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Symphony No. 2 in B flat, op. 21 (1883-1886)
| composer |
George Whitefield Chadwick (1854-1931) |
| performers |
Albany Symphony Orchestra
Julius Hegyi, conductor |
| publisher |
Serenissima Music
|
| label |
New World Records 80339http://www.newworldrecords.org
|
| duration |
37:20 |
Chadwick's Symphony No. 2 in B flat, op. 21 (1883-1886) is often compared to the New World Symphony (1893) by Antonín Dvorák, a composer with whom Chadwick shared a similar musical outlook. Both composers used folk-inspired thematic ideas and rousing rhythms to express their nationalistic sentiments. However, Chadwick completed his symphony well before Dvorák's visit to the United States: the end of its second movement features a pentatonic melody inspired by Negro song written almost a decade before Dvorák's better-known example. This movement was so well-liked in its premiere performance by the Boston Symphony Orchestra that it was played twice by audience demand, an unprecedented occurrence in the orchestra's history.
The Symphony begins with an introductory horn call which is developed into an extended sonata form. The following Allegretto displays Chadwick's proficiency with lighter movements as he guides the folk-influenced material through clever and unexpected musical turns. The horn is featured again in the beginning of the third movement, with a somber, minor-key melody followed by a middle-section intermezzo. The Allegro finale is lively, an upward-moving variation on the original melody leading to a coda restating themes from throughout the symphony. The music culminates in a recapitulation of the original horn call, this time forceful and richly orchestrated.
George Whitefield Chadwick (1854-1931) is considered the leading figure of what is known as the Second New England School of composers, which included Amy Beach, Edward MacDowell, John Knowles Paine, Horatio Parker, and others. Centered around Boston, Massachusetts and its active cultural milieu, the movement is characterized by music written in an international style heavily influenced by the music of Germany, with each composer developing his or her own personal voice within its constraints.
Chadwick had a somewhat atypical upbringing in relation to his peers. Due to his mother's early death and father's remarriage, he was forced to become self-supporting at an early age. He did not complete high school, but instead worked in his father's insurance office and as an organist while pursuing musical studies at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. In 1877 Chadwick traveled to Germany to study with Salomon Jadassohn in Leipzig and Josef Rheinberger in Munich.
Upon returning to Boston in 1880, Chadwick launched a career as an organist, teacher, and conductor, and composed music in nearly every genre, especially works for the variety of active choral groups and major orchestras in the city. Two years later he joined the faculty of the New England Conservatory, becoming its director in 1897, a position he would retain until his death. Under his leadership, the conservatory evolved from a school of piano to a full-fledged conservatory in the European model, with innovations for the time of an opera workshop, student repertory orchestra, and courses in orchestration and harmony.
By the early 1890's Chadwick had become a prominent figure in American music. In 1892 he was commissioned to compose an ode for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois, a work which was performed by an orchestra of 500 and a chorus of 5,000. He continued to write large-scale orchestral and operatic works, among them the Symphonic Sketches (1895-1904) and Tam O'Shanter (1915) for orchestra, and the verismo opera The Padrone (1912-1913).
Founded in 1931, the Albany Symphony Orchestra has long been associated with the performance of new music from the United States. Conductor Julius Hegyi led the orchestra for over two decades beginning in 1965; under its current music director David Alan Miller, the orchestra continues to commission, perform, and record music by American composers. Each year the orchestra also hosts an American Music Festival which features its chamber ensemble Dogs of Desire performing commissions of new multimedia and multidisciplinary works. The orchestra has recorded for the Albany, Argo, and New World labels, and is a 16-time recipient of the ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming.
related websites
http://www.albanysymphony.com
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