Phaethon (composition)

Last updated

Phaethon is a symphonic poem by the American composer Christopher Rouse. The work was commissioned in celebration of the United States Bicentennial by the Philadelphia Orchestra with contributions from Johnson & Higgins. It was completed on February 22, 1986, and was given its world premiere at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia by the Philadelphia Orchestra under the direction of Riccardo Muti on January 8, 1987. It is dedicated in memory of the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger, which broke apart on the morning of January 28, 1986 while Rouse was composing the piece. [1] [2] Since its premiere, Phaethon has become one of Rouse's most popular orchestral compositions. [3] [4]

Contents

Composition

The fall of Phaethon, Johann Liss, early 17th century. Johann Liss 006.jpg
The fall of Phaethon, Johann Liss, early 17th century.

Phaethon is composed in a single movement and has a duration of approximately 6 minutes.

Background

Phaethon was inspired by the story of the eponymous Phaethon from Greek mythology. Rouse described the narrative in the score program notes, writing:

The legend tells of Phaethon, son of the sun god, Helios. The boy, after doubts had been aroused concerning his parentage, secured from his mighty father a promise that he would be allowed to demonstrate irrevocably his divine origins. Helios swore to permit such a demonstration, but he was horrified when Phaethon demanded to be allowed to guide the chariot of the sun across the sky for one day; as Helios had made his oath in the name of the river Styx, Olympian law required that he guarantee his promise. Once off, Phaethon realized quickly that he lacked the ability to control his father's horses, which dashed madly across the sky. They hurtled too close to the earth, set its land aflame, and dried up its rivers. They raced through the universe and finally threatened even Olympus itself, forcing Zeus to destroy Phaethon by hurling at him a thunderbolt which knocked him from the chariot to his death. [1]

The story had previous been set to music by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns in his 1873 tone poem Phaéton. However, where Saint-Saëns's piece detailed the full story, Rouse's work concerns only Phaethon's ride itself. [1]

In a pre-premiere interview with Daniel Webster of The Philadelphia Inquirer , Rouse explained why the piece had no references to the United States Bicentennial for which it was commissioned, remarking, "There are no subtle references to the Constitution here. Occasional works have very short lives." He continued, "I believe the Constitution guarantees us freedoms which others don't have. I think of Shostakovich and the pressures he worked under in the Soviet Union. Here, we have no sense that we must write a work acceptable to some governmental board. The fact that there is no pressure to write a particular thing shows best the Constitution's importance to me [...] So I chose another of my lovely myths." [2]

Rouse dedicated the piece in memory of the final crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger, also recalling in the score program notes:

In a disturbingly ironic twist, I found myself on the morning of January 28, 1986 at bar 443 of the work, the measure in which Zeus' thunderbolt knocks Phaethon from the sky, when the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after takeoff. Phaethon is dedicated to the memory of Judith Resnik, Gregory Jarvis, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Michael Smith, Francis Scobee, and Christa McAuliffe -- the seven astronauts who lost their lives that morning when they, too, were knocked from the sky. [1]

Instrumentation

The work is scored for a large orchestra consisting of three flutes (all doubling piccolos), three oboes (3rd doubling English horn), three clarinets (3rd doubling bass clarinet), three bassoons (3rd doubling contrabassoon), six horns, four trumpets, four trombones, tuba, harp, timpani, three percussionists, and strings. [1]

Reception

Reviewing the New York City premiere of Phaethon, Donal Henahan of The New York Times gave the work a mixed review, remarking, "Mr. Rouse's seven-minute tone poem met the basic requirements of its genre, though not much more." Despite describing its scenario as "promising," he added that it "testified chiefly to the composer's ability to put an orchestra in motion and keep it there without the support of a memorable musical idea." [5]

However, the work has since garnered a more positive response from music critics. Stephen Maddock of BBC Music Magazine said it "confronts violent death in the most brutal and musically demanding way: in just eight minutes it tells of man's bravery and fall from grace." [6] James McQuillen of The Oregonian similarly wrote, "Densely orchestrated, loud and fast, it sounded something like the demolition of a musical instrument shop over seven minutes through the precise deployment of explosive charges." [7] Allan Kozinn of The New York Times later called Phaethon "a spectacularly noisy, colorful evocation of the Greek myth" and wrote, "continuously reconfigured textures, dynamics and timbres wove spells so magical that debates about harmonic language were beside the point." [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phaethon</span> Son of Helios in Greek mythology

Phaethon, also spelled Phaëthon, is the son of the Oceanid Clymene and the sun god Helios in Greek mythology.

