The Symphony No. 1 by Arnold Bax was completed in 1922 and dedicated to John Ireland. The three movements of the symphony are:
The outer movements are based on a Piano Sonata in E that Bax subsequently orchestrated, while the central movement was newly composed for the symphony.
It is scored for 4 flutes (3rd doubling alto flute, 4th doubling piccolo), 2 oboes, 1 English horn, 1 heckelphone or bass oboe, 3 clarinets (3rd doubling E♭ clarinet), 1 bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 1 sarrusophone or contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba, percussion (timpani, bass drum, tenor drum, snare drum, tambourine, cymbals, gong, triangle, bells, xylophone, and glockenspiel), celesta, 2 harps and strings.
The first performance took place on 4 December 1922 at Queen's Hall in London. The London Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Albert Coates.'Bax's New Symphony', in The Times, 5 December 1922, p. 10
Paul Conway noted that "this assured score served notice that Bax, a proven master of the tone poem, was also a symphonist of the front rank".Paul Conway. Notes to British Symphonies, Lyrita CD SRCD2355 (2016) The work is in many ways autobiographical with some music critics suggesting they could find references within the work to the Great War.
Recordings
Vernon Handley / BBC Philharmonic Myer Fredman / London Philharmonic Orchestra Bryden Thomson / London Philharmonic Orchestra
References
External links