Daniel Asia's Fourth

Synopsis

On today’s date in 1993, the American composer Daniel Asia conducted the Phoenix Symphony in the premiere performance of his Symphony No. 4. The work included a slow movement, written as an orchestral elegy for Asia’s friend and composer colleague, Stephen Albert, who had died in a car crash the previous year.

But Asia cast his symphony in the traditional four-movements familiar from the symphonies of Haydn and Beethoven. And, as in the symphonies of Haydn and Beethoven, Asia left room for a wide range of emotions – including humor. So, in addition to a slow, elegiac movement, Asia’s Symphony has a second movement Scherzo, with a traditional, but jaunty and very American-sounding trio section.

“In this piece,” writes Asia, “I was rediscovering old formal ideas ... The second movement is a true scherzo. There are refractions of Beethoven scherzos, but sometimes a beat is chopped off, creating a skipping effect. Everything is in threes in the trio-section; the harmony is three-voiced, and the instrumentation is also in threesomes.”

As both composer and conductor, Daniel Asia has worked with American orchestras for coast-to-coast performances of his orchestral works, ranging from his hometown Seattle Symphony to the American Composers Orchestra in New York.

Music Played in Today's Program

Daniel Asia (b. 1953) — Symphony No. 4 (New Zealand Symphony; James Sedares, cond.) Summit 256

On This Day

Births

• 1782 - Italian composer and violinist Niccolò Paganini, in Genoa;

• 1912 - American-born Mexican composer Conlon Nancarrow, in Texarkana, Arkansas (He became naturalized Mexican citizen in 1956);

• 1927 - American composer and teacher Dominick Argento, in York, Pennsylvania;

Deaths

• 1678 - English composer John Jenkins, age c. 86, in Kimberley, Norfolk;

• 1975 - American jazz composer and arranger Oliver Nelson, age 43, in Los Angeles;

• 1991 - Polish-born British composer Sir Andrzej Panufnik, age 77, in London;

Premieres

• 1827 - Bellini: opera "Il Pirata," at La Scala in Milan;

• 1886 - Mussorgsky: "A Night on Bald Mountain," posthumously, in a re-orchestration by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, in St. Petersburg, by the Russian Symphony conducted by Rimsky-Korsakov (see Julian date: Oct. 15);

• 1901 - Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2, in Moscow, composer as soloist (Gregorian date: Nov. 9);

• 1916 - Stenhammar: incidental music for Strindberg's "A Dream Play," at the opening of the Lorensberg Theater in Gothenburg, Sweden;

• 1948 - Stravinsky: "Mass," in Milan at La Scala, with Ernest Ansermet conducting;

• 1950 - Creston: Symphony No. 3, Op. 48, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting;

• 1957 - Villa-Lobos: Harmonica Concerto in Jerusalem;

• 1958 - Henze: ballet "Undine," in London;

• 1975 - Druckman's "Lamia" at New York Philharmonic concert;

• 1988 - Steven Stucky: "Concerto for Orchestra," in Philadelphia;

• 1989 - Christopher Rouse: “Iscariot” for chamber orchestra, in St. Paul, Minn., by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, John Adams conducting;

• 1993 - Daniel Asia: Symphony No. 4, by the Phoenix Symphony, the composer conducting;

• 1994 - Steven Mackey: "Eating Greens" for orchestra, by the Chicago Symphony, Dennis Russell Davies conducting.

• 1994 - Christopher Rouse: Flute Concerto, by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hans Vonk, with soloist Carol Wincenc;

• 1995 - Michael Torke: “Flint” for chamber ensemble, in Palermo, Italy, by The Brass Group.