Usuari:Enelabe/proves/Simfonia n. 4 "Nova York" (Gerhard)

Orquestració: 4 fl (III&IV+picc), 4 ob, 4 cl, 3 bn, cbn, 6 hn, 4 tpt, 4 tbn, tba, 4 timp, 4 perc (xylo, mba, tamb (med, large), glock, vib, w blk (small, med, large), cym (med, large), tam, tbell, sus tbell, tom, claves, Korean temp blk, 2 timb, caisse cl., Chinese tom, BD, antique cym), 2 hp, pn, cel, str

(Oxford University Press):

Symphony No. 4 is wholly representative of Gerhard's compositional style during the 1960s. His extensive use of texture to create dramatic interest and exhibition of his cultural influences are evident in this piece, such as the 'Spanish fanfare' that bursts through a percussive section with an ambiguous tonal setting. The oboe melody in the penultimate section is particularly striking in its simplicity and its evocation of material found earlier in the symphony. This work is a powerful example of Gerhards brilliant musical architecture and originality.

Commissioned by the New York Philharmonic for its 125th anniversary, this work received its world premiere on 14 December 1967 in New York, given by the New York Philharmonic conducted by William Steinberg. The European premiere was given on 27 October 1968 by the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra under Antal Dorati.

(Allmusic):

Commissioned for the 125th season of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, this symphony in one movement features the composer's most radical and experimental compositional techniques and combines them with echoes of the Catalan idioms of his birthplace. It is scored for a considerably larger orchestra than his previous symphonies and his Concerto for Orchestra (1963): the woodwinds are quadrupled; the brass section is enlarged to include six horns, four trumpets, four trombones, and a tuba; and the percussion section is also expanded.

Sharp punctuations open the work, followed by the rushing of clarinets and then other woodwinds. Hard surface spikes then emerge from the xylophones, combined with strong pizzicati in the strings. This texture is expanded to the full orchestra, with fast tonguing in the trumpets alternating with bounced bowing in the lower strings. Fast swells alternate with heavily accented angular writing and the previous waves of woodwinds. Harmonic clusters in the strings slow down the events and single harmonics add an eerie electronic effect.

Cycling patterns are surrounded by gradual swells and quasi-random pointillistic colors from the percussion. A massive brass swell and piano cluster lead back into fluttertongue woodwind clusters and icy harmonics. The lopsided cycles appear again, molto vivace, con impeto. The percussion, occurring in isolated events backed up by sustained strings, creates a desolate landscape. The strings slide and build ominous chords, out of which come deep brass intonings, an ancient cymbal crash, and low piano tones. Suddenly, a contrast of anxiously running passages emerges in the strings.

Hard, quasi-random pizzicati are combined with an obsessively repeated high piano tone. Satiric triplets begin weaving about until the laughs meld into a mysterious, eerie floating texture suggesting madness. A festive yet grotesque trumpet call spreads throughout the orchestra like a heated village celebration (Scherzo). Dissonant brass chords then slow down the joy.

A section of near silence, with sounds (tympani glissandi, piano clusters) slipping away (in "magical uneventfulness" to quote Gerhard), moves into a fragment of a sad folklike melody. Gaining motion (Deciso), harsher events from the beginning are recapitulated. The strings begin a constant onrushing, which infects the orchestra until massive sustained chords call it to a halt. An eerie, rhythmic cycling returns, underscoring two oboes, which allude to the Catalan song "El Cotiló," the song of an imprisoned man. Suddenly, previous events are repeated and expanded with utmost energy -- the trumpet fanfare, the bounced string rhythms, the harsh angular accents, and exploding swells, as the symphony concludes on a massive dissonance.

Estructura

La simfonia es divideix en tretze moviments diferents:

1. Andante
2. Poco rallentando
3. Molto vivace, con imperto
4. Meno mosso
5. Subito allegro
6. Flessible
7. Sans indication de mouvement
8. Scherzo
9. Moderato
10. Deciso
11. Allegro con moto
12. Sans indication de mouvement
13. Sans indication de mouvement

(Allmusic/Album):

The composer's use of Schoenberg's dodecaphonic system may make it difficult for some listeners to grasp the music of Spanish-English composer Roberto Gerhard, but his complete avoidance of recognizable themes will make it just about impossible. That the decision to make things difficult for potential listeners was consciously made is demonstrated in this coupling of the composer's Violin Concerto from 1945 and his Fourth Symphony from 1967. Where the earlier work is still semi-tonal and still quasi-thematic, and thus still comprehensible to listeners comfortable with contemporary works by Stravinsky and Shostakovich, the later work's deliberate avoidance of traditional methods of musical organization may make understanding tough for the first-time listener.

As this classic 1972 Lyrita coupling with Colin Davis leading the BBC Symphony Orchestra proves, both works can succeed when played with sufficient ability and energy. In this performance by violinist Yfrah Neaman, Gerhard's three-movement Violin Concerto comes off as elegantly passionate, brilliantly virtuosic, and thoroughly comprehensible. Neaman is up for the work's extravagantly flamboyant opening Allegro cantabile, as well as for its soulfully lyrical central Largo. While not as accessible as the concerto, Gerhard's single-movement Fourth Symphony is still quite persuasive in this performance. Davis is a master at shaping the work's textures, tempos, and colors to form a unified whole, and the BBC cooperates by turning in a skillful and dedicated performance that belies its lack of familiarity with the rarely performed score. Though not for everyone, those interested in the work of Schoenberg's pupils will certainly want at least to audition this disc. Lyrita's stereo sound is clear, deep, and direct.

Enregistraments

Colin Davis dirigint l'Orquestra Simfònica de la BBC, Argo (1972)

Victor Pablo Pérez dirigint l'Orquestra Simfònica de Tenerife, Auvidis (1996)

Matthias Bamert dirigint l'Orquestra Simfònica de la BBC, Chandos (1999)

Colin Davis dirigint l'Orquestra Simfònica de la BBC, Lyrita (2008)