Symphony No.6 - Walter Piston

Seattle Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gerard Schwarz

I - Fluendo espressivo: 0:00
II - Leggerissimo vivace: 6:58
III - Adagio sereno: 10:38
IV - Allegro energico: 20:36

Piston's sixth symphony was composed to mark the 75th Anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He dedicated the score to the memory of Serge Koussevitzky and his wife Natalie. The symphony was first performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Charles Munch, on November 25, 1955. Piston’s intimate association with the BSO began when he settled in Boston in 1926.

A work designed for the instrumentalists of the Boston orchestra, as the composer's own words tell us: “While writing my Sixth Symphony, I came to realize that this was a rather special situation in that I was writing for one designated orchestra, one that I had grown up with, and that I knew intimately. Each note set down sounded in the mind with extraordinary clarity, as though played immediately by those who were to perform the work. On several occasions it seemed as though the melodies were being written by the instruments themselves as I followed along. I refrained from playing even a single note of this symphony on the piano.”

The work, like his symphonies 3 & 4 (especially the third one), is divided in four movements with traditional structures. Considered by many as his finest symphony, there is a particular Frenchness, an Impressionistic quality, to much of the Sixth Symphony, hearkening to the composer's years of study in Paris with Nadia Boulanger. This

The first movement is written in the classical sonata form. It begins with a broad theme modestly presented by strings and woodwind. Descending scales of the harps lead us to a lyrical second theme that develops through a rich and varied orchestration, Both themes are in 3/4 time. After a brief development, in the recapitulation, new harp scales return us to the main theme, after being delayed until the very end of the movement.

The second movement is a brief but witty Scherzo (without trio). The main theme is energetic, full of irregular rhythms and percussive effects, unusual in Piston's output both for harmonic novelty and an adventurous approach to orchestration. The percussion section is prominent throughout the movement, and the pizzicato muted strings playing in parallel seconds add another percussive layer, woven together with pianissimo scurrying chromatic lines. The music reaches an exalted climax, and then finish serenely.

The third slow movement is a rondo based on two themes (A-B-A-B-A). It begins with a base formed by the basses of the strings. The main theme is firstly presented by a somber solo of the cello, which later passes to other instruments. The second theme is widely lyrical, featuring a bright solo of the flute. The main theme returns, being embellished and ornamented. Then second theme appears, providing a completely serene development. Near the end of the movement the solo cello returns to play the well-known BACH motif (B♭-A-C-B♮) the four notes which, in a different order, had begun the first movement.

The finale is heavily scored but gives the illusion of lightness and transparency, with echoes of jazz influence in its syncopated forms. It's based on two themes without following the sonata form, following a rather sectional form in a bright A major, with well-defined, extroverted themes. The first theme is lively, with echoes of jazzy syncopation which animate this bright and optimistic music. The second theme is more melodic, with the colorful intervention, among other instruments, of the flute and harp. A brilliant coda closes the work.

The first and third movements, as well as the second and fourth, are paired through the use of mode (minor in the first and third, major in the second and fourth), motives (broadly lyrical vs. brightly syncopated), form, color, and mood, and a satisfying, balanced whole is achieved in this way, along with the key scheme of the four movements: A minor, D major, F♯ minor, and A major.

Picture: "Summer Evening" (1886) by the American painter Childe Hassam.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphon..., http://www.historiadelasinfonia.es/na..., https://www.allmusic.com/composition/... and https://www.naxos.com/mainsite/blurbs...