Symphony No.46 "To the Green Mountains" - Alan Hovhaness скачать в хорошем качестве

Symphony No.46 "To the Green Mountains" - Alan Hovhaness

KBS Symphony Orchestra conducted by Vakhtang Jordania. I - Prelude: 0:00 II - Aria, Hymn and Fugue: 3:34 III - River and Forest Music: 11:49 IV - Mountain Thunderstorm and Thanksgiving Music: 18:24 Hovhaness' Symphony No.46 was composed in 1980, being premiered in May of 1981 by the Vermonth Symphony Orchestra, to which the work is also dedicated. The title references The Green Mountains: a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont. The range runs primarily south to north and extends approximately 400 km from the border with Massachusetts to the border with Quebec, Canada. All mountains in Vermont are often referred to as the "Green Mountains". "Green" because even with winter snow the trees hide the snow and they still appear green. In the later part of Hovhaness's career, his interest in Nature (particularly his love for mountains) has become an increasingly important aspect of his music. Love, a yearning for spiritual perfection, and a sense of infinite space have also been important subjects of his music, and these continue to have their place, particularly insofar as Hovhaness always seems mountains as symbolizing man's striving to lift his soul to the heavens. The music is tonal and highly melodic, in Hovhaness's unmistakable style with long flowing melodies with a modal character somehow expressing the East. The first movement is a short prelude in binary form. Opens with a simple ostinato from the harp, over which the woods present lyrical, mysterious phrases. The second section opens with an expressive lament from the strings. Then the music slows down, leading us to a calm coda. The second movement is divided in three parts. The first opens a lyrical oriental theme from the flute as an aria, supported by string's pizzicatos, vibraphone and harp. The second part, the hymn, begins with a solemn, chorale-like theme presented by basses and cellos, quickly leading to the next section. The final part opens with the chorale theme transformed into a fugue subject on the strings. Despite the simple, exotic style of the music, Hovhaness's fugues are always superbly accomplished with complete mastery of contrapuntal form, this fugue being no exception. After an extensive and solemn climax enhanced by the brass, the movement ends. The third movement is also divided in two parts, as it's title suggests. Begins with a lyrical folksong theme presented by the oboe over an ostinato of the harp and string's pizzicatos, later joined by the vibraphone. The second part begins with the flutes presenting a moderate dance supported by the rhythms of the pizzicatos. The music develops contrapuntally. The oboe reappears briefly recapitulating the lyrical folksong. A calm coda ends the movement. The fourth movement is divided in three parts. The first one opens with an imposing introduction of two trumpets and strings. The second part consists of a thunderstorm; a senza misura passage of controled chaos. A wild thunderstorm with roaring winds is portrayed in a a chaotic passage where all the instruments play their figurations at independent tempos, and then the music coalesces into overlapping rhythmic cycles. The second part is a thanksgiving hymn. Strings and woods present a lyrical theme in form of an hymn. A simple ostinato from the harp opens a transition with gentle phrases of the wood. The hymn joyfully reapears in the whole orchestra, with blows from the tubular bells. The whole works concludes with a massive climax. Picture: Photograph of the green mountains in Vermont. Musical analysis partially written by myself. Sources: https://bit.ly/3z81TPC and https://bit.ly/3EbGhpt