Vincent Persichetti - Symphony No. 9 (1/3)

Vincent Ludwig Persichetti (June 6, 1915 - August 14, 1987) was an American composer, teacher, and pianist.

Sinfonia Janiculum, Op. 113 (Symphony No. 9)
1971

The Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy

On the summit of the Janiculum, the highest hill in Rome, stands the Villa Aurelia, once used as a stable by Garibaldi's cavalry and now the site of the American Academy of Rome. It was at the Villa Aurelia that Vincent Persichetti took up residence in 1969, as holder of his second Guggenheim Fellowship, to compose a new symphony.

As he worked on this symphony at the Villa Aurelia, he could hear the sound of bells from a small church, the Chiesa di San Pietro sul Gianicolo several hundred feet below. The theme of the San Pietro chimes is incorporated into the score.

The symphony is a meditation in music on the meaning of existence. What is the origin of life? What is the beginning, and what its end? Is the door opening or closing?

An important musical educator and writer, Persichetti was a native of Philadelphia. He was known for his integration of various new ideas in musical composition into his own work and teaching, and for training many noted composers in composition at the Juilliard School. His students at Juilliard included Philip Glass, Bruce Haack, Jack Behrens, Charles L. Bestor, Hall Overton, Karl Korte, Michael Jeffrey Shapiro, Larry Thomas Bell, Richard Danielpour, Kenneth Fuchs, Jing Jing Luo, William Schimmel, Robert Dennis, Peter Schickele, Louis Calabro, Ronald Caltabiano and Thelonious Monk. He also taught composition to conductor James DePreist at the Philadelphia Conservatory.

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[Ear4Beauty]

I know Persichitte had impressive musicianship and memory. My highscool played some of his music for Concert Band. I did not know he was so skillful at this style. I'd like to class him with Peter Minnen and Benjamin Britten in his more modern moods. This work seems a tad more accessible than a Roger Sessions. Maybe a bit more emotional content. A tad more emotionally communicable than an Elliot Carter IMO.

[bartje11]

@Ear4Beauty Thanks for the feedback!

[douglasmatley]

Very interesting, I am having primordial feelings with this symphony. It's amazing what music can bring up, what surfaces. This is my first hearing of Persichetti, thank you. D'Alexandr D'Maddalena

[0314bran1]

Prachtig stuk. Raatavaara heeft bij hem gestudeerd, goed te horen zijn de invloeden van P. op R.

[Hamburgerphil]

Thank you for posting this!