Symphony No. 4 (Arnold)

The Symphony No. 4, Op. 71 by Malcolm Arnold was finished on 13 July 1960. It is in four movements:

Cover of the printed score of Malcolm Arnold's Symphony No. 4

I. Allegro
II. Vivace ma non troppo
III. Andantino
IV. Con fuoco

The work was commissioned by William Glock for the BBC. The composer conducted the first performance with the BBC Symphony Orchestra on 2 November 1960 at the Royal Festival Hall.

The composer wrote in 1971 that the symphony was a reaction to the Notting Hill race riots of 1958. He was appalled that such a thing could happen in Britain. And expressed his hope that it might help to spread the idea of racial integration.

Instrumentation

The symphony is scored for the following large orchestra:

Piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, snare drum, bongos, tom-toms, maracas, tam-tam, marimba, celesta, harp and strings.

Commercial recordings

References


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