Suffolkcoastal's Symphonic Journey

[Suffolkcoastal]

More from the journey through my symphonic collection:

1995

Eklund: Symphony No 11 ‘Sinfonia Piccola’
P Glass: Symphony No 3
R Keeley: Symphony
Keuris: Symphony in D
Rautavaara: Symphony No 7 ‘Angel of Light’
Skerl: Symphony No 8
Soderlind: Symphjony No 5
B Sorensen: Symphony No 1
Sumera: Symphony No 5

Hans Eklund’s 11th Symphony is a two movement work of around 28 minutes duration. Despite its title it is an austere and dark work. The 1st movement opens with a wide ranging and rather contorted idea which sets the tone for a rather humourless and grimly defiant movement. The 2nd slow 2nd movement is even more austere and the work closes in a mood of grudging acceptance of its fate.

Philip Glass’s 3rd Symphony is a four movement work of a little under 30 minutes duration. It is scored for a medium sized string ensemble of 19 players. The 1st movement acts like a prelude to the more vigorous 2nd. The 3rd movement, a Chaconne, is the longest movement and is the focus of the work and the finale is fairly short and lively in the manner of the 2nd movement. This work relies less on Glass’s familiar tricks and mannerisms than its two predecessors and when they do occur in the long 3rd movement they are controlled and more focused to the music’s distinct advantage.

The Symphony of Robert Keeley is a two movement work lasting a little over 20 minutes. The 1st movement is basically a sonata structure and the 2nd a Passacaglia. Keeley style is not particularly difficult and there is a certain masculine energy and determination about the work. The material and language though are not particularly individual and the Symphony seems to rather disconcertingly break off in mid flow.

Tristan Keuris’s Symphony in D is in the classical four movement form and lasts between 25 & 30 minutes. It was among the composer’s final works before his sad early death the following year aged just 50. The 1st movement has impressive clarity and an athletic confidence. The 2nd movement is quite moving with a sad lyrical beauty, though with a more animated central section. The scherzo is hard driven and quite exciting and perfectly conceived. The finale begins slowly before the confident main movement gets going, though personally I feel the level of inspiration has dropped slightly here in what is overall a very fine work.

The 7th Symphony of Rautavaara is a four movement work of between 35 & 40 minutes duration. Three of the four movements are broad, rich and expansive with only the 2nd movement being more animated in tone. There is no denying though the beauty and landscape like painting of the work, Rautavaara’s very personal style manages very successfully to avoid becoming too cloying and in the last movement there is a sense of wonderment and questioning which is very thought provoking.

The Slovenian Dane Skerl’s 8th Symphony lasts about 20 minutes and is a work full of confidence and determination. It is approachable enough but without being really distinctive or memorable.

The 5th Symphony of the Norwegian Dagmar Soderlind is about 25 minutes in duration. It is a fairly eclectic score with romanticism and impressionism rub shoulders with more contemporary elements. The result is quite accessible and not without merit and there is plenty of contrast of texture and material, though ultimately it is not particularly memorable.

The Dane Ben Sorensen’s 1st Symphony is in two connected movements and lasts around 20 minutes. The work basically charts a journey from the higher to the lower ends of the orchestral palette. There is certainly plenty going on in this work which is rather severe in tone, perhaps almost too much at times and ultimately one feels rather unmoved by it all.

Finally Lepo Sumera’s 5th Symphony, which is in one continuous span lasting around 35 minutes. It is the most complex and difficult of Sumera’s six symphonies. In this work texture dominates over thematic content and the textures are often complex and occasionally slightly reminiscent of Lutoslaswski. There is also a certain transparency, which particularly manifests itself in the works concluding pages as Sumera relaxes and opens out the music in a questioning conclusion.

[Suffolkcoastal]

More from the journey through my symphonic collection:

1996

Aho: Symphony No 10
Carter: Symphonia: Cum Fluxae Pretium Spei
Maxwell Davies: Symphony No 6
Glanert: Symphony No 3
P Glass: Symphony No 4 ‘Heroes’
I Lang: Symphony No 6
Penderecki: Symphony No 7 ‘Seven Gates of Jerusalem’
A Powers: Symphony
Ruders: Symphony No 2 ‘Symphony and Transformation’
Sallinen: Symphony No 7 ‘The Dreams of Gandalf’

Kalevi Aho’s 10th Symphony is in four movements and lasts around 45 minutes. This work showcases Aho’s distinct personal manner and resourceful imagination. The first two movements are engagingly resourceful, the weight of the work however falls in the long slow third movement. This is deeply and serious and real emotional weight. The finale that follows has a kind of muscular no-nonsense determination and ends with an abrupt but final full stop.

Carter's Symphonia was his largest orchestral work, its three movements coming to a little over 45 minutes in duration. Each movement was composed and premiered separately but each both contrasts and compliments one another. The 1st movement ‘Partita’ has a striking energy and strength from a composer already in his mid 80’s, with fascinating interplay of texture and tempi. The central ‘Adagio tenebroso’ is among Carter’s darkest creations a kind of processional that evolves with total inevitability. The last movement ‘Allegro scorrevole’ is a complete contrast in the lightness and fluidity of its texture. Though Carter’s language is complex his deftness of touch and feeling for form keeps the listener enthralled and wanting to return.

Peter Maxwell Davies 6th Symphony is in three movements and lasts a little over 50 minutes. The outer movements are both large scale structures in themselves, both being of around 20 minutes duration. They surround the grim and rather foreboding central movement where one feels something rather unpleasant is being held in check under the surface. The 1st movement has much transparency whilst the finale finally concludes the work in uncertain stillness.

Detlev Glanert’s 3rd Symphony is in four movements and lasts around 25 minutes. The language is contemporary though tonal elements are clearly present. Glanert plays out for us a drama in this work with its variety of textures and contrasts. He does just enough to keep the listener’s attention and keeps the action moving.

Philip Glass’s 4th Symphony is in six movements and is of around 45 minutes duration. Like his earlier ‘Low Symphony’ the material has its origins in a David Bowie/Brian Eno album. The result here though is rather less interesting and satisfying than the earlier work and substantially backtracking of the progress made in his 3rd Symphony. Glass is almost totally reliant on his now familiar formulae so that much of the work sound like a cliché of himself. Only the 4th movement by nature of its at least memorable main idea is remotely satisfying the rest I find tedious in the extreme.

The 6th Symphony of Istvan Lang is scored for string orchestra and lasts between 20 & 25 minutes. The work is predominately textural in nature with little really substantial and memorable thematic content. It is a certainly quite powerful but at the same time rather unmemorable.

