As a teenager, borrowed the LP and the score from the local library (those were the days), and must have listened/looked at this piece a hundred times. Pinched a lot of orchestration ideas from it! - particularly the percussion writing. Exciting to hear it again. Love the brass chorale from 9:47
I was at the first performance. The person next to me said afterwards “that’s what they call worthy but dull” and was embarrassed when Hoddinott stood to take a bow he was sitting right in front of her.
Wow, that's an interesting and stunning piece of music! Lively, energetic, well crafted and orchestrated. A perpetuum mobile, a breathtaking tour de force. Congratulations! Perhaps sticking a little bit too long to the sonority of a whole tone scale. Whenever there is a different tonal/harmonic color I enjoy the change very much!
Programming-wise it would be great alongside a movement of Alarcon's Marco Polo.. I just need to find a band and play it. Chris have a peaceful night and a better day. Tim and Hilary,
I composed qualsi minimalist piece using 4ths after getting to know Mahler 1 - and minimalism (esp Glass, Reich) at college (a-levels inc music, 1996-98)
Ma, moram se ponoviti kolege drage!👌🎵...ma SVAKA Vam ČAST! Fantastična fuzija stilova "teške elektrike" i "akustičke klasike"...a, sve uz vrhunsku profesionalnu koordinaciju, skladatelja, aranžera i na koncu, i fantastičnih izvođača-instrumentalista, od solista do simfoničara....a, naravski i majstori zvuka tonci...slika...itd...🎸🎻🎹👏BRAAAAVO SVI!!!🎶👏👏👏VRHUNSKI!☝️👌👏👏👏🎶👋
Flowing but stuffy; atmospheric but stodgy; inventive but foreboding; serious almost to a fault, this dark symphony is nonetheless fascinating, a work that may (or may not) reward repeated listening.
Schwarz's première performance was shorter by some 3 and a half minutes. In particular, the opening Adagio took 2 and a half minutes less. It certainly doesn't sound stodgy and Schwarz is very dramatic with it (but the off-air Schwarz recording, if you can find it, has dreadful sound). Strange there should be such differences. Presumably Hoddinott was present when Schwarz rehearsed for the première, but presumably he was also present for the Del Mar recording. So which did he prefer?
One never even hears Hoddinott's name mentioned anymore! Gerard Schwarz is one of my heroes . He programmed Hailstork's Monuments in 2023& it meant da world to me!
Enormous amount of fun Chris, cannot wait to play it sometime, I think its a much better piece than your computer makes it, good though that is. Put the final touches to it and sell me score and a set. Many thanks for the dedication.
My first impression of this work is that it is at once less dark emotionally and more complex harmonically than, say, his Fourth or Sixth Symphonies. At times, I thought I might be hearing Walter Piston or Vincent Persichetti, which came as quite a surprise. I claim no musical training other than extended listening experience; all I can say truthfully is that I enjoyed this symphony and the several other works of Hoddinott that I've heard so far.
This is a very original, inventive, lyrical concerto with some wonderful effects and full of personality. Hodinott achieves great diversity with his chosen material, crafting a work of great strength and beauty. The performers here are definitely up to the demands of communicating all of its' drama. (I can't agree with john will about the Mathias Concerto, however, which I find to also be a masterpiece.)
Chris, thanks for sending this. It's a very successful work written for a difficult medium and a fine performance by Catrin Finch. Congratulations to both of you.
