Hanson – Symphony #2, “Romantic”

Fans of The Late Show with David Letterman may recognize Wahoo, Nebraska as the site of the show’s mythical “home office,” a running gag on the program since 1996.  But the real claim to fame of this small city (population about 4000) is that it is Howard Hanson’s birthplace.  Hanson received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern University and later studied in Italy with the great composer Ottorino Respighi.  At age 27 he was appointed Director of the Eastman School of Music, a post he held for 40 years.  During his time at Eastman, he not only dramatically enhanced the profile of the school, but also served as a strong advocate for music education in general.  He received numerous important awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1944, as well as 36 honorary degrees from various American colleges and universities.

 

Hanson’s style varied between his compositions, but he is best known for the theatrical neo-romanticism that characterizes the Symphony #2, which he wrote for the Boston Symphony.  The symphony’s nickname refers not to any particular romance, but to the overtly emotional, tonally conservative, struc­tur­ally well defined style that was the norm for most orchestral music of the nine­teenth century.  In many respects, the orchestration anticipates tendencies that would soon become common in film-music writing, particu­larly in the use of horns and trumpets as carriers of the melody and in the indulgence of massed string sound for both lyrical and accompanimental effects.  Hanson did not work for Hollywood, but the film industry has felt his influence nonetheless.

 

The Symphony #2 is cast in three movements, but with a great deal of overlap between the melodic material of the individual movements.  Furthermore, the predomi­nant char­ac­ter of each movement is quite similar, such that the piece has the effect more of a multi-episode symphonic poem than a traditionally inspired symphony.  One melodic idea, heard for the first time in the strings with a countermelody in the solo horn, proves to be central throughout the work.  In fact this passage will later be identified not necessarily by the string melody, but instead by the harmonic sequence; depending on the presentation, different combinations of the various overlying melodies are present, but the combined effect is always recognizable.  This distinctive musical episode, in its various guises, returns to close the first movement, occurs at the climax after a terrifying buildup in the second movement, and finally serves as the culmination of the entire work after a lengthy sequence in the finale.

 

One particular presentation of this musical idea – the one at the end of the first movement – has assumed a curious role in the world of music education, in tribute to Hanson’s untiring advocacy and lasting achievements.  At Interlochen’s National Music Camp (with which Hanson, ironically, had no particu­larly strong affilia­tion), every orches­tra concert concludes with this excerpt, known informally as the “Interlochen Theme,” per­formed as an encore.  By tradition, the ensemble’s conductor leaves the stage for good after the last programmed piece, the concertmaster rises to the podium to lead his or her fellow students through these fourteen measures of music, and the audience departs without applauding. 

 

2003-04 PCO repertoire