PLUTO

Composed: 1997
Commission:  Roanoke Symphony, David Wiley, conductor
Premiere:  Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, Roanoke, VA, March 17, 1997
Duration: 13 minutes
Instrumentation:   3(3rd picc.) 2 EH 3(3rd Bcl)2; 433 (3rd Btbn) 1; 2 timp., 4 perc., 2 hp., strings
Soprano solo, optional Women's chorus (div.) I (SSA) II (SSA)
(Pluto can be performed without chorus.  There are cues in orchestral parts to be played when there is no soloist and women's chorus.)

PROGRAM NOTES

Pluto was not discovered until 1930 after Gustav Holst had completed his work, The Planets.  In 1996 I was commissioned by the Roanoke Symphony and conductor David Wiley to write Pluto, as a sequel to The Planets.  Then in 2006 the status of Pluto changed again!  It was determined that it is not a planet after all, and is now called a dwarf planet.

The astrological Pluto is about power, intense needs, destruction – re-creation by violent means if necessary.   Like the astrological sign, Pluto, Roman god of the underworld, was aggressive, passionate, violent, intense, favoring war and extremes, inexorable but just.  When I was composing Pluto, images filled my mind of an intense being, inexorable, violent, intense, powerful and destructive, but anguished.  

Sometimes Pluto’s orbit around the sun causes it to come closer to the sun than Neptune.  A middle section in the music changes mood completely suggesting the time in Pluto’s orbit when it comes close to the restoring warmth of the sun, to the song of the sun spirit, to the astrological Pluto’s need for re-creation.  Then as the orbit continues, the darkness and despair gradually close in again and the earlier music returns.

REVIEWS

“‘Pluto’, composed as an appendage to ‘The Planets’, is bold and dramatic” - Guy Rickards, Gramophone

“The language is undoubtedly modern and crosses a wide variety of styles from early 20th century impressionism to more challenging contemporary, traversing elements that remind me at times of John Adams amongst others. The orchestral richness is assured and compelling…In addition, the development of pieces feels similarly confident and capable. For example, the final piece ‘Pluto’ has an arc-like structure focused on the destructive aspects represented by the planet, surrounding a central section that in the words of the composer, "when it comes close to the restoring warmth of the sun and to the song of the sun spirit". The effect is often beautiful, bewitching and at times tormented, the structure providing a simple and yet satisfying structural rhythm for the composition.” - Ian Orbell, Classical Music Sentinel

“…this work is a brilliant showcase for a symphony orchestra and could easily fit in an orchestral programme in its own right. There is much to do for the percussion players early on, it being violent and full of tension. Then, halfway through, the music becomes gentler and more mysterious. Is this Pluto with Persephone? The aggressive music returns, and the work ends with a violent thwack.” - Paul RW Jackson, Music Web International

“‘Pluto’ (track