Battle Symphony

Composer

Adam Gorb: www.adamgorb.co.uk

General Information

Year: 1997

Duration: 10 minutes

Publisher: Maecenas Music

Instrumentation

Piccolo I-II

Flute I-II

Oboe I-II

Bassoon

Contrabassoon (optional)

Bb Clarinet I-III

Bb Bass Clarinet

Eb Alto Saxophone I-II

Bb Tenor Saxophone

Eb Baritone Saxophone

Programme notes

Battle Symphony was commissioned by the Berkshire Education Authority and was first performed by the Berkshire Youth Wind Ensemble, conducted by Robert Roscoe at Leighton Park School in Reading, UK on 11 July 1997.

Originally titled La Batallia, it is a ten-minute work for woodwind ensemble and is modelled on the highly descriptive programme music so beloved of audiences in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries where fanfares, drum rolls and general noises of battle are such a feature. The piece is written in an idiom that pays homage to seventeenth century Baroque instrumental idioms with the occasional foray into wild twentieth century dissonance.

The opening of the Battle Symphony is a brightly articulated homophonic section for lower instruments with the rest of the ensemble following suit. This is contrasted with the Courtly Dance: a flute duet with clarinet chords is taken up by other solo instruments. A short reprise of the opening brings us to a sword fight where the upper instruments are featured with sharply articulated notes and high tessituras.  This is followed by a section marked presto with canonic entries which builds to a wild climax of parallel harmonies for the Soldiers Drunken Panic. A solemn and deeply resonant chordal section follows with flute and oboe interjections. The battle is fierce with ostinato figurations which become aggressive, strong and eventually, slow. Then is placed a unison tune for the ensemble which progresses to a harmonic sigh before entering the bright final section. Saxophones set up an ostinato in which other instruments weave their legato, scalic melodies which builds slowly until the tutti climax where the opening material is united with the listener for the grand finale.

Performances

Berkshire Youth Wind Ensemble (Robert Roscoe, conductor) at Leighton Park School in Reading, UK on 11 July 1997.

Bloomsbury Woodwind Ensemble (Shea Lolin, conductor) at St. George's Church in Bloomsbury, London, UK on 9 December 2005.

Bloomsbury Woodwind Ensemble (Shea Lolin, conductor) at Christ Church in Highbury, London, UK on 8 April 2006.

Recording for Twisted Skyscape album (see below) on 26 March 2014.

Bloomsbury Woodwind Ensemble (Shea Lolin, conductor) at St. George's Church in Bloomsbury, London, UK on 22 November 2014.

Discography

Recorded by the Czech Philharmonic Wind Ensemble conducted by Shea Lolin. Details at www.twistedskyscape.com