Symphony No. 9 (Davies)

The Symphony No. 9, Op. 315, is an orchestral composition by Peter Maxwell Davies, composed from December 2011 to March 2012, and dedicated to Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her diamond jubilee.^[1] It was premiered on 9 June 2012 by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, conducted by Vasily Petrenko.^[2][3]

Symphony No. 9
by Peter Maxwell Davies
The composer in 2012
Opus	315
Occasion	Diamond Jubilee
Dedication	Queen Elizabeth II
Premiere
Date	9 June 2012 (2012-06-09)
Conductor	Vasily Petrenko
Performers	Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

History

At the time of the premiere of his Eighth, Antarctic Symphony in 2001, Davies stated it would be his last symphony.^[4][5] 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.^[6][7][8]

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.^[1]

References

1. Davies 2012.
2. Ashley 2012.
3. Fanning 2012.
4. Anon. 2001.
5. Witts 2001, 8.
6. Cramb 2010.
7. Anon. 2011a.
8. White 2011.

Sources

• 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 12 June 2012.
• Cramb, Auslan (19 May 2010). "Peter Maxwell Davies Says Queen Has Converted Him to a Monarchist". The Telegraph. London.
• Davies, Peter Maxwell (2012). "Peter Maxwell Davies, Symphony No. 9". maxopus.com. Archived from the original on 28 February 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
• Fanning, David (11 June 2012). "Maxwell Davies Premiere, Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, review". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
• White, Michael (11 November 2011). "An Elder Maestro Shows Students How to Be Strident". The New York Times.
• Witts, Richard (Autumn 2001). "Remastering the Past: 'Renewal' in Recent British Music". The Musical Times. 142 (1876): 7–10.

Further reading

• "Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Beethoven's Ninth Saturday 9 June 2012 7:30 pm Liverpool Philharmonic Hall". Royal Liverpool Philharmonic website (Accessed 8 January 2012).
• Fisher, Neil. 2012. "RLPO/Petrenko: Concert". The Times (12 June): 12.
• Hewett, Ivan. 2012. "Peter Maxwell Davies: The Old Rebel Has a New Cause: Sir Peter Maxwell Davies Tells Ivan Hewett about the Inspiration for His Ninth Symphony". The Telegraph (7 June): 29. (Accessed 12 June 2012).

External links

• Davies: Symphony No. 9, part 1 on YouTube, performed by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by John Storgårds (Helsinki Music Centre, 5 December 2013); Part 2 on YouTube