Symphony No. 2 in E flat major (work in progress)

Well short of finishing my First Symphony (Symphonie apocalyptique, alias “Dies Irae”, in C minor), I’ve decided to begin a second, nicknamed “The Great American Road Trip”, in E flat major. (These are Mahlerian works indeed, both very progressive in tonality and very long.)

The Second Symphony is to have fifty-two movements—one for each American State plus the District of Columbia, where the national capital Washington is located, and Puerto Rico, the largest of the Territories, which could someday be State. These movements would be inspired in some way by each state, ordered geographically and grouped into five parts:

1. Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia (1-12)
2. Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Puerto Rico (13-22)
3. Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota (23-33)
4. North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas (34-42)
5. New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, California (43-52)

At two to three minutes for most movements and as much as five for some, the total length of the work should run over two hours and as long as three, similar to a feature-length film. (The Guinness Book of Records lists Symphony No. 1 “Gothic” by Havergal Brian as the longest symphony ever performed.)

Unlike the Brian’s or Mahler’s Eighth, the instrumentation of my Second is going to be a lot simpler, more Classical-to-early Romantic, at least for now. Some of the features of a Baroque concerto grosso will be used, with the ripieno as such:

• two flutes, second (or both?) doubling piccolo
• two oboes, second doubling cor anglais
• two clarinets in Bb or A, second doubling bass clarinet
• two bassoons, second doubling contrabassoon
• four horns in F
• two trumpets in Bb
• three trombones, two tenor and one bass, the last doubling tuba
• three or four timpani plus other percussion including Latin
• one harp
• twelve first violins
• ten second violins
• eight violas
• six violoncellos
• four contrabasses
  Number of strings may vary.

For the concertino, used in many movements, one or two soloists will be featured: piano, guitar, banjo, accordion, organ, solo violin or clarinet, and so on. The Latin percussionist is also a featured soloist.

Inspiration comes from all my favorite symphonies and symphonic suites, particularly late Romantic and early Modern, but with Baroque counterpoint, Classical forms and Modern atonality, serialism and microtonality. At tiimes, jazz and pregressive rock influences could be heard.

I’ve already started on the project; some of it can be heard at SoundCloud. Be sure to check back for updates both to this blog entry and the music.