This view was not his but that of the disciples, eager to defend him against conservative critics whose orientation was towards symphonic composition.
Each of the five massive movements has its own character and yet the work coheres as a symphonic essay of sustained power and brilliance.
The song-object now dissolves into symphonic extensions without the further threat of silence or the need for strophic markers.
The clarinet is not cast as a concerto soloist pitted against the orchestra: rather it is part of the symphonic argument, avoiding empty display.
Inevitably, over an 80-minute span of music, there is some repetition and the material can lack symphonic weight.
Such an ambitious project with such a diverse stylistic hinterland might be thought inimical to truly symphonic composition: so, alas, it proves.
Ranging from thirty to forty-five minutes in length, these are hefty works, often symphonic in scope.
His works include instrumental, symphonic, choral, theatre and film music.
