Hovhaness: Selected Piano Compositions
Sahan Arzruni, piano.
Adam Rosenblatt, percussion.
Kalan Music773
Total Time: 73:46
Recording: ****/****
Performance: ****/****
American composer Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000) is perhaps best known for his second symphony (subtitled Mysterious Mountain), a groundbreaking experiment with aleatoric music in Lousadzak, the orchestral work And God Created Whales (with its inclusion of taped whale song), and perhaps also for his Symphony No. 50 written after the eruption of Mount St. Helens (the composer resided in Seattle for the last four decades of his life). His music found a wider distribution in the 1980s when Hovhaness set up the Poseidon Society to record his music (much of these passing to Crystral Records later). One of the most prolific American composers of the 20th Century, Hovhaness has a catalogue of over 500 some works with 67 numbered symphonies among them. The more familiar works tend to blend intriguing modal scales and non-Western cultural links that make the music have its unique sound world. There is also a larger mystical/spiritual aesthetic that runs through his music often connected to both nature and his exploration of transcendental qualities derived from these more “Oriental” theosophies. His music began to appear in the 1940s and 1950s with a more Armenian bent as he began to embrace part of his own heritage. It lay in stark contrast to the rising academic serialism that surrounded him and made his music seem simplistic with its often unison melodic content and drone pedals all of which slowly unfolded. In many respects, Hovhaness music is a sort of grandfather to the Spiritual Minimalists. It is the blend of these ancient and modern approaches that makes his music decidedly unique in American music and which takes some slight getting used to for new listeners, though many will find the music fresh and inspiring.
This new release from the Turkish label Kalan features acclaimed pianist and ethnomusicologist Sahan Arzruni. His deep understanding of the roots of this music is coupled with impeccable performances of this new collection of Hovhaness’ piano music all receiving world premiere recordings.
First is a fascinating five-movement suite inspired by Armenian mythology and the god of martial bravery, Vahakn. Invocations to Vahakn (1946) is a fascinating work that features the addition of a variety of percussion to augment the piano sound. Hovhaness also explores imitation of ethnic instruments in the piano line which are enhanced by the added percussion rhythms. Truly a fascinating work that seems ahead of its time. A six-movement work, Yenovk, is a suite of short brushstrokes that blends Hindustani classical music, Medieval Italian music, and Middle Eastern percussion qualities. There is also a closing masterful fugue. The version here appears to be a unique version (the music would reappear as the Madras Sonata). Another early work is the Suite on Greek Tunes (1949). The musical material features a simple melodic line with rhythmic accompaniment. Journey Into Dawn (1954) has an opening movement that feels almost impressionistic in its qualities. While “Cala” seems to have an almost Les Six quality in its modal style and rhythmic qualities. This is the second of four piano suites, but the title suggests a more picturesque entry point for these works. The Lake of Van sonata is another of the composer’s nature postcards looking this time at a body of water in Anatolia. The three-movement work includes a rather lively attractive dance. The final work is also the longest on the album. The sonata Hakhpat is undated but may be from 1946, perhaps written about the time of the opening work on the album. It also incorporates percussion into the score and blends Armenian musical qualities across its eight movements.
Some of the single-movement pieces are equally fascinating. Lalezar (ca. 1952) is a piano version of a song cycle that found its way into a solo piano work. The “Fantasy” is included here. First composed in 1936, Mystic Flute is a rather unique piece as well with its sinuous melodic material and interesting scale use. The version here is from 1937. (It is worth noting that this was a favorite encore of Rachmaninoff.) Two other short pieces round off the album: Laona and Vijag.
The piano acoustic for the recording is quite gorgeous with excellent imaging that allows for crystal clarity in Arzruni’s performances. He also captures some of those deeper spiritual qualities that Hovhaness infused his music with often with a beautiful delicacy that allows the melodic material to shine. The rhythmic qualities of the music are also well-articulated. Even if these were not world premiere recordings, this would be a highly-recommendable release of Hovhaness’ piano music. These are intelligently-performed works that provide a balance of emotion and technical clarity. The sequencing of the programming also allows these works to stand out well without the sense that each work has the sort of sameness that can plague a Hovhaness recording. These are all quite fascinating pieces worth exploring in an album that is a real joy to listen to as well. Notes by the pianist are provided with great detail in a thick booklet with notes in English, Armenian, and Turkish. All of this is placed in a small box with a cardboard sleeve for the CD inside. Recorded back in 2015 and released overseas in 2019, the recording can now be found on Amazon for US audiences.
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