CORIGLIANO, J.: Symphony No. 2 / The Mannheim Rocket (Helsinki Philharmonic, Storgards)

‘The Second Symphony by John Corigliano, commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, draws on his 1996 String Quartet, but the adaptation involved rewriting three of the five movements. The opening “Prelude” combines synchronous threads of sound which oscillate hauntingly, leading to a climax and a serene chordal apotheosis. The scherzo is slashingly aggressive, but the middle section is gentle, being a lyrical passacaglia. The “Nocturne” opens ethereally and creates a richly sustained tapestry to picture a Moroccan night, interrupted by a pattern of muezzin calls from the city’s many mosques. Then comes a complex fugue, which the composer describes as “anti-contrapuntal”. He uses a single theme in separate voices moving at different tempi; the work closes with a postlude in valedictory mood, with a high solo violin “meant to impact a feeling of farewell”. The synchronous sound threads of the “Prelude” return, the symphony ends as it began, fading into silence. It is a remarkably imaginative piece, not nearly as difficult to follow as it sounds.

‘The Mannheim Rocket is a phantasmagorical orchestral picture of Baron von Münchhausen’s Wedding Cake Rocket taking off, but it is also a pun on the musical term made famous by the Mannheim orchestra of the eighteenth century to describe a rising musical sequence that speeded up and grew louder as it went higher. The performances here are first-class and so is the spectacular recording. This is all real music and well-worth trying.’

The Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music