Symphony_No._2_(Arnold)

Symphony No. 2 (Arnold)

Symphony No. 2 (Arnold)

Symphony by Malcolm Arnold

The Symphony No. 2, Op. 40 by Malcolm Arnold is a symphony dating from 1953. Arnold composed the symphony on commission from the Bournemouth Winter Garden's Society. He dedicated the score to the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and conductor Charles Groves, who premiered the work on 25 May 1953.

EMI recording of Malcolm Arnold's Symphonies Nos 1, 2 & 5, pictures the composer conducting Symphony No. 2

The work is in four movements:

I. Allegretto
II. Vivace
III. Lento
IV. Allegro con brio

Commentators such as Donald Mitchell and Christopher Stasiak have noted Arnold's use of what they characterise as "Mahlerian clichés", or Mahlerian style and construction, in this symphony.[1] By contrast, Hugo Cole observed that it is "a startlingly original work... bold enough to flout 'the spirit of the age' so outrageously."[2]

Notable performances

Commercial recordings

References

  1. [1]
    Stasiak, Christopher (June–September 1987). "The Symphonies of Malcolm Arnold: Eclecticism and the Symphonic Conception". Tempo. New Series. 161/162 (1): 85–90. JSTOR 945378.
  2. [2]
    Cole, Hugo (1989) Malcolm Arnold: An Introduction to his Music, Faber, ISBN 0-571-10071-6, p. 55
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