Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Seville Royal Symphony Orchestra conducted by Eduardo Alonso-Crespo.
I - 9 / 11: In Memoriam - (attacca): 0:00
II - Reflection - (attacca): 7:57
III - Square Dance: 15:57
Balada's Symphony No.5 was composed between April 2002 and April 2003, being commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra with the support of The Heinz Endowment Creative Heights Artist Residency Program in collaboration with the Carnegie Mellon University. It was premiered on October 30 of 2003 at the Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts in Pittsburgh, performed by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hans Graf.
Divided in three continuous movements, the symphony is part of a group of works composed during Balada's third compositional period, which combine the use of ethnic and folk melodies with avant-garde techniques. Balada had begun writing in a largely neoclassical style, but after his move to the U.S. in 1956 he absorbed the then in vogue avant-garde idioms. Balada's Symphony No.1 "Sinfonía en Negro" (1968) already anticipated this mature language by combining the avant-garde with Afro-American rhythms, but he wouldn't fully exploit this mature style until 1975 onwards. Balada's fifth begins in darkness and pessimism but throughout the work evolves towards light and unrepentant optimism.
The first movement is inspired by the tragic events of September 11, 2001, in New York, with the destruction of the World Trade Center buildings, known as the Twin Towers, by jihadist terrorists. Following a brief introduction, vivid bursts of sound in cluster form are heard over a repetitive minor third interval, formed by two notes a whole tone and a half-tone apart, played by the strings and then by the percussion, harp, and piano, reminiscent of the tolling of bells. While not descriptive music, the composer expresses his feelings upon witnessing these terrible events, which reminded him of the trauma he experienced as a child during the bombing of Barcelona in the Spanish Civil War. The atmosphere becomes increasingly oppressive and anguished. After a few calmer bars, a tormented final section begins, which, through triads, suggests the wail of sirens. Without pausing, the next movement begins.
The second movement is based on a Negro spiritual. It repeatedly employs the minor third interval, linking it to the previous movement. The atmosphere is tranquil, imbued with a sense of resignation, almost hopeful, as the melodic theme is introduced by the keyboard instruments. In the central section, after a few repetitive notes, the thematic motifs reappear in various instruments, concluding with a peaceful coda. The movement expresses a profound reflection on the events, a reflection that can be extended to American history. It also conveys a sense of resignation in the face of suffering, with the hope that better times will come.
The third movement also uses the minor third interval. But in this case, the music takes on the character of a dance. This interval is used in many American folk dances. It begins atonally, but a repetitive rhythmic theme soon emerges. The violin, imitating country music, adds its distinctly folk notes. The rhythms gradually intensify, enhancing the folk atmosphere of a popular celebration. The symphony offers us a vision of contemporary America, expressing its tragedies, which throughout the work evolve toward an optimistic outlook. This evolution can be compared to the composer's own, who, from the abstract atonal music of the first movement, transforms, ultimately arriving, through a symbiosis, at a union with traditional ethnic sounds.
Picture: The Statue of Liberty, seen from a vantage point in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the lower Manhattan skyline is shrouded in smoke following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. Photo taken on September 15, 2001.
Sources: tinyurl.com/26rebzvx and tinyurl.com/2cfrbe3p
Unfortunately the score isn't available.
Seville Royal Symphony Orchestra conducted by Eduardo Alonso-Crespo.
I - 9 / 11: In Memoriam - (attacca): 0:00
II - Reflection - (attacca): 7:57
III - Square Dance: 15:57
Balada's Symphony No.5 was composed between April 2002 and April 2003, being commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra with the support of The Heinz Endowment Creative Heights Artist Residency Program in collaboration with the Carnegie Mellon University. It was premiered on October 30 of 2003 at the Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts in Pittsburgh, performed by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hans Graf.
Divided in three continuous movements, the symphony is part of a group of works composed during Balada's third compositional period, which combine the use of ethnic and folk melodies with avant-garde techniques. Balada had begun writing in a largely neoclassical style, but after his move to the U.S. in 1956 he absorbed the then in vogue avant-garde idioms. Balada's Symphony No.1 "Sinfonía en Negro" (1968) already anticipated this mature language by combining the avant-garde with Afro-American rhythms, but he wouldn't fully exploit this mature style until 1975 onwards. Balada's fifth begins in darkness and pessimism but throughout the work evolves towards light and unrepentant optimism.
The first movement is inspired by the tragic events of September 11, 2001, in New York, with the destruction of the World Trade Center buildings, known as the Twin Towers, by jihadist terrorists. Following a brief introduction, vivid bursts of sound in cluster form are heard over a repetitive minor third interval, formed by two notes a whole tone and a half-tone apart, played by the strings and then by the percussion, harp, and piano, reminiscent of the tolling of bells. While not descriptive music, the composer expresses his feelings upon witnessing these terrible events, which reminded him of the trauma he experienced as a child during the bombing of Barcelona in the Spanish Civil War. The atmosphere becomes increasingly oppressive and anguished. After a few calmer bars, a tormented final section begins, which, through triads, suggests the wail of sirens. Without pausing, the next movement begins.
The second movement is based on a Negro spiritual. It repeatedly employs the minor third interval, linking it to the previous movement. The atmosphere is tranquil, imbued with a sense of resignation, almost hopeful, as the melodic theme is introduced by the keyboard instruments. In the central section, after a few repetitive notes, the thematic motifs reappear in various instruments, concluding with a peaceful coda. The movement expresses a profound reflection on the events, a reflection that can be extended to American history. It also conveys a sense of resignation in the face of suffering, with the hope that better times will come.
The third movement also uses the minor third interval. But in this case, the music takes on the character of a dance. This interval is used in many American folk dances. It begins atonally, but a repetitive rhythmic theme soon emerges. The violin, imitating country music, adds its distinctly folk notes. The rhythms gradually intensify, enhancing the folk atmosphere of a popular celebration. The symphony offers us a vision of contemporary America, expressing its tragedies, which throughout the work evolve toward an optimistic outlook. This evolution can be compared to the composer's own, who, from the abstract atonal music of the first movement, transforms, ultimately arriving, through a symbiosis, at a union with traditional ethnic sounds.
Picture: The Statue of Liberty, seen from a vantage point in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the lower Manhattan skyline is shrouded in smoke following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. Photo taken on September 15, 2001.
Sources: tinyurl.com/26rebzvx and tinyurl.com/2cfrbe3p
Unfortunately the score isn't available.
