“Be as a lion, dread Jehovah, and tear the flesh of unbelievers.”
So begins Merry Mount, the only opera penned by the 20th century American composer Howard Hanson. Full of Puritanical hell-fire and brimstone, the quintessentially American story centers on the conflict between religious fanatics and hedonistic, free-thinking cavaliers, exploring the age-old dichotomies between piety and desire, restraint and excess, spiritual and sensual—and exposing the dire consequences of repression.
No other composer would have been as fitting a choice as Howard Hanson for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s Spring For Music program, for no other figure has shaped the city’s musical climate so profoundly. A native of Wahoo, Nebraska, Hanson came to Rochester in 1924 to take up the position of Director at the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music at the request of photography pioneer George Eastman, founder of the Eastman Kodak Company, who created the school that bears his name in 1921 and the Rochester Philharmonic in 1922. During his 40-year reign at Eastman, Hanson molded the school into one of the most prestigious and highly rated conservatories in the world, a legacy that continues to this day. At a time when established European works dominated the classical music scene, Hanson strove to give American music a place in the concert hall, initiating a series of American Composers Concerts at Eastman, and later, an annual festival devoted to American music. Often regarded as the greatest advocate for American music in history, Hanson was instrumental in elevating its international perception throughout the middle decades of the 20th century, simultaneously turning Rochester into a center for new American music.
Himself a celebrated composer, Hanson continued writing music throughout his tenure at Eastman; it was during this time that Merry Mount was created, and the work was dedicated to George Eastman. Although Hanson composed throughout the rise of the twelve-tone movement, his style remained steadfastly lush, Romantic, and approachable. His tremendous gift for writing beautiful melodies is in full force in his most enduring work, Symphony No. 2, “Romantic,” and also shines through in tonight’s program. Commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera, Merry Mount was premiered there in 1934, and met with an enthusiastic response (it still holds the Met record for curtain calls, receiving a whopping 50). But despite all of its initial buzz, modern revivals and concert performances are rare.
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra is thrilled to bring Howard Hanson’s lost masterpiece back to the New York City stage in 2014, 80 years after its premiere and 50 years after Hanson’s retirement from Eastman. Today, Rochester remains a thriving musical hub steeped in world-class talent. The RPO and the Eastman School of Music enjoy the same synergistic relationship that was fostered during Hanson’s tenure, each contributing to an incredibly rich musical landscape that belies the city’s size.
Enriching this landscape has been a top priority of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra since its founding. Committed to the importance of lifelong musical engagement, the RPO inspires audiences of all ages with a variety of offerings each season, bringing the thrill of live music to Rochester and the Finger Lakes region. Currently in the midst of an international search for its next music director, the RPO is well positioned to build upon its proud musical legacy for the next generation of concertgoers.
This concert production of Merry Mount embodies the spirit of everything that Howard Hanson helped to create and showcases everything that makes Rochester’s musical scene so special, joining young and old, current Eastman students, recent Eastman graduates, talented local singers, and the musicians of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra for a celebration of Rochester—past, present, and future.