First Symphony for Band (2008)

Grade: 6+
Duration: 19 min

Movements:
I. Ô tempora ô mores
II. Scherzo tenebroso
III. Andantino pastorale,
IV. Marches funéraires et dansantes

Composer note:
Commissioned by the Big Ten Band Directors Association and premiered by the University of Michigan Symphony Band, Michael Haithcock, conductor, my First Symphony for Band (2008) was originally planned to be my Ninth Symphony. I had decided to follow my friend John Corigliano’s example of calling his magnificent Symphony No. 3, "Circus Maximus" for band Symphony No. 3. On reflection I realized that, since Beethoven and Mahier, ninth symphonies have been thought of as a composer’s last will and testament — a third symphony doesn’t have that stigma — and I’m not ready for that final word yet. Thus, this is a First Symphony for Band.

The First Symphony is by far the most ambitious piece in my very small catalogue for band. In form it relates most closely to my fifth and sixth symphonies for orchestras: as with them, it begins with a tight sonata movement followed by a scherzo, a slow movement, and a sort of rondo-finale. Ô tempora ô mores, a tragic and forceful protest, laments our dark time. Scherzo tenebroso is a cousin to the scherzi in my third, fifth and sixth symphonies, especially in the sardonic use of popular material in their trios; in this trio, as we hear the cornet playing a waltz, I envision a clown dancing. Andantino pastorale belies a seemingly simple tunefulness with its dark undercurrent. The image of a New Orleans funeral procession, followed by a joyous dance-like march back from the graveyard, gives the form of Marches funéraires et dansantes, and leaves us at long last with an atmosphere of exuberance and hope.

- Program Notes by composer