In this installment: bright, modernist music by Wiren and Papandopulo, laments by Penderecki, Takemitsu, Howells and Richard Strauss, minimal music by Adams and Glass, Angst-infused music by Bartok, Shostakovitch and Hartmann. and Neoclassical vitality by Stravinsky... and much else.
1. Dag Wiren, Serenade for String Orchestra (1937, Sweden)
The 20th c. Swedish composer Dag Wiren left a small, but fine oeuvre. He is especially famous for his spirited Serenade for String Orchestra, but he also left four symphonies. The serenade was first performed by the Stockholm Chamber Orchestra at a promenade concert at the National Museum on 28 October 1937. Wiren had by that time studied for a while in Paris and had been inspired by the diverting music written by the group of composers known as Les Six. He had also found time to formulate his artistic credo, which put Mozart and Nielsen above all other composers.
The four contrasting movements of the serenade (Preludium, Andante espressivo, Scherzo and Marcia) are worked out with consummate perfection. The structure is transparent and simple, the music refined and spontaneous. This extrovert serenade soon became the most frequently performed of all Wiren's music. The main impression is rhythmic and optimistic, it is only in the second movement that we hear a more dark Nordic tone. Note that the concluding march contains a parody of the drum-rolls of military music in the trio - a fitting satire in the years leading up to WWII.
Listen to Cali Camerata
2. Herbert Howells, Concerto for String Orchestra (1938, Britain)
The concerto for String Orchestra was composed in 1938, and had its first performance in December of that year by the BBC Orchestra under Sir Adrian Boult. It was composed in circumstances personal to Howells: sketched a short time after Sir Edward Elgar's death in 1934 (whom he very much admired), and at only a brief interval after the loss of an only son. For these and other reasons the slow movement of the Concerto is dedicatory in origin and nature. It bears the note: "In memoriam E.E. (1934) and M.K.H. (1935)".
Of that twofold link the first is, obviously, the more immediate concern to the music, both idiomatically and technically. It was meant to be a modest expression of the abiding spell of music for strings, and pay homage to two supreme works: Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Tallis and Elgar's Introduction and Allegro. The Concerto features two strong and stirring
outer movements brimming with rhythmic vitality, while the somber and
serious Quasi Lento, the central movement in every sense of that word, builds to
a searing emotional climax.
Performance listened to: City of London Sinfonietta conducted by Richard Hickox on Chandos
3. Boris Papandopulo, Sinfonietta for String Orchestra, Op. 79 (1938, Croatia)
Boris Papandopulo (1906–1991) was a Croatian composer and conductor of Greek and Russian Jewish descent. He was the son of Greek nobleman Konstantin Papandopulo and Croatian opera singer Maja Strozzi-Pečić and one of the most distinctive Croatian musicians of the 20th century. Papandopulo also worked as music writer, journalist, and pianist. His oeuvre is imposing (counting about 450 works): with great success he created instrumental music (orchestral, concertante, chamber and solo), vocal music (for solo voice and choir), stage music and film music. His work reveals a multifaceted style: folklore, Neoclassicism as well as impressionistic and Expressionistic idioms come together in his music. Most importantly, however, his works are full of optimism, vibrancy and captivating resiliency.
Papandopulo eschewed the atonal revolution of the 20th century, and instead developed his own form of tonal composition. His music has something of both Hindemith and Martinu -- two other composers who took a similar path and who were also quite prolific. Papandopulo's music also contains some Croatian folk elements, particularly in its syncopated rhythms. It is always highly expressive music of quality.
The 28-minute Sinfonietta from 1938 features two sunny outer movements embracing a long and emotional elegy which is imbued with the vaguely "oriental" flavor of Balkan folk music. The Sinfonietta contains very fine writing for strings and forms the ideal introduction to the artistic cosmos of Papandopulo.
Also read about his piano concerto No 2 in my blog article Best Piano Concertos from the Twentieth Century Part Two.
