Igor Stravinsky is not a composer who is usually associated with symphonic form. Five of his compositions bear that name, however, even though they have little in common.
The first major work Stravinsky composed entirely in the United States, the Symphony in Three Movements seems to pick up where the Rite of Spring left off with its rhythmic ostinatos and shock effects. It can be interpreted as the composer’s response to the Second World War, which was ravaging Europe at the time of its composition, and its striking and triumphant conclusion appears to echo of what the composer must have felt. The Symphonies of Wind Instruments, a short, compact work, was a tribute to Stravinsky’s friend and colleague Claude Debussy. Although its kaleidoscopic formal conception disconcerted audiences at its première, it is now considered to be one of Stravinsky’s finest works, showing daring originality. The Symphony in C was composed on two continents during a difficult period for the composer, though this is in no way betyrayed by its simplicity, good humour and ‘classicism’.
With this disc, the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia and Dima Slobodeniouk present a fascinating aspect of the multifaceted output of a composer whose style was constantly evolving.