Penderecki’s 7th Symphony is a large scale work in seven sections. It is scored for soloists/speaker chorus and orchestra and lasts a little over 60 minutes. It gives the impression of being a hybrid o symphony and oratorio and is a strikingly powerful and dramatic creation. Some parts have real impact and there are moments of strange haunting beauty that seem to just occasionally glance back to the composer’s earlier years. The language here though is of the largely straightforward variety that the composer had adopted since the late 1970’s. It is certainly a work that should at least be heard once, even for those not normally drawn to this composer.

The Symphony of Anthony Powers is a large scale broad work lasting around 40 minutes. It certainly has some impact and there are moments of drama and dynamism in the score. One can occasionally hear echoes of composers such as Maxwell Davies and Hoddinott and even Tippett as well as distinct allusions to jazz. The work can seem a little long for its material in places but is largely successful in maintaining the listener’s interest.

The 2nd Symphony of Poul Ruders is in a continuous movement and lasts around 28 minutes. This is an interesting and original score, deftly orchestrated that holds the listener’s attention. Beginning with arching string lines which initially seem light, they become more complex and are transformed into more expressive, frantic and disturbed components. Other elements are similarly transformed and continual sense of flux and fluid momentum is maintained before a final brass and percussion growl ends the work in an atmosphere very different from the beginning. The work has the effect of being taken on a journey and having arrived at perhaps an unexpected destination we are not sure how we arrived there, but in many ways this journey was most satisfying.

Finally Aulis Sallinen’s 7th Symphony, which is in one continuous movement of around 25 minutes duration. The title ‘The Dreams of Gandalf’ results from this work being derived from an intended ballet on ‘The Lord of the Rings’. It is a colourful and episodic score full of drama, charm and even wit. Stylistically the music is not difficult and there is much to enjoy even if the work is perhaps not among Sallinen’s very finest creations.

[Suffolkcoastal]

More from the journey through my symphonic collection:

1997

Burrell: A Symphony of Flocks, Herds and Shoals
Dorward: Symphony No 2
Henze: Symphony No 9
McCabe: Symphony No 5 ‘Edward II’
MacMillan: Symphony No 1 ‘Vigil’
Nordgren: Symphony No 4

1998

Aho: Symphony No 11
Hersch: Symphony No 1
Landowski: Symphony No 5 ‘Les lumieres de la nuit’
Lees: Symphony No 5 ‘Kalmar Nyckel’
Nordgren: Symphony No 5
T Wilson: Symphony No 5
Yoshimatsu: Symphony No 3

Diana Burrell’s Symphony of Flocks, Herds and Shoals is of around 40 minutes duration, the three main movement are separated by two interludes. The music is certainly colourfully orchestrated as one would expect with some interesting and very varied textures. Material wise however the work is very thin and apart from some of the textures there is little of memorability in the work.

David Doward’s 2nd Symphony lasts between 35 and 40 minutes and is solidly written work but rather uninspiring. A lot of the Symphony is rather heavy going and Dorward struggles to really vary the material and texture enough to really make the work memorable. When he does try and introduce a humourous waltz like idea, it sound rather silly and out of place.

Henze’s 9th Symphony is scored for chorus and orchestra and is a large scale work in seven movements lasting between 50 and 55 minutes. The work is dedicated to ‘The Heroes and Martyrs of German anti-fascism and has a text compiled by the poet Hans-Ulrich Treichel. It is a very dark and powerful score and also draws upon the composer’s own youth in Nazi Germany. The work is also often brutal and disturbing, the long 6th movement ‘In the Cathedral’ is particularly harrowing in its impact. Certainly a work that needs to be heard.

John McCabe’s 5th Symphony is of around 35 minutes duration and is based on the music he composed for his ballet ‘Edward II’. It is a dramatic and rich score as one would expect full of contrast between dark and light and also with passages of expressive lyricism. Though somewhat episodic at times, the composer manages to keep the music flowing to create a symphonic dramatic entity in its own right.

James MacMillan’s 1st Symphony is the final part of his Easter inspired Triduum. The Symphony is in three movements and is of between 45 and 50 minutes duration. It is a deeply serious work with the weight being in the finale which constitutes around 60% of the work’s duration. A lot of the work is dark and deeply meditative, though there are moments of dramatic animated power. The work begins in the depths of the orchestra and ends in its highest reaches. The work creates a distinct listening experience and has plenty of impact.

Pehr Nordgren’s 4th Symphony is a one movement work of around 23 minutes duration. It is a broad work with the tempi predominately on the broad side and the work has a searching intensity and strength that seems to look out upon some vast unchartered landscape. The music unfolds in a steady natural manner and is very satisfying.

Kalevi Aho’s 11th Symphony is a three movement work of a little over 30 minutes duration and is scored for six solo percussionists and orchestra. The work was written for the percussion ensemble ‘Kroumata’ and is an enterprising and imaginative with the percussion used in a variety of different manners, from driving the music forward rhythmically to provide delicate quasi oriental embellishments. Aho successfully manages to keep the material varied and fluid and thereby maintaining the interest of the listener.

Michael Hersch’s 1st Symphony is in one movement and lasts around 26 minutes. It was one of the composer’s first large scale scores. The work opens with tolling minor 9th on the bells and this sets up a work that is darkly expressive and which provides a continuous determined struggle to reach a final resolution on tolling unison C’s. The tempi are often on the slow side, although there are moments of energetic animated tension. The lyricism displayed is very slightly reminiscent of David Diamond. The language is not difficult and overall this is an impressive work from a 27 year old.

Marcel Landowski’s 5th Symphony was among his final scores and the composer was already in his 80s when he completed it. It is a score rich in haunting textures and has a distinct autumnal feel which is quite appealing. The language is not difficult and it is certainly worth a listen.

Benjamin Lees 5th Symphony is in one movement, but three distinct sections can be heard, the work lasts around 28 minutes. The work was written for the 350th anniversary of the founding of the Swedish Kalmar Nyckel colony in Delaware. It is an attractive work, the 1st section has a solid athletic urgency with a striving determination, the 2nd section is rather sad and reflective. The final section begins with resolute energy before a hymn like interlude, finally the resolute energy returns to propel the music to an affirmative conclusion.

The 5th Symphony of Pehr Nordgren is a one movement work of a little over 30 minutes duration. It is a work strong on contrasts and texture. The very opening is gentle but rather disturbing background texture into which the bass flute sings a folk like idea. This idea occurs later in the work and other solo instruments emerge from the texture throughout the work along with powerful outbursts. The overall impression though is of a strange unsettling work, deeply uneasy.

