Symphony No. 5 (Sallinen)

Symphony No. 5, Washington Mosaics
by Aulis Sallinen
Catalogue	Op. 57
Composed	1984 (1984)–85 (r. 1987)
Duration	Approx. 38 minutes
Movements	5
Premiere
Date	10 October 1985 (1985-10-10)
Location	Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C., United States
Conductor	Mstislav Rostropovich
Performers	National Symphony Orchestra

The Symphony No. 5, Washington Mosaics, Op. 57, is an orchestral composition by the Finnish composer Aulis Sallinen, who wrote the piece from 1984–85, revising the finale in 1987. The National Symphony Orchestra, the commissioning institution, premiered the work in 10 October 1985 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., under the direction of its music director, Mstislav Rostropovich.

Structure

The symphony is in five movements:

1. Washington Mosaics I
2. Intermezzo I
3. Intermezzo II
4. Intermezzo III (attacca)
5. Washington Mosaics II

Orchestration

• Woodwind: 4 flutes (2 doubling piccolo), 4 oboes, 4 clarinets in B♭ (1 doubling E♭ clarinet, 1 doubling B♭ bass clarinet), 4 bassoons (1 doubling contrabassoon)
• Brass: 6 horns in F, 4 trumpets in B♭, 4 trombones, tuba
• Percussion: timpani, bass drum, military drum, snare drum, tenor drum, 3 tom-toms, 3 bongo drums, 3 wood blocks, castanets, tam-tam, cymbals, suspended cymbal, triangle, cowbell, glockenspiel, xylophone, vibraphone, marimba, tubular bells
• Strings: violins, violas, cellos, double basses, harp, celesta, piano

Performances

Mstislav Rostropovich, who conducted the world premiere of Sallinen's Fifth Symphony

The Fifth Symphony had its world premiere on 10 October 1985, with Mstislav Rostropovich conducting the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) at the Kennedy Center; also on the program was Sibelius's tone poem, En saga, and Beethoven's Second Symphony. The Washington Post reviewed the work with ambivalence, calling it a "big, ambitious new symphony" with "genuinely moving moments" that nonetheless was "more intriguing than convincing," its "disjointed brilliance" unable "to resolve emotionally". Three days later, Rostropovich and the NSO played the Fifth Symphony at Avery Fisher Hall in New York, along with Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony and Haydn's Cello Concerto in C major (Rostropovich serving as soloist).

The British premiere took place on 15 February 1987, with Okko Kamu conducting the London Philharmonic at the Royal Festival Hall; also on the program was Gounod's St. Cecilia Mass. The performance of Sallinen's Fifth, which commenced London's three-month multi-venue, multi-orchestra 'Spotlight on Finland' music festival, was received positively, with The Financial Times characterizing the work as consisting of "icy fragments of symphonic material [that] have been chipped off to clink and tinkle in Sallinen's structural cocktail shaker". While noting the Fifth Symphony's "allusions to other music" (in particular its "post-Sibelian desolation"), The Sunday Times applauded the "vitality of Sallinen's rhythms and the sheer eventfulness of his scoring," as well as his "imaginative and masterly ... handling of the large orchestra".

• 23 September 1988, Rostropovich conducting the NSO at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. (revised finale). Also on the program was Mozart's serenade for strings, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, and Grieg's two Peer Gynt Suites.

Recordings

Conductor	Orchestra	Recorded	Duration	Available on
Okko Kamu	Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra	1987	37:32	Finlandia (370)
James DePreist	Malmö Symphony Orchestra	1993	39:31	BIS (607)
Ari Rasilainen	Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz	2004	38:17	CPO (999970-2)

Notes, references, and sources

Sources

Books

• Howell, Tim (2006). After Sibelius: Studies in Finnish Music. Routledge. ISBN 978-075-4651-77-2. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

• Korhonen, Kimmo (2007). Inventing Finnish Music: Contemporary Composers from Medieval to Modern. Finnish Music Information Center (FIMIC). ISBN 978-952-5076-61-5. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

CD liner notes

• Anderson, Martin (2008). Aulis Sallinen: Symphonies 3 & 5 (booklet). Ari Rasilainen & Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz. Germany: CPO. p. 13–14. CPO 999970-2. {{cite AV media notes}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

• Weitzman, Ronald (1993). Aulis Sallinen: Symphony No. 4, Op. 49; Shadows, Op. 52; Symphony No. 5, 'Washington Mosaics', Op. 57 (booklet). James DePreist & Malmö Symphony Orchestra. Hamburg, Germany: BIS. p. 5–8. BIS CD-607. {{cite AV media notes}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

Journal articles

• Pike, Lionel (1997). "Reviewed Works: Symphony No. 5 ('Washington Mosaics') by Aulis Sallinen". Music & Letters. 71 (4). Oxford University Press: 625–27. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help) (subscription required)

• Weitzman, Ronald (1997). "Sallinen's Seven Symphonies". Tempo. New Series (202). Cambridge University Press: 8–15. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help) (subscription required)

News reports

• Cairns, David (1987-02-22). "A Festival of Finns". Issue 8481. The Sunday Times. London, England.

• Griffiths, Paul (1987-02-17). "Review of LPO/Kamu at the Festival Hall". Issue 62694. The Times. London, England.

• Loppert, Max (1987-02-17). "Sallinen's Fifth/Festival Hall". Section 1, The Arts. Financial Times. London, England. p. 15.

• McLellan, Joseph (1985-10-14). "Ovation for the Maestro". The Washington Post. Washington, DC.

• McLellan, Joseph (1988-09-23). "NSO's Refined 'Mosaics'". Style. The Washington Post. Washington, DC. p. B2.

• Rockwell, John (1985-10-11). "The Many Facets of Rostropovich". Section C, Weekend Desk. The New York Times. New York, NY.

• Tuck, Lon (1985-10-11). "Sallinen's Disjointed Brilliance". Section: Metro. The Washington Post. Washington, DC. p. B6.