Symphony No. 1 (Honegger)

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Symphony No. 1
by Arthur Honegger

Arthur Honegger b Meurisse 1928.jpg

The composer in 1928
Occasion 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Performed13 February 1931 (1931-02-13): Boston
Movements three

The Symphony No. 1 by Swiss composer Arthur Honegger is a work for orchestra, written between December 1929 and May 1930 for the fiftieth anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Its first performance was given in Boston on February 13, 1931, under Serge Koussevitzky. [1]

Arthur Honegger Swiss composer

Arthur Honegger was a Swiss composer, who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. He was a member of Les Six. His most frequently performed work is probably the orchestral work Pacific 231, which was inspired by the sound of a steam locomotive.

Orchestra large instrumental ensemble

An orchestra is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which mixes instruments from different families, including bowed string instruments such as violin, viola, cello, and double bass, as well as brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments, each grouped in sections. Other instruments such as the piano and celesta may sometimes appear in a fifth keyboard section or may stand alone, as may the concert harp and, for performances of some modern compositions, electronic instruments.

Boston Symphony Orchestra American orchestra based in Boston

The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at Tanglewood.

Honegger's First Symphony is a three-movement work with a total running time of about 22 minutes. The movements are titled:

  1. Allegro marcato (approx. 5'40")
  2. Adagio (approx. 9'00")
  3. Presto - Andante tranquillo (approx. 7'10")

This symphony is published by Éditions Salabert.

Recordings

Recordings of this symphony include full sets of Honegger's symphonies performed by

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References

  1. Honegger: Symphonies 1-5 • Pacific 231 • Rugby(CD liner notes). Warner Classics, 2006. p. 4.