Thomas Wilson’s 5th Symphony has a duration of around 30 minutes and is a rather troubled and serious score, often sadly expressive but with more animation at its heart. The progression of the work is deftly handled and the work proceeds with a certain naturalness. The language is not excessively demanding and generally this is a fine work.

Finally Yoshimatsu’s 3rd Symphony, which is in four movements and of around 45 minutes duration. The 1st movement is varied ranging from plaintive expression to edgy minimalist like textures, creating an effective dramatic whole. The 2nd movement has a distinctly urban feel to it with slightly jazzy undertones, whilst the 3rd movement is more sombre but expressive with a more animated section. The finale takes a while to get going, rather hesitant at first it finally achieves a driving forward momentum, though the main idea is rather reminiscent of the finale of his previous symphony.

[Black Swan]

Suffolkcoastal,

As always thanks for this. I had forgotten I have the Hersh Symphonies and will have a another listen.

[Suffolkcoastal]

More from the journey through my symphonic collection:

1999

Hoddinott: Symphony No 10
MacMillan: Symphony No 2
Macrae: Sinfonia
D Matthews: Symphony No 5 (revised version)
Norgard: Symphony No 6 ‘At the end of the day’
Rautavaara: Symphony No 8 ‘The Journey’
Vasks: Symphony No 2
Zwilich: Symphony No 4 ‘The Gardens’

2000

Corigliano: Symphony No 2
Maxwell Davies: Symphony No 7
Henze: Symphony No 10
Holloway: Symphony
Sumera: Symphony No 6
Yosimatsu: Symphony No 4

Alun Hoddinott’s 10th Symphony was his last symphony. It is in four movements and lasts around 25 minutes. The 1st movement has an impressive almost Sibelian gradual unfolding. The 2nd movement is a short and articulate scherzo and this is followed by a slow movement that has a lament like expressiveness. The finale is relatively short but emphatic and to the point. A finely crafted work that rounds off a very underrated symphonic cycle.

James MacMillan’s 2nd Symphony is a three movement work of around 25 minutes duration. The central movement is by far the longest lasting around 15 minutes. The 1st movement has a varied tapestry of textures from which emerges a rather plaintive idea. The central movement is rather dark and disturbed with the martial intrusion of a snare drum at the movement’s conclusion. The finale is a strange ghostly movement with again a feeling of distinct unease.

Stuart Macrae’s Sinfonia is of around 20 minutes duration. The work revolves around the contrast between beauty and violence, a conflict which the work leaves unresolved. It shows plenty of promise though is a bit anonymous in style.

The 5th Symphony of David Matthews is a four movement work of around 25 minutes duration. The 1st movement has a bright sustained energy that sweeps the music forward. The energy continues in the 2nd movement but this time it is rather malevolent. The 3rd movement is elegiac in tone and gravely beautiful. The finale returns to the bright optimism of the 1st movement and successfully concludes this appealing and very approachable symphony.

Norgard’s 6th Symphony is in three movements and lasts between 30 & 35 minutes. The 1st movement contributes a little over half the work’s total duration. It is a patchwork of imaginative and sometimes expressive textures over which a shadow gradually seems to fall. The 2nd movement is dark and more shadowy. The 3rd movement concludes the work by gradually fragmenting and disintegrating into nothing.

Rautavaara’s 8th Symphony is a four movement work of a little under 30 minutes duration. This is a richly scored and expressive score which contains some quite beautiful writing in the 1st movement. The 2nd movement is a virtuosic scherzo and this is followed by a sadly expressive slow movement. The finale returns to the broad and richly scored world of the movement with an intense lyricism which sweeps up to a coda of visionary grandeur. For me one of the most hauntingly beautiful works of the last 20 years.

Peteris Vasks 2nd Symphony is a one movement work of around 40 minutes duration. This is a work that seems rich on narrative, presenting a wide variety of moods. There are moments of haunting lyrical beauty and an underlying sadness seems to pervade the whole work. The orchestration is very vivid and almost cinematic at times. Vasks keeps the work under control throughout and successfully avoids any sense of flagging.

Zwilich’s 4th Symphony is scored for chorus, children’s choir and orchestra and is in four movements lasting around 25 minutes. The work was written for Michigan State University and honours the University’s Botanical Gardens. The choral writing is rather block like and not particularly effective, neither is the rather bity text. The orchestration is quite rich and expressive, but the work has moments of dullness and is not amongst Zwilich’s best works in my opinion.

John Corigliano’s 2nd Symphony is in five movements and lasts around 45 minutes. The work is basically a reworking of material from his String Quartet of 1996 for String Orchestra. The layout with the related slow 1st and 5th movements, the quicker more robust 2nd and 4th movements surrounding a central brooding Nocturne is Bartok like. The resulting work has a great deal of intensity and strength, perhaps almost too much, with the central Nocturne casting a haunting shadow over the whole work.

Peter Maxwell Davies 7th Symphony is of between 45 and 50 minutes duration. It is a typical restless and exploring symphonic work from the composer. There is though moments of calm reflection, this is particularly noticeable in the 3rd movement with its mood of calm acceptance before an affirmative conclusion.

Henze’s 10th Symphony was his final work in the genre. The Symphony is in four movements and lasts between 35 and 40 minutes. It is a rich score with plenty going on. The 1st movement ‘Ein Sturm’ was initially premiered separately and has an assertive sweep and dynamism. The 2nd movement ‘Ein Hymnus’ has an articulate broad expansiveness. The 3rd movement ‘Ein Tanz’ is a virtuosic movement with an almost arrogant sweep. The final movement ‘Ein Traum’ is very unsettling and seems to explore and strives to reach a powerful climax before melting away.

Robin Holloway’s Symphony is a large scale work lasting a little over an hour. The work aims to sum up the 20th Century, a very difficult task. The work has a romantic richness with some beautifully expressive moments. Hints of Strauss and Mahler can be felt and the 1st movement seems to allude to Elgar’s ‘Enigma’ theme throughout. Holloway does struggle though to keep the listener’s attention and the inspiration flags at times and the overall effect is rather diffuse, still there is plenty to move one here as well.

Lepo Sumera’s 6th Symphony is in two movements and lasts around 25 minutes. This is among the composer’s final work as he was to die aged only 50 from heart disease the same year. The 1st movement has the unusual marking Andante Furioso, the slow tempo is skilfully used to bottle up a sense of anger and tension to the point of becoming claustrophobic. The 2nd movement, also marked andante is rather cool and resigned eventually concluding the work in a sense of uneasy but accepted peace.

