Barber - First Symphony (In One Movement), Op. 9

Samuel Barber (1910-1981) First Symphony (In One Movement), Op. 9 Composed in 1936; premiered in 1936 in Rome Performed by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Zinman (b. 1936) Recorded in 1991 at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, Baltimore, Maryland 0:00 (a) Allegro, ma non troppo 6:48 (b) Allegro molto 10:59 (c) Andante tranquillo 15:27 (d) Con moto Samuel Barber completed his First Symphony (In One Movement), Op. 9, in February 1936 while staying in the French Alps, finishing the major work at just 25 years old. Dedicated to his partner and fellow composer Gian Carlo Menotti (1911-2007), the piece was premiered by the Augusteo Orchestra in Rome on December 13, 1936, under the baton of Bernardino Molinari (1880-1952). It quickly earned international acclaim, leading to its U.S. premiere with the Cleveland Orchestra and making history in the summer of 1937 when Artur Rodziński (1892-1958) conducted it with the Vienna Philharmonic, marking the first time a symphonic work by an American composer was performed at the Salzburg Festival.