Symphony No. 9 (Arnold)
The Symphony No. 9, Op. 128 by Malcolm Arnold was finished in 1986. It is in four movements:
- Vivace
- Allegretto
- Giubiloso
- Lento
The symphony is scored for 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons. 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, 2 percussionists, harp and strings.
The symphony is dedicated to Anthony Day, who looked after Malcolm Arnold from 1984 to 2006.
It was first performed in 1988 by the now defunct Goldsmiths' College's NCOS Symphony Orchestra conducted by Charles Groves in Greenwich in the presence of a selected audience.
The first professional and public performance was given on Monday 20 January 1992 by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra in Manchester also conducted by Charles Groves.
The last movement is as long as the previous three together, uses a theme similar to the last movement of Tchaikowsky 6th Symphony, and is very sparsely scored and bleak.
Commercial recordings
- 1996 Andrew Penny and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra on Naxos Records 8.553540 (recorded 11-12 September, 1995, in the presence of the composer)
- 1996 Vernon Handley and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra on Conifer Records 75605-51273-2
- 2001 Rumon Gamba and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra on Chandos Records CHAN 9967