Finally Yoshimatsu’s 4th Symphony, which is a four movement work of a little under 30 minutes duration. It is a bright enjoyable and light work. The 1st movement is dominated by bright open textures, the 2nd is a humourous waltz which is a game of spot the various well known musical quotations. The 3rd movement is more serious and expressive and the finale returns to the bright impulsive world of the 1st movement with echoes of Reich and Adams.

[Suffolkcoastal]

More from the journey through my symphonic collection:

2001

Maxwell Davies: Symphony No 8 ‘Antarctic Symphony’
P Glass: Symphony No 6 ‘Plutonium Ode’
Hersch: Symphony No 2
H Kox: Symphony No 4 ‘Tasmanian Symphony’
Sallinen: Symphony No 8 ‘Autumnal Fragments’
Yosimatsu: Symphony No 5

2002

G Coates : Symphony No 14 ‘Symphony in Microtones’
D Ellis: Symphony No 2
Segerstam: Symphony No 81 ‘after eighty’

Peter Maxwell Davies 8th Symphony is a one movement work of around 40 minutes duration. The single movement can be subdivided into 5 sections. The score was originally commissioned by teh British Antarctic Survey in 1998 for the 50th Anniversary of the film’ Scott of the Antarctic and Vaughan Williams score. PMD spent some time as part of the commission conditions at the British station in the Antarctic. The score with its extra and unusual percussion reflects the impact of his journey and stay. There are certainly moments of stunning impact and the mood of desolation is well captured, though ultimately the work doesn’t carry forward like the best of the composer’s earlier symphonies and a feeling of sameness creeps in.

Philip Glass’s 6th Symphony is a three movement work of around 50 minutes duration and calls for Soprano, Speaker and Orchestra. It sets Allen Ginsberg’s ‘Plutonium Ode’ and exists in two versions one with and one without speaker. The latter is distinctly preferable as the speaker is merely reciting the words of the ode at the same the time the soprano is singing them which seems rather silly. There are some brief moments of interest but Glass can’t resist continually falling back on his same tired old clichés and the effect is rather tiring.

The 2nd Symphony of Michael Hersch is a four movement work of a little under 20 minutes duration. The 1st movement opens in a state of fury and is driven by clusters, this continues in a much more subdued manner into the 2nd movement. The 3rd movement begins more expressively and makes a welcome contrast, however the anger soon returns and spills into the final movement where it becomes chilled and numbed.

The Dutch composer Hans Kox’s 4th Symphony is a work of around 40 minutes duration. The Symphony is a varied score and paints a vivid portrait matched by good orchestration and keeps the listener interested. The language though fairly contemporary is not particularly demanding and has a clarity of expression.

Sallinen’s 8th Symphony is in one movement and lasts between 20 & 25 minutes duration. Beginning with nervous percussive tapping, this is a rather dark and brooding score with an apt autumnal feel to it. There is a general overall feeling of sadness, and Sallinen is very successful in keeping the music fluid and of interest in the textural variety he achieves.

Yoshimatsu’s 5th Symphony is a four movement work of around 45 minutes duration. The first movement with jazzy ostinati and rhythmic drive is distinctly urban in feel. The 2nd movement is also distinctly jazzy with a touch of sleaziness about it. The 3rd movement is quite beautiful and slightly wistful, richly and atmospherically score too, it is the most appealing movement. The finale is less successful, trying to balance the worlds of the 1st and 3rd movements with the sweeping grand gesture, it ends up sounding like empty cinematic rhetoric.

Gloria Coates 14th Symphony is scored for strings and timpani and is in three movements and lasts between 20 & 25 minutes. The 1st two movement pay tribute to the early American composers Supply Belcher and William Billings and the uses a theme from Coates’s own 5th Symphony. The work is dominated by the composer’s trademark slow glissandi and clusters and harmonies by quarter tones. There is virtually no relief from this intense texture and is probably a work to avoid if you are susceptible to headaches and migraines!

The 2nd Symphony of David Ellis is a four movement work of a little over 35 minutes duration. It is an expansive score full of incident and varied and descriptive too. There is generally an impressive fluidity in the work, which is fairly approachable. It does perhaps lack a distinct personality of its own though.

Finally Segerstam's 81st Symphony, which follows the composer’s standard technique, and one movement format, lasting around 25 minutes. As usual percussion and piano an integral part of the soundworld. Generally this is a transparent and rather delicate score which reminds one of Ives at times, and is generally successful in holding the listeners attention.

[Suffolkcoastal]

More from the journey through my symphonic collection:

2003

Aho: Symphony No 12 ‘Luosto’
Aho: Symphony No 13’ Symphonic Characterisations’
J Anderson: Symphony
A Butterworth: Symphony No 5
Harbison: Symphony No 4
J Krenz: Symphony No 3
MacMillan: Symphony No 3 ’Silence’
Silvestrov: Symphony No 7
Veale: Symphony No 3

2004

Casken: Symphony ‘Broken Consort’
Corigliano: Symphony No 3 ‘Circus Maximus’
P Glass: Symphony No 7 ‘Toltec’

Kalevi Aho’s 12th Symphony is a four movement work lasting between 45 & 50 minutes. It is scored for distant chamber orchestra, full orchestra and tenor, soprano & saxophone. Luosto is a region of Lapland and Aho paints a vivid and sympathetic picture. The two soloists are used in vocalises and often blend with the saxophone. The 1st movement, which opens explosively with drums, is a powerful and ritualistic movement. The 2nd movement moves from the dark gloomy depths of winter to the bright landscapes of midsummer. The 3rd movement contains most of the vocalises and is rather spacious and hypnotic. The finale has a solid determination but eventually fades into the Lapland landscape.

Aho’s 13th Symphony is a two movement work lasting around 40 minutes. The two long movements are subdivided into many smaller sections. The symphony is a musical portrayal of various human characteristics and certainly has plenty of variety within an expansive framework. Some of the sections are very beautiful others frankly deliberately vulgar. Aho though keeps control throughout and the music never meanders and remains interesting and often unexpected.

Julian Anderson’s Symphony is a one movement work with a duration of around 17 minutes. The music proceeds through gradual transformation of material. The result is an score that feels expansive and longer than it actually is and that generally holds together well, even if the ending is a little abrupt. The musical language is effective but a little anonymous.

Arthur Butterworth’s 5th Symphony has a duration of around 28 minutes and like its predecessors is a work rich atmosphere and nature painting. There a distinctly romantic feel to the work and the worlds of Sibelius and Bax never seem far away. The mood is often quite tempestuous and uneasy, though there is a feeling of a certain sameness when compared with the 3rd and 4th Symphonies.

