MICHAEL DAUGHERTY
METROPOLIS SYMPHONY (1988-1993) for Orchestra (version for band)
I. Lex
II. Krypton
III. MXYZPTLK
IV. Oh, Lois!
V. Red Cape Tango
MANO A MANO 2019
CIM LA ARMÓNICA de BUÑOL
Conductor: JOSE TELLO
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Publisher: Peermusic Classical (North and South America)
www.peermusicclassical.com/
Sole agent: Faber Music (Europe and Asia)
www.fabermusic.com/
Duration: 42 minutes
Instrumentation: 3 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, 4 percussion, synthesizer, keyboard, strings
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METROPOLIS SYMPHONY was first recorded in 1994 by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Zinman for Decca. The second recording by the Nashville Symphony Orchestra conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero in 2011 for Naxos was awarded 3 GRAMMY awards. Since the premiere at Carnegie Hall in 1994, METROPOLIS SYMPHONY has been played by orchestras all over the world including, among others: The New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, Memphis Symphony, Toledo Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Albany Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra Iowa, Boston Musica Viva, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (Canada), Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (Australia), Auckland Philharmonia (Australia), BBC Symphony Orchestra (UK), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Northern Ballet Theatre (UK), Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, BIT20 Ensemble (Norway), Freiburg Philharmonic Orchestra (Germany), Bochumer Symphoniker (Germany), Oldenburg State Orchestra (Germany), Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen (Germany), Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra (Germany), MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra (Germany), Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, The Europa Orchestra (Netherlands), Lucerne Symphony Orchestra (Switzerland), Orchestra Teatro Comunale (Italy), Orchestra Toscanini (Italy), RAI National Symphony Orchestra (Italy), Hradec Králové Philharmonic Orchestra (Czech Republic), Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra (Serbia)
METROPOLIS SYMPHONY was cited by NPR in 2013 as a leading contender "In Search of the Great American Symphony."
www.npr.org/sections/deceptiv...
For more information on Michael Daugherty and his music, visit: www.michaeldaugherty.net
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Composer's Note:
I began composing my METROPOLIS SYMPHONY in 1988, inspired by the celebration in Cleveland of the fiftieth anniversary of Superman's first appearance in the comics. When I completed the score in 1993, I dedicated it to the conductor David Zinman, who had encouraged me to compose the work, and to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. METROPOLIS SYMPHONY evokes an American mythology that I discovered as an avid reader of comic books in the fifties and sixties. Each movement of the symphony-which may be performed separately-is a musical response to the myth of Superman. I have used Superman as a compositional metaphor in order to create an independent musical world that appeals to the imagination. The symphony is a rigorously structured, non-programmatic work, expressing the energies, ambiguities, paradoxes, and wit of American popular culture. Like Charles Ives, whose music recalls small-town America early in our century, I draw on my eclectic musical background to reflect on late-twentieth-century urban America. Through complex orchestration, timbral exploration, and rhythmic polyphony, I combine the idioms of jazz, rock, and funk with symphonic and avant-garde composition.
I. Lex
"Lex" derives its title from one of Superman's most vexing foes, the supervillain and business tycoon Lex Luthor. Marked "Diabolical" in the score, this movement features a virtuoso violin soloist (Lex) who plays a fiendishly difficult fast triplet motive in perpetual motion, pursued by the orchestration and a percussion section that includes four referee whistles placed quadraphonically on stage.
II. Krypton
"Krypton" refers to the exploding planet from which the infant Superman escaped.
III. MXYZPTLK
"Mxyzptlk" is named after a mischievous imp from the fifth dimension who regularly wreaks havoc on Metropolis. It features two dueling flute soloists who are positioned stereophonically on either side of the conductor.
IV. Oh, Lois!
"Oh, Lois!" invokes Lois Lane, news reporter at the Daily Planet alongside Clark Kent (alias Superman). Marked with the tempo "faster than a speeding bullet," this is a five-minute concerto for orchestra.
V. Red Cape Tango
"Red Cape Tango" was composed after Superman's fight to the death with Doomsday, and is my final musical work based on the Superman mythology. The principal melody, first heard in the bassoon, is derived from the medieval Latin death chant "Dies Irae."
-Michael Daugherty
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