Knoxville Symphony Orchestra; David Van Vactor, conductor
John Boda writes that he "met David Van Vactor at a Symposium of the Southeastern Composers League (of which I am one of the founders). On his suggestion I submitted a score for consideration. The result was a Ford Grant to write a work for the Knoxville Orchestra. The Sinfonia was begun in March 1960, and finished in June 1960. First performed by the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra on December 6 of the same year. Performances by Oklahoma and Rochester (New York) Orchestras followed soon after."
As revealed in his Sinfonia (1960), Boda's musical thinking is firmly rooted in tonality and the structures that attend it. He works with familiar materials, but a display of contrapuntal skill (in the traditional sense) and an intelligent sense of pacing, give his music an individual character. Thus it is not surprising that his Sinfonia unfolds itself along formal lines that directly continue the sonata-symphony tradition of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
When Gilbert Trythall's Symphony No. 1 was given its West Coast premiere, by the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra (April 29, 1959), Alfred Frankenstein observed in his review that "the symphony is most elaborately made, but its elaboration proceeds from tough integrity and a sense of the wonder and eloquence of musical materials. Its manipulation of those materials has the genuinely big line that justifies the use of the word 'symphony.' It has humor, irony, exaltation, brilliance, and punch. Hindemith himself could not have played a chorale into glory with more telling power than Trythall exhibits as the end of his third movement."
Indeed, many pages of Trythall's score remind us of the German master. His spirit is present in the very conception of the work — its seriousness of intent, contrapuntal elaborate- ness, orchestral palette, and dependence on symphonic tradition. The Symphony is a large work for a large orchestra. Sonorities are piled atop each other, lines are weightily doubled, polyvoiced contrapuntal structures abound — and all adds together to convey a massive impression.
This title, originally issued on the CRI label, is now available as a burn-on-demand CD (CD-R) or download in MP3/320, FLAC or WAV formats. CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print booklet or jewel case included. Full liner notes are accessible via the link above.
Boda & Trythall: Symphonies
| MP3/320 | $7.99 | |
| FLAC | $7.99 | |
| WAV | $7.99 | |
| CD-R | $7.99 |
A *.pdf of the notes may be accessed here free of charge.
Track Listing
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Sinfonia: I. Moderato Tempo
John Boda
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Sinfonia: II. Slow
John Boda
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Sinfonia: III. Fast
John Boda
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Symphony No.1: I. Lento
Gilbert Trythall
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Symphony No.1: II. Vivace
Gilbert Trythall
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Symphony No.1: III. Adagio
Gilbert Trythall
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Symphony No.1: IV. Pesante - Allegro
Gilbert Trythall
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