Work
Symphony No. 2
for orchestra
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About
After the premiere of my first symphony I was asked to write a new one with more exuberance. I accepted the challenge. The work proceeded quickly and I found that I was expressing exciting rhythms and dynamics which had always been a part of the inner me.
One day I heard a wind band in the English seaside town of Brighton. One of the musicians was playing a bass saxophone. I fell in love with its chunky staccato bass line and incorporated it in the orchestration of the symphony.
In the final fourth movement there is a place where I required a loud bang. After trying a few percussion instruments I settled on scoring for a pistol. Absolutely nothing else but a pistol shot was suitable at that point.
Commissioned note
Commissioned by Orchestra of the 20th Century
Contents note
Andante/Allegro
Lento
Allegro ma non troppo
Presto
Performance history
10 Nov 1995: Performed by the Orchestra of the 20th Century at Usher Hall, Edinburgh