Symphony No.22 "City of Light" - Alan Hovhaness
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
- Seattle Symphony Orchestra conducted by Alan Hovhaness.
I - Allegro moderato: 0:00
II - Angel of Light. Largo: 9:55
III - Allegretto grazioso: 13:48
IV - Hymn of Praise. Largo maestoso: 16:28
Hovhaness' Symphony No.22 was composed in 1970 as a commission from the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra to celebrate the centenary of the city. The subtitle "City of Light" refers to an abstract, idealized city: "I was thinking of a million lights, an imaginary city, " said Hovhaness.
The first movement is very free in form. Opens with an expansive introduction, the strings hint the sketches of a theme in form of an hymn. The trombones fully expose said theme full of magnificence. It represents the city of the title, full of light and spirituality. The strings open a more dramatic and passionate section as a form of a simple development, using contrapuntal forms. The trumpet solemnly recapitulates the hymn, leading to a brilliant coda.
The second movement is inspired by a childhood memory Hovhaness had in Christmas, being structured around two alternating themes. Tremolos of the strings lead to a solo of the trombone, presenting a widely lyrical theme, full of a nostalgic feeling. In the middle section, the strings present a smooth christmas melody. The trombone recapitulates the main theme over the soft touches of percussion, followed by the christmas theme, after which the movement concludes calmly.
The third movement is monothematic. Opens with a brief oriental introduction, after which the strings present a gently rhytmic theme with an irish folkloric air, which has roots in Hovhaness' past, this time from his high-school years when he had composed an operetta titled "Lotus Blossom". After a full recapitulation, a pedal note leads the music to a fade-out coda.
The fourth movement, as the first one, is very free. Opens with a solemn and potent hymn on the strings, enhanced by the brass. The music rises towards a brilliant and passionate climax. The composer develops the music using several voices, applying his contrapuntal techniques inspired by J. S. Bach. According to the author it is a timeless music, evocative of light and space, of nature and spirituality. After an intense climax, a fugue is started by the bass strings, slowly rising up. A sudden whirlwind of sounds take us to a brilliant and majestic coda.
Picture: Couldn't find the name, artist nor date. Sorry in advance.
Musical analysis partially written by myself. Source: bit.ly/3zPlN2K
Alan Hovhaness has to be one of the most underrated and underappreciated orchestral composers.
This is because of the prejudices of the radical atonalists and the hostilities of the hyperserialists.
See "Who Cares If You Listen?" by Milton Babbitt.
How beautiful! The City of Light! Is where I’m going to! It is coming to me, it is coming to us! TRIUMPH OF LIGHT!
A notable Hovhaness work which although commissioned for the city of Birmingham, Alabama has nothing to do with any specific city. A metaphorical city just as THE MYSTERIOUS MOUNTAIN does not refer to a particular location but to the spirit concerning the imagined entity itself, in this case, perhaps one’s ideal vision of a transcendent city. I happened to be listening to this work this morning & again marveling at Hovhaness’ powerful mystical insights. Few composer’s present such powerfully positive expressions of hope & affirmation in their creative works. The world needs this now more than ever.
Hovanhess is something like Ralph Vaughan Williams, as some have said, and the more one listens to them, the more they seem like the two greatest composers of the 20th century, and certainly two of the very greatest.
More like Arvo Part.
Hovhaness seems to have a conversation with Heaven going on.
As music is the most abstract artform of all, the meaning lies in the music itself and not in "what" or "who" the music describes. Having said that it is very difficult not to think of an ideal city, an ideal city in the mind of a mysticist, to me this city cannot be made of bricks, glass and concrete, but a city of people, their soul and the light is the light that shines from within towards the others... call it love or compassion. Muchissimas gracias por compartir este grabacion de una gran sinfonia
Personally I thing it is very evocative of the New Jerusalem described in the end of the Apocalypse. And that is a crazy description. BTW, love the Pärt vibes of this.
@freddy STOOF A very Platonic description! A City of the Forms...
Yours is a beautiful descriptive. Thanks.
A Hovhaness’ music is very spiritually uplifting for me. This piece and Mysterious Mountain. I’m exploring more pieces.
Thank you, this is a personal favourite amongst the Hovhaness symphonies.
Thank you for uploading this beautiful piece! I just heard this on our local classical station, it a soundscape.
Wonderful, the third movement though brief, is beautiful.
Bravo!!! 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿
14:20 legendary melodic material
Night City, 2077 the human soul a single light amidst a terrestrial night sky where the sleeper's brains dance in restless reverie
Hymn tune begins 18:14.
lighght ...
11:38-11:49
I don't really get Hovhaness. Some of his works like Fra Angelica are very interesting and engaging and a lot of his other works just bore me to tears. Mysterious Mountain falls into the latter category and this piece reminds me of it. The harmonies are "nice", but the whole thing just seems unimaginative and "easy listening".
No kidding. I was just coming down here to say, this is Hovhaness at his most profound and accessible. If you don't like this you won't like Hovhaness.