by the CBS Symphony, a group known for supporting American music and performing hundreds of new works by American composers.
Composer Biography
Howard Hanson, the composer, was born in Wahoo, Nebraska, a predominantly Swedish community, and his parents' families had immigrated from Sweden.
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