The Symphony by the American composer Steven Stucky is a four-movement symphony for

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

. The work was jointly commissioned by the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. It was composed from January through July 2012 and premiered September 28, 2012 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in

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, with conductor

Gustavo Dudamel Gustavo Adolfo Dudamel Ramírez (born 26 January 1981) is a Venezuelan conductor and violinist who is the music director of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Paris Opera. Early life Dudamel was ...

leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The work had its

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premiere November 29, 2012, with Alan Gilbert leading the New York Philharmonic.

Composition

The symphony has a duration of approximately twenty minutes and is composed in four connected

movements 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 ...

: #Introduction and Hymn #Outcry #Flying #Hymn and Reconciliation Stucky had previously written four other symphonies, but has since withdrawn all of them, saying, "I wrote two when I was a little boy, and I have no idea what unholy mash-up those were. Then I wrote a symphony when I was a senior in college, and then one for my doctoral thesis, and I'm sure those have been completely expunged from the record." He therefore remarked "It was not sensible to call this piece Symphony No. 5" and elected to simply title the new work "Symphony." Stucky also described the piece as "old fashioned" and said, "It has recognizable themes which come back. That links it to the traditional form." The work is dedicated to the flutist Mimi Stillman.

Reception

Reviewing the New York City premiere,

Anthony Tommasini Anthony Carl Tommasini (born April 14, 1948) is an American music critic and author who specializes in classical music. Described as "a discerning critic, whose taste, knowledge and judgment have made him a must-read", Tommasini was the chief ...

of ''

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'' praised the accessibility of the Symphony and called it "a fairly modest piece, a 20-minute, colorfully orchestrated work in four parts, played without break." Despite giving the piece an overall positive review, Tommasini nevertheless opined, "Mr. Stucky perhaps achieved his goal of writing a graspable symphony too well. I was engrossed in the work right through, and Mr. Gilbert drew an exciting performance from the orchestra. But the music may give away its secrets too readily."

References

{{Steven Stucky Compositions by Steven Stucky 2012 compositions Stucky Compositions for symphony orchestra Music commissioned by the New York Philharmonic Music commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic