Barbara Pentland, Symphony for Ten Parts

Описание: Composed in Munich just a year after the Piano Concerto, The Symphony for Ten Parts is a landmark in the Canadian orchestral repertoire, a profound demonstration of the post-war prestige and influence of Webern. Through it Pentland committed herself to the values of international modernism. 'It resulted from my renewed contact with the mainstream of European music after the long hiatus of the war years.'
The title, with its conscious echoes of early music so extensively studied by the young Pentland, refers to the stratified contrapuntal lines or 'parts' defined by pairs of winds, brass, and percussion (flute, oboe, trumpet/horn, xylophone/timpani) and four strings (violin, viola, cello bass) -- not an orchestra in the traditional sense or any traditional chamber complement.
Like Pentland's model, webern's symphony p. 21, the opening allegro could 'be considered a very condensed sonata form.' The Vivace second movement is a characteristic Pentland scherzo, with jaunty leggiero rhythms propelling the music through a glittering succession of instrumental timbres. The conclusion Moderato is the lyrical core of the work - 'The materal of the Finale came into being before the other movement,s giving rise to them, but it did not take final shape until they were complete. It is a more complex form, embodying elements already heard but presented now with more diversity.'