Symphony No. 1 (Brian) Symphony No. 1 (Brian) The Symphony No. 1 in D minor (The Gothic) by Havergal Brian is a symphony composed between 1919 and 1927. At around one and three quarter hours, it is among the longest symphonies ever composed (with Gustav Mahler's 3rd Symphony, Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji's nine-hour 2nd Organ Symphony and Dimitrie Cuclin's unperformed No. 12) and, along with choral symphonies such as Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony or Mahler's Eighth Symphony, it is one of a few works attempting to use the musically gigantic to address the spiritual concerns of humanity. With a key-scheme that begins in D
Nagauta Symphony this work. For this work, Yamada composed music for the western orchestra which is used to counterpoint a classical "nagauta", the music which accompanies the "kabuki". The symphony is subtitled "Tsurukame" after the name of the "nagauta" which is used. Composed in 1857, the text celebrates the Emperor of Japan and the imperial court. The symphony is in one movement with a duration of approximately 17 minutes. The "Nagauta Symphony" uses a western orchestra and voices, as well as an ensemble of traditional Japanese musical instruments. The Japanese ensemble consists of several shamisen and percussion. Nagauta Symphony The Nagauta Symphony