Symphony No. 2 (Liebermann)
Encyclopedia
Lowell Liebermann
’s Symphony No. 2, Op. 67 (1999) is a symphony
for large orchestra and SATB
chorus, with texts adapted from the poetry of Walt Whitman. It is about 40 minutes long, and arranged into four movements to be played without a break. It was commissioned by Ford Lacy and Cece Smith for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra
and Chorus’ centennial celebration. The work was premiered in 2000, with Andrew Litton
conducting the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. The Second Symphony was very favorably received at its premiere, with TIME describing it as, “Now brazen and glittering, now radiantly visionary...the work of a composer unafraid of grand gestures and openhearted lyricism.” However, the symphony has since received harsh criticism due to its exceptionally free embrace of tonality
and its distinctly optimistic outlook. Scott Cantrell in particular has denounced the Second Symphony as "foolhardy" in the "cynical" environment of today. The Second Symphony was recorded in 2000 on the Delos International label with Andrew Litton conducting the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.
Lowell Liebermann
Lowell Liebermann is an American composer, pianist and conductor.At the age of sixteen, Liebermann performed at Carnegie Hall, playing his Piano Sonata, op. 1...
’s Symphony No. 2, Op. 67 (1999) is a symphony
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
for large orchestra and SATB
SATB
In music, SATB is an initialism for soprano, alto, tenor, bass, defining the voices required by a chorus or choir to perform a particular musical work...
chorus, with texts adapted from the poetry of Walt Whitman. It is about 40 minutes long, and arranged into four movements to be played without a break. It was commissioned by Ford Lacy and Cece Smith for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra. It performs its concerts in the Meyerson Symphony Center in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas, United States....
and Chorus’ centennial celebration. The work was premiered in 2000, with Andrew Litton
Andrew Litton
Andrew Litton is an American orchestral conductor. Litton is a graduate of The Fieldston School, and holds both undergraduate and Masters degrees in music from Juilliard....
conducting the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. The Second Symphony was very favorably received at its premiere, with TIME describing it as, “Now brazen and glittering, now radiantly visionary...the work of a composer unafraid of grand gestures and openhearted lyricism.” However, the symphony has since received harsh criticism due to its exceptionally free embrace of tonality
Tonality
Tonality is a system of music in which specific hierarchical pitch relationships are based on a key "center", or tonic. The term tonalité originated with Alexandre-Étienne Choron and was borrowed by François-Joseph Fétis in 1840...
and its distinctly optimistic outlook. Scott Cantrell in particular has denounced the Second Symphony as "foolhardy" in the "cynical" environment of today. The Second Symphony was recorded in 2000 on the Delos International label with Andrew Litton conducting the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.