Lepo Sumera - Symphony No. 4 "Serena borealis" (Score Video)

00:03 I. Allegro ma non affettuoso
06:41 II. Lontano e sonore - (attacca)
11:18 III. Lontano e sonore
14:29 Cadenza per chitarra e percussioni
18:51 IV. Feroce - (attacca)
22:16 V. Dolce e pianissimo
Malmö Symphony Orchestra conducted by Paavo Järvi
Jan Olof Jönsson, percussion
Guitarist not listed
Note that there are some small differences between the score and recording, and that the guitar/percussion cadenza is not written out in the score.
Lepo Sumera (1950-2000) was an Estonian composer and teacher whose music often emphasizes contrast and creative use of very little musical material. For more on Sumera, see my score video of his second symphony: • Lepo Sumera - Symphony...
Sumera's fourth symphony of 1992 is a typically engaging example of his work; unrestrainedly bombastic at times, quite tender at others, but always with great originality and attention to texture. For me, the most striking parts of the piece are the slow movements in the middle; the ostinato of the maracas over a pad of strings, augmented with delicate harmonic glissandi and bowed percussion, envelops the listener in a mysterious yet highly compelling world of sound, one that is further developed with the arrival of the guitar minutes later.

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pretty atmospheric