Symphony No.4 in C major ''Das Siegeslied'' (Psalm of Victory) - Havergal Brian

Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra Bratislava & Philharmonic Choir (etc) conducted by Adrian Leaper. Jana Valásková as the soprano. I - Maestoso - Lento - Allegro vivo ma deciso - (attacca): 0:00 II - Lento - Allegro vivace - Lento - (attacca): 16:06 III - Allegro (bewegt) - Solenne - Andante maestoso: 27:27 Brian's Symphony No.4 was composed between 20 June 1932 to 10 December 1933. It is a huge choral work written for soprano, two choruses and very large orchestra. It was premiered in a BBC broadcast in 3 July 1967, with Honor Sheppard (soprano), Halifax Choral Society, Leeds Philharmonic Choir, BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra and conductor Maurice Handford. The first public performance was in 13 October 1974, with Felicity Palmer (soprano), BBC Singers, BBC Choral Society, Goldsmith's Choral Union, London Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor John Poole. Is based on the Psalm 68 from the Psalms of David, which was one of the favourites poems of Brian. This Psalm is no simple paean of praise. The text exults at the thought of the violent doom which awaits the unrighteous, and at the chosen of the Lord dipping their feet in their enemies' blood. It is a sacred song of war, as Brian's music makes only too graphically explicit. There are several reasons for why Brian used a German text. One of them is that the publishers of his latest works were German, and he believed that a German text would facilitate the interpretation of his works in Germany. But perhaps the most important reason is his admiration for German music, which is reflected in his works and also in his favourite literature, with a special appreciation for Goethe. But the rise of Nazism to power coincided with the composition of his symphony, which reflects the violence of the barbaric massacre that began in Germany, apocalyptically recounting the end that was approaching. The symphony has a cyclical structure, each movement with a tripartite structure and themes that pass from one movement to another. The first movement begins in maestoso with a neo-baroque march, remembering the works of Händel, full of pomp and splendour, but this cheerful atmosphere of clear tonality breaks with the entrance of the choirs, through a tortuous chromatic polyphony. Scenes of terror and violence follow each other, interspersed with orchestral memories of the previous orchestral march. The polyphonic singing, full of dissonances, is resolved in a fierce climax. The slow middle section begins with a delicate orchestral interlude, then the choirs a cappella sing: Du gabst, Gott, einen gnädigen Regen (Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain), beginning calmly as a tonal antiphon, but soon its melody becomes more chromatic, to finish again in antiphonal form. The last part of the movement begins with the choirs singing violently: Der Herr gab das Wort (The Lord gave the word). The music describes a scene, as if it were a battle that leads to a drastic end, linking with the next part. The second movement, for soprano solo and orchestra, starts after a short pause, it begins with a pastoral prelude, ending with a violin solo. Then the soprano enters with a mysterious lyricism, accompanied delicately by the orchestra. In the central part the environment changes, becoming more violent. The orchestra reaches a great climax, followed by a descent to the low registers of the brass. The soprano reappears in the last part of the movement and leads us to a solemn coda performed by the wind. The last movement is the most extensive. It begins mysteriously, soon the choirs are raised by a kind of victorious march, which leads to a great chorale. It continues with a contrasting section in the form of a scherzo, in which the choirs treat a sentence of the text with great development. They follow two sections separated by a short orchestral fragment presenting great jubilation. The atmosphere changes, as a solemn section appears, a complex version of the great Lutheran choir ''Ein' feste Burg''. The melody receives a development with elements from previous episodes. In the last part, the work ends with the return of the march of the beginning with all its power. The phrase ''Gelobt sei Gott!! '' (God be praised) sung by choirs at full power, triumphantly finishes the work. The meaning of his work can be taken as a victory song, which expresses its title, but its violent expressive contrasts, its chromaticism and its dissonances, could be a denouncement of the militarism and the totalitarian state in which the Germanic nation was becoming. It also entails a call to fight, to defeat all the ghosts and forces of evil evoked in the work. Lyrics: https://bit.ly/429lpKL Picture: Victorian stained glass church window depicting King David in Fringford (UK). Sources: https://bit.ly/3wBseHG and https://bit.ly/3dVHlVG Unfortunately, the score is not freely available.