Listen to: Zagreb Soloists
4. Bela Bartók: Divertimento for String Orchestra (1939-40, Hungary)
Bartok wrote his Divertimento for string orchestra shortly before his exile to the United States. It was composed between August 1 and August 17, 1939, in Saanen near Bern in a chalet lent to the composer by his dedicatee Paul Sacher and was premiered on June 11, 1940 by the Basel Chamber Orchestra. Bartók says about the title: "Divertimento is anguished music because it makes the composer feel the anguish of having to return to the war". The work uses the title and movements of 18th-century Italian divertimentos, but its progression belies the traditional aspect of these choices. The composer wanted a symphonic string orchestra for the performance, with at least twelve violins, four violas, four cellos and four double basses.
The first movement, between the tutti and the concertino, gradually gives way to high-pitched fortes from the strings, followed by low pianissimos, which dramatize what was intended as a simple "entertainment." The central slow movement creates a heavy atmosphere through a feverish counterpoint between the violins and double basses, similar to the central movement of the Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta. It is interrupted by increasingly resigned notes that alternate with increasingly strident ones. The third movement takes on the frenzied rhythm of folk songs in a more traditional concertante style.
Listen to: Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Candida Thompson, violin and artistic director
5. Richard Strauss: Metamorphosen in C minor for 23 strings (1944-45, Germany)
The Metamorphoses was written in the last months of World War II and premiered on Jan. 25, 1946, conducted by Paul Sacher and the Collegium Musicum Zurich. It is one of Strauss' last works. The work was written as an expression of mourning after all the destruction by the war - and especially as a lament for how culture suffered from the war, for example through the destruction of opera houses.
Starting from the basic idea of metamorphosis, the work can be seen as an incessant chain of variations whose melodic material and expressive tonal language recall the funeral march from Beethoven's Eroica Symphony. Strauss uses techniques of polyphony, dynamics, and modulation to develop the themes, shaping the intense expression of his final lament. In terms of outward form, the Metamorphoses consists of three sections with three groups of themes that are subjected to ongoing transformation. Over several stages of development, the Adagio ma non troppo is followed by a passionately soaring middle section Agitato, which, after an intense dynamic and polyphonically condensed increase, returns to the painful Adagio, where the first theme is repeated fortissimo. In the last measures, entitled "In Memoriam," Beethoven's funeral march motif is heard in the basses.
Listen to: Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Terje Tønnesen, artistic director
6. Nicolai Myaskovsky, Sinfonietta No 2 in A minor Op 58 (1945-46, Soviet Union)
Myaskovsky (1881-1950) is well known to classical music lovers as the author of twenty-seven symphonies and two interesting concertos - not to mention 13 string quartets. Stylistically, his music was rooted in the ’silver age’ of Russian music centered around the poles of Glazunov and Scriabin – never aspiring to the innovative tendencies of Prokofiev or Shostakovich, while avoiding the conformism that befell many of his contemporaries. Indeed, Myaskovsky remained as aloof from cultural upheaval as was possible in the Soviet Union of the inter-war years. An esteemed teacher at the Moscow Conservatoire for many years, his influence on a whole generation of composers makes him a crucial link between the Russian and Soviet eras.
The Sinfonietta in A minor was the first work that Myaskovsky wrote after the end of WWII. An atmosphere of peace pervades the transparent, ethereal music. The two middle movements of the sinfonietta are based on piano pieces written by Myaskovsly at the beginning of the century. In contrast to the symphonies, which tend to be rather gloomy and dark, these suites are clearly in a lighter and brighter vein.
Performance listened to: Chamber Orchestra Kremlin conducted by Misha Rachlevsky on Claves.
7. Igor Stravinsky - Concerto in D ("Basle") for String Orchestra (1946, U.S.)
Igor Stravinsky's Concerto in D ("Basle") for string orchestra was composed in Hollywood between the beginning of 1946 and 8 August of the same year in response to a commission from Paul Sacher to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Basel Chamber Orchestra, and for this reason is sometimes referred to as the "Basle" Concerto. It was the first composition Stravinsky created after becoming a naturalized American citizen on 28 December 1945. The concerto has been choreographed several times as a ballet.
There are three movements. In the Vivace, the very rhythmic first part is followed by a median episode (moderato), all in chords, which precedes a conclusive con moto. Next follows an Arioso (andante), in which the violins and cellos play a melody in B flat major. The concerto concludes with a Rondo, a movement in staccatos in sixteenth notes, which concludes with a dancing theme.
