Looking through my collection the other day, I came across a 10-inch LP containing a rendition of Howard Hanson's Symphony No. 4, and thought it might be a good candidate for this blog. So I started transferring it, only to realize that the orchestral playing was appalling - scrappy and scrawny, although conductor Dean Dixon and the anonymous ensemble still produced a punchy and heartfelt traversal of a fine work that was Hanson's memorial for his father.
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| Howard Hanson |
Had Hanson himself recorded it, I wondered? Back to the stacks I went, finally finding his own version by accident - it was filed nearby under the composer of the other work on the disc, Roy Harris. Looking at the cover, I knew immediately that I had already had a go at the record and offered it
here, four years ago!
So I've decided to present both versions at this time, and you can choose your favorite. I believe the Dixon edition came first; Hanson may have recorded his later in self-defense.
Gramphone reviewed the composer-directed LP in early 1953, suggesting a circa 1952 recording date.
The recording quality of both is reasonably good. The Hanson-Harris album is newly remastered.
Links (Apple lossless):
ReplyDeleteHanson 4 (Dixon)
http://rapidshare.com/share/79B8B16826AF4B4616B5D2F70AB189CF
https://mega.co.nz/#!iAclEYgR!CTSf2UJW-iVnCgAHBGuZ-iwm2UQ61yy6PtcKzHCKb-A
Harris 3 Hanson 4 (Hanson)
http://rapidshare.com/share/2102363BBD4DC54EEE66114D6115291E
https://mega.co.nz/#!7ZMHDYAA!Oa08eWFRAcuAOLW2VpG7sTKNchdYKUGsq1I-oE4x4bI
Note: Rapidshare seems to work best for free users when you register.
Mega works best with Chrome or Firefox with the Mega extension.
Enjoying the Hanson/Hanson version - Music I'm a bit ignorant of, so thanks for giving it a spin on you blog - I should give the Dixon version a chance too so will download it and compare
ReplyDeleteJols
Hi Jols, hope you enjoy!
ReplyDeleteI'm having a strange problem trying to download the Dixon version of Hanson's 4th from Mega, I get a partial download and it stops with the message 'Temporary error, retrying' and the download hangs. The Rapidshare download has disappeared. This is a pity I'm looking forward to hearing the Vienna Symphony on an 'Off Day'
ReplyDeleteGraham - I downloaded the file without incident, so it may be a network problem on your end. If it persists, I will upload the file to another service.
Delete