John Harbison’s 4th Symphony is in five relatively short movements and lasts around 25 minutes. The work is string on contrast on material and mood. The 1st and 3rd movements are light and upbeat, whilst the 2nd is rather enigmatic and the 4th expressive and more lyrical. The finale seems to sum up the moods of the previous movements drawing on the experience of each. Stylistically the work is fairly straightforward and Harbison does achieve a voice of his own through his absorbtion of others.

The 3rd Symphony of Jan Krenz is a rather uncompromising score of around 25 minutes duration. The work is generally tough and angular with a gritty determination about it. The work never relaxes and is blunt in expression, but ultimately the work is rather unmemorable.

James MacMillan’s 3rd Symphony is in one continuous movement lasting between 35 & 40 minutes. The ‘silence’ of the title refers to times when God appears to be silent and man embarks on some of his worst atrocities. The work is dark and full of deep unease and the music is subject to sudden explosions and moments of great violence and brutality that have great impact. The unease and brutality are never really resolved but rather they are confronted in a conclusion which has a mood of cool slightly oriental ritualistic meditation.

Silvestrov’s 7th Symphony is a one movement work with a duration of around 20 minutes. The tempi are slow throughout and the mood alternates between darkness and foreboding and moments of sad gentle lyricism. There isn’t a resolution as such and the music ends in a mood of weary resignation. Though effective the Symphony has the feeling of needing to belong to a larger structure, at least to me.

John Veale’s 3rd Symphony completed in his 81st year, was the composer’s final completed work. It is in one movement and lasts around 17 minutes. The work belongs firmly within the tonal British tradition and is straightforward and almost noble in feeling and works very well. Enthusiasts of mainstream British orchestral music should readily explore this work and the composer’s rather modest output (though not that much is currently available).

John Casken’s Symphony ‘Broken Consort’ was a 2004 Proms commission and lasts around 35 minutes. The ‘broken consort’ refers to the use of a small Gypsy ensemble of Cimbalom, Accordion, Electric Violin and Mandolin which are absorbed into and emerge from the general orchestral texture. This is effectively handled and creates textures of interest and originality. The overall effect is of work that is searching and probing but also one filled with a certain nostalgia. It is certainly among the more original British symphonies of the 21st century so far.

John Corigliano’s 3rd Symphony is in one movement divided into 8 sections which play without a break and lasts around 35 minutes. It is scored for a large symphonic band and the forces are divided spatially and are also used to create a marching band. The work’s inspiration comes from the decadence of the Circus in the later Roman Empire and its need to entertain the masses and its parallel in the 21st century with man’s seemingly insatiable appetite for entertainment. The work is very vivid in its impact with some shattering climaxes and an almost garish deliberate vulgarity at times. Some sections though are more reflective and provide effective contasts. The work endx with of all things a gunshot, certainly not a work that you should play at full volume with neighbours of a nervous disposition!

Finally Philip Glass’s 7th Symphony, which is in three movements and lasts around 35 minutes. A chorus is used in the second movement. Though generally typical Glass, there are moments in the 1st movement were Glass manages to avoid falling back too readily on his standard clichés. The 2nd movement with its rhythmic ostinato soon becomes repetitive and tedious. The 3rd movement relies more on the Glass clichés though it is a rather understated and reflective movement.

[Suffolkcoastal]

More from the journey through my symphonic collection:

2005

Arnell: Symphony No 7 ‘Mandela’ (realised Yates 2010)
G Coates: Symphony No 15 ‘Homage to Mozart’
A Eliasson: Symphony No 4
P Glass: Symphony No 8
Penderecki: Symphony No 8 ‘Songs of Transience’
Vasks: Symphony No 3

2006

Norgard: Symphony No 7
Segerstam: Symphony No 151 ‘Challenging the risks.....’
Segerstam: Symphony No 162 ‘Doubling the number for Bergen’

Arnell’s 7th Symphony as finally realised is a three movement work of a little over 35 minutes duration. The symphony’s origin is in a work conceived for the 80th birthday of Nelson Mandela. Arnell worked on the score from 1996-2005 until failing eyesight curtailed further work. Martin Yates then completed the work from Arnell’s extensive sketches. The 1st movement has a tension and nervous impulse with tense unsettled harmonies. The 2nd movement is long and expressive, this expression has a noble element and sustained lyricism. The finale is less successful, despite the ‘big tune’ and doesn’t gel particularly well. Still it is good to hear this unsung composer’s final thoughts.

Gloria Coates 15th Symphony is in three movements and lasts around 20-25 minutes. The outer movements are rather sombre, with chorales pitched against Coates’s trademark glissandi and sudden outbursts. In the central movement Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus gradually emerges from the glissandi, but the effect achieved sounds like an orchestra playing completely out of tune. Different yes, but enjoyable?

Anders Eliasson’s 4th Symphony lasts between 25 & 30 minutes. It is generally a rather anxious and unsettled score, continually probing. The composer keeps a fairly strong control and with a fluidity of tempi and texture. The general restlessness eventually subsides into a hesitant and resigned conclusion

Philip Glass’s 8th Symphony is a three movement work lasting between 35 & 40 minutes. The 1st movement is marked by an insistent, urgent rhythmic pulse. The movement though is too long for what little material there is. The slow 2nd movement, a sort of passacaglia, is much better and employs a greater tonal freedom than usual for Glass. The relatively short final movement is also slow, but here the Glass clichés intrude and the music doesn’t provide enough contrast to what has just gone before.

Penderecki’s 8th Symphony is scored for solo soprano, mezzo, baritone, chorus & orchestra and lasts a little over 35 minutes. It sets poems by 19th and early 20th century German poets and is concerned with the natural cycle of decay and rebirth in nature, reflected in humanity. The score is a pretty impressive piece of writing full of drama and with a rather dark hue hovering over the work. The writing is in Penderecki’s post-romantic manner though with occasional nod to greater complexity. Some of the writing is quite haunting and the work is certainly worth investigation.

Peteris Vasks 3rd Symphony is a one movement work, which can be divided into four sections and which has a duration of between 40 & 45 minutes. This is certainly a work of some impact, the opening expansive and expressively moving. The 3rd section has a sardonic edge that cuts a disturbing picture. The symphony concludes in broad fashion reaching a final climax before dying away hauntingly on an alto flute.

Norgard’s 7th Symphony is a three movement work of a little over 25 minutes duration. The Symphony has an edginess to it, nervous and impulsive, with the ghost of Stravinsky distantly hanging over the first movement. The 2nd movement is also rather unsettled and the finale has a touch of irony and its restlessness and the movement and the symphony as a whole never really settles. It is a work that keeps the listeners interest in that it keeps one guessing, though it needs a number of hearings to really evaluate successfully.

