Symphony No. 2 Voices for Orchestra

Originally composed in 2016 for Concert Band

Orchestral version commissioned by the Texas State University Symphony Orchestra; Jacob Harrison, Director, with additional support from the University of South Carolina Symphony; Scott Weiss, Director

Premiered on November 18, 2023 by the Texas State University Symphony Orchestra, Jacob Harrison Director

Duration: 21 minutes

Instrumentation:
piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, *3 B clarinets (cl. 2 doubles on E clar; cl. 3 doubles on Bass clar.), 2 bassoons, contrabassoon 4 French horns, 3 C trumpets, 2 trombones, Bass trombone, tuba
timpani (doubles on Sus. Cymb.)
3 percussion, piano/celesta (one player), harp strings, female voice (mezzo-soprano or soprano)

Percussion instruments needed:
Perc. 1: marimba, triangle, snare drum, xylophone, tambourine, crotales, 20″ sus. cym., vibraphone, Cymb. a2, glockenspiel
Perc. 2: Cymb. a2, 13″ sus. cym., wood block, vibraphone (shared), snare drum, tam-tam (shared), marimba (shared), xylophone (shared), crotales (shared) Perc. 3: bass drum, tam-tam (shared), 17″ sus. cym., slap-sticks, Djembe, snare drum, ride cym., triangle, Cymb. a2

Program Notes:

Symphony #2 “VOICES”

I. PRELUDE: ‘of PASSION’
II. SHOUTS and MURMURS
III. of One

On April 23, 2016, my mother, Shirley S. Stephenson, passed away, at the age of 74. It was the first time anyone that close to me had died, and I honestly didn’t know how to respond. As this new piece – the symphony – was the next major work on my plate, I thought the music would come pouring forth, as one would imagine in the movies, or in a novel. However, the opposite happened, and I was stuck, not knowing how to cope, and not knowing what to write. Eventually, after a month or so, I sat at the piano, and pounded a low Eb octave, followed by an anguished chord answer. I did this three times, with three new response-chords, essentially re-creating how I felt. This became the opening of the symphony, with emphasis on the bass trombone, who gets the loudest low Eb. I vowed I wouldn’t return to Eb (major) until the end of the piece, thus setting forth a compositional and emotional goal all at once: an Eb to Eb sustaining of long-term tension, technically speaking, and the final arrival at Eb major (letter I, 3rd movement) being a cathartic and powerful personal moment, when I finally would come to terms with the loss of my mother. The voice in the piece is that of my mother, an untrained alto, which is why I ask for it without vibrato. In the end, she finally sings once last time, conveying to me that “all will be ok”. I think it is the most difficult times we endure that force us, inspire us, to dig deeper than we could ever imagine. On the one hand, I am, of course, deeply saddened by the loss of my mother; but on the other, I will always have this piece – which is the most personal to me – to in essence keep her alive in my heart. I always tear up at letter I. Always. But they are tears of joy and treasured memories of 74 years with my mother.

(Jim Stephenson; October, 2023)

Regarding the orchestral version:

I am extremely grateful to Jacob Harrison for this collaboration to create an orchestral version of this Symphony No. 2. I am also grateful to Scott Weiss for his additional support of the project.
Orchestra is my first love. I started playing in an orchestra when I was 10 years old, and I was immediately hooked. I was always under the assumption that I would perform in an orchestra my entire life, but, as they say, life had other plans. My parents always supported whatever musical direction my life took.

I think it is poetic that I ended up doing an orchestral version of this symphony, as it has taken me back to my roots, which never would have started without my parents’ initial nudges. It is nice to think that whenever this piece is played, whether by wind ensemble, or now, by symphony orchestra, my mother’s “voice” will always be a part of it.