Samuel Barber (Symphony No. 2)

Here we have from Samuel Barber (1910-1981) a thrilling orchestral work, one that almost didn't survive for our listening pleasure today. The composer sought to have his second symphony destroyed for reasons not completely known to us. However, a few years after Barber's death, the orchestra parts turned up in a warehouse in England. I'm glad they did.
The three-movement symphony was composed while Barber was serving in the Army Air Force in 1942. He visited an air force base in Texas and spent time talking with the pilots to get a sense of their experiences in the air. His symphony, therefore, draws at least some of its inspiration from these accounts of soaring in the clouds.
Performed by Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Neeme Järvi
Purchase Symphony No. 2 along with other Barber orchestral works here on the Chandos label: www.chandos.net/details06.asp...

[@timothywilliams1359]

I love Barber's music, and have performed many of his songs. The 1st Symphony is generally considered the best ever written by an American composer. Personally, I prefer this, the 2nd. It is more angular, muscular, masculine, dramatic. Less consciously romantic and more contemporary, without being in any way a sell-out to fads or excessively "academic." Among other things, it gives an entire course in orchestration to a young composer.

[@jmelkis]

It’s a shame that Barber ever felt he didn’t want this piece performed….I do not look at it as a celebration of war or anything of the sort, but rather a piece born out of a time and place and an unforgettable experience

[@bmb505music2]

❤️🤙I lived on Church Street in West Chester a block or so from where he was born. Thanks for sharing this. Enjoy the day-BMB

[@TheVisualMusicShow]

Bravo, Detroit and Järvi. A great, beloved American composer and an all-too-rarely-played major work. Barber deserves this sort of dedication, world-wide..

[@burton48]

This is a beautiful work by a great American composer. Thank goodness it was not lost forever.

[@OnceTheyNamedMeiWasnt]

One of the best pieces of music ever written

[@Glinkaism1]

Never heard this. His Symphony #1 is well known and was used as production cues for old network radio shows. Thanks to Mosaic Classics and KZbin we can hear this.

[@mosaicclassics]

My pleasure, Roger.

[@Glinkaism1]

OK! True trivia. A section of this symphony was the theme of an old network radio show in the 1950s called "Jason and the Golden Fleece."

[@WilliamScharf]

Barber was a giant among 20th century American composers. His music is rarely played by American conductors who rather program the usual assortment of Beethoven, Mozart, and Tchaikovsky for the ignorant musical public. Finally, after years of neglect the New York Philharmonic will be performing in 2017-18 all of Leonard Bernstein’s symphonies and much of his other music. There should be a crying out for a Barber retrospective. As Americans we should be embarrassed. I never believed or read anything that Barber considered his 2nd an “anti-war” symphony and I would not consider this symphony as “program music.” Yes there are connections. The U.S. Airforce commissioned the piece and Barber agreed to write the piece about the “flyer’s experience.” Barber wrote Koussevitzky asking if he would perform his “Flight Symphony” and Koussevitzky agreed in March 1944. A week later after the New York performance, the reviewer Olin Downes called the symphony “program music”. Barber continued to make changes to the score until the revised symphony was performed by Alexander Hilsberg and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1949. We do not really know why Barber chose to destroy the manuscript in 1950 and we may never know the real reason. There is evidence that he abandoned the connection to the Airforce by removing the “electronic tone-generator built by Bell Telephone Laboratories for the second movement. This device was intended to represent the sound of a radio beam used to guide night flyers.” In the 1949 performance the electronic tone generator was replaced by an E-flat Clarinet. As far as recordings go, I believe there is a Koussevitzky version with the Boston Symphony orchestra from 1949. It was re-released on CD as a Koussevitzky Plays Barber celebration on Pristine Audio. Naxos re-released a CD version with Barber himself conducting the New Symphony Orchestra of London from 1950. More widely distributed was the late Andrew Schenck version with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra for the Atlantic UK label in 1992. The version performed here is Neeme Jarvi with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra on Chandos from 1998. More recently and my personal favorite is Marin Alsop with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra on Naxos in 2000. The Alsop performance is part of a wonderful compilation of Barber’s complete orchestral works (2010). A must have for a Barber enthusiast. Much of the historical information was researched from the book, “Samuel Barber; The Composer and His Music (1992), Barbara B. Heyman author, published by the Oxford University Press.

