Symphony No. 22 (Hovhaness)
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The Symphony No. 22, Op. 236, City of Light is a four-movement symphony for orchestra by the American composer Alan Hovhaness. The work was commissioned by the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra for the centennial of Birmingham, Alabama and was completed in 1970.[1] The work has been recorded multiple times and remains one of Hovhaness's more popular compositions.[2]
City of Light has a duration of approximately thirty minutes and is composed in four movements:
- Allegro moderato
- Angel of Light (Largo)
- Allegretto grazioso
- Finale (Largo maestoso)
Though the symphony was composed for the city of Birmingham, Alabama, the city referred to in the title is one of Hovhaness's invention; Hovhaness described, "I was thinking of a million lights, an imaginary city..." He described the second movement "Angel of Light" as "a memory of a childhood vision I had... I was always affected by Christmas." The third movement "Allegretto grazioso" is based on a dance melody Hovhaness originally wrote in high school for an operetta Lotus Blossom.[1]
