Chamber Symphony
2009
Here's a digital rendering of my (2009). The original performance was given in Thunder Bay on Dec.9, 2009 by the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra under the direction of William Intrilligator.
Program Note
Steven Baric's Chamber Symphony (2009) is an essay in the composer's personal style, ranging across the breadth of the work from aggressive dissonance, through mystic modalism, and charming—-if somewhat skewed—-dance motives. Clearly in evidence are the composer's interest in the dramatic art of film scoring and the influence of his considerable involvement in the musical end of classical dance.
There is a continuum of reference throughout the work to the octatonic scale (a scale built on alternating semitone-whole tone pairs, giving eight notes to the octave), which is a major feature in much of the composer's work. Owing to its flexibility with both modal melodies and essentially tonal harmonies, it proves a valuable tool for quickly breaking down tonal themes into apparent chaos without sacrificing an underlying architecture.
Structured along more or less classical lines, the work opens with a lengthy brooding introduction that puts forth the principal themes of the first movement. Following some small transformations, the single horn-—which makes its first appearance as a key structural element in the whole symphony—-lays out its first call prior to taking command with the opening theme of the movement proper. The usual organization of movements is shifted a bit, with the Scherzo comprising the second movement rather than the third. This brusque Scherzo is contrasted with a lilting Trio that shows considerable Iberian influence, even in the linking octatonic passages. Following the recapitulation of the Scherzo is a brief Intermezzo...a sort of entr'acte in which the theme of the Trio is manipulated into an entirely different treatment employing only pizzicato strings. The slow movement, again with a principal melody introduced by the solo horn, is typical of Baric's romantic melody writing in which he forms seemingly long melodic ideas out of quite compact motivic units. The work is brought to a close with an energetic finale in moto perpetuo, in a loose sort of sonatina-rondo form, that clearly demonstrates the influence of mid-century Eastern European composers (notably Shostakovitch and Bartók) on Baric's orchestral writing. The highly modal movement is propelled by a driving rhythm against which is contrasted a more lyrical theme. Nearing the climactic “cadence” at the end of the work, the horn returns to provide one more reference to the opening of the symphony, bringing the work to a grand close that belies the down-scaled classical orchestration.
I: Grave - Allegro
Special thanks to Maestro Stephane Potvin for rehearsing the work prior to the premiere.
This rendering is directly off Sibelius 6, without much adjustment for performance. It's pretty raw digital. I'm hoping it will get at least enough interest to warrant another performance somewhere.
Program Note
Steven Baric's Chamber Symphony (2009) is an essay in the composer's personal style, ranging across the breadth of the work from aggressive dissonance, through mystic modalism, and charming—-if somewhat skewed—-dance motives. Clearly in evidence are the composer's interest in the dramatic art of film scoring and the influence of his considerable involvement in the musical end of classical dance.
There is a continuum of reference throughout the work to the octatonic scale (a scale built on alternating semitone-whole tone pairs, giving eight notes to the octave), which is a major feature in much of the composer's work. Owing to its flexibility with both modal melodies and essentially tonal harmonies, it proves a valuable tool for quickly breaking down tonal themes into apparent chaos without sacrificing an underlying architecture.
Structured along more or less classical lines, the work opens with a lengthy brooding introduction that puts forth the principal themes of the first movement. Following some small transformations, the single horn-—which makes its first appearance as a key structural element in the whole symphony—-lays out its first call prior to taking command with the opening theme of the movement proper. The usual organization of movements is shifted a bit, with the Scherzo comprising the second movement rather than the third. This brusque Scherzo is contrasted with a lilting Trio that shows considerable Iberian influence, even in the linking octatonic passages. Following the recapitulation of the Scherzo is a brief Intermezzo...a sort of entr'acte in which the theme of the Trio is manipulated into an entirely different treatment employing only pizzicato strings. The slow movement, again with a principal melody introduced by the solo horn, is typical of Baric's romantic melody writing in which he forms seemingly long melodic ideas out of quite compact motivic units. The work is brought to a close with an energetic finale in moto perpetuo, in a loose sort of sonatina-rondo form, that clearly demonstrates the influence of mid-century Eastern European composers (notably Shostakovitch and Bartók) on Baric's orchestral writing. The highly modal movement is propelled by a driving rhythm against which is contrasted a more lyrical theme. Nearing the climactic “cadence” at the end of the work, the horn returns to provide one more reference to the opening of the symphony, bringing the work to a grand close that belies the down-scaled classical orchestration.
I: Grave - Allegro
II: Scherzo & Trio
III: Intermezzo
IV: Adagio
V: Allegro energico
First Movement: Grave - Allegro
Second Movement: Scherzo & Trio
Third and Fourth Movements: Intermezzo, Adagio. They're included together because of the segue.
Fifth Movement: Allegro energico
Fourth Movement: Adagio, here by itself.