[@Teladian2]

He is absolutely under-appreciated and certainly under-played in the US with the exception of the over-played piece. His music is the other aide of Aaron Copland's Americana collection. This ia the struggle and paasion where Copland's is the wide open space ... I also cNt complain as a double reed player as Barber loved his oboes

[@andrewpetersen5272]

Are you related to Warren Scharf?

[@jmelkis]

@@Teladian2 he said somewhere that he gave his most beautiful lines to the oboe

[@gerthenriksen8818]

I like it. Sounds like a movie score. Much different that Aaron Copland's symphonic writing - and it is Copland who is played all over the world today.

[@starlove7474]

I don't like Copland at's music all for some reasonI

[@FleuveAlphee]

All over the world...Not so much outside the USA, especially his symphonies...Foe example, Copland is not very much featured in orchestral concert programs in the UK. No really more than Barber in any case.

[@genedryer-bivins8314]

IMO Marin Alsop's recording on Naxos is the best performance of this symphony. Her whole series of Barber's orchestral music is worth having.

[@rogermaes6001]

Great work, very well played. 20th century American symphonic music is incredibly rich (Copland, Bernstein, Harris, Schuman, Thompson, Piston, Creston, Gould, Hanson, Rorem, I forget some of them, could they forgive me !)

[@andrewpetersen5272]

Mennin, Anthiel

[@nunyobyznuss1258]

Persichetti, Hermann

[@DrexelRingbloom]

Sessions, Ives

[@anthonyat2401]

Indeed. Add Robert Ward - excellent piano concerto.

[@charlesgoldstein3320]

This was in the early 1960's. It was only about a five second clip where the orchestra plays a very high note and plummets down.

[@davidhowell601]

Still have a record of this which I bought in the 1960s.

[@p.e.gottrocks4528]

"the orchestra parts turned up in a warehouse in England". Yes, I can remember working in that warehouse and set my cup of tea on them once, not knowing what it was. Who knew?

[@robinbobilink]

As a novice piano tech, I had a piano in my shop for 18 months in safe-keeping for an associate. I used it daily as a shelf/coffee mug holder. After my friend had taken it back, I found out that it had belonged to John Tyler, President of the United States. Ooops.

[@enkiduudikne]

Barber also reworked big chunks of this score in his opera "Antony and Cleopatra".

[@jmelkis]

It’s a shame that that work doesn’t get more performances

[@elfinowl]

Regardless of all the commentary, I would have liked this piece a lot anyway. Very appealing music.

[@brettwilcots8608]

I have spoken to a few, Man the man had great stronger conscience than I could ever have. To not glorify war just or not give it glory I understand it is the human condition.Peace

[@capeheartriz]

beautiful!....

[@brettwilcots8608]

God Bless thoughs who sought not not gloiify death and its kin war.Peace.

[@thomassantorelli9782]

Spectacular

[@charlesgoldstein3320]

I remember a section of Symphony #1 used as the theme of the TV show, "Divorce Court."

[@mosaicclassics]

Really? That seems like an odd coupling. I'll see if I can find it.

[@johndinwiddie4411]

+Charles Goldstein This kind of composition is looking for a movie to accompany. That is part of the decadence of the whole era.

[@genedryer-bivins8314]

+John Dinwiddie - Barber never intended any of his music to "accompany" a movie. It stands on its own, and very successfully.

[@Discovery_and_Change]

(2 ad interruptions) 12:27 2nd movement | 20:09 3rd movement

[@PepperWilliamsMusicBlend]

A Masterpiece ❤

[@ShadowTheFosterCat]

Checking in after watching West Wing S2E9. 22:30. 👍🏻

[@PWLJMLeszekMaruszczykLesnica]

Nice, so relaxing.

[@PaleolithicMind]

I realize that I know the background of the composition and that the pictures reflect this, but it does sound rather military. Maybe not the greatest symphony ever, but it does sorta sound like what he experienced or heard others describe after having experienced. Maybe it did this too well for his comfort. I haven't listened to them at this point, but people always talk about the Shostakovitch symphonies being unpleasant. The war couldn't have been a nice experience for sane people. Maybe even the symphony wasn't for Barber: maybe he wanted to forget. Just a guess, but it's a possibility.

[@steveegallo3384]

The symphonies of Shostakovitch -- like the chamber music of Vaynberg -- are rather JARRING than just Unpleasant.....sorta like Reality or something....

[@Mackeson3]

"The composer sought to have his second symphony destroyed". Well not quite. He did allow the second movement to be published as a stand-alone piece which he renamed "Night Flight".

[@karltricomi9393]

Parts of the first movement were also used in his opera Antony and Cleopatra.

[@Accu53Mation]

Hmm. Great composer. Happy I discovered him. Mozart and Vivaldi were getting...depressing. People have zero-taste in music. Today is millions of "Likes," for music that is inaudible to understand. Classical composers are relaxing, and when need be...motivating & exhilarating. Wish symphonies would play more at the Capitol in #RomeNY or the Stanley in #UticaNY.

[@firstnamelastname6926]

Samuel Barber: Pennsylvanian hero for all ages! Barber live 10,000 years in the volksgeist of Pennsylvania! Woe unto fools who speak ill of Pennsylvania! Woe unto those who pick America over Pennsylvania! We stand not for conflict with America but for our own path forward! On overgrown paths we'll walk if we must; but we will walk for our freedom! PA LIVES AND FIGHTS ON! Samuel Barber a hero of Pennsylvania and a rejector of American foolishness! Hear me o' Delaware, o' rural new york, o' west virginia, o' Maryland, o' New Jersey! You ARE Pennsylvanian since the days of yore and to Pennsylvania you will return when we break free of that horrid nation known as America. Traitors may fight but God is on the side of Pennsylvania because we alone have remained loyal to Him.

[@eepstein8001]

I think Barber is my favorite American composer. It's a shame that most people only know him for Adagio for Strings. That too is a wonderful work, but it is overplayed, and it is far from the most interesting thing he ever wrote. Barber had a wide range and was a unique and wonderful composer.

[@sameester]

12:20 Mvt II

[@mangomaniac4782]

Ahhhh I’m so upset this isn’t on apple music

[@johndinwiddie4411]

I am listening to it, putting Barber's own opinion of it out my mind. Barber was a conventional post romantic dramatist whose music as we know at its best can be heart breaking: the Adagio for Strings is built to last. His piano sonata, sometimes disparagingly called the "Juilliard" Sonata because it was so often used in thesis recitals, reveals him at his most frustrating. There is so much of it that derivative of other 20th century composers, certainly Bartok and Prokofiev, that I can't play it; it is just too studied. It is that "great American piano sonata" that so many have tried to write. To me, it is too self conscious about that enterprise. Every one of its movements is an "I've heard this before" item. Compare the fugue to that of Carter in his sonata, also studied but fitfully magnificent. I am hearing more of that problem as I listen to this work. Symphony writing was all but obsolete when this work was written, and it lurches about with the same kind of angular expressionism that drives a lot of Shostakovich. And of course it is programmatic, that WWII is the theme of its tapestry. Barber wore his heart on his sleeve and may have embarrassed himself with that. He was brilliant, must have led an examined life. Being a composer in the middle of the 20th century was a curse in many ways. Those who went Barber's way were dating themselves; those who ventured forth were ostracized by the public as they opened astonishing new vistas. The dramatic rhetoric of this work was worn out by the time Barber got to it, imo. He may have known it, and he may not have been interested in doing anything about it. He was the composer of that Adagio. Wasn't that miracle enough? By the time I finished this note, the piece was in its slower part, and here the music is, well, "that music," but certainly not deserving of destruction. It is beautiful.

[@tigitoni7376]

John Dinwiddie He totally DOES have a Bartok/Prokofiev thing going on there, I wouldn't be surprised if he got inspiration from them, that's not a bad thing tho. As Stravinsky use to say, "I 'steal' from EVERYBODY". Party on Igor!

[@user-ht6lf2uu2x]

Did he write the music for the Sagebrush Trail? The credits indicate another, but his style is guessed. Watch the movie.

[@edwardcohen5061]

I've listened to his first symphony since I was 14. Nice to hear this one. It's a decent piece and except for the second movement just doesn't have the melody and drive of his other stuff. I imagine he wasn't satisfied with mediocrity, knowing what he could accomplish. Being a composer in my former life, though, I can't imagine spending the kind of time and energy on an effort like this, only to push it aside. That's what amazes me.

[@dctrbrass]

now that I've finally started composing, I get it. If it doesn't say exactly what I wanted it to, it's junk.

[@jslasher1]

"Junk" it most certainly is NOT. I would give up on composing if I were you, 'cause I seriously doubt you'd have anything interesting to say.

[@lewissutherlin9132]

If you read again what was said, you might want to change your comment.

[@robinbobilink]

Many of the great composers were uncommonly ruthless in their self-criticism. Brahms comes to mind. It is thought that perhaps thirty string quartets were written and discarded before he left one live.

[@DaveCurrieDesigns]

6:40 Who else is here because of Santa Clara Vanguard?

[@user-gb9kk4wz3y]

17:59-20:09 😢👏

[@muestrametusglandulasmamar7548]

I'm here for Martin O'Donnell.

[@harryandruschak2843]

Well...yes...but...if you had never heard this symphony before, were not told who wrote it, and given no idea if there was a program or not; would you understand this work as promoting war, or whatever was Barber's intentions?

[@davesmith6815]

This is the point I've been trying to make to people.

[@h0ll0wm9n]

The Naxos version (Marin Alsop, RSNO), is the best ... but that was recorded after ** above Jarvi, the older Schenk/New Zealand SO 1988 revival recording ... as well as the now-classic versions like 1950 New Symphony Orchestra cond. by Samuel Barber himself. On the Naxos CD, Alsop RSNO also does Symp. 1, but that perf. is not as good as her Symph. 2 (Symph. 1 best on 1992 Zinman/Baltimore SO). ** Recorded AFTER others is important fact ... techniques and flaws can be improved or corrected based on legacy. On that note ...Jarvi/DSO 1994 perf. above is too rushed ... may be the orchestra, of lack of prev. performances to study from. Alsop/RSNO was recorded 1998-2000 (I think).

[@mosaicclassics]

Thanks for all the info. It's good for others who come across this video to have options. So does that mean you don't care much for the Jarvi recording? Personally, I'm rather fond of the driving pace.

[@MREmusique]

I prefer Neeme Jarvi's tempi. They are closer to what is in the score, as the overall interpretation of the 2nd Symphony.

[@ignacioornes7032]

I could imagine he rejected the idea that his work could be seen as a praise or tribute to the U.S. Air Force after witnessing what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki....

[@mosaicclassics]

Then, he should have had all the more reason to promote the work. What happened to those two cities was a horrific necessity at the time.

[@crunkbucha4667]

No it was certainly not a necessity!! The war was essentially over, and the majority of people killed were civilians. Please get your facts straight, that is such a disrespectful and horrific thing to say.

[@thewrightstuff7971]

Its not disrespectful nor rude it is what it is war is a horrible side effect of humanity i think we were justified in that an invasion of Japan would have cost millions more lives and drag the war on for longer than 6 months. And the alternative was to use this bomb and end it right then and there and in the big picture spare millions more

[@terristaats582]

He sought to have it destroyed because he hated it.

[@mosaicclassics]

Slender VG "Hate" is a strong word. The only references from Barber that I've read seem to reveal mixed feelings. If you have a source, I'd be interested to see it. At any rate, the work appears to be receiving generally favorable response today.

[@terristaats582]

From what I heard he hated it, and it turned out that everyone else loved it-just like Tchaikovsky and the Nutcracker. I'm just going off what my band director told me so it might be wrong??

[@mosaicclassics]

Do you like it?

[@johndinwiddie4411]

+Slender VG How about you? I'm finishing a first hearing. There are plenty of moments of beauty in this work, but overall it is dated. He may have realized that.

[@johndinwiddie4411]

+Slender VG This opens a topic that comes up only rare case by case. What about the rights of an artist when a work that he or she has suppressed pops up. Tschaikovsky as a matter of fact did live to hear the 5th done by a conductor determined to prove to the composer that it was a good work. He succeeded. But that is not really the question. Suppose Stravinsky decided that he hated Sacre, then fell over dead, leaving Monteux holding the score with the ink barely dry? I have heard that Monteux did not himself like the work all that much, so that situation could have been dicey for more than one reason. The real question is at what point art becomes public property regardless of the creator's opinion of it? Two answers, the first legal. It is a product, and once sold it's out there even if it's drawing royalties. The child is an adult on its own. But there is a moral dilemma still. The work reflects on the artist. What if the artist does not like that? Here, however we have an artist's nightmare, somebody dumpster diving his stuff after he's dead and finding the bones of something that he had very finally tossed out. That, I would think, violates him. That is the case here.

[@kookokoe]

Maybe a lot of Hurst in this piece?

[@CorradoLoffredi]

20:31 the same theme of the 3rd mvt of the Piano Concerto.

[@MREmusique]

only the opening rising 3rd, the rest of what is the theme proper is not at all the same.

[@kevindixon1051]

I am within a group who believes in Christ minus all the dogma. His message was @#1Love and Peace. Most people think that the devil's greatest feat,(and use it only as a construct of evil), was its ability to into the fold. My belief along with many others os his greatest achievement was to make people think that it doesn't exist. If you spell evil backward you get live. War. It causes the opposite of life. Or moreover the ability to live. People call us Doves. @:2 He doubled down on the phrase "Thou shalt not kill." notice the period at the end no coma or astsc. People who kill in the name of self defense or war are creating evil and don't even know it. A mass murder is called mentally unstable or a religious zealotor thugs. Media never uses the term evil. Thus no one believes it exist. Back to your question. Listen to Barber's "Must The Winter Come So Soon" Or Andromicles Farewell" you can hear the sorrow of death and war in the music's universal lanuage. To glorify it in a symphony, he didn't hate it he saved the second mvmt as a separate piece.Peace

[@lewissutherlin9132]

I believe you are very sincere and I agree in essence with your context. However, in my opinion you are confused about the teachings of the Son of God. "Minus all the dogma" can indicate possibly that you don't bother to read the Bible, which then denies you the full comprehension of the purpose of Jesus's birth, life, and death.

[@samaldini]

He does have his value as a musician, but it seems like the beginning of a route that ended up in every known american classical music looking like the soundtrack of E.T., Jurassic Park or anything that resembles to Hollywood-John Williams-crap American culture of praising freedom have extreme points; in one side you have the genius and greatness of Morton Feldman and John Cage giving a new meaning to the world "music", in the other side you have... John Williams

[@mosaicclassics]

wanrleysilva Variety at any given point in time is a bellwether of American concert music. And accessibility doesn't preclude the balance of quality and beauty.

[@samaldini]

***** It doesn't preclude, but in this industrial phonographic era that we're still living, it does make a difference in the balance of quality and beauty, including the composer's freedom to write. I'm not saying that before radio-tv-internet there wasn't pressure for some kind of music and that didn't have an influence in the composers, but the dishonest and seek for the gold made music become different. I mean, when you listen to Martinú, Schoenberg, Schnittke... compared Beethoven, you can feel the progress they've made, but when you listen to John Williams-soundtrack-likes composers, what is it? Beethoven going back to his 5 and writing something for the Smurfs?

[@mosaicclassics]

I derive pleasure from both Elliott Carter and John Williams. Depends on my mood. Cage, Feldman - they don't do much for me. And progress for the sake of progress has never been a very compelling argument for me, whether in the arts or politics or life in general. The best thing to happen to classical music in recent times was a return to a form of tonality. But I must admit, the experiments of avant garde and serialist composition have allowed for new ideas to come forward in the music of composers like Paul Moravec and Christopher Rouse.

[@samaldini]

I think that pleasure is another issue and a very dangerous one because it comes from our higher level of intellect and our lowest level of stupidy. Me, I feel pleasure from some Katy Perry and Sia stuff, that's the era I was born and I'm not even gonna say that "I couldn't even try to escape", I actually tried every now and then, but how tough is to try to escape one's reality? This is the music that I heard on the tv, gym, party, beach, restaurant, random person playing the guitar... it would eventually catching me and making myself feel pleasure when I listen to something alike, but this is music from the phonographic industry, multi-producers, investment, an artist with not much choices... you see how dangerous it is to just give up for this kind of pleasure? You let yourself in the hands of people who don't really care much about art and it sure influences your character. The music of Feldman, Fedele, Xenakis... it's another way of appreciating music, it is not only about sound, there's an idea there and to develop a way to appreciate this kind of music is a tough lonely road because there's no one sharing it with you, there's no businessman making deals to make it worldwide famous You know when Huxley talk about "synthetic music" in "Brave New World"? That is happening right now, we're watching this happening Everything that is done under rules that Mozart and Beethoven used to respect will be inferior to what they've done, they were the genius and the next step doesn't lie on Accademy Award winners and nominees

[@mosaicclassics]

wanrleysilva All I can say is when I listen to music by Samuel Barber, I hear Samuel Barber rather than Mozart or Beethoven. Sure there are composers of tonal music that start sounding the same. But there are still many others who leave a unique signature in their works; the listener can almost immediately identify the composer. That's good enough for me.

[@shnimmuc]

Not Barber at his best.

[@PepperWilliamsMusicBlend]

Let me hear your best