Philip Sawyers: Symphony No. 4 & Hommage to Kandinsky

Featuring

Kenneth Woods
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Philip Sawyers

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Composer Biography

Philip Sawyers, the composer, began composing as a teenager but only gained significant recognition with major commissions and performances since 2001.

Compositional Technique

For Hommage to Kandinsky, Philip Sawyers deliberately created a musical theme based on the 'lines' in Wassily Kandinsky's painting 'Composition IV' of 1911, appearing early in the piece in cellos and basses.

Composition History

Sawyers's Fourth Symphony was composed between July 2017 and March 2018, following the acclaim of his Third Symphony.

Performer Biography

Kenneth Woods, the conductor, is the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the English Symphony Orchestra and also serves as Artistic Director of the Colorado MahlerFest and The Elgar Festival.

Compositional Technique

In Hommage to Kandinsky, Philip Sawyers uses polytonal, piled-up major triads to represent Wassily Kandinsky's 'splashes' of color, made possible by the large orchestral forces including three of each woodwind and brass instrument.

Composer's Artistic Vision

The symphonic poem Hommage to Kandinsky was inspired by the composer Philip Sawyers's visit to an exhibition of Wassily Kandinsky's work in 2006, which opened his eyes to the 'musicality' in painting.

Compositional Technique

The Fourth Symphony by Philip Sawyers is in three movements, a departure from his earlier symphonies, because the composer felt there was nothing more to say after the third movement.