First Performance
March 1994 Albany Symphony Orchestra
David Alan Miller, conductor
Albany, NY
Instrumentation
2.2.3.2. 4.3.2.1. timp. 2 perc. pi. synth. el. guit. el. bass harp strings
Duration
24'
Listen
Program Notes
Commissioned by the Albany Symphony Orchestra, the subject of this symphony is the events surrounding the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453, an event that is fascinating in almost mythological proportions. The various titles of the movements reflect the time line of the siege and the fall of the city, which took over two years. The movements are strung together, played without pauses. City and the walls depict the mighty walls that surrounded the city and the relentless pounding of the Ottoman artillery. Pauses came at night when the Byzantines masterfully restored the walls for the following days defense. Haghia Sophia is one of the most beautiful churches in the world built by the Byzantines. It was the largest church with the most massive freestanding dome that had existed at the time. This movement reflects the prayers of the residents in Haghia Sophia to save their city. Speeches of Emperor Constantine and Sultan Mehmet represents the political speeches given by them to their troops to motivate them into braking the stalemate--the war was going nowhere. Ships on rails: The marine battle is where the turning point in the siege comes. Byzantines had built massive chains across the harbor to prevent the Ottoman navy from coming in. The Ottomans were finally able to respond to that by hauling ships over land on rails at night. In the morning the Byzantines were suddenly faced with the ships in the harbor and the inevitable defeat. Fall of Constantinople reflects the cities final moments before the Ottoman soldiers enter the city before its eventual fall.
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