Listen to: l'Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France conducted by Barbara Hannigan
8. Hilding Rosenberg, Concerto for Strings No 1 (1946, Sweden)
Hilding Rosenberg (1892-1985) was an early Modernist in Sweden. Throughout his long career as a composer, he was always open to inspiration and impressions from music history and from contemporary life in general. His radicalism of the 1920s changed in the 1930s and 1940s to a moderate Modernism with elements of Neoclassicism and some Romanticism. This is counterbalanced by an austerity reminiscent of Paul Hindemith. The twelve string quartets (1920-1972) and the eight symphonies (1917-1974) are heavyweights in his output.
During a large part of the 1940s, Rosenberg was working on his enormous operatic oratorio "Joseph and his Brothers" (I suppose after the novels by Thomas Mann), but in 1946, during a break in the composition, he wrote his Concerto No 1 for String Orchestra. It is characterized by large contrasts between outbursts and playful folk tune-like melodies, a varied palette of sounds and a constant feeling of movement. The texture of the music is extremely complex and the brilliant and dramatic passages for solo violin, viola and cello have a profound effect on the character of the work.
Performance listened to: Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss conducted by Johannes Goritzki on CPO
9. Karl Amadeus Hartmann, Symphony No 4 for string orchestra (1946-47, Germany)
The German composer Karl Amadeus Hartmann studied under a number of leading musicians, including Anton Webern. Hartmann's works incorporate expressionist ideas, jazz motifs and Hungarian idioms drawn from his love of Bartók and Kodály. Known for his anti-fascist stance, Hartmann and his family refused to subscribe to xenophobic attitudes throughout the 1920s and 30s. When war broke out, Hartmann withdrew entirely from German musical life, refusing to let his music by played; his refusal to comply with the Nazi regime resulted in his music being denigrated as ‘atonal’ and ‘degenerate.’
The Fourth Symphony for strings was based on a pre-war symphony with soprano solo in the third movement, the finale. Hartmann's main change here was to compose a completely new, purely instrumental finale. The outer movements are both basically slow and deeply felt, with long sustained violin melodies, whilst the more episodic central Allegro is sometimes brutal, sometimes playful, but always rhythmically energized.
Read about his Sixth Symphony in my blog article Best Symphonies from the Twentieth Century Part Three.
Performance listened to: Bamberger Symphoniker conducted by Ingo Metzmacher on EMI
10. Joly Braga Santos, Concerto in D for string orchestra (1951, Portugal)
Braga Santos studied violin and composition at the National Conservatory in Lisbon. Four symphonies composed in rapid succession (1947-1950) made Braga Santos' name known internationally. He later taught composition himself at the National Conservatory of Lisbon, and also conducted the Symphony Orchestra in Porto. As a critic and journalist, he wrote for various Portuguese and foreign newspapers and magazines. Braga Santos is considered the most important Portuguese composer of the 20th century. The first four symphonies are in the late Romantic tradition, but also show influences of Impressionism. Modal thematic formations are sometimes reminiscent of Respighi or Vaughan Williams. Models for the often catchy melodies can also be found in Italian opera and late romantic Russian symphonic music. From about 1960 onwards, Braga Santos's style increasingly took on more contemporary influences and became more chromatic and dissonant.
The Concerto in D (from 1951) is unabashedly tuneful and buoyant, demonstrating that Braga Santos's early music is tonal and tuneful, drawing partially on romantic models and
partially on impressionism and folk music - Vaughan Williams may to a
certain extent be a point of reference, but Braga Santos's early music
is bolder, more muscular and less subtle. If one is attracted to the sound world of Vaughan Williams "Tallis Fantasia" with a tang of Shostakovich or Prokofiev added for spice, as well as Howell's Concerto for Strings, then one will certainly enjoy this gorgeous piece for strings. The last movement has passing resemblances to Warlock's Capriol Suite as well.
