Symphony 1 by Anthony Hedges

I worked on my first symphony intermittently between 1970 and 1975, work on it interrupted by a continuous flow of commission, each of which was urgently required. The Symphony has 3 movements. In the first, strings twice begin a fluent movement but before long the brass intervene to block their progress. The wind, joined by the strings try again to make progress: again the brass tries to block them, but this time unsuccessfully. (I had in mind people who have a vision that they want to implement, but fall foul of vested interests and bureaucracy.) In the second movement (beginning with a protracted section for percussion) movement flows unhampered. The structure is scherzo-like with a quieter central section (Trio equivalent). The last movement is slow and recalls elements from the previous movements both with passion and contemplatively.
Reviewing the first (broadcast) performance at length in the Daily Telegraph Michael Kennedy wrote: "It is a real symphony with organic and imaginative development of the thematic material....There is also a steadily increasing emotional drive....In the finale the threads are drawn together with a sure and economical hand. This is both the structural and emotional culmination of a work that should be heard again." A Sinfonia Concertante followed (performed twice by Hull Philharmonic Orchestra) and a second symphony, which has yet to be performed.