Sinfonietta

Stewart Grant?s "Sinfonietta" was jointly commissioned by the Brampton Symphony Orchestra and the Oakville Chamber Orchestra through the support of the Brampton and Oakville Arts Councils. Charles Demuynck, then Music Director of both orchestras, conducted the first performances in March, 2000, and the work has since been performed by a number of other ensembles, including l?Orchestre symphonique de Sherbrooke, l?Orchestre symphonique de Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean, Orchestra London Canada and the West Island Youth Symphony Orchestra, who performed it under the composer?s direction at the Orchestrades Universelles in Brive-la-Gaillard, France. As implied by its title, the "Sinfonietta" is a small symphony in neo-classic style, as is often found in the music of Stravinsky. It is in two movements, the first of which recalls the spirit and form of equivalent movements in the symphonies of Haydn and Mozart, but in a modern style that combines lyricism with a buoyant sense of rhythmic vitality. The second movement is a set of variations based on a rather contemplative theme played by the strings. The first variation, which features the winds, retains this same character. There then enseues a rather jaunty variation, followed by a little waltz and a lively Tarantelle. This leads us to the climax of the work, which gives full voice to the brass and timpani, and a final variation, which takes us back to the contemplative character of the beginning. It is in this atmosphere of serenity that the work ends, in a coda that weaves together the principal themes of both movements.