| Marketing Copy | MCMXC Tanglewood was commissioned by The Boston Symphony Orchestra to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Tanglewood Music Center in 1990. Built upon a motto fashioned from the Roman numeral letters and the 3-syllable word of its title, the work begins with a brilliant fanfare harmonizing the C-major motto chromatically, laying out, in essence, a 12-tone row. There follows a misterioso section for busy, whispering, muted strings, against a sinuous line in the oboes, gradually taken over by the other woodwinds. This turns into an energetic dance in 3/4 time, with each orchestral family taking enthusiastic part. Recollections of the opening motto introduce slower material with sustained, complex chords in the muted strings providing a background for elegant decorated lines in the celesta, flutes, and glockenspiel. A brief but vigorous 2/4 Presto brings teh fanfare-overture to a close, the last 10 bars consisting of reiterations of the note G, leaving a dominant effect to the C-major orientation of the composer’s row. Premiered by The Boston Symphony Orchestra, Dennis Russell Davies conducting, August 4, 1990. |
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