Christopher Chapman Rouse III was an American composer. Though he wrote for various ensembles, Rouse is primarily known for his orchestral compositions, including a Requiem, a dozen concertos, and six symphonies. His work received numerous accolades, including the Kennedy Center Friedheim Award, the Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition, and the Pulitzer Prize for Music. He also served as the composer-in-residence for the New York Philharmonic from 2012 to 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Albert</span> American composer (1941–1992)

Stephen Joel Albert was an American composer. He is best known for his Pulitzer Prize winning Symphony No. 1 RiverRun (1983) and his Cello Concerto (1990), written for Yo-Yo Ma. He died suddenly in a 1992 automobile accident, having just sketched out his Second Symphony. The work was subsequently completed by Sebastian Currier, and his death sparked musical tributes from composer colleagues such as Aaron Jay Kernis and Christopher Rouse.

Apartment House 1776 is a 1976 composition by the American composer John Cage, composed for the United States Bicentennial and premiered by six orchestras across the country in 1976. The work was commissioned jointly by the orchestras of Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia. In these performances, the work was performed together with Cage's 1975–76 orchestral work Renga.

Jennifer Higdon's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra was written in 2008. The work was jointly commissioned by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and the Curtis Institute of Music. It was composed for the violinist Hilary Hahn and was given its world premiere by Hahn and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra under the conductor Mario Venzago on February 6, 2009. The piece was later awarded the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Music.

Become Ocean is an orchestral composition by American composer John Luther Adams. The Seattle Symphony Orchestra commissioned the work and premiered it at Benaroya Hall, Seattle, on 20 and 22 June 2013. The work won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Music and the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition. In 2019, writers of The Guardian ranked it the 10th greatest work of art music since 2000.

Symphony No. 1 is a symphony in one movement by the American composer Christopher Rouse. The work was commissioned by David Zinman and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, completed on August 26, 1986, and premiered in Baltimore, January 21, 1988. The piece is dedicated to Rouse's friend and fellow composer, John Harbison.

The Oboe Concerto is a concerto for oboe and orchestra by the American composer Christopher Rouse. The work was commissioned by the Minnesota Orchestra and completed in 2004. The piece premiered in 2009 with oboist Basil Reeve and the Minnesota Orchestra performing under conductor Osmo Vanska.

The Flute Concerto is a concerto for flute and orchestra by American composer Christopher Rouse. The work was jointly commissioned by Richard and Jody Nordlof for flautist Carol Wincenc and by Borders Group for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. It was completed August 15, 1993 and premiered on October 27, 1994 at Orchestra Hall in Detroit, with conductor Hans Vonk leading Carol Wincenc and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The piece's third movement is dedicated to the memory of James Bulger, an English toddler who was murdered in 1993 by two ten-year-old boys.

Der gerettete Alberich is a concerto for percussion and orchestra by the American composer Christopher Rouse. The work was jointly commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. It was completed June 7, 1997, and premiered January 15, 1998 in Cleveland, Ohio with the Cleveland Orchestra under conductor Christoph von Dohnányi. The piece is dedicated to percussionist Evelyn Glennie, who performed the solo during the world premiere. Rouse composed the work as an informal musical sequel to Richard Wagner's four-opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen.

Odna Zhizn is a symphonic poem by the American composer Christopher Rouse. The work was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic and was completed in 2009. It was first performed on February 10, 2010, at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City, by the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Alan Gilbert.

The Concerto for Orchestra is an orchestral composition in five movements by the American composer Jennifer Higdon. The work was commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra with contributions from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Philadelphia Music Project, and Peter Benoliel. It was premiered at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia June 12, 2002, with conductor Wolfgang Sawallisch leading the Philadelphia Orchestra.