Segerstam’s 151st Symphony is in the composer’s usual single movement format lasting a little over 25 minutes. As usual the pianos and percussion are to the fore. It is a rather typical Segerstam offering but with a more dramatic edge.

Segerstam’s 162nd Symphony is a touch shorter at around 23 minutes and is again in one movement. Once again the pianos and percussion play a key part in the textures and a clearer structure evolves with a haunting coda. However, the soundworld that Segerstam creates doesn’t significantly change from one work to the next.

[Suffolkcoastal]

More from the journey through my symphonic collection:

2007

J Adams: Dr Atomic Symphony (revised version)
Aho: Symphony No 14 ‘Rituals’
McCabe: Symphony No 7 ‘Labyrinth’
D Matthews: Symphony No 6
Rueda: Symphony No 3 ‘Luz’
Segerstam: Symphony No 181 ‘Names itself when played’

2008

J Gallagher: Sinfonietta (revised version)
T Marco: Symphony No 8 ‘Gaia’s Dance’
Part: Symphony No 4
Ruders: Symphony No 4
Segerstam: Symphony No 212

John Adams Dr Atomic Symphony was originally a four movement work but was revised to three movements and lasts a little under 25 minutes. The music is taken from his 2005 opera and most of the weight is in the central movement which almost two-thirds of the overall length. The score has a reflective almost melancholic feel even in the more animated sections and there is a sense of anxiety too. The work isn’t by its nature particularly symphonic, but it is in a strange way rather moving.

Kalevi Aho’s 14th Symphony is in one movement which is divided into 6 sections with a total duration of around 30 minutes. The scoring is for African and Arabian drums, gongs and orchestra. The drums feature in the three sections called ‘Incantation’ and the way they are played and the rhythms used set the mood for each section. The gongs are used in the 4th section ‘Processional’ and the 2nd & 5th sections are for orchestra without the drums and gongs. Once again Aho shows his great imagination in a haunting work of hypnotic appeal. A strange unease haunts the work which often seems on a different level of consciousness.

John McCabe’s 7th Symphony is a one movement work of a little over 20 minutes duration. The work is upward struggle towards the light of the concluding pages. The work begins in a slow searching manner which gives way to greater animation with the ghost Stravinsky distantly hovering, the work fights its way to a peaceful conclusion theta resolves the tension. It is an impressive work finely orchestrated and well worth seeking out.

David Matthews 6th Symphony is a three movement work of a little under 40 minutes duration. The work had its origin in a set of collective variations on Vaughan Williams’ tune ‘Down Ampney’ and Mathews variation is incorporated and expanded in the central scherzo, the rest of the work also draws on aspects of the tune. The 1st movement is probing and exploratory and shows excellent command of symphonic pacing. The central scherzo is textural kaleidoscope and very inventive. The 3rd movement is broad and again has a searching quality and RVW’s great tune finely appears towards the works conclusion in a spacious coda. A fine and inventive work this, well worth seeking out.

Jesus Rueda’s 3rd Symphony is a five movement work of between 40 & 45 minutes duration. Each of the first four movements takes one of the four elements, fire, water, earth and air as the source of its inspiration, whilst the finale is entitled ‘towards the light’. The work is scored for a very large orchestra and Rueda takes full advantage of the array of textural colours on offer to create some effective soundscapes. It is certainly a vivid work of great initial impact if ultimately the overall substance of the work is a little thin.

Segerstan’s 181st Symphony is in the composer’s standard one movement lasting around 22 minutes. It presents a typical wide range of textures and there are some moments of dynamism, however Segerstam’s symphonies, through using the same techniques, start sounding much the same.

Jack Gallagher’s Sinfonietta is scored for string orchestra and is in five movements with a total duration of between 25 and 30 minutes. The work had its origin in two string pieces the composer wrote in 1990. These were revised and the work created and revised in 2007-8. The work is generally lyrical and quite appealing written in a straightforward manner. The 2nd movement ‘Intermezzo’ and the 4th ‘Pavane’ are distinctly English in feeling with a nod towards Vaughan Williams. The remaining movements are all engaging and approachable.

Tomas Marco’s 8th Symphony is a three movement work of around 22 minutes duration. The ‘Gaia’ of the title is the holistic name for the Earth and each of the movements takes its inspiration from the dances of various parts of the planet. Though this sounds interesting and engaging, the end result is for me far from it, as personally I find the work rather coarse and uninspired with rather awkward orchestration that often produces a certain heaviness of sound.

Arvo Part’s 4th Symphony is a three movement work of around 35 minutes duration. The tempi are generally slow throughout. Though there are moments of gentle evocative lyricism, the work as a whole is rather static and personally I find it rather tedious and uninvolving.

Ruders 4th Symphony is scored for organ and orchestra and is a four movement work of around 30 minutes duration. The organ is Ruders own instrument and it is successfully integrated into the score so that it doesn’t dominate in a concertante fashion. The first two movements ‘Prelude’ and ‘Cortege’ are expansive with the organ used sensitively and also to create moments of powerful grandeur. The 3rd movement ‘Etude’ is fast and it leads into the finale a dynamic and striking ’Chaconne’ with has great breadth and strength. Ruders language is not excessively difficult and this is certainly worth seeking out.

Finally Segerstam’s 212th Symphony (he is currently in the 270’s!!!), as usual a one movement work lasting around 25 minutes and using the composers aleatoric techniques. It has moments of drama but sounds much like the other symphonies of his I’ve heard.

[Suffolkcoastal]

The final instalment in the journey through my symphonic collection:

2009

Broadstock: Symphony No 6 ‘Tyranny of Distance’
C Gunning: Symphony No 5
T Marco: Symphony No 9 ‘Thalassa’

2010

Aho: Symphony No 15
D Matthews: Symphony No 7

2011

P Glass: Symphony No 9
Norgard: Symphony No 8
Rouse: Symphony No 3

2012

Maxwell Davies: Symphony No 9
P Glass: Symphony No 10
Mustonen: Symphony No 1 ‘Tuuri’
A Schultz: Symphony No 3 ‘Century’
Stucky: Symphony

Brenton Broadstock’s 6th Symphony is scored for solo soprano, chorus, digeridoo & orchestra is work of around 35 minutes duration, dealing with the concept of distance at various levels. It is a powerfully wrought and expansive score with moments of loneliness, intensity and ecstasy. The didgeridoo is carefully exploited for colour and evocative painting in sound. The soprano’s role is very taxing, using the full range. John Adams comes to mind here and there and occasionally Broadstock goes a bit over the top, but this a fine and colourful scored that many will enjoy.

