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Symphony No. 7 (Penderecki)
Krzysztof Penderecki wrote his Seventh Symphony, subtitled "Seven Gates of Jerusalem", in 1996 to commemorate the third millennium of the city of Jerusalem. Originally conceived as an oratorio, this choral symphony was premièred in Jerusalem in January 1997; it was only after the first Polish performance two months later that Penderecki decided to call it a symphony. It is written for two sopranos, alto, tenor, bass, narrator, chorus and orchestra. MovementsThe symphony is written in seven movements and lasts approximately 60 minutes:[1]
InstrumentationThe symphony is scored for 4 flutes (3rd & 4th doubling piccolo), 3 oboes, cor anglais, 3 clarinets (3rd doubling E flat clarinet), bass clarinet, 3 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 4 trombones, tuba, percussion, celesta, piano, organ (ad lib) and strings. In addition, there are offstage parts for 3 clarinets (3rd doubling E flat clarinet), bass clarinet, 3 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets (including a bass trumpet, prominent in the 6th movement), 4 trombones and tuba. OverviewCompositionIn 1995 Penderecki was commissioned to write a work to commemorate the third millennium of Jerusalem, a city the composer had first visited in 1974 in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War. Penderecki decided to write an oratorio titled Seven Gates of Jerusalem (there is an eighth "golden" gate but, according to Jewish tradition, this is reserved for the arrival of the Messiah).[2] Penderecki composed the work between April and December 1996. The work was premiered in Jerusalem on 9 January 1997; the orchestra included members of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Lorin Maazel. The Polish premiere followed on 14 March 1997, under the direction of Kazimierz Kord. It was only after the Polish performance that the composer decided to call the work his Seventh Symphony, though he had not yet completed his Sixth Symphony (which would eventually be published and premiered in 2017).[2][3] The composer has since also written an Eighth Symphony, which like the Seventh is a choral symphony.[2] In categorizing the work, James L. Zychowicz writes in his review:
Zychowicz adds that while "each of the movements is distinct enough to stand on its own merits, ... when conceived together, [they] form a cohesive symphonic structure."[4] The text of the symphony is written primarily in Latin, while the sixth movement, "the most dramatic of the entire work,"[4] is written in Hebrew; the text in this penultimate movement, taken from the book of Ezekiel, is presented by a speaker.[4] Significance of the number sevenWhile the symphony is not a pictorial or descriptive work, the number seven plays a significant part in it. The work is not only written in seven movements but is "pervaded by the number 'seven' at various levels," with an extensive system of seven-note phrases binding the work together, "while the frequent presence of seven notes repeated at a single pitch will be evident even on a first hearing, as also the seven fortissimo chords bringing the seventh and final movement to an end."[2] Musical manipulation of textZychowicz states that the composer's manipulation of text may have been an important factor in shaping the musical structure of the work, as well. By setting selected verses instead of complete psalms, "he gave the text focus and clarity.... Taken together, the verses for the first movement are ... essentially a new text, albeit one redolent of the psalter."[4] Zychowicz cites the last movement as another example of textual manipulation "as Penderecki combines verses from three prophetic books, and then returns to the psalms, eventually bringing back the verse with which the Symphony opened."[4] This manipulation of text, Zychowicz writes, "suggests a level of composition ... that is linked to the musical structure of the work."[4] Order of text
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