A Day in Valencia is a four movement symphony showing a programatic depiction of the city and region of Valencia, Spain during a twenty-four hour period. The first movement “Sunrise over the Mediterranean” depicts the listener waking up before sunrise to a mostly black with a soft open-string “G” long note in the violins. After a few seconds, the texture starts to build with slow moving chords in the strings, duos in the flutes alternating with clarinets with scales in the harps. eyes come together and although it is black outside the eyes can make out a certain shimmer of the water. As the piece continues the melody continues an ascending thirds colors of the sky changes from dark to brilliant as the depicted by changes in orchestration and instrumentation in the orchestra. After a few minutes the sun appears showing it’s brilliance – depicted by a loud forte G major chord in the entire orchestra. The movement continues with the start of a new day depicted by scales in the strings culminating with the horn melody moving to the final ending on the same G major chord. The second movement “Workday” is in Rondo form (ABACA) with the “A” sections subtitled “Work to Live”. Here the listener can imagine a factory or other place of work. It starts in 5/4 meter by the timpani and features the horn. The B section is entitled “Laughing with Friends at Almeurzo”. The first break in the workday is often taken around 10:30 in the morning where friends would meet for a snack and drink. The Valencian term for the mid-morning snack is an “Almeurzo”, a time to spend time with friends. This is depicted with various soloists – contra bassoon, violin, piccolo and bassoon. The last part of this section ends with a cannon for depicts three retired gentleman telling jokes. This is played by contra bassoon, double bass and tuba. After another A section of work it is time for the C section “Lunch with the Family”, a more tranquil section featuring several expressive soloists – flute, horn, oboe clarinet. The final return of the “Work to Live” section ends with, a brief reprise of the “Sunrise over the Mediterranean” from movement I, but this time with descending thirds end on Db.The third movement “Early Evening Walk” is an aria for solo tuba and a tribute to the late tubist Harvey Phillips. Often thought of as the greatest tubist of the Twentieth Century, he would often play his favorite chorale by J. S. Bach “Come Sweet Death”. A short excerpt of this chorale is presented before the final phrases of the aria, accompanied by the harp and cello. The fourth movement is “Late Night at a Fiesta”. After a short introduction a jubilant fiesta melody is played on the violin, which will present the character for the entire movement. Next will be fugal presentations in the strings and then the woodwinds, leading to the playing of the fiesta melody by the unusual trio of piccolo, piano and bassoon. Another uncommon instrument is then featured – drum set, followed by a brass fanfare announcing the horn section playing the fiesta melody. A reprise of the beginning introduction leads to a variation of the fiesta melody in the cellos and double basses. The movement continues with a flurry of counterpoint and then the brilliance of the sun bringing another sunrise marking the end of the 24-hour day.
A Day in Valencia for Orchestra
Medium: Orchestra