Symphony No.1 "Exile" - Alan Hovhaness

Seattle Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gerard Schwarz.

I - Andante espressivo - Allegro: 0:00
II - Grazioso: 7:24
III - Andante - Presto: 11:10

Hovhaness' First Symphony was composed in 1936, being premiered in London in 1939 by the BBC symphony orchestra conducted by Leslie Howard. When conductor Leopold Stokowski knew about the composer and the work, he premiered in 1942 in the united states, declaring the work as "powerful, virile and musically very solid." In 1970, the composer revised the work, replacing the second movement with a new one.

The Exile of the title alludes to the plight of the many Armenians, including Hovhaness' paternal family, either uprooted or killed before and after World War I, and moods of both fear and heroicism permeate the music of the surviving outer movements. Yet the work is dedicated to the English philosopher and writer Francis Bacon, the composer's literary hero. Each movement of the symphony had a subtitle (Lament, Conflict and Triumph, respectively), however, the composer eliminated them later on.

The first movement is loosely structured in ternary form. the first section opens with an ostinato of the harp, followed by a modal, melancholic theme in a solo of the clarinet. The flute takes said theme, interrupted by sudden orchestral outbursts. Solemn chords of the horns takes us to the middle section, where the strings present a vigorous and energic contrasting theme. The woodwinds then recapitulate the opening theme over the harp's ostinato. The music rises in a strong climax. The movement concludes with a sustained note of the clarinet.

The second movement is a very short intermezzo in ternary form. Woodwinds introduces a graceful modal theme, supported by pizzicattos of the strings. The trio section begins with a solo of the flute with the harp in the background, presenting a calmer, contemplative theme. The main theme is then briefly recapitulated in a varied way, before a low-key coda ends the movement.

The third movement is divided in two parts. The first one is an introduction that begins with mysterious phrases of the oboe over timpani blows, contrasted by an imposing brass chorale. These two alternating motifs are the basis of the whole movement. Arpeggios of the harp leads us to the second part. It begins with fast figures of the strings contrasted by a more developed version of the chorale on the brass. The harp reappears, followed by oriental solos of the wood. A fugue section opens with a variation of the chorale theme on the strings, developing majestic and gracefully. Follows triumphant recapitulation of the chorale by the whole orchestra. The symphony, as with the first movement, ends with a sustained note of the clarinet.

In a personal reflection; while first and third movements fit the subtitles they initially had and the overall narative perfectly, the second one doesn't really convey any feeling of "conflict". If we check Stokowski's recording of the original version, we can appreciate how the second movement is much more tense and combative. Why did Hovhaness change the movement? Unfortunatelly, we can only make suppositions in this regard.

Picture: Photograph of the Armenian leader Papasian seeing what's left after the horrendous murders near Deir-ez-Zor in 1915-1916. Taken by the missionary Bodil Katharine Biørn.

Musical analysis partially done by myself: Sources: https://bit.ly/3wyT54p, https://bit.ly/3yEA1Uq and https://bit.ly/3fm2Gpr

Видео Symphony No.1 "Exile" - Alan Hovhaness канала Sergio Cánovas