Sinfonia antartica ("Antarctic Symphony") is the Italian title given by Ralph Vaughan Williams to his seventh symphony, first performed in 1953. It drew on incidental music the composer had written for the 1948 film Scott of the Antarctic.
A typical performance lasts around 45 minutes. There are five movements. The composer specified that the third movement lead directly into the fourth. The score includes a brief literary quotation at the start of each movement. While Vaughan Williams did not say that these quotations were intended to form part of a performance of the work, they are sometimes declaimed in performance and in recordings.
1. Prelude: Andante maestoso
2. Scherzo: Moderato
3. Landscape: Lento
4. Intermezzo: Andante sostenuto
5. Epilogue: Alla marcia, moderato (non troppo allegro)
- Difficulty:
- Advanced
- Instrumentation:
- 3Fl1dPicc, 2Ob, CA, 2Cl, BCl, 2Bsn, Cbsn, 4Hn, 3Tpt, 3Tbn, Tba, Timp, Perc(4)*, Cel., Hp, Pno, Org(opt), Sop. Solo, SSA, Strings
- Instrumentation (cont.):
- Perc: Tri, Cym, S.D., Tenor D., B.D., Gong, 2 Deep Bells, Glockenspiel, Xylo., Vibraphone, Wind Machine
- Duration:
- ca. 42 minutes
- Set of Parts:
- Includes Strings count 5.5.4.4.3