Howard Hanson's frankly romantic, occasionally kitschy music may arouse extremes of enthusiasm and distaste among listeners (I happen to like him), but there's no doubt that he was one of the few modern composers who had an instantly recognizable harmonic and melodic style. You can hear it at work in all of these pieces--and some of them, particularly the Serenade for flute, harp, and strings, and the Pastorale for oboe, harp, and strings, are extremely beautiful indeed. Even the Organ Concerto (with strings and harp) is lyrically affecting rather than noisy or bombastic. The ballet suite Nymphs and Satyr, effortlessly scored for chamber orchestra, is a late work that reveals that although Hanson developed not a jot over the course of his long career, neither did his fund of characteristic melody dry up. Here's the bottom line: these are eminently worthy performances, very well recorded, of genuinely pretty music. If that's your cup of tea, and it's kind of hard to figure that it would not be unless aural pain turns you on, you will certainly enjoy this and I recommend it to you without hesitation.--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com
