Chamber Symphony (Zwilich)

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The Chamber Symphony is a symphony for chamber ensemble by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. It was commissioned by the music ensemble Boston Musica Viva, which first performed the work under the direction of Richard Pittman on November 30, 1979. The work is cast in a single movement and has a duration of approximately 17 minutes in performance. [1] [2]

Contents

Composition

Background

Zwilich was in the process of composing the Chamber Symphony in 1979 when her husband, the violinist Joseph Zwilich, died suddenly of a massive heart attack while attending a performance at the Metropolitan Opera House. [3] [4] In a 1985 interview with the music critic Tim Page, the composer reflected, "It's still very difficult for me to listen to the 'Chamber Symphony.' I had begun writing it before Joe died, and when I came back to complete it, everything had changed. It was a crucible of sorts. I loved Joe very dearly, and miss him to this day, yet his death taught me nothing so much as the joy of being alive—the joy of breathing, walking, feeling well, swimming, the joy of being human. Suddenly all talk of method and style seemed trivial; I became interested in meaning. I wanted to say something, musically, about life and living." [5]

In a 2011 interview with Frank J. Oteri, she further remarked:

I was pretty much unable to do anything for a number of weeks. And when I went back to it, I was such a different person, I had to start all over. And I think that in the course of that, I found how deep music was inside of me. And what it meant to me. One of my good friends came with me to Boston for the premiere, and when they got to the end of the piece, she turned to me and she said, "I hear acceptance in your music. And I haven’t heard a peep out of you that accepted any of this." And she was absolutely right. I mean, my music was ahead of me in terms of my psyche. I do think it made me appreciate more the values that I was talking about earlier, the soulful values, the kinesthetic values of music. And it made me appreciate that kind of thing much more. [6]

Instrumentation

The piece is scored for a chamber ensemble consisting of flute doubling piccolo, clarinet doubling bass clarinet, violin, viola, cello, and piano. [1]

Reception

Critical response to the Chamber Symphony has been mostly positive. Reviewing a 1983 performance of the piece, Joseph McLellan of The Washington Post described it as "a succinct, intense work that develops an orchestral richness of sound with piano, three strings, flute, and clarinet. Composed after her husband's sudden death, the music has a deep, direct emotional appeal, reflecting the anguish of that time." [7] Edward Rothstein of The New York Times remarked, "Simple musical elements expressionistically touched on grief, outrage, bewilderment. The music soon fell prey to its sentiment without profoundly exploring it, but the effort was not without interest." [8]

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Symphony No. 4, The Gardens, is a choral symphony for chorus, children's choir, and orchestra by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The work was composed in 1999 on a commission from the Michigan State University in honor of John D. Withrow and Dortha J. Withrow, to whom the work is dedicated. It was first performed by the Michigan State University Orchestra, Choral Ensembles, and Children's Chorus conducted by Leon Gregorian on February 5, 2000.

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The Concerto for Cello and Orchestra is a composition for solo cello and orchestra by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The work was written on a commission from the South Florida Symphony Orchestra. Zwilich composed the piece over a six-month period, completing the work in early 2020. It was given its world premiere by the cellist Zuill Bailey the South Florida Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sebrina María Alfonso on March 5, 2020, at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The concerto is dedicated to Zuill Bailey and Sebrina María Alfonso and written in memory of the cellists Leonard Rose and Mstislav Rostropovich.

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The Concerto Grosso 1985 is a composition for chamber orchestra by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The work was commissioned by the Washington Friends of Handel in commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the birth of George Frideric Handel. It was given its world premiere by Handel Festival Orchestra conducted by Stephen Simon on May 9, 1986.

The Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra is a composition for oboe solo and orchestra by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The work was commissioned by the Cleveland Orchestra in honor of their principal oboist John Mack's 25th year with the orchestra. It was first performed by Mack and the Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of Christoph von Dohnányi on January 17, 1991. The piece is dedicated "with affection" to John Mack.

The Clarinet Concerto is a composition for solo clarinet and orchestra by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. It was commissioned by the Arlene and Dr. Milton D. Berkman Philanthropic Fund for the clarinetist David Shifrin, to whom the piece is dedicated. The concerto was first performed by Shifrin and twelve members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in Alice Tully Hall on September 12, 2003.

The Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra is a bassoon concerto written by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The work was commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for their principal bassoonist Nancy Goeres. It was given its world premiere by Goeres and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Lorin Maazel in Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts, Pittsburgh, on May 13, 1993. The piece is dedicated to Maazel, Goeres, and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

The American Concerto is a trumpet concerto written by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The work was commissioned by the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, the San Diego Symphony, the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and the trumpeter Doc Severinsen, to whom it is dedicated. The piece was completed in New York on June 12, 1994, and was given its world premiere by Doc Severinsen and the San Diego Symphony under the direction of JoAnn Falletta in Escondido, California, on September 24, 1994.

Symbolon is a composition for orchestra written by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The piece was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic for their 1988 tour of the Soviet Union and was completed on January 8, 1988. It is dedicated to Zubin Mehta, who conducted the work's premiere by the New York Philharmonic in Leningrad on June 1, 1988. It was the first piece of American orchestral music to be premiered in the Soviet Union.

Millennium Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra is a piano concerto written by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The work was commissioned by the pianist Jeffrey Biegel in association with the Adele Marcus Foundation, the Abraham J. & Phyllis Katz Foundation, the South Florida Council of the Chopin Foundation of the United States, Isa and Marvin Leibowitz, the American Music Center, and a consortium of 27 American orchestras. It was first performed by Jeffrey Biegel and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Jesús López Cobos in Cincinnati on September 22, 2000.

Peanuts Gallery is a piano concerto by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, inspired by the characters of the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz, who was a friend of Zwilich. It was commissioned for the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra by the Carnegie Hall Corporation, and first performed by the pianist Albert Kim and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall on March 22, 1997.

References

  1. 1 2 Zwilich, Ellen Taaffe (1979). "Chamber Symphony". Theodore Presser Company . Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  2. ↑ Keebaugh, Aaron (February 3, 2019). "Boston Musica Viva presents Currier premiere, musical responses to political issues". Boston Classical Review. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  3. ↑ Scherer, Barrymore Laurence (music critic) (May 5, 2009). "A Composer Not Afraid to Feel". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  4. ↑ McLellan, Joseph (April 30, 1983). "The Pulitzer: A Playwright, A Composer". The Washington Post . Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  5. ↑ Page, Tim (July 14, 1985). "The Music of Ellen Zwilich". The New York Times . Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  6. ↑ Oteri, Frank J. (June 1, 2011). "Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Goose Bumps in the Candy Shop". NewMusicBox . Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  7. ↑ McLellan, Joseph (November 21, 1983). "National Musical Arts". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  8. ↑ Rothstein, Edward (January 31, 1982). "Music:Nierneberg Leads Juilliard Festival". The New York Times. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
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