Post Description

Mercury Living Presence Boxed Set CD53 van55.
The better the stereo equipment the more you are likely to hear tons of details out of the microscopic hills and valleys of this glorious cd. However, a more modest hi-fi system will make it as well, at least to reveal the essential of the music. It all comes from the legendary "Golden Age" LP era. The album, issued by Mercury/Philips (a package of two discs), has GLORIOUS sound--as much as good as the vinyl LP, thanks to Wilma Cozart and the Mercury team. Howard Hanson's music is delightful; he's got a solid reputation as a composer and is a skillful conductor. 
This 2-CD set provides a unique opportunity to hear the late American composer, Howard Hanson, talk about how he approached the orchestration of symphonic works. On disk 1, several of Hanson's works are performed (conducted by the composer), including the Merry Mount Suite, Mosaics, For the First Time and Concerto for Piano. On the second disk, Hanson de-constructs The Children's Dance from Merry Mount, explaining his intent as a composer and orchestrator, with each set of instruments highlighted by including them one at a time as their colors are blended from the composer's palette. This is an invaluable aid to aspiring composers, and also to any student of music who wants to understand orchestration in a step beyond Peter and the Wolf, and Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra.