Chamber Symphony

Description

Flute, Piccolo, Clarinet in Bb, Bass Clarinet, Violin, Viola, Violoncello, Piano — Chamber Symphony was written for the Boston Musica Viva, Richard Pittman, conductor, who premiered the piece shortly after its completion in November, 1979.Scored for Flute doubling Piccolo, Clarinet doubling Bass Clarinet, Violin, Viola, Cello, and Piano, the work is cast in a single movement which evolves from the initial material.xa0 Perhaps the most significant formal process in the piece is the development of long lines from shorter ideas.xa0 The character transformation that occurs in the course of thematic and motivic evolution is also of formal importance.xa0 In Chamber Symphony, the “orchestration” also contributes to the shape and meaning of the work.xa0 I sought both to exploit the solo capabilities of each instrument and to contrast that with the use of doublings and other devices to achieve an almost orchestral sound.For me, however, the ultimate meaning of this Chamber Symphony is in connection with the fact that it was written not long after the sudden death of my husband, violinist Joseph Zwilich.