Hovanhess Centenary

[Vile Consort]

I notice that 2011 will be the centenary of Alan Hovanhess. Does anyone know of any plans to celebrate it - on R3 or elsewhere?

But please, please, not nothing but Hovanhess for five days!

[Bryn]

http://www.hovhaness.com/News-Hovhan...-Marathon.html

[Suffolkcoastal]

Well if the birth centenaries of other American composers such as Harris, Piston, Hanson & Schuman on R3 are anything to go by Hovhaness will be lucky to get as many as 10 works broadcast.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I notice that 2011 will be the centenary of Alan Hovanhess. Does anyone know of any plans to celebrate it - on R3 or elsewhere?

But please, please, not nothing but Hovanhess for five days!

I wouldn't mind wall to wall Hovaness. It would be great opportunity to become familiar with his music.

[Vile Consort]

Well if the birth centenaries of other American composers such as Harris, Piston, Hanson & Schuman on R3 are anything to go by Hovhaness will be lucky to get as many as 10 works broadcast.

Perhaps Hovanhess will do better, being Armenian.

[Mahlerei]

I regret to say the only Hovhaness I know is the Mount St Helen's Symphony on a cracking Delos disc. Talk about orchestral pyrotechnics.

[Suffolkcoastal]

Not exactly, his father was Armenian, his mother American of Scottish descent and he was born in Massachusetts. So more American than some composers whom you would count as American like Lukas Foss.

[marthe]

I remember Alan Hovanhess being a frequent guest on a radio program called the Armenian Cuture Hour broadcast by WCRB, a classical station in Waltham,
Mass. just west of Boston. There is a large Armenian community in this area. Hovanhess's Symphony No.2. Magic Mountain is the only one I really know. I first heard it when I was in my 20s.

[Boilk]

I remember when Hovhaness / Hovanhess [sp?] was Composer of the Week maybe 3 or 4 years back. Instead of the fully expected Naxos CDs being spun, I was surprised to hear a large number of BBC orchestras specially recorded his pieces for the show (Ulster, Scottish, Northern, if I remember correctly), suggesting some sort of cult status amongst our conductors / players.

I seem to recall there was a Hovhaness concert at this year's Meltdown Festival, which was curated by Richard Thompson. Perhaps there are indeed treasures to be had amongst those 400 opus numbers? One symphony, The Mysterious Mountain, seems to have a dozen odd recordings on Amazon.

Maybe the 2011 Proms would oblige with the 15-minute Mysterious Mountain for his centenary. If it was good enough for Fritz Reiner no less, it must be good. Listening now on Spotify...

[Op. XXXIX]

I've heard a few pieces of Hovhaness which haven't exactly floated my boat, but don't miss 'And God Created Great Whales'. Great stuff. You can find it on a Delos CD coupled with 'Mysterious Mountain'.