Henri Dutilleux Henri Paul Julien Dutilleux (; 22 January 1916 – 22 May 2013) was a French composer active mainly in the second half of the 20th century. His small body of published work, which garnered international acclaim, followed in the tradition of ...

's Symphony No. 1 was written in 1951. A composition from the composer's relatively early period, it is Dutilleux's first purely orchestral composition. It is written in a very classical form (four movements), but its language is rather free. It is orchestrated for 85 instrumentalists. The premiere took place at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées on 7 June 1951, with

Roger Désormière Roger Désormière () (13 September 1898 – 25 October 1963) was a French conductor. He was an enthusiastic champion of contemporary composers, but also conducted performances of early eighteenth century French music. Life and career Désormièr ...

conducting the

Orchestre National de France The Orchestre national de France (ONF; literal translation, ''National Orchestra of France'') is a French symphony orchestra based in Paris, founded in 1934. Placed under the administration of the French national radio (named Radio France sinc ...

Structure

The symphony lasts approximately half an hour. It is written in four movements: # ''Passacaglia'' # ''Scherzo molto vivace'' # ''Intermezzo'' # ''Finale con variazioni''

Music

This symphony demonstrates Dutilleux's attachment to the use of

variation form In music, variation is a formal technique where material is repeated in an altered form. The changes may involve melody, rhythm, harmony, counterpoint, timbre, orchestration or any combination of these. Variation techniques Mozart's Twelve V ...

, which is found in the outer two movements. The use of a

passacaglia The passacaglia (; ) is a musical form that originated in early seventeenth-century Spain and is still used today by composers. It is usually of a serious character and is often based on a bass- ostinato and written in triple metre. Origin The t ...

as a symphonic first movement is extremely rare. It consists of 35 repetitions of a four-bar bass motif, shown in the opening four bars by the double basses. The second movement was defined by Dutilleux as an 'original and energetic scherzo', and very 'virtuosic and demonstrative'. In the third movement, he develops a process that he uses more extensively in several later compositions: the main theme is not presented immediately at the beginning, but hidden in a slow evolution of themes (reverse variation). The finale starts with a majestic percussion display, before returning to a calmer atmosphere. The symphony was a big step for Dutilleux's career, as it demonstrated his mastery of orchestration. In 1955 it was awarded the UNESCO Mozart Medal in the inaugural edition of the

International Rostrum of Composers The International Rostrum of Composers (IRC) is an annual forum organized by the International Music Council that offers broadcasting representatives the opportunity to exchange and publicize pieces of contemporary classical music. It is funded by c ...

References

Compositions by Henri Dutilleux Dutilleux 1 1951 compositions {{symphony-stub