London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Myer Fredman.

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Brian's Symphony No.16 was written between June to August 1960. It is structured in a single movement containing several sections, forming part of a tetralogy of one-movement symphonies (from 13 to 17) of a more experimental nature. It was premiered in 1 April 1973, in a BBC broadcast with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Myer Fredman. The first public performance was in 5 August 1994, with the London Orchestra of St Cecilia conducted by James Kelleher.

No.16 is one of Brian’s most thoroughly radical works. Formally, it bears no relationship to any previous symphonic model; harmonically, it contains some of Brian’s most complex and dissonant harmonic constructions and, tonally, it resists clear definition until, literally, the final chord. The orchestra is extremely large, including quadruple woodwind, six horns, four trumpets and ten percussionists, and is deployed with striking virtuosity, often in wild flights of colouristic fantasy. Almost nothing is known about the inspiration, except that, in a letter to the composer Robert Simpson, Brian mentioned that at the time he had been re-reading Herodotus’s account of the heroic defeat of the Greeks by the Persians at the Battle of Thermopylae.

The first introductory section opens in a state of uneasy calm. Over a dissonant sustained chord from the woodwinds and strings, a pastoral solo from the oboe rises, from which almost all of the symphony’s material ultimately derives. The theme passes through several wood instruments (flute, clarinet, bassoon, etc) transformed with each solo. As the theme unfolds with every interpretation, especially when it appears on the basses, the tension and dissonance grows, taking us to the next part. The second section is an allegro moderato. A forceful theme is presented, being developed through an extensive counterpoint, typical of Brian. The music culminates in a tumultuous climax, leading to the third section, which consist of an unorthodox passacaglia described by expert Malcolm MacDonald, as a kind of "anti-passacaglia". Several variations based on the basic motif from the beginning are performed, with a regular six-beat (sometimes seven-beat) rhythm but with the pitches rejecting any regular pattern.

The music continually changes and morphs into new shapes. A pizzicato passage from the strings leads to a powerful climax from a march. The fourth section abruptly changes to the lyrically austere texture of the celesta and harp. Over the regular beats of the timpani, three oboes and a cor anglais present a melodic theme, based on the main theme from the beginning. The entrance of the strings begins a passage of glowing polyphony. Leading to the next part. The fifth section is a scherzo-like fugue. Four bassoons present a short and repetitive motif, which passes through several colourful orchestrations and changes in tempo and rhythm. A slower "trio" begins with a solo from the flute, over a lyrical ambient. Sudden fanfares from the brass announce the repetition of the short fugue. After a fierce climax, powerful fanfares take us to the final section.

The final section, slow and reflective in nature, seems almost like a rumination of previous sections, which appears to take us into a fade-out coda, but a sudden dramatic gesture from the strings culminates in a wild outburst from the full orchestra and an extraordinary closing moment: four grinding discords, a slowly climbing scale and an audacious final harmonic sidestep that manages to be both startling and utterly inevitable. A tremendous conclusion to a tremendous symphony.

A very interesting symphony and one of the finest of the extensive catalogue of Brian late symphonies. It is surprising to consider that the composer had 84 years when he composed it, and he still would compose many more yet. The work, in comparison with previous pieces, is more complex and dissonant, despite the tight and extremely condensed structure.

Introduction and analysis written by myself, based on this source: [ Ссылка ]

Unfortunatelly the score is not freely available.

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