Symphony No. 5, 'Childhood'

About

This work was composed during the period 2016–2018, including a residency at the Visby International Composers Centre, October 2016. It was written for The Christchurch Symphony Orchestra to celebrate the re-opening of the Christchurch Town Hall. The scheduled premiere on August 2020 had to be cancelled due to the Covid pandemic. However, the orchestra recorded the symphony on June 27 with Ken Young conducting, and this was released in March 2021 on a Rattle CD.

The symphony received its first performance on September 19, 2020, a day after the composer’s 60th birthday, with the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra and Marc Taddei conducting. The performance was under Covid Level 2 restrictions, meaning only 400 people were allowed in the audience.

The symphony is in five movements, with movements IV and V being linked:

I – Beginnings (10:00)
II – Play (5:30)
III – Hopes and Dreams (10:30)
IV – Life-force (4:30)
V – A future (11:30)

Some of the composer’s most formative and positive musical experiences occurred in The Christchurch Town Hall, an iconic building designed by Warren and Mahoney and opened in 1972. As a 12-year old he watched his father conduct Beethoven’s 5th symphony at the inaugural concert. He regularly attended Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and NZ Symphony Orchestra concerts, developing his love of the medium during his teens. Following the destructive earthquakes of 2010 and 2011 The Town Hall was threatened with demolition. When the decision was made to restore the Hall, Ritchie decided to write a new symphony in dedication to the Hall, and the restoration of a city. This followed on from his 4th symphony, which had reflected on the tragedy of the quakes themselves.

Symphony No.5 represents both a looking back at the past and a moving forward in a new direction, as symbolized by references to childhood and, simultaneously, reflections on adulthood. Childhood becomes a metaphor for renewed hope and optimism for the future but is also challenged by adult realities. The first movement evokes the first years of life, adopting the sound world of a music box. The first sound we hear is the ratchet, as the music box is wound up. The naivety of the main theme is contrasted by more adult thoughts in the second theme, played on solo oboe. An energetic middle section presents new ideas before fading back into the music box theme.

The second movement is a scherzo titled ‘Play’ and evokes a child’s world of make-believe and acting out of stories. The word ‘play’ has many meanings: we play music, we perform plays, we just play. The music is rumbustious and changeable in rhythm, although the quiet second theme is more settled and folk music-like in character.

The third movement reflects on challenges faced in childhood and the fragility of our lives. A plaintive opening idea for woodwind is followed by a lyrical, expressive melody on horn, then violins. The delicate sounds of the glockenspiel and harp, prominent in the 1st movement, return again in the middle and gradually grow to a climax, before a quiet ending.

The 4th and 5th movements are joined without a break as momentum is built to a rousing climax. This is uncomplicated, energetic and happy music, with motivic ideas intertwining together. It is inspired by the joy of seeing young people growing up and developing their potential, even in the face of considerable challenges. The gentle music box theme from movement 1 is transformed at the start of the 5th movement into a blazing brass chorale. An open-air theme follows on the strings which is then played in counterpoint against the chorale melody. After the climax of the movement the music box theme returns, and we hear the sounds of homemade percussion; it is an image of childish imagination and pleasure at making music. We take our childhood with us through life.

The score has been published by Promethean Editions in their University Series (Click here to view).

Click here for information about all of Anthony Ritchie's symphonies.