Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 6 hours ago

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Score: fabermusic.com/music/lex-from-metropolis-symphony-2672 fabermusic.com/music/krypton-from-metropolis-symphony-2673 fabermusic.com/music/mxyzptlk-from-metropolis-symphony-2674 fabermusic.com/music/oh-lois-from-metropolis-symphony-2675 fabermusic.com/music/red-cape-tango-from-metropolis-symphony-2676
Audio: youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kHEIjJ_ZT4ehMJVzC9fxAqDAPPJMotyjA
Nashville Symphony
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Mary Kathryn van Osdale, violin (Lex)
Érik Gratton and Ann Richards, flutes/piccolo (Mxyzptlk)

"I began composing my _Metropolis Symphony_ in 1988, inspired by the celebration, in Cleveland, of the fiftieth anniversary of Superman's first appearance in the comics. When I completed the score in 1993, I dedicated it to conductor David Zinman, who encouraged me to compose the work, and to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Zinman and Baltimore later gave the _Metropolis Symphony_ its New York (Carnegie Hall) and Baltimore premieres in January 1994.

The _Metropolis Symphony_ evokes an American mythology that I discovered as an avid reader of comic books in the sixties. Each movement of the symphony, which may be performed separately, is a musical response to the myth of Superman. I have used Superman as a compositional metaphor in order to create an independent musical world that appeals to the imagination. The symphony is a rigorously structured, non-programmatic work, expressing the energies, ambiguities, paradoxes, and wit of American popular culture. Like Charles Ives, whose music recalls small-town America early in our century, I draw on my eclectic musical background to reflect on late-twentieth-century urban America." - Michael Daugherty

0:00 I. Lex
_Lex_ derives its title from one of Superman's most vexing foes, the supervillain and business tycoon Lex Luthor. Marked "Diabolical" in the score, this movement features a virtuoso violin soloist (Lex) who plays a fiendishly difficult fast triplet motive in perpetual motion, pursued by the orchestration and a percussion section that includes four referee whistles placed quadraphonically on stage.

9:57 II. Krypton
_Krypton_ refers to the exploding planet from which the infant Superman escaped. A dark, microtonal soundworld is created with _glissandi_ in the strings, trombones and siren. Two percussionists play antiphonal fire bells throughout the movement, as it evolves from a recurring solo motive in the cellos into ominous calls from the brass section. Gradually the movement builds toward an apocalyptic conclusion.

16:38 III. Mxyzptlk
_Mxyzptlk_ is named after a mischievous imp from the fifth dimension who regularly wreaks havoc in Superman's Metropolis. This brightly orchestrated movement is the scherzo of the symphony, emphasizing the upper register of the orchestra. It features two dueling flute soloists who are positioned stereophonically on either side of the conductor. Rapidly descending and ascending flute runs are echoed throughout the orchestra, while open-stringed _pizzicato_ patterns, moving strobe-like throughout the orchestra, are precisely choreographed to create a spatial effect.

23:32 IV. Oh, Lois!
_Oh, Lois!_ invokes Lois Lane, news reporter at the Daily Planet alongside Clark Kent (alias Superman). This five-minute concerto for orchestra, using flexatone and whip to provide a lively polyrhythmic counterpoint, alludes to a cartoon history of mishaps, screams, dialogue, crashes, and disasters, all in rapid motion.

28:28 V. Red Cape Tango
_Red Cape Tango_ was composed after Superman's fight to the death with Doomsday, and is my final musical work based on the Superman mythology. The principal melody, first heard in the bassoon, is derived from the medieval Latin death chant _Dies irae._ This dance of death is conceived as a tango, presented at times by a concertino comprising string quintet, brass trio, bassoon, chimes and castanets. The tango rhythm, introduced by the castanets and heard later in the finger cymbals, undergoes a gradual timbral transformation, concluding dramatically with crash cymbals, brake drum, and timpani. The orchestra alternates between legato and staccato sections to suggest a musical bullfight.

The composer cordially thanks DC Comics of New York for permission to make reference to the trade mark names and characters published in Superman Comics.