• Alan Hovhaness
  • Symphony No. 22, Op. 236 (1970)
    (City of Light)

  • C.F. Peters Corporation (World)
  • 3(III:pic).2.2+bcl.2+cbn/4.3.3.1/timp.3perc/hp/str
  • 21 min
    • 27th October 2024, 119 School St, Waltham, MA, United States of America
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Programme Note

This work was commissioned by the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, in the year of Birmingham/Alabama's, centennial. A former conductor of that orchestra was the father of Hovhaness's wife at the time. The city of the title is, the composer explained, not Birmingham: "I was thinking of a milion lights, an imaginary city ..."

The shimmering first movement is majestic, and serene, while the following "Angel of Light" recalls a childhood experience. The third movement scherzo utilises a dance melody from the composer's childhood opera Lotus blossom. The finale is a 'hymn of praise".

from: Alan Hovhaness | Symphonies Nos. 15-30

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Features

  • Catalogue Classics: Jean Sibelius - Symphony No 5
    • Catalogue Classics: Jean Sibelius - Symphony No 5
    • The fifth symphony by Jean Sibelius serves as a powerful foundation for any concert programme, offering a rich tapestry of themes that can be beautifully enhanced by a wide range of complementary orchestral works. Be inspired by music from the Wise Music catalogue to craft a well-rounded and cohesive concert programme around exploration of nature, nationalism, or resilience.

Discography