Symphony of Psalms

The Symphony of Psalms by Igor Stravinsky is a symphony in three movements for chorus and orchestra. The work was written in 1930 as a commissioned work for the Boston Symphony Orchestra and was revised by the composer in 1948. Each set is a setting of the Old Testament Psalms:

The orchestra is unusually busy: There is only low strings ( cello, double bass) in addition to a large wood and brass instruments, percussion and two pianos, which give the work its distinctive sound.

The performance period is a total of about 23 minutes. The first sentence is the shortest, the second begins with a woodwind fugue, an example of Stravinsky's focus on baroque and classical forms in the context of neo-classicism. The work has a haunting and individual character, which could be reduced on Stravinsky's knowledge of sacred music of the Orthodox Church.