Performance listened to: Northern Sinfonia conducted by Alvaro Cassuto on Marco Polo
11. Jon Leifs, Reminiscence du Nord Op 40 for string orchestra (1952, Iceland)
The
Réminiscence du Nord was first recorded by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra in 1960. Paul Zukofsky (a long-time champion of Leifs) included it in an all-Leifs concert in
1969. While very emotionally engaged, it includes
dance-like elements comparable with Copland or perhaps with Hovhaness -
though chillier. It also features an alternation of styles derived from the folk traditions of Iceland.
However, there are no quotations of actual folk music, but the style of Icelandic folk music has been internalized by the composer in his own
musical language. It is dark music - I especially liked the gloomy, low strings rumbling along.
[Performance listened to: Iceland Symphony Orchestra conducted by En Shao on BIS]
12. Einojuhani Rautavaara, Suite for Strings (1952, Finland)
Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928 – 2016) was one of the most notable Finnish composers since Jean Sibelius. Rautavaara wrote a great number of works spanning various styles. These include eight symphonies, nine operas and twelve concertos, as well as numerous vocal and chamber works. Having written early works using 12-tone serial techniques, his later music may be described as neo-romantic and mystical. His major works include his first piano concerto (1969), Cantus Arcticus (1972) and his seventh symphony, Angel of Light (1994) - for this last symphony, see my blog article Best Symphonies from the Twentieth Century Part Three.
The Suite
for Strings is a reworking of Rautavaara's String Quartet No.1 with a
double-bass part. Like the quartet this sonorous work is divided into
three short movements. Rautavaara composed his first string quartet while a student at the Sibelius Academy, before embarking on his composition studies proper, as he himself remarked. It has usually been classified as "Neoclassical modern." The melodies of the first two movements are constructed on a symmetric scale, but as a conscious method and as the outcome of intuition guided by a fondness of melody. It is also possible to distinguish here the influence of Finnish folk music, especially in the virtuoso final movement.
Listen to: Burlington Chamber Orchestra, Michael Hopkins, music director
13. Michael Tippett, Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli (1953, Britain)
Commissioned
by the 1953 Edinburgh Festival to write a piece commemorating the
tercentenary of Corelli's birth, Michael Tippett recreated in his own
way the tripartite layout of Corelli's orchestra. His Fantasia
Concertante on a Theme of Corelli thus deploys a concertino (2 violins
and cello soloists), concerto grosso, and concerto terzo (this last
group performs the function of the harpsichord continue that Corelli
used to fill out the string texture and give it rhythmic definition).
But the work has several other dimensions of 'un-originality.' Two
contrasting motifs from the Corelli F major Concerto are the basis for
the sequence of seven variations with which the piece begins. Then
fantasy takes over, as Tippett goes back to a Bach organ transcription of
Corelli and adds to it several layers of
elaborate decorative counterpoint. The music swirls to an impassioned climax before calming down again into a pastorale section
echoing the gentle siciliano movement of Corelli's popular Christmas
Concerto. Much more than a re-creation of Baroque practice, the Fantasia
Concertante pays tribute to Italianate lyricism in general, from
Monteverdi to Puccini; the
work also reaped the lyrical harvest of Tippett's first opera, The Midsummer Marriage, which he had only just completed. The
Fantasia Concertante has become one of the
composer's most widely played works.
Listen to: A Far Cry
14. Carlos Chavez, Symphony No. 5 for strings (1953, Mexico)
The Fifth Symphony was commissioned on 24 September 1952 by the Koussevitzky Music Foundation, and was sketched in July and August 1953. Chávez composed all of it during the month of September, while he was living in Acapulco, completing the fair copy of the score the following month. The score is dedicated to the memory of Serge and Natalie Koussevitsky.
The Symphony is in three movements. In contrast to the Romantic character of the Fourth Symphony, Chávez here adopts a Neoclassical orientation. This is especially pronounced in the last movement, whose contrapuntal textures lend it a decidedly Baroque character. The first movement is in 12/8 time and close to E minor tonality. The themes of this movement are all related. The writing for strings in the second movement, Molto Lento, as well as the imaginative elaboration of motifs and instrumental technique make this one of Chavez's most original movements. We also see a fusion between formal strictness and a constant sense of improvisation.
