The Symphony No. 4,
Op. 49, is an orchestral composition by the Finnish composer
Aulis Sallinen, who wrote the piece from 1978–79 for a commission from the
City of Turku
Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; 1 ...
, to celebrate its 750th anniversary. The
Turku Philharmonic Orchestra
The Turku Philharmonic Orchestra (Finnish: ''Turun Filharmoninen Orkesteri'') is a Finnish orchestra based in Turku, Finland. It is the oldest orchestra in Finland, and one of the world's oldest still active orchestras. The Turku Philharmonic is ...
premiered the work on 9 August 1979, under the direction of its principal conductor,
Pertti Pekkanen.
Structure
The symphony is in three movements:
Instrumentation
According to the publisher
Novello & Co Symphony No. 4 is scored for the following:
*
Woodwind: 3
flute
The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...
s (2 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 ...
), 3
oboes, 3
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 in B (1 doubling B
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 ...
), 3
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 ...
s (1 doubling
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 ...
)
*
Brass: 4
horns in F, 3
trumpets in B, 3
trombones, 1
tuba
*
Percussion:
timpani, 3 percussionists (individual instruments?)
*
String
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 ...
s:
violins,
violas,
cellos,
double basses,
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 ...
,
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 ( ...
Recordings
To date, Symphony No. 4 has received three recordings, the first of which is from 1984 with Okko Kamu conducting the Helsinki Philharmonic on the
Finlandia label. Finnish conductor
Ari Rasilainen has also recorded the symphony as part of
cpo's compendium of Sallinen's orchestral works. The Fourth Symphony joins the Second (Op. 29, 1972), the Horn Concerto (Op. 82, 2002), and ''Mauermusik'' (Op. 7, 1963) on the third volume of the cpo series.
Notes, references, and sources
Notes
References
Sources
Books
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CD liner notes
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Journal articles
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{{Portal bar, Classical music
Symphonies by Aulis Sallinen
1979 compositions