John Corigliano's Symphony No. 2 for Orchestra was commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Symphony Hall. The symphony’s first performance was by the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Seiji Ozawa on November 30, 2000.
Contents
Instrumentation
The symphony is scored for string orchestra (minimum 6 first violins, 5 second violins, 4 violas, 4 cellos, and 2 basses).
Form
The piece consists of five movements:
Composition
Based on his String Quartet (1995), as Corigliano explains: "My quartet is in five movements, three of which are notated in spatial notation. This means that the players do not count beats, but play more freely rhythmically, coordinating at various points but totally independent in others," requiring rewriting of this and other issues for larger ensemble.
Reception
The piece was awarded the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Music.