Christopher Gunning is best known as a film and tv composer. His 5th symphony is a four movement work of around 50 minutes duration. It is an expansive score, rather romantic feeling, almost impressionistic in its landscape painting. There are some moment of luminous and beautiful writing, but also moments of rather mundane note-spinning and overall the work lacks a distinctive style of its own and any really memorable ideas.

Tomas Marco’s 9th Symphony is a two movement work lasting a little under 25 minutes. The work takes its inspiration from the oceans and the two movements are entitled Nun (the Egyptian god of water) and Okeanus (the Greek Titan). The score though is seriously marred by heavy and ugly orchestration. The score maybe trying to portray element power, but singularly fails to produce any ideas of distinction, the only thing that stays in the memory is the ugliness of sound.

Aho’s 15th Symphony, his most recent to date, lasts around 30 minutes and is a typically varied score. The work opens in a mysterious hesitant manner, percussion soon provides a steadily more important commentary. The Symphony gains in animation and eventually drives the music to a hard driven conclusion. Perhaps not Aho’s finest symphony to date but by no means insignificant.

David Matthews 7th Symphony is a one movement work of around 20 minutes duration. The work takes a while to get going, with a slightly sad exploratory opening. The Symphony eventually builds in strength and confidence to a bright affirmative conclusion. The work is very approachable and worth a listen.

Philip Glass’s 9th Symphony is a three movement work of around 50 minutes duration. The work contains some fine and occasionally beautifully meditative passages, most notably the works closing section where Glass seems to have the concluding pages of Shostakovich’s 4th Symphony in his head. There are however too many standard Glass clichés in the work and what little material there is, is spread far too thin to really justify the work’s length.

Norgard’s 8th Symphony is a three movement work of around 25 minutes duration. The 1st movement is the longest and is a fluid searching movement that never settles. The central movement with its muted brass has a touch of the blues about it in places and is unexpected. The finale makes much use of short scalic ideas and is again very fluid in movement. The scoring includes a large percussion section, but which is very effectively used.

Christopher Rouse’s 3rd Symphony is a two movement work of around 30 minutes duration. The model is Prokofiev’s 2nd Symphony with its fairly short opening movement followed by a substantial theme and variations movement. Like the Prokofiev the opening toccata is a blistering, dynamic movement of tremendous drive and energy and is certainly exciting. The 2nd movement has an extensive opening theme followed by far fairly substantial variations. The 1st variation is light and transparent, the 2nd is lyrical and very beautiful, the 3rd ironic with a touch of humour, teh 4th is more hard driven, whilst the final variation has a powerful grandeur that brings back the theme. This is a fine work and well worth seeking out as Rouse certainly has a style that is distinctly his own.

Peter Maxwell Davies 9th Symphony is at around 23 minutes his shortest essay in the form. Written for the Queens Diamond Jubilee it can be divided into two sections. A brass sextet plays a key role and introduces military style marches in the 1st section which have a sarcastic ring to them. The first section is surprisingly loosely modelled on the traditional sonata structure. Overall the language is more tonal than usual and the relative brevity and tautness of the work, make for an effective symphony.

Philip Glass’s 10th Symphony is a work of around 25 minutes duration. The 1st movement is rhythmically more animated and articulate than is often the case with Glass. The rest of the work however relies heavily on standard Glass clichés, with their pulsating chugging and the orchestration is rather dull.

Olli Mustonen is best known as a pianist and conductor. His first symphonic essay is scored for baritone and orchestra and lasts around 30 minutes. The work has one foot firmly planted in late romanticism, the ghost of Sibelius and also Mussorgsky hang over the work. The work is rather enigmatic in mood, a commentary that is at times bleak, at others dark in a typically Nordic manner, and at other times full of ironic humour. In fact the concluding pages almost seem like a commentary from ‘The Fool’ in Boris Godunov.

Australian Andrew Schultz 3rd Symphony is a work of around 40 minutes duration. Each movement has a short choral introduction, which I imagine is optional as the chorus and boys voices play no other part in the work. The music is quite approachable, but to be honest is rather dull and routine without any really distinguishing features and certainly well short of the imagination of his compatriot Broadstock.

Steven Stucky’s Symphony is his first mature effort in the medium and is a one movement work of a little under 20 minutes duration. The symphony contrasts emotions opening with an ‘Introduction and Hymn, this is interrupted anguished section which then propels itself into a swift moving scherzo section before the Hymn returns to conclude the work in peace. It is certainly effective and distinctive and one looks forward to Stucky writing further essays in the form.

Concluding with a composer writing his first mature Symphony seems particularly apt and let us hope the Symphony continues to engage the imagination of composers. This is my final chronological entry, though as I have acquired a dozen or more symphonies since I began this survey I hope later on to provide some commentary on these works too.

[Lat-Literal]

This is an outstanding piece of work and I will return to it often.

You have mentioned several symphonies by Gipps.

Can I ask please in what recorded form you have them??

[Beef Oven!]

Really enjoying Roy Harris' 6th 'Gettysburg' symphony. Quite surprised at the paucity of Harris orchestral recordings.

I listened to the fifth earlier and along with 3, 6, 7 & 9 are good examples of American 20th century symphonic must. I must say I did not care very much for #4.

More from the journey through my symphonic collection:

1944

Arnell: Symphony No 2 ‘Rufus’
Barber: Symphony No 2
Creston: Symphony No 2
Dohnanyi: Symphony No 2 in E major (revised 1957)
Freitas Branco: Symphony No 3
Goossens: Symphony No 2
M Gould: Symphony No 2 ‘Symphony on Marching Tunes’
Harris: Symphony No 6 ‘Gettysburg’
Holmboe: Symphony No 5
Khrennikov: Symphony No 2 (revised version)
Martinu: Symphony No 3
Mennin: Symphony No 2
Milhaud: Symphony No 2
Moeran: Sinfonietta
Prokofiev: Symphony No 5 in B flat
Rosenberg: Symphony No 5 ‘Hortulanus’
Sulek: Symphony No 2 in D ‘Eroica’
Tansman: Symphony No 6 ‘In Memoriam’
Tansman: Symphony No 7 ‘Lyrique’
Villa-Lobos: Symphony No 6 ‘On the Outline of the Mountains of Brazil’
Wordsworth: Symphony No 1

Arnell’s 2nd symphony was originally composed before his 1st Symphony but was heavily revised. ‘Rufus’ was a pseudonym used by Arnell when entering the work for a competition. Generally this is a better work than the 1st Symphony. The outer movements of this 3 movement work are confident and almost brash in their masculinity and make a strong impression. As with the 1st Symphony the slow movement is more problematical. It suffers from the same rather dull invention and less than inspired orchestration, though structurally it is more assured.

