Stravinsky: Symphonies of Wind Instruments

The conducting soprano Barbara Hannigan always surprises her audiences with well-considered and innovative concerts. On this occasion she gathers L’Ascension by Messiaen, Stravinsky’s choral tribute to the Lord in the firmament of his power and symphonies for wind instruments, and Ligeti’s harmonic crystal sounds – music that has triumphed over gravity. Pure beauty from three orchestral masters who have made invaluable contributions to the history of music. You can now enjoy all four pieces here on GSOplay.

In an interview in The New York Times, Stravinsky describes Symphonies for Winds as “a grand song, an objective scream of wind instruments, instead of the warm human tone of the violins”. Immediately upon hearing that Claude Debussy had died, he telegraphed his condolences to the widow Emma, and wrote a short fragment which was published in a supplement to La Revue Musicale. This fragment was the first he wrote for what would become Symphonies for Winds, but in the finished composition this is the very conclusion. The work came to consist of nine quite distinct motifs used as short choruses and episodes.