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Instrumentation: |
2(II=Picc,Alto)+Picc.2+EH.2+EbCl.2+Cbn/4331/timp+2perc/str |
Duration: |
19:00 |
Year
Composed: |
2009 |
“[a] high level of technical craftsmanship ... By technical craftsmanship, I mean an impressive control of long spans of musical time, using the rhetorical and even programmatic strategies of late 19th- and early 20th-century European composers. I mean, too, a very fine command of the orchestra ... a formidable achievement.”
— Steven Stucky (2005 Pulitzer Prize in Music) on Symphony No. 1 "Maligne Range"
In the summer of 2008, over two days, my wife and
I hiked the Maligne Range trail, situated in the Canadian Rockies near
Jasper, Alberta. The 45-km trail begins in a pine forest at Maligne
Lake but soon rises above the tree line. From there it winds its way
across two successively higher mountain passes. In between lies a
sprawling meadow speckled with colourful flowers and criss-crossed by
glacial creeks. At the halfway point, the trail switchbacks steeply to
the very top of the range, a vantage point that affords spectacular
views in all directions. The weather at this altitude is always
unpredictable, and as luck would have it, a storm set in just as we
reached the peak. Unwilling to serve as lightning rods, we broke out
into a run, finding shelter only as the trail drops off quickly on the
other side of the range.
The breathtaking views, ruggedness and diversity
of terrain, whistling marmots and sense of isolation all left a strong
impression on me. I was especially delighted to realize that the very
topographical contour of the trail provides a basic plan for a
large-scale sonata-form structure, one that builds up,
Shostakovich-like, in waves of tension, culminating in a fierce storm
at the top: the development. In a similar vein, after the stormy
material subsides (as in Beethoven’s Sixth), the descent, recalling the
ascent, but now abridged and in reverse order, serves as varied
recapitulation.
The result is a one-movement symphony in the
tradition of Sibelius’s Seventh and Barber’s First. Essentially tonal,
the harmonic language is enriched with polytonal accents, modal
alterations, complex chords and the colouristic usage of collections
and twelve-tone techniques. Polymetre, multi-stranded canons, metric
modulation and controlled aleatoric techniques enliven the rhythmic
plane. The work’s structure is organic, developed out of limited yet
contrasting thematic material, with all programmatic elements assuming
abstract structural roles. The symphony’s bright orchestration and
rhythmic vitality is indebted to composers of the modern Russian and
French schools, such as Prokofiev and Ravel; its emotional sweep and
extremes, to Shostakovich; the scoring and harmonic content of certain
dissonant chords, to Varèse; and its sense of drama and breadth, to
Beethoven and Sibelius.
For score perusal and parts rental information,
contact Robert Rival.
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