Symphony No. 2 “Metallic”

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Symphony No. 2 “Metallic” for Large Orchestra first began life as my Piano Sonata No. 2.  The sonata was begun in 2006 and completed in 2008.  This was my first large-scale work (over 15 minutes) that I had ever written, and I premiered the sonata myself in 2008.  After playing the first movement in a masterclass for a well-known composer, she suggested that I orchestrate it and that the instruments and colors were right there begging to be realized in orchestral form.  I liked the idea and started orchestrating it, but left it for a few years to work on several other projects.  I restarted work on orchestrating it in the summer of 2011 and completed a draft in November of that year.  More years went by until I finally got around to revising and finalizing the movement, then given the title Titanium and Mercury, in 2019.  The title reflects the overall density, strength, and heaviness of the piece, while also referring to the two contrasting sections of the work that alternate and expand.  The first section is loud, brash, and “in your face,” like a modern metal structure made out of large blocks, and the second is uneasy yet flowing with overlapping waves.  Also playing into the title are the mythological bases for these elements, the Titans of the Greeks, who were extremely powerful deities and often quite ruthless, and Mercury, the winged Roman messenger.

After completing the first movement, I decided that the other movements of the sonata would work well in an orchestral form too (except for the sonata’s second movement, which I didn’t orchestrate) and decided to turn the sonata into a symphony expanding on the idea of metals.  The orchestration for the second movement, Iridium, was begun in late 2021 and completed in May 2022.  Iridium is a very dense element in the platinum family of metals that is hard, brittle, shiny, and rare, which I think fits the character of this movement well.

The final movement, Lithium, was orchestrated in fall 2022 and completed in late October that year.  Lithium is the least dense metal and yet is highly reactive and flammable.  Compared to the previous two movements, the music here is less dense, somewhat lighter in mood, and more traditional with some, albeit rather subtle, connections to tonality and a few non-classical musical styles.  However, there are still plenty of moments of explosivity.  

While I have written a lot of joyful and happy music in recent years, this work of mine represents a different side of my music, one that is loud, dissonant, and intense.  I haven’t composed in this mode too often, but I still connect deeply with it and feel it is an important part of my creative identity and what I want to express in my music. 

• First Prize, 2nd International Symphony Orchestra Contest for Young Composers from the CIS countries and Eastern Europe named after Michal Kleofas Ogniski (Mvt I “Titanium and Mercury” only).

• Mvt I “Titanium and Mercury” selected for the Underwood New Music Readings and read on March 13, 2020 by the American Composers Orchestra, George Manahan-conductor, at the City College of New York, NY.

• Mvt II “Iridium” selected for the INK STILL WET Composer/Conductor Workshop and premiered Sept. 4, 2022 by the Tonkunstler Orchestra, Keane Southard-conductor, at the Grafenegg Festival, Grafenegg, Austria.

• Mvt III “Lithium” premiered at the 53rd Annual Pellegrini Festival of New Music at Ball State University, Muncie, IN on March, 15, 2024 by the Ball State Symphony Orchestra, Stephen Larson-conductor.