The Symphony No. 4 is the fourth
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 ...
by the Scottish composer
James MacMillan. The work was composed in celebration of the conductor
Donald Runnicles's 60th birthday. It was premiered at
The Proms on August 3, 2015, by the
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Donald Runnicles.
Composition
The symphony has a duration of roughly 37 minutes and is composed in one continuous
movement
Movement may refer to:
Common uses
* Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece
* Motion, commonly referred to as movement
Arts, entertainment, and media
Literature
* "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...
.
Though MacMillan had conceived the symphony years earlier, he did not begin work on the piece until late 2014. The work quotes passages from ''Missa Dum Sacrum Mysterium'' by the
Renaissance composer Robert Carver. MacMillan described the use of Carver's work in an interview with ''
The Scotsman'', remarking, "He's been such a big figure in my adult life as a composer in Scotland, and I've always wanted to acknowledge some kind of debt. I love the austerity of his music, but also its complexity. I've incorporated some of his ideas into the structure of the symphony and wound my own music around it."
Instrumentation
The work is scored for an orchestra comprising two
flutes (2nd doubling
piccolo
The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the so ...
), two
oboes (2nd doubling
cor anglais
The cor anglais (, or original ; plural: ''cors anglais''), or English horn in North America, is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family. It is approximately one and a half times the length of an oboe, making it essentially an alto ...
), two
clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound.
Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...
s (2nd doubling
bass clarinet
The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays notes an octave bel ...
),
bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...
,
contrabassoon
The contrabassoon, also known as the double bassoon, is a larger version of the bassoon, sounding an octave lower. Its technique is similar to its smaller cousin, with a few notable differences.
Differences from the bassoon
The reed is consi ...
, four
horns, three
trumpets, three
trombones,
tuba,
timpani, three percussionists,
harp
The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...
,
piano (doubling
celesta
The celesta or celeste , also called a bell-piano, is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. It looks similar to an upright piano (four- or five-octave), albeit with smaller keys and a much smaller cabinet, or a large wooden music box ( ...
), and
strings
String or strings may refer to:
*String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...
.
Reception
Reviewing the world premiere, Tim Ashley of ''
The Guardian'' lauded the piece, writing:
The work was also praised by David Nice of ''
The Arts Desk'', Nick Trend of ''
The Daily Telegraph'', and Simon Cummings of ''5:4''.
See also
*
List of compositions by James MacMillan
This is a list of compositions by James MacMillan (born 1959), a Scottish composer of contemporary classical music. MacMillan's music is published by Boosey & Hawkes, and his diverse catalogue of music currently numbers over 200 works.
Opera or ...
References
{{James MacMillan
Symphonies by James MacMillan
2015 compositions
MacMillan 4