''Metropolis Symphony'' for Orchestra (1988–93) by American composer

Michael Daugherty Michael Kevin Daugherty (born April 28, 1954) is an American composer, pianist, and teacher. He is influenced by popular culture, Romanticism, and Postmodernism. Daugherty's notable works include his Superman comic book-inspired ''Metropolis Sym ...

is a five-movement

symphony A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

inspired by

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

comics. The entire piece was created over the span of five years with separate commissions for each movement. Individual movements may be performed separately; however, it is preferred that the 41 minute symphony be performed in its entirety. ''Metropolis'' ''Symphony'' was premiered by the

New Hampshire Symphony Orchestra The New Hampshire Symphony Orchestra (NHSO) was an American orchestra, one of three based in Manchester, New Hampshire. It was established in 1974, with conductor James Bolle. Its last listed music director was Kenneth Kiesler Kenneth Kiesler (born ...

, James Bolle conducting, in November 1993, at the Palace Theater in Manchester, New Hampshire. A connective narrative between movements was written and read by

Jack Larson Jack Edward Larson (February 8, 1928 – September 20, 2015) was an American actor, librettist, screenwriter and producer best known for his portrayal of photographer/cub reporter Jimmy Olsen on the television series '' Adventures of Superm ...

, who had played

Jimmy Olsen Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Olsen is most often portrayed as a young photojournalist working for the ''Daily Planet''. He is close friends with Lois Lane and Clark Kent, and has ...

on television in The Adventures of Superman. The orchestral version without narration was premiered by the

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore SO has its principal residence at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, where it performs more than 130 concerts a year. In 2005, it bega ...

David Zinman David Zinman (born July 9, 1936, in Brooklyn, NY) is an American conductor and violinist. Education After violin studies at Oberlin Conservatory, Zinman studied theory and composition at the University of Minnesota, earning his M.A. in 1963. He ...

conducting, in January 1994, at the Meyerhoff Concert Hall in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. A new recording conducted by

Giancarlo Guerrero Giancarlo Guerrero (born 1969) is a Costa Rican, Nicaraguan-born, US-based music director. He is the music director of the Nashville Symphony in Nashville, Tennessee. Guerrero is also Music Director of the Wrocław Philharmonic at the National Fo ...

and performed by the Nashville Symphony Orchestra was nominated in six categories for

Grammy Awards of 2011 The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights prio ...

. It won in the

Best Orchestral Performance The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by man ...

, Best Engineered Album, Classical and

Best Classical Contemporary Composition The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to composers for quality works of contemporary classical ...

categories.Grammy Award Nominees and Winners
/ref>

Movements

* I. ''Lex'' (1991) :Duration: 9 minutes :Commissioned by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, David Zinman, Music Director :Instrumentation: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon; 4 horns, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba; timpani, strings * II. ''Krypton'' (1993) :Duration: 7 minutes :Commissioned by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Leighton Smith, Conductor :Instrumentation: piccolo, 2 flutes, 3 oboes, E flat clarinet, clarinet, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon; 4 horns, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba; 4 percussion; piano; strings * III. ''MXYZPTLK'' (1988) :Duration: 7 minutes :Commissioned by

Cleveland Chamber Symphony The Cleveland Chamber Symphony is an American chamber orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio. It is dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music, and has presented over 200 performance premieres. History The Cleveland Chamber Sympho ...

, Edwin London, Music Director :Instrumentation: 2 flute solo (II. doubles pic), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons; 2 horns, 2 trumpets, trombone; 1 or 2 percussion; synthesizer; strings * IV. ''Oh, '' ''Lois!'' (1989) :Duration: 5 minutes :Commissioned by Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Edwin London, Music Director :Instrumentation: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons; 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones; timpani, 2 percussion; synthesizer; strings * V. ''Red Cape Tango'' (1993) :Duration: 13 minutes :Commissioned by the

Albany Symphony Orchestra The Albany Symphony Orchestra is a professional symphony orchestra based in Albany, New York. Founded in 1930 as the People's Orchestra of Albany by Italian-born conductor John Carabella, the Albany Symphony is the oldest professional symphony ...

, David Allan Miller, Music Director :Instrumentation: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon; 4 horns, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba; timpani, 4 percussion; piano; strings Publisher: Peermusic Classical

Discography

Metropolis Symphony - Michael Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony/ Bizarro

, Conductor London/Decca Argo 452-103-2 Metropolis Symphony - Michael Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony/ Deus ex Machina Nashville Symphony Orchestra,

, Conductor Naxos American Classics 8.559635

References

External links

Official site

* ttps://www.npr.org/2010/12/10/131963885/superman-symphony-grammy-nominations All Things Considered. "Superman Symphony's Surprise Grammy Nominations : NPR." NPR 10 Dec. 2010 {{Authority control Compositions by Michael Daugherty 1988 compositions 1989 compositions 1991 compositions 1993 compositions Daugherty Superman music Music commissioned by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra