Symphony No.6 "Flight Into Darkness" - Jesús Rueda

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2022Oct 7

Symphony Orchestra of the Principality of Asturias conducted by Baldur Brönnimann. I - Energico (♩ = 72): 0:00 II - ♩ = 72: 11:19 III - ♩ = 60: 22:46 IV - Energico (♩ = 120): 38:11 Rueda's Symphony No.6 was composed between January and September 2020, being commissioned by the Symphony Orchestra of the Principality of Asturias. It was premiered on January 28 of 2022, performed by the aforementioned orchestra. Divided in four movements, the work is one of most ambitious in the catalogue of the composer, who is becoming (if isn't already) the most relevant Spanish symphonists of our time. The work is inspired by the 1931 novel "Flight into Darkness" by Arthur Schnitzler. In a paranoia attack, someone murders his brother: the sick Robert, who thinks his healthy brother Otto, overworked by his work as a doctor, is insane, confesses in writing before he kills him: "One of us had to go into the dark." After In fact, Robert follows the dead man into the afterlife. Rueda also describes the work as follows: "My symphony has to do with the pandemic, it is a journey into darkness". The first movement resembles a passacaglia in form. It opens with canonical entries of the brass, followed by the rest of the orchestra, becoming more and more dissonant and menacing. It doesn't culminate, instead bitterly going down. Thick, chromatic textures clash against each other until a calmer, eerie passage follows. The fighting continues based on the opening motives. An anticlimax is followed by a calmer coda, leaving the music unresolved. The second movement is similar to a scherzo in spirit, but not in form. It begins with spooky high notes from strings in glissandi. A simple, rhythmic motives are presented by the woods, which become more lively. The anxious notes from the beginning reappear, leading to a more colourful and varied development on the rhythmic cells. A dense, dissonant climax is reached, followed by forceful outbursts. As the cold opening notes reappear once again, the rhythmic cells lead us towards a clearer, brighter path. A certainly virtuosic passage is followed by an anticlimax. After a brief recapitulation of the rhythmic cells, the music simply dies away. The third movement begins sombrely as in the first one, with the brasses entering in canon. A warm, meditative theme is presented by woodwinds. The music grows more intense and expressive, but does not culminate in a climax, instead becoming embittered. A more dissonant passage introduces more dynamism, but quickly falls back into contemplation. The materials are gradually transformed, alternating between gentle lyricism and sour unresolved dissonances. The lyrical main theme is recapitulated, leading to a passionate passage that again doesn't culminate. As in the previous movement, there is no coda, instead the music dying in the silence. The fourth movement resembles a rondo in form. It opens with a series of different motives and elements chaotically introduced. They are then extensively developed through canons, counterpoint and modulations. Brief, dissonant episodes bring new material that isn't fully fleshed out. The music culminates in a firm climax, before a menacing passage with ascending lines leads us to an extensive coda. The music, very slowly fades away in the strings, bringing the whole work to an uncanny end. Picture: "Mothers" (1919) by the Belgian painter Jean Delville. Musical analysis written by myself, with help from the composer. Unfortunately the score is not available.