Symphony No. 8 (Sessions)
Encyclopedia
The Symphony No. 8 of Roger Sessions
was composed in 1968.
It is a work in two movements
lasting together about fourteen minutes:
Noteworthy in the context of Sessions' symphonies is the use of maracas in the first movement.
The symphony was premiered on May 2, 1968 by the New York Philharmonic
conducted by William Steinberg
.
Roger Sessions
Roger Huntington Sessions was an American composer, critic, and teacher of music.-Life:Sessions was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a family that could trace its roots back to the American revolution. His mother, Ruth Huntington Sessions, was a direct descendent of Samuel Huntington, a signer of...
was composed in 1968.
It is a work in two movements
Movement (music)
A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
lasting together about fourteen minutes:
- Adagio e mesto
- Allegro con brio
Noteworthy in the context of Sessions' symphonies is the use of maracas in the first movement.
The symphony was premiered on May 2, 1968 by the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
conducted by William Steinberg
William Steinberg
William Steinberg was a German-American conductor.- Biography :Steinberg was born Hans Wilhelm Steinberg in Cologne, Germany. He displayed early talent as a violinist, pianist, and composer, conducting his own choral/ orchestral composition at age 13...
.
Recordings
- Prausnitz, FrederikFrederik PrausnitzFrederik William Prausnitz was a German-born American conductor and teacher. His grandfather, Wilhelm Prausnitz, was the dean of the medical school at Graz, as well as a Privy Counsellor...
, New Philharmonia Orchestra on Argo LP ZRG 701. Part of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation series. Issued around 1973. With Sessions' Rhapsody for Orchestra and works by other composers, e.g. Wallingford RieggerWallingford RieggerWallingford Constantine Riegger was a prolific American music composer, well known for orchestral and modern dance music, and film scores...
and Thea MusgraveThea MusgraveThea Musgrave CBE is a Scottish composer of opera and classical music.-Biography:Born in Barnton, Edinburgh, Thea Musgrave studied at the University of Edinburgh and in Paris as a pupil of Nadia Boulanger...
. - Botstein, LeonLeon BotsteinLeon Botstein is an American conductor and the President of Bard College . Botstein is the music director and principal conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra and conductor laureate of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, where he served as music director and principal conductor from 2003-2010...
, American Symphony Orchestra on New World Records 80631. Issued in 2005. With works by Aaron CoplandAaron CoplandAaron Copland was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later in his career a conductor of his own and other American music. He was instrumental in forging a distinctly American style of composition, and is often referred to as "the Dean of American Composers"...
, George PerleGeorge PerleGeorge Perle was a composer and music theorist. He was born in Bayonne, New Jersey. Perle was an alumnus of DePaul University...
and Bernard RandsBernard RandsBernard Rands is a composer of contemporary classical music.Rands studied music and English literature at the University of Wales, Bangor, and composition with Pierre Boulez and Bruno Maderna in Darmstadt, Germany, and with Luigi Dallapiccola and Luciano Berio in Milan, Italy.He held residencies...
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