Here we have from Samuel Barber (1910-1981) a thrilling orchestral work, one that almost didn’t survive for our listening pleasure today. The composer sought to have his second symphony destroyed for reasons not completely known to us. However, a few years after Barber’s death, the orchestra parts turned up in a warehouse in England. I’m glad they did.
The three-movement symphony was composed while Barber was serving in the Army Air Force in 1942. He visited an air force base in Texas and spent time talking with the pilots to get a sense of their experiences in the air. His symphony, therefore, draws at least some of its inspiration from these accounts of soaring in the clouds.
Performed by Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Neeme Järvi
Purchase Symphony No. 2 along with other Barber orchestral works here on the Chandos label: https://www.chandos.net/details06.asp?CNumber=CHAN%209684