Symphony No. 9 (Arnold)
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The Symphony No. 9, Op. 128 by Malcolm Arnold was finished in 1986. It is in four movements:
- Vivace
- Allegretto
- Giubiloso
- Lento
Scoring:
2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons. 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba. Timpani, 2 percussionists. Harp. Strings.
The symphony is dedicated to Anthony Day who looked after Malcolm Arnold from 1984 to 2006.
The first performance was given in 1988 with a student orchestra, the Orchestra of the National Centre for Orchestral Studies (long disbanded) conducted by Charles Groves in Greenwich in the presense of a selected audience. The first public performance was given on Monday 20th January 1992 by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra in Manchester also conducted by Charles Groves.
The last movement is as long as the previous three together and is very sparsely scored and bleak. In an interview with conductor Andrew Penny the composer stated that he wanted the symphony "to die away into infinity...".
[edit] Commercial recordings
- 1996 Andrew Penny and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland on Naxos Records 8.553540 ([1])
- 1996 Vernon Handley and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra on Conifer Records 75605-51273-2 (re-released on Decca 4765337) ([2])
- 2001 Rumon Gamba and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra on Chandos Records CHAN 9967 ([3])
[edit] References
- Symphony No. 9 from Malcolm Arnold's Official Site
- Chester-Novello page on the Symphony
- A neglected 20th century masterpiece
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