Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Martyn Brabbins.

I - Adagio - Andante moderato ma marcato - Andante con moto - Adagio - Più movimento ma sostenuto - Adagio - Allegro vivo e ritmo marcato molto e leggiero - Moderato: 0:00

Brian's Symphony No.13 was composed between November and December 1959. It was premiered in 23 June 1976, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Stanley Pope. It structured in a single movement with several sections, being the first of a tetralogy of one-movement symphonies conceived for a very large orchestra (lots of woodwind, brass and percussion). MacDonald describes it as one of the composer’s most enigmatic works.

The work opens with an adagio introduction. It begins with a timpani roll and menacing calls from the horns. A dramatic theme in form of a march is presented, the basic element of the whole piece. The next section is marked with the entrance of the strings, developing and unfolding in an anxious and ambiguous moderato. In the next section, the theme becomes the source of several variations, hard to distinguish one of another. The harmonic idiom is complex, with the music frequently shifting tonalities. Violent percussion entrances lead to the next section, a slow adagio, with the main theme always in the background and several false starts toward a faster tempo. The next section is more dissonant and energetic as a contrast.

A new adagio section comes, with a climax based on a passionate variation of the main theme. Then comes a solo passage for the clarinet, followed by the violin. New calls from the horns present a variation of the main theme, to which strings and brass are added. A new solo from the flute leads to a new passionate passage for the strings, enhanced by the winds. A powerful fanfare takes us to the next section, a scherzo-like part. The bassoon presents a dancing motif which serves as a basis for the moderate dance performed by the whole orchestra. A short march leads to the final section, blending the two sections. A new powerful fanfare takes us to the final climax, concluding with a brilliant C major chord.

A piece hard to interpret, since Brian did not leave any text or context of the piece. The concise and extremely condensed structure, with sections blending each other, makes it also hard to analyse from a purely musical point of view.

Musical analysis written by myself, based partially on these two reviews: [ Ссылка ] and [ Ссылка ]

To check the score: [ Ссылка ]

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