Catalogue Op. 315 Dedication Queen Elizabeth II | Occasion Diamond Jubilee Conductor Vasily Petrenko | |
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Date 9 June 2012 (2012-06-09) Performers Royal Liverpool Philharmonic | ||
The Symphony No. 9, Op. 315, is an orchestral composition by Peter Maxwell Davies, composed December 2011 – March 2012, and dedicated to Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her diamond jubilee (Davies 2012). It was premiered on 9 June 2012 by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Vasily Petrenko (Ashley 2012; Fanning 2012).
Contents
History
At the time of the premiere of his Eighth, Antarctic Symphony in 2001, Davies stated it would be his last symphony (Anon. 2001; Witts 2001, 8). By May 2010, he had changed his mind and announced he would compose a Ninth Symphony in honour of the diamond jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II (Cramb 2010; Anon. 2011a; White 2011).
Character and materials
The work is scored for full orchestra with brass sextet. It is one continuous movement divided into two parts, part one consisting of a slow introduction followed by an allegro, part two which is slow throughout. Musical influences include medieval plainsong, 13th century polyphony, military marches and the string quartet op. 54 no. 2 by Haydn. Cultural influences include the architecture of certain Christian churches and recent military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan (Davies 2012).