Jan van der Roost: Spartacus

Spartacus is a Symphonic Tone Poem with 3 movements. Each section has its own melodic material; however, in the final movement the main theme from the second section returns in a 'grandioso'-tutti. The penultimate bar recaptures the 'oriental' atmosphere of the very beginning. The first section (= from the beginning until J) builds up a climax by repeating and accumulating some melodic and rhythmic structures. The oriental character of the melodic fragments refers to the origin of the Roman slaves. The second section evokes the love between Spartacus and his beloved by creating a peaceful atmosphere. The main theme (first presented at letter L) has a broad and expansive character and subtly references film music. In this part of the composition, special attention is given to the orchestration. The final section is more aggressive and martial and refers to the revolt of the slaves against the Roman oppressors. In the middle of this movement, an accumulation of the 12 tones symbolizes the crucifixion of the slaves: the English horn partly resumes the cadenza of the flute (at letter J), as if it wants to show the eternal love between Spartacus and his beloved one very last time ... The theme at the third bar of letter T is actually based on the 2nd theme of this section (which starts at the fifth bar of letter R), but has been rhythmically elaborated.

Merk	De Haske Publications
Serie	Concert & Contest Collection
Instrument	Harmony
Barcode (EAN)	DHP-0890131-010_1.mp3