WINGATE: SYMPHONY NO. 5
“Erdenfeiertage (Die Jahreszeiten)” - [ “Earth Holidays (The Seasons)” ]

(THIS PROJECT IS A WORK IN PROGRESS)

Movements:
I. Frühjahrstagundnachtgleiche (Vernal Equinox)
II. Sommersonnenwende (Estival Solstice)
III. Herbsttagundnachtgleiche (Autumnal Equinox)
IV. Wintersonnenwende (Hibernal Solstice)

Notes:
Wingate’s impending Fifth Symphony is, at first glance, the composer’s personal response to the ubiquitous ‘four seasons’ trope in World art, but this symphony’s gigantic scale and German titles make it a bit more Wagner than Vivaldi. It is also an homage to the idea of Science as a quasi-religious belief system in which the earth holidays — the solstices and equinoxes — are both the precursors and appropriate alternatives to humankind’s wayward traditional holidays, as well as a reminder of the incomprehensible grandeur of the cosmos and our humblingly tiny place in it.