Carter A symphony of 3 orchestras

 Day 126

Carter A symphony of 3 orchestras

New York Philharmonic Orchestra

Pierre Boulez

I have heard a few pieces by Elliott Carter over the years - I recall a string quartet and the double concerto - but he is not a composer that I have ever got to know in any depth. This symphony dates from 1976 and so is a late work, though ‘late’ is a relative term for Carter, who continued composing beyond the age of 100.

This was a tough piece and I am not sure whether I really enjoyed listening to it. I didn’t have a score and so only could get a very broad over view of the piece.  I can’t say I followed the structure, although it had a quite clear coda with a gradual disintegration broken by a series of explosive chords.  The main attraction of the piece was the textural variety. The orchestra is divided into three distinct groupings (hence the title) and I imagine that in performance the division would be much clearer than on a recording. 

This is the last in this series of American symphonies - it has been a worthwhile experience sampling the work of a number of composers, most of whom I knew by name only. It has been the symphonies which are more European in style that have made the greater impression - I suspect that for an American listener the opposite might well be true.  I am very busy over the next week so I will be listening to some shorter, more lightweight, English orchestral pieces