Howard Hanson: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1: Symphony No. 1 (Nordic) / Merry Mount Suite

Naxos, the Little Label That Could, has emerged as the music industry's foremost advocate of American music with their American Classics series. Now, they've turned their attention to one of the greatest composers of American Romanticism, Howard Hanson. This inaugural disc contains a performance of the First Symphony that easily trumps the Gerard Schwarz-Seattle Symphony on Delos. Hanson himself has recorded the work several times, but the Naxos release has much better sound quality (and you'll like the breadth of the Nashville Symphony's vision of this delicious music). The same holds for the celebratory "Merry Mount" Suite. However, this release contains two rare discmates, the symphonic poem Pan and the Priest and Rhythmic Variations on Two Ancient Themes. Spectacular music of undeniable character. --Paul Cook