Symphony No. 4 is anorchestral composition in two movements by the American composerChristopher Rouse. The work was commissioned by theNew York Philharmonic, for which Rouse was thencomposer-in-residence.[1] The piece was completed June 30, 2013 and was premiered on June 5, 2014, inAvery Fisher Hall,New York City, by the New York Philharmonic under the direction ofAlan Gilbert.[1][2]
Regarding the inspiration of the work and whether the symphony had aprogrammatic intent, Rouse has remained deliberately ambiguous. In the program notes to the score, he commented:
For those of my scores in which I have had a reasonably specific expressive intent, I have usually tried to be open about the nature of that intent. However, there have been a few occasions when I have felt the need to say very little in this regard. [...] ...while I did have a particular meaning in mind when composing my Symphony No. 4, I prefer to keep it to myself. Some listeners may find the piece baffling but will nonetheless have to guess.[1]
The symphony has a duration of roughly twenty minutes and is composed in two movements:[1][3]
The symphony is scored forpiccolo, twoflutes, twooboes,English horn, twoclarinets,contrabass clarinet, twobassoons,contrabassoon, fourFrench horns, threetrumpets, fourtrombones,tuba,timpani, percussion (three players),harp,celesta, andstrings (violins I & II,violas,violoncellos, anddouble basses).[1]
Alex Ross ofThe New Yorker praised the symphony, calling it "a short and engagingly strange piece that plunged without warning from dance to dolor."[4]WQXR-FM called it "a grand gesture in symphonic writing."[5]Anthony Tommasini ofThe New York Times described the piece as "an intriguing 20-minute work structured in two connected movements of vastly contrasting character: the first bustling and seemingly cheerful, the second grim and despairing." Tommasini further commented:
The first movement of Mr. Rouse’s Symphony No. 4 is marked 'Felice,' and the music is indeed felicitous. There are bustling rhythmic figurations and whole passages built from ascending, sputtering scale motifs. After a while the cheerful energy becomes tiresome. Enough, already! What is he up to? The music becomes bogged down with intricacy, jagged phrases and weighty harmonies. The first movement seems to decompress, or deflate.The second movement, marked 'Doloroso,' becomes ominous, which could have sounded melodramatic and obvious. But Mr. Rouse explores the dark side with restraint and mystery. The piece does not end so much as give up, in a final, enigmatic gesture.[3]
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