Here is something that works in 'my case'.  Try setting your audio card to different sample rates and then launching.  If the card has its own control panel, use that.  If it does not have such software with it, then change it in the Windows audio settings.

It's odd, but I have a sound card here (M Audio Delta 1010) that if set to anything other than 44.1khz when launching anything with the Plogue engine (ARIA stand alone player, Sibelius, Finale, etc.), such hosts lock up.  Once I get the Plogue host loaded, I can change to any sample rate I want from inside the host.

It's just this one sound card (or it's windows drivers)....if I remove the card it never hangs.  Also, it doesn't hang with Cubase or Dorico.  On my other systems without this audio card, it never hangs.

In my case the fix is:  Be sure the problem audio card is set to 44.1khz sample rate before launching hosts that use the Plogue engine.  From there it works great, at any sample rate I like.

Thanks, Brian. I have exactly the same soundcard, so that must be it! Strange though.