Symphony No. 8: from "Prophetic Books" by William Blake

Premiere: Boston Symphony Orchestra and Tanglewood Festival Chorus, James Levine conducting, February 28, 2008; NY premiere: same forces in Carnegie Hall/NY, March 3, 2008. “One of [Bolcom’s] trademarks . . . is a rare sensitivity to poetic text and an ability to distill their expressive essence in music. [His] chorus writing is so assured that the expressive force of the music comes through clearly.” –Jeremy Eichler, The Boston Globe. “William Bolcom’s Eighth Symphony writes out the poetry of William Blake in capital letters. Its four movements . . . think big in every way . . . unashamedly theatrical, and Mr. Bolcom’s deep experience and impressive control keep the pot boiling . . . a composer with a singular talent for inflecting words, making them clear and finding just the right orchestral color for the emotion of the moment.” –Bernard Holland, The New York Times. Recorded on BSO Classics