The Concerto for Orchestra No. 1 is a concerto for orchestra by the American composer Steven Stucky. The work was commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra with contributions from Johnson & Higgins for the bicentennial of the United States Constitution. It was composed from September 1986 through April 1987 and premiered October 27, 1988, with the Philadelphia Orchestra performing under conductor Riccardo Muti.

Seeing is a concerto for solo piano and orchestra by the American composer Christopher Rouse. The work was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic for the pianist Emanuel Ax, with financial contributions from philanthropists Lillian and Maurice Barbash. It was premiered at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City May 6, 1999, with Leonard Slatkin conducting Emanuel Ax and the New York Philharmonic. The piece is dedicated to Emanuel Ax.

Dooryard Bloom is a composition for solo baritone and orchestra by the American composer Jennifer Higdon. The work was commissioned by the Brooklyn Philharmonic in 2004 and was premiered on April 16, 2005, by the baritone Nmon Ford and the Brooklyn Philharmonic under the conductor Michael Christie. The piece is adapted from the poem "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd" by the American author Walt Whitman.

Kathryn Day is an American opera singer who has had an active international career spanning five decades. She began her career as a leading soprano under the name Kathryn Bouleyn in the 1970s and 1980s with companies like the New York City Opera, the San Francisco Opera, and the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. With the latter institution she created the role of Cora in the world premiere of Stephen Paulus' The Postman Always Rings Twice (1982).

Kabir Padavali is a song cycle for soprano and orchestra set to the poetry of the Indian mystic Kabir by the American composer Christopher Rouse. The work was commissioned by the Minnesota Orchestra for the soprano Dawn Upshaw. It was first performed by Upshaw and the Minnesota Orchestra under the direction of David Zinman in Minneapolis on January 6, 1999. The piece is dedicated to the composer's son, Adrian Rouse.

The Violin Concerto is a composition for solo violin and chamber orchestra by the American composer Ned Rorem. The work was commissioned by the Springfield Symphony Orchestra for the violinist Jaime Laredo and composed in 1984. It was first performed by Laredo and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra conducted by Robert Gutter in the Symphony Hall, Springfield, on March 30, 1985.

The Concerto for English Horn and Orchestra is a composition for solo English horn and orchestra by the American composer Ned Rorem. The work was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic to commemorate the orchestra's sesquicentennial anniversary. It was first performed by the soloist Thomas Stacy and the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Kurt Masur at Avery Fisher Hall on January 27, 1994. Rorem dedicated the piece to Thomas Stacy. The work is one of the few prominent contemporary English horn concertos, along with James MacMillan's The World's Ransoming.

The Organ Concerto is a composition for solo organ and orchestra by the American composer Christopher Rouse. The work was commissioned for the organist Paul Jacobs by the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the National Symphony Orchestra. It was completed on June 23, 2014 and was first performed by Paul Jacobs and the Philadelphia Orchestra under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts on November 17, 2016. Rouse dedicated the piece to Jacobs.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Rouse, Christopher (1986). Phaethon: Program Note by the Composer. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  2. 1 2 Webster, Daniel (January 7, 1987). "A Composer Salutes The Bicentennial With Legend". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Archived from the original on August 5, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  3. ↑ Midgette, Anne (January 21, 2016). "NSO anticipates upcoming tour with Central European program". The Washington Post . Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  4. ↑ Druckenbrod, Andrew (September 24, 2004). "Christopher Rouse's orchestral 'Phaethon' gallops toward the sun: Baltimore composer is PSO's composer of the year for 2004". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  5. ↑ Henahan, Donal (January 14, 1987). "Music: The Philadelphia Orchestra". The New York Times . Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  6. ↑ Maddock, Stephen. "Rouse: Symphony No. 2; Flute Concerto; Phaethon". BBC Music Magazine . Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  7. ↑ McQuillen, James (November 20, 2011). "Oregon Symphony review: an homage to cellist Gerhardt with Prokofiev concerto". The Oregonian . Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  8. ↑ Kozinn, Allan (August 9, 2011). "The New and the Newer; Hold the Preconceptions". The New York Times . Retrieved June 14, 2016.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.