Performance listened to: London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Eduardo Mata on VOX
15. Toru Takemitsu, Requiem for Strings (1957, Japan)
Toru Takemitsu (1930 – 1996) was Japan's most important 20th century composer. Largely self-taught, Takemitsu was admired for his subtle manipulation of instrumental and orchestral timbre. He is known for combining elements of oriental and occidental philosophy and for fusing sound with silence and tradition with innovation. He composed several hundred independent works of music, scored more than ninety films and published twenty books. He was influenced by Debussy and Messiaen, but also (increasingly) incorporated idiomatic elements of traditional Japanese music in his work.
The Requiem for Strings is one of his earliest works - and quite by chance it brought Takemitsu international attention. The work which had been written as an homage to the composer Fumio Hayasaka (known in the West for the music he wrote to the films of Akira Kurosawa), was heard by Igor Stravinsky in 1958 during his visit to Japan. The national broadcaster NHK had organized an opportunity for Stravinsky to listen to some of the latest Japanese music; when Takemitsu's work was put on by mistake, Stravinsky insisted on hearing it to the end. At a press conference later, Stravinsky expressed his admiration for the work, praising its "sincerity" and "passionate" writing. Stravinsky subsequently invited Takemitsu to lunch; for the young Takemitsu this was an "unforgettable" experience. After Stravinsky returned to the U.S., Takemitsu soon received a commission for a new work from the Koussevitsky Foundation which, he assumed, had come at the suggestion of Stravinsky. For this he composed Dorian Horizon (1966), which was premiered by the San Francisco Symphony, conducted by Copland.
The Requiem shares many characteristics with the mature Takemitsu. It is built out of shapely curves of melody, supported by thick parallel lines of slow-moving chords, reminiscent of Debussy and even more of Messiaen. And it is full of delicate touches of coloring: in the use made of mutes and playing on the bridge, and in the frequent subdivision of each section into several parts. Also characteristic is the rhapsodic, free flow of ideas.
Listen to: New York Classical Players, Dongmin Kim, music director/conductor
16. Dmitri Shostakovitch, Chamber Symphony in C minor, Op. 110a (1960, Soviet Union)
The Chamber Symphony in C minor is one of the most popular works of Shostakovitch. In fact, it is not an original composition, but a
masterful adaptation for string orchestra of his Quartet No 8, made with special permission of Shostakovitch in 1967 by the famous
conductor Rudolf Barshai, founder and artistic director of the Moscow
Chamber Orchestra.
The memory of Stalin’s terror, of fear, of killed
illusions, of one’s own humiliations, is poured into this penetrating
autobiographical work. The leitmotif of the DSCH sound monogram
permeates the entire piece. Shostakovitch also cites themes from his
iconic works written in different years: the First, Fifth, Seventh,
Eighth and Tenth Symphonies, the Piano Trio and the First Cello
Concerto, as well as the opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. The five parts
of the cyclic form pass into each other without interruption – the
sorrowful first part, the demonic dance of death, the ironic waltz, the
frightening abrupt chords at the beginning of Part IV, cutting through
the musical epitaph for the victims (according to Maxim, Shostakovitch
son, they symbolize the ominous knocks on the door with which the KGB
invades homes during the night), and finally a mourning finale-fugue.
Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Terje Tønnesen, artistic director
17. Armstrong Gibbs, Suite for Strings (1960, Britain)
In the Suite for Strings Gibbs celebrates his feeling for the string orchestra. The work contains some of his most sonorous and rich string textures. He splits the ensemble into two groups, the double bass only playing in the second. The opening music is reminiscent of the music of his contemporary composer Gerald Finzi - it is a theme of which Finzi would have been proud. Gibbs calls his slow movement "A Song of Sleep,"contrasting the main string orchestra, which is muted, with a first group which is not. Yet there are no specters here, Gibbs' dreams are unclouded and idyllic. In his Finale, "The Promise of Spring," Gibbs writes music of celebration and confidence. This ebullient music features a dance tune which sings of the turning of the year and renewal. Here Gibbs' precedents are Frank Bridge or even Elgar rather than Vaughan Williams. The sound of an earlier generation is evident in the glorious sonority which he achieves, and which may also remind one of Tchaikovsky in Souvenir de Florence.
