Symphony No. 9 (Davies)

The Symphony No. 9, Op. 315, is an orchestral composition by Peter Maxwell Davies, composed December 2011 – March 2012, and dedicated to Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her diamond jubilee (Davies 2012). It was premiered on 9 June 2012 by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Vasily Petrenko (Ashley 2012; Fanning 2012).

Symphony No. 9
by Peter Maxwell Davies
The composer in 2012
CatalogueOp. 315
OccasionDiamond Jubilee
DedicationQueen Elizabeth II
Premiere
Date9 June 2012 (2012-06-09)
ConductorVasily Petrenko
PerformersRoyal Liverpool Philharmonic

History

At the time of the premiere of his Eighth, Antarctic Symphony in 2001, Davies stated it would be his last symphony (Anon. 2001; Witts 2001, 8). By May 2010, he had changed his mind and announced he would compose a Ninth Symphony in honour of the diamond jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II (Cramb 2010; Anon. 2011a; White 2011).

Character and materials

The work is scored for full orchestra with brass sextet. It is one continuous movement divided into two parts, part one consisting of a slow introduction followed by an allegro, part two which is slow throughout. Musical influences include medieval plainsong, 13th century polyphony, military marches and the string quartet op. 54 no. 2 by Haydn. Cultural influences include the architecture of certain Christian churches and recent military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan (Davies 2012).

References
  • Anon. 2001. "Classical: Antarctic Symphony: Royal Festival Hall, London". The Guardian (7 May): 12.
  • Anon. 2011a. "Maxwell Davies Points Baton at Peers". The Scotsman (7 January).
  • Ashley, Tim (11 June 2012). "RLPO/Petrenko Review: Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool". The Guardian. London. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  • Cramb, Auslan. 2010. "Peter Maxwell Davies Says Queen Has Converted Him to a Monarchist". The Telegraph (19 May).
  • Davies, Peter Maxwell. 2012. "Peter Maxwell Davies, Symphony No. 9". Maxopus.com (accessed 12 June 2012).
  • Fanning, David (11 June 2012). "Maxwell Davies Premiere, Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, review". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  • White, Michael. 2011. "An Elder Maestro Shows Students How to Be Strident". New York Times (11 November).
  • Witts, Richard. 2001. "Remastering the Past: 'Renewal' in Recent British Music". The Musical Times 142, no. 1876 (Autumn): 7–10.

Further reading
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