Symphony No. 3 (Zwilich)

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The Symphony No. 3 is a symphony for orchestra by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The work was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic to commemorate their sesquicentennial anniversary. It was first performed by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Jahja Ling on February 25, 1993. The symphony is dedicated "with love and admiration" to Kurt Masur and the New York Philharmonic. [1]

Contents

Composition

Structure

The symphony has a duration of approximately 22 minutes in performance and is cast in three movements:

  1. Maestoso e cantabile – Allegro giocoso
  2. Molto vivace
  3. Largo

The second and third movements are played without pause. [1]

Instrumentation

The work is scored for a large orchestra consisting of piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, Cor anglais, two clarinets, bass clarinet, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, and strings.

Reception

Reviewing the world premiere, Bernard Holland of The New York Times wrote, "What Ms. Zwilich does she does with great skill and sincerity. The contrapuntal interplay is sure and effective, although at the end I don't think that altitude, pressure and repetition are quite enough to create the substance and weight she is after." [2] Reviewing a later performance by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Judith White of The Saratogian wrote, "The music makes the audience sit up and listen, as the instruments from various sections achieve difficult unisons and staggered harmonies." [3] Lawrence A. Johnson of the Sun-Sentinel opined, "It's outrageous that music of the Miami-born Ellen Taaffe Zwilich continues to be so neglected, not least in her home state. The Pulitzer Prize winner's Third Symphony is among her finest works, concise and deeply felt, with a powerful Largo finale." [4]

European reviewers were more critical of the work, however. Michael Oliver of Gramophone wrote, "The Third Symphony contains plenty of good ideas: a sombre and long-spanned viola melody that acts as 'first subject' in the opening movement; the malign march that propels the central scherzo. But I really cannot feel that the symphony would be much harmed if its movements were played in reverse order, or if the outer ones in particular were to be cut by about three minutes apiece." [5] Annette Morreau of BBC Music Magazine dismissed the piece as "sentimentality without guts," adding, "Her bland music is perfect for America's numerous colleges – where it should remain." [6]

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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 (1993). "Zwilich: Symphony No. 3". Theodore Presser Company . Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  2. ↑ Holland, Bernard (March 4, 1993). "Reviews/Music; From Two American Composers". The New York Times . Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  3. ↑ White, Judith (August 16, 2004). "Review: Orchestra performance one to remember". The Saratogian . Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  4. ↑ Johnson, Lawrence A. (July 2, 2006). "The Great (And Unknown) American Symphony". Sun-Sentinel . Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  5. ↑ Oliver, Michael (December 1995). "Zwilich Orchestral Works". Gramophone . Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  6. ↑ Morreau, Annette (January 20, 2012). "Zwilich: Symphony No. 3; Oboe Concerto; Concerto Grosso". BBC Music Magazine . Retrieved July 24, 2020.
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