The other day I clicked on my radio just in time to hear the announcer say, “That was Symphony Number Two by Ge.orge Chadwick.”
George who? I had never heard of George Chadwick. I looked him up on Wikipedia, and here is some of what the article says: “George Whitefield Chadwick (November 13, 1854 – April 4, 1931) was an American composer. Along with John Knowles Paine, Horatio Parker, Amy Beach, Arthur Foote, and Edward MacDowell, he was a representative composer of what is called the Second New England School of American composers of the late 19th century—the generation before Charles Ives. Chadwick's works are influenced by the Realist movement in the arts, characterized by a down-to-earth depiction of people's lives.” The complete article is HERE. Chadwick’s Symphony No. 2 is a pleasant enough work, and I enjoyed it very much. It doesn’t rank up there with the greatest symphonies in the complete canon of classical music, but it is certainly an admirable work. The first movement, Andante non troppo - Allegro con brio, opens with a lone French Horn setting a lonely mood. In a matter of a few measures, the string section sets a more ominous and desperate tone, and then about a minute and a half later, the full orchestra introduces a much more hopeful and jubilant theme complete with heroic notes from the brass. The movement is an exciting piece to be sure, but perhaps Chadwick could have developed the initial themes a bit more before moving on so quickly to the uplifting resolution? The second movement, marked Allegretto, is a fun five minute scherzando. It’s a buoyant piece characterized by lush strings peppered with light and airy woodwind solo passages. The third movement, marked “Largo e maestoso - Allegro non troppo - Tempo primo,” continues the use of abundant strings and light woodwinds, and it moves the piece to a more dramatic tone, but not one that is too heavy or forlorn. As a matter of fact, the Allegro section is soon to introduce a more daring tone with a bold use of brass, but not one that is too exaggerated or over-dramatic. A slower section toward the end of the movement sounded a bit Tchaikovsky-esque to me – but not overly so. The final movement, Allegro molto animato, revisits some of the rhythms and character of earlier sections of the symphony, and the entire piece comes to its spirited conclusion. Overall this symphony is an exciting piece to listen to, and it is certainly laudable – it’s just not necessarily in the top tier of symphonies ever written. : )
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A New Hope:As the header above says, each week I will listen to a piece of classical music that I've never heard before, and then I will report out what I thought about it. Archives
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