Symphony No. 7 (Symphonie Nr. 7)
Commissioned by the Berliner Philharmonisches Orchester for their 100th anniversary
Period of composition 1983-84
Duration 46 minutes
I Dance
II Calmly moving
III Perpetuum mobile
IV Calm, sustained
World premiere
World premiere 1. December 1984
Berlin
Berliner Philharmonisches Orchester
Conductor Gianluigi Gelmetti
Comments
In this work, I had wanted completely to submit to the traditional rules of the classical symphony so as to mould my musical expression as if in a furnace and enable it to reach the listener as directly and clearly as possible.
The first movement is a kind of German dance, an Allemande, so to speak; the second one a Lied. The third, in strict scherzoform, is a representation of the sufferings of the German poet Friedrich Hölderlin, in Dr Autenriedth’s mental institution in Tübingen. The last movement is a setting of Hölderlin’s poem “Half of Live”.
Hans Werner Henze
Instrumentation
4 Flauti | 2° e 3° anche Ottavini, 4° anche Flauto contralto |
2 Oboi | |
1 Corno inglese | |
1 Heckelphon | |
4 Clarinetti | 4° anche Clarinetto basso |
1 Clarinetto contrabbasso | |
4 Fagotti | 4° anche Controfagotto |
6 Corni | |
2 Trombe in do | |
2 Trombe in re | |
3 Tromboni tenori | |
1 Trombone basso | |
1 Trombone contrabbasso | |
1 Tuba bassa | |
Percussione I | 2 Tamtam 2 Bongos 6 Tomtom Timpani Maracas Glockenspiel Campane tubolari |
Percussione II | Tamburo piccolo 2 Bongos Grancassa Glockenspiel Marimba Gong cinese |
Percussione III | 3 Piatti sospesi 3 Tamtam Tamburello basco Guiro Frusta Vibrafono Crotali |
Arpa | |
Pianoforte | |
Celesta | |
Archi |