The Symphony No. 2 is a
symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...
for chamber
orchestra by the Scottish composer
James MacMillan. It was first performed at
Ayr Town Hall
Ayr Town Hall is a municipal building in New Bridge Street, Ayr, Scotland. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Ayr Burgh Council, is a Category A listed building.
History
The first municipal building in Ayr, an old tollbooth which was ...
on 2 February 1999, by the
Scottish Chamber Orchestra under MacMillan. The piece is dedicated to the writer and MacMillan's "fellow
Ayrshire
Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...
man"
Andrew O'Hagan.
Composition
The symphony has a duration of roughly 25 minutes and is composed in three numbered
movements. The work is largely build upon MacMillan's 1985 Piano Sonata, about which the composer commented in the score program notes, writing, "The original is 'opened up' to new forms of expansion, sometimes according to colouristic potential, other times to dramatic or even originally unseen potential. Sometimes new layers are added, such as the march, sometimes material has been projected into new contexts."
Instrumentation
The work is scored for a chamber orchestra comprising two
flutes (2nd doubling
piccolo
The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the so ...
), two
oboes (2nd doubling
cor anglais
The cor anglais (, or original ; plural: ''cors anglais''), or English horn in North America, is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family. It is approximately one and a half times the length of an oboe, making it essentially an alto ...
), two
clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound.
Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...
s (2nd doubling
bass clarinet
The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays notes an octave bel ...
),
bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...
,
contrabassoon
The contrabassoon, also known as the double bassoon, is a larger version of the bassoon, sounding an octave lower. Its technique is similar to its smaller cousin, with a few notable differences.
Differences from the bassoon
The reed is consi ...
, two
horns,
trumpets, two percussionists,
harp
The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...
, and
strings
String or strings may refer to:
*String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...
.
Reception
Nicholas Williams of ''
BBC Music Magazine
''BBC Music Magazine'' is a British monthly magazine that focuses primarily on classical music.
History
The first issue appeared in September 1992. BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the BBC was the original owner and publisher toget ...
'' praised the symphony as "adroitly focused" and wrote, "The unusual internal balance of parts, with a broad-backed second movement taking the strain, feels organically right."
See also
*
List of compositions by James MacMillan
This is a list of compositions by James MacMillan (born 1959), a Scottish composer of contemporary classical music. MacMillan's music is published by Boosey & Hawkes, and his diverse catalogue of music currently numbers over 200 works.
Opera or ...
References
{{James MacMillan
Symphonies by James MacMillan
1999 compositions
MacMillan 2
Compositions for chamber orchestra