The Symphony No. 63, Op. 411, Loon Lake is a symphony for orchestra in two movements by the American composer Alan Hovhaness. The work was commissioned in September 1987 by the New Hampshire Music Festival and the Loon Preservation Society. It was completed in early 1988 and premiered August 18, 1988, with conductor Thomas Nee leading the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra. The ending of the piece was later revised by Hovhaness at the request of his wife; the revised symphony premiered July 2, 1991, and is the only version available on recording.[1]
William Yeoman of Gramophone praised Loon Lake, writing, "Here, songs both avian and pastoral for a multitude of wind soloists punctuate a luminous, if occasionally overcast, orchestral skyscape."[2] The music critic David Hurwitz was more critical, however, remarking:
With only two movements, it’s as long as the concerto (about 26 minutes). Most of the time is taken up by the second movement, a sort of rondo in which arabesques for woodwinds flecked by Hovhaness' characteristic bell sounds alternate with a model hymn straight out of Vaughan Williams' Tallis Fantasia. Eventually, these two elements begin to intermingle, but it takes an awfully long time, and each listener will have to decide if the music overstays its welcome. Of course, Hovhaness has an intensely characteristic style, but the devil is in the details: in the balance of elements and sense of timing. Fine as the performances are, it’s hard to make the case that these works find Hovhaness at his best.[3]
symphony, hovhaness, symphony, loon, lake, symphony, orchestra, movements, american, composer, alan, hovhaness, work, commissioned, september, 1987, hampshire, music, festival, loon, preservation, society, completed, early, 1988, premiered, august, 1988, with,. The Symphony No 63 Op 411 Loon Lake is a symphony for orchestra in two movements by the American composer Alan Hovhaness The work was commissioned in September 1987 by the New Hampshire Music Festival and the Loon Preservation Society It was completed in early 1988 and premiered August 18 1988 with conductor Thomas Nee leading the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra The ending of the piece was later revised by Hovhaness at the request of his wife the revised symphony premiered July 2 1991 and is the only version available on recording 1 Contents 1 Composition 1 1 Structure 1 2 Instrumentation 2 Reception 3 See also 4 ReferencesComposition editStructure edit Loon Lake has a duration of roughly 26 minutes and is composed in two movements Prelude Largo solenne andante pastorale Andante misterioso maestoso presto allegro Instrumentation edit The symphony is scored for a small orchestra comprising piccolo flute oboe English horn two clarinets two bassoons two French horns two trumpets trombone percussionist on timpani and chimes harp and strings Reception editWilliam Yeoman of Gramophone praised Loon Lake writing Here songs both avian and pastoral for a multitude of wind soloists punctuate a luminous if occasionally overcast orchestral skyscape 2 The music critic David Hurwitz was more critical however remarking With only two movements it s as long as the concerto about 26 minutes Most of the time is taken up by the second movement a sort of rondo in which arabesques for woodwinds flecked by Hovhaness characteristic bell sounds alternate with a model hymn straight out of Vaughan Williams Tallis Fantasia Eventually these two elements begin to intermingle but it takes an awfully long time and each listener will have to decide if the music overstays its welcome Of course Hovhaness has an intensely characteristic style but the devil is in the details in the balance of elements and sense of timing Fine as the performances are it s hard to make the case that these works find Hovhaness at his best 3 See also editList of compositions by Alan HovhanessReferences edit Hovhaness Hinako Fujihara 2008 Hovhaness Guitar Concerto No 2 Symphony No 63 Fanfare for the New Atlantis CD liner Naxos Records Retrieved June 13 2015 Yeoman William September 2008 Hovhaness Symphony No 63 Guitar Concerto No 2 Gramophone Retrieved June 13 2015 Hurwitz David Hovhaness Guitar Concerto No 2 Symphony No 63 Classics Today Retrieved June 13 2015 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Symphony No 63 Hovhaness amp oldid 1044974699, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
