''Javelin'' is a composition for orchestra by American composer Michael Torke. It was finished in 1994.

Composition

''Javelin'' was commissioned by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympics, which was about to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is an American orchestra based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The ASO's main concert venue is Atlanta Symphony Hall in the Woodruff Arts Center. History Though earlier organizations bearing the same name date b ...

. It was premiered in the Woodruff Arts Center in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, by the

under Yoel Levi, on September 8, 1994. It was also performed in the

opening ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.

of the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

, which took place in

. It was later published by

Boosey and Hawkes Boosey & Hawkes is a British music publisher purported to be the largest specialist classical music publisher in the world. Until 2003, it was also a major manufacturer of brass, string and woodwind musical instruments. Formed in 1930 throu ...

Structure

The composition is in one movement and takes approximately 9 minutes to perform. The composition is in the key of

A major A major (or the key of A) is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The key of A major is the only k ...

. It is scored for a large orchestra. It has both the structure and the external appearance of an overture, even though it is not marked as such in the score. According to the composer, he had three things in mind when composing the piece: * The orchestra had to be used as a virtuosic instrument * The use of triads (three-note tonal chords) should be present along the score * The music had to be thematic Even though it consists of 591 measures, the playful, fast tempo resembles the swiftness of javelins. The strictly tonal character of this composition has led some critics to compare the style used by Torke with other classical composers, rather than modern and contemporary composers. According to Torke, this is his "most

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...

-like composition".

Arrangements

Merlin Patterson wrote an arrangement of this piece in 1997 for wind ensemble. It was recorded by the University of Kansas Wind Ensemble under Paul W. Popiel in 2013. The arrangement was commissioned by the University of Houston School of Music and conductor Eddie Green.

Recordings

This composition has been recorded several times by renowned conductors and orchestras: * Yoel Levi first recorded the piece with the

on November 14, 1995, in Atlanta's Symphony Hall. The recording was released by Argo Records. *

conducted the Boston Pops Orchestra in January 1996, in the Symphony Hall of Boston, Massachusetts. The recording was released by the NBC. *

Marin Alsop Marin Alsop ( �mɛər.ɪn ˈæːl.sɑːp born October 16, 1956) is an American conductor, the first woman to win the Koussevitzky Prize for conducting and the first conductor to be awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. She is music director laureate ...

and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra released a recording in February 2002 under

Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about 1 ...

. The recording took place in the Henry Wood Hall in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. * Paul W. Popiel and the University of Kansas Wind Quintet released a 1997 adaptation of the original work by Merlin Patterson. This adaptation was recorded again by Naxos on April, 2012.

References

{{Portal bar, Classical music, Music Compositions by Michael Torke 1994 compositions Compositions for symphony orchestra Contemporary classical compositions Commissioned music 1996 Summer Olympics