Samuel Barber famously withdrew his 2nd Symphony leaving only the central movement in the 1960’s. The score was reconstructed from orchestral parts in the 1980’s (I often why no one bothered to trace the scores that had been purchased in the 50’s, I know of two from that era). It is a powerful and dramatic score. Barber was serving in the USAF and the wartime experience of a pilot is embodied in this work. The 1st movement contains some of Barber’s most dissonant and exciting music. The central movement ‘night flight’ is among Barber’s most stunningly haunting and beautiful creations, capturing the loneliness of a night flyer guided only by a single radio beam (I simply adore this movement). The finale has much of the excitement and drama of the 1st but is less tautly constructed.

Paul Creston’s 2nd Symphony is in two movements consisting of an Introduction & Song followed by an Interlude & Dance. It is one of his most appealing scores. The 1st movement is lyrical, singing and refined, Creston’s brand of lyricism is always beautifully poised and never over the top. The 2nd movement is more energetic with plenty of rhythmic drive and driving pulse very typical of teh composer.

Dohnanyi’s 2nd Symphony comes 40 years after its predecessor. A large symphony of over 50 minutes duration, it is largely composed in a late-romantic idiom, often rather Straussian but with plenty of individuality. The 1st movement controls symphonic ebb and flow confidentally and has an engaging lyrical 2nd subject. The 2nd movement for me lacks distinctive ideas, but the concise and more contemporary scherzo has plenty of energy. The finale is more diffuse and struggles to hold one’s attention.

Luis de Freitas Branco was a Portugese composer. His 3rd Symphony isn’t a strong work. It starts for all the world like Bruckner before a slightly more contemporary idiom establishes itself. There is too strong a reliance on organum harmony and homophonic textures. This results in a rather stodgy texture, particularly in the rather turgid scherzo and the work lacks the forward sweep and planning of a true symphonist. There are some more attractive and picturesque moments, especially in the slow movement.

Goossens’ 2nd Symphony is a substantial 40 minute long work. His sound world is very eclectic, with hints of Bax, Walton, Britten, Prokofiev & Copland. It is very much a product of the war years in its strident determination and vigour and more reflective elegiac passages and it is effectively orchestrated. Real individuality though is lacking as is real distinction in the material.

Morton Gould’s 2nd Symphony (Symphony on Marching Tunes) was written for the Centenary of teh YMCA and makes references to a number of well known tunes. The 1st & 3rd movements are rather brash and the 1st is strongly influenced by Harris. The finale ‘In Memoriam’ is by far the best movement and is a moving and elegiac tribute to the fallen of the war.

Harris 6th (Gettysburg) Symphony is one of his more successful works. The 1st movement ‘awakening’ is for me his finest symphonic movement, perfectly illustrating his individual autogenic method of construction and concluding in a glorious singing cantilena. The graphic 2nd movement ‘conflict’ is cinematic battle music and very effective it is too, one is immediately reminded of The Red Badge of Courage in its detail. The 3rd ‘dedication’ is among Harris’s most moving and elegiac creations. The finale is slightly less successful, largely a reworking of the 2nd part of his 1940 American Creed, but it still rounds the symphony of in a highly effective manner.

Holmboe’s 5th Symphony is in 3 movements and is a strong score. The driving, nagging nervous energy of the 1st movement is impressively maintained and the movement shows elements of the ‘metamorphic’ technique Holmboe was to adapt in composing his later works. The funeral like solemnity of the slow movement is also well managed. The finale is slightly Stravinskyian and makes an effective contrast in its more upbeat mood and generally lighter texture.

The 2nd is the longest of Khrennikov’s 3 symphonies. It was initially composed in 1942 and then substantially revised. The symphony is very cinematic and the depth of many other Soviet war time symphonies. There are some lighter and more attractive moments and the 2nd movement has a greater depth than the others. The finale though is very banal and empty.

Martinu’s 3rd Symphony is the darkest of his 6 Symphonies, tautly and motivically argued it creates a powerful impression. The tension of the 1st movement is wound up to near breaking point as the music twists around trying to break free of the motivic 3rds. The central 3rd movement is Martinu at his most personal and individual the textures are quite unlike any other composer and handled with extreme confidence. The finale starts with the same nervous energy as the 1st movement but dissolves into a dream like section before a more optimistic and generally serene coda (though with bitonal piano chords) concludes the work in E major. A masterpiece!

Peter Mennin withdrew his 2nd Symphony as he was dissatisfied with it. It is in fact a very assured accomplishment for a 21 year old and already shows some aspects of his mature style and polyphonic mastery, though there are still hints of Piston, Harris & Schuman in this deeply serious and powerful work.

Continued in posting below ......

[Lat-Literal]

Really enjoying Roy Harris' 6th 'Gettysburg' symphony. Quite surprised at the paucity of Harris orchestral recordings.

I listened to the fifth earlier and along with 3, 6, 7 & 9 are good examples of American 20th century symphonic must. I must say I did not care very much for #4.

There is a paucity of Harris performances and broadcasts too, BeefOven, especially but not only in this country. I would have thought there would be more emphasis on him in the US by now. Plus there has been a commitment from Naxos since 2006 for a recording of all of his 13 numbered symphonies (although there are at least 18 symphonies in total) and yet still a majority of the numbered ones have not been done. I have the Alsop 6th on Naxos which you might see one poster says is a better recording than the one on the link I recently posted. Mainly I agree with Suffolkcoastal's comments. Actually I slightly prefer the 6th to the 3rd which is generally regarded as his best. But I have the 11th highest purely on the grounds of personal preference. The 4th is enjoyable in an Old American Songs sort of way though it is clearly inferior to the Copland work and I am not at all surprised you don't like it much.

[Lat-Literal]

A quick follow up on de Freitas Branco. I very much like the oratorio The Temptations of Holy Father Gil and think it is much better than the one or two symphonies I have heard. The Portuguese symphonies are enjoyable and, as suffolk coastal notes on the de Freitas Branco 3 colourful, but arguably quite lightish in almost a light end of RVW way. In terms of access, recent ish Portuguese music can seem peripheral, matching the location of the country itself. But there is quite a strong argument for exploring beyond the obvious which could be described as Freitas Branco and Braga Santos. I like Lamote de Grignon's 4th although many would think it trifling. Fragoso is another composer who had his moments. There are more.

As for Arnell, the greatest orchestrator since Berlioz according to Beecham, there is supposedly a symphony somewhere dedicated to Nelson Mandela.

But from the symphonies that are known to have been completed, it has to be 5 which is commonly subtitled "The Gorilla".