Daniel Asia's Fourth

Synopsis

On today’s date in 1993, the American composer Daniel Asia conducted the Phoenix Symphony in the premiere performance of his Symphony No. 4. The work included a slow movement, written as an orchestral elegy for Asia’s friend and composer colleague, Stephen Albert, who had died in a car crash the previous year.

But Asia cast his symphony in the traditional four-movements familiar from the symphonies of Haydn and Beethoven. And, as in the symphonies of Haydn and Beethoven, Asia left room for a wide range of emotions—including humor. So, in addition to a slow, elegiac movement, Asia’s Symphony has a second movement Scherzo, with a traditional, but jaunty and very American-sounding trio section.

“In this piece,” writes Asia, “I was rediscovering old formal ideas, and perhaps laying bare the primary motivic ideas and their development. The second movement is a true scherzo. There are refractions of Beethoven scherzos, but sometimes a beat is chopped off, creating a skipping effect. Also everything is in threes in the trio-section; the harmony is three-voiced, and the instrumentation is also in threesomes.”

For three years, during 1991-1994, the American composer Daniel Asia served as composer-in-residence with the Phoenix Symphony, a residency funded by Meet the Composer. As both composer and conductor, Daniel Asia has been meeting with a number of major American orchestras for coast-to-coast performances of his orchestral works, ranging from his hometown Seattle Symphony to the American Composers Orchestra in New York.

Music Played in Today's Program

Daniel Asia (b. 1953) Symphony No. 4 New Zealand Symphony; James Sedares, cond. Summit 256

On This Day

Births

• 1782 - Italian composer and violinist Niccolò Paganini, in Genoa;

• 1912 - American-born Mexican composer Conlon Nancarrow, in Texarkana, Arkansas (He became naturalized Mexican citizen in 1956);

• 1927 - American composer and teacher Dominick Argento, in York, Pennsylvania;

Deaths

• 1678 - English composer John Jenkins, age c. 86, in Kimberley, Norfolk;

• 1975 - American jazz composer and arranger Oliver Nelson, age 43, in Los Angeles;

• 1991 - Polish-born British composer Sir Andrzej Panufnik, age 77, in London;

Premieres

• 1827 - Bellini: opera "Il Pirata," at La Scala in Milan;

• 1886 - Mussorgsky: "A Night on Bald Mountain," posthumously, in a re-orchestration by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, in St. Petersburg, by the Russian Symphony conducted by Rimsky-Korsakov (see Julian date: Oct. 15);

• 1901 - Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2, in Moscow, composer as soloist (Gregorian date: Nov. 9);

• 1916 - Stenhammar: incidental music for Strindberg's "A Dream Play," at the opening of the Lorensberg Theater in Gothenburg, Sweden;

• 1948 - Stravinsky: "Mass," in Milan at La Scala, with Ernest Ansermet conducting;

• 1950 - Creston: Symphony No. 3, Op. 48, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting;

• 1957 - Villa-Lobos: Harmonica Concerto in Jerusalem;

• 1958 - Henze: ballet "Undine," in London;

• 1975 - Druckman's "Lamia" at New York Philharmonic concert;

• 1988 - Steven Stucky: "Concerto for Orchestra," in Philadelphia;

• 1989 - Christopher Rouse: “Iscariot” for chamber orchestra, in St. Paul, Minn., by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, John Adams conducting;

• 1993 - Daniel Asia: Symphony No. 4, by the Phoenix Symphony, the composer conducting;

• 1994 - Steven Mackey: "Eating Greens" for orchestra, by the Chicago Symphony, Dennis Russell Davies conducting.

• 1994 - Christopher Rouse: Flute Concerto, by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hans Vonk, with soloist Carol Wincenc;

• 1995 - Michael Torke: “Flint” for chamber ensemble, in Palermo, Italy, by The Brass Group.