Performance listened to: Guildhall Strings, directed by Robert Salter on Hyperion
18. Krzysztof Penderecki, Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima (1960, Poland)
A lament for 52 strings. During the 1960s this was one of the standard works within new music, dedicated to the victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
At the time he wrote this work, the Polish composer Penderecki was searching for new sounds and a form to unify those new sounds. It was precisely at that time, in the late 1950s and early 1960s, that all kinds of new forms of music emerged at a rapid pace. One had just left behind the strict rules of serial music, when aleatoric music emerged (for a short time), in which the musicians were left completely free. Threnody contains a combination of the two. Thereby, it is noteworthy that passages, which when listened to would be thought to be the "free" segments, are precisely the written-out passages - and vice versa. For the first time, graphic musical notation is used. Performers may begin on the note they wish to play and continue up or down from there. Finally, the piece contains another unique feature: as a climax, a cluster is built in which all 52 strings have a separate voice: each a quarter of a pitch (microtonal music) higher than the basic tone. After this "cry," the music quickly decrescendos to extremely soft (pppp).
The application of the various techniques creates a shadowy image, encouraging the listener to imagine a first glimpse of Hiroshima, which has just been bombed. In the total chaos of the devastation, one can no longer detect any distinct forms. At the same time, the music depicts an overwhelming sense of emptiness. It may also represent the state of mind of the people, who initially survived the immediate effects of the attack. Everything they had is gone and lost; a total emptiness is all that remains for them.
Listen to: Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Krzysztof Urbański, conductor
19. Lex van Delden, Concerto per Duo Orchestri d'archi (1961, The Netherlands)
Lex van Delden (1919-1988) was born to a Jewish family active in the diamond industry in Amsterdam. He was a pupil of pianist Cor de Groot and associate of Sem Dresden, but as far as composition was concerned, Van Delden was largely autodidact. During WWII he was a member of the student's resistance movement fighting against the German occupation; he lost almost his whole family in the Holocaust. Most of his early compositions were also destroyed during the war, his approximately 125 surviving works, including eight symphonies, were written after 1945. Van Delden continued writing tonal music in the grim years that atonality had most other composers and critics in its grip; his music is dark-hued but tuneful and rhythmic. Among his best known works are the Piccolo Concerto for twelve winds and timpani from 1960 and the Concerto per Due Orchestre d'archi from 1961.
"The Concerto was commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Culture and completed on August 16, 1961. The piece is a logical continuation of the composer's Piccolo Concerto ("piccolo" here is Italian for "small," and doesn't point to a flute), in which he attempted to realize acoustic effects by means of two separately arranged ensembles. This time we have two string orchestras, which supplement each other's harmonies and together work to form one unity consisting of two acoustic sources. The slow introduction contains material that punctuates the entire composition as a linking motto. It can be heard again in slightly altered form in the two interludes and the postlude, which enclose the other movements." (Introduzione Lento - Allegro - Interludio I - Scherzo Pizzicato - Interludio II - Danza Allegramente - Postludio Lento).
(From the CD notes by Peter Bree)
Performance listened to: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Eugen Jochum on Etcetera
20. William Walton, Sonata for String Orchestra (1972, Britain)
Arranged from the String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, all of Walton’s considerable virtues are evident in the Sonata for String Orchestra: a clear sense of
form, incredible rhythmic energy and virtuoso instrumental writing. A muted solo viola has the first subject in the sonata form Allegro, a long, musing theme, while a muted solo violin weaves a countermelody. The Presto is a fast moving scherzo, with plenty of syncopation, acting as a preparation to the Lento, one of Walton's most expressive and extended slow movements, which belongs to the highest tradition of British music for strings. Walton mutes his instruments here, with the viola laying out
the long opening idea, marked espressivo; over pizzicato accompaniment
from the cello, the viola also introduces the theme of the central
episode. Finally, we return to the strong syncopation of a Rondo (Allegro molto) whose accents are both on and off the bar. There is a hard-edged brilliance to this movement, and a sense of perpetuum mobile. A surging drive brings the work to an exciting end.
Read about Walton's First Symphony in my blog article Best Symphonies from the Twentieth Century, Part Two.
Listen to: Mikroorkéstra Chamber Ensemble, Martynas Levickis Conductor and Artistic Director
21. Arvo Pärt, Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten (1977, Estonia)
The
piece was composed in A minor for ten-part string
orchestra and bell. The bell is tuned to the note A and forms the tonal
center of the piece, which is in 6/4 time and contains a constant
alternation of short and long note values. The piece
begins very quietly in pianissimo, but gradually builds in volume as instruments are added. The sound impression is complex, although the
principle of the composition is a relatively simple one.
The Cantus can be seen as a meditation on death. The author of Pärt's
biography, Paul Hillier, says that "the way we live depends on our
relationship to death. How music is shaped depends on our relationship
to silence." Accordingly, this piece is characterized by silence at the
beginning as well as at the end. The silence creates a frame around the piece and has a spiritual meaning - it illustrates the idea that we come from silence and
will also return to silence.
Listen to: Terje Tønnesen, conductor, Norwegian Chamber Orchestra
22. John Adams, Shaker Loops (1978, U.S.)
"Shaker Loops" was conceived as a string septet in 1977-78 and adapted for string orchestra in 1982-83. The title refers to the members of the Millennial Church, called the Shakers, whose worship led them to ecstatic shaking and trembling - in fact, as a child Adams grew up not far from a defunct Shaker colony near Canterbury, New Hampshire. As he has stated, "Although, as has since been pointed out to me, the term "Shaker" itself is derogatory, it nevertheless summons up the vision of these otherwise pious and industrious souls caught up in the ecstatic frenzy of a dance that culminated in an epiphany of physical and spiritual transcendence." About the title of the piece he has also remarked: "The "loops" idea was a technique from the era of tape music where small lengths of prerecorded tape attached end to end could repeat melodic or rhythmic figures ad infinitum. The Shakers got into the act partly as a pun on the musical term "to shake", meaning either to make a tremolo with the bow across the string or else to trill rapidly from one note to another."
"Shaking and Trembling," the first of four joined movements, is made mainly of trills and tremolos in a crescendo of energy and dynamics. A sudden quiet begins the transition into "Hymning Siews,"a movement as still as the previous one was excited. "Loops and verses" begins from a cello solo and is the most lyric movement. From this emerges "A Final Shaking," which moves from a calm beginning into a quick and brilliant climax, then subsides into stillness. Shaker Loops is one of the most often performed pieces by John Adams.
Listen to: hr-Sinfonieorchester ∙ Andrew Manze
23. Philip Glass, Symphony No 3 for String Orchestra (1995, U.S.)
Philip Glass's Symphony No. 3 is a work for a small string orchestra,
commissioned for the 19 string players of the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. The premiere,
conducted by Dennis Russell Davies, took place in Künzelsau (Germany)
on February 5, 1995. Among the music by Glass, this piece is perhaps the most restrained and classical in terms of form, character, and color. The symphony reflects Glass' attempt to synthesize and temper the
austerity of his early minimalist ideals into a more lyrical and
emotionally compelling style.
The symphony is in four movements. The first movement is initially based on pulsing Cs that give way before long to contrasting scales. It is soft and brief, evocative of the composer's earlier string quartets, and acts as a prelude to the faster and more lively second movement, which begins with running quavers that immediately signal a change in texture and harmonic breadth. The third movement forms the core of the piece, taking the form of a dark, slow-building chaconne beginning with a ground bass in the cellos and violas. The rest of the orchestra joins the pattern with each repeat, creating a layered effect. The energetic fourth movement recapitulates and develops material from the end of the second, with brisk chords intersected by short chromatic runs. These chromatic sequences come to dominate as the movement progresses, taking over from the earlier chord stabs and steering the movement into its closing theme.
Performance listened to: Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Dennis Russell Davies on Nonesuch
Best Music for String Orchestra Part One (1875-1937)
Best Music for String Orchestra Part Two (1937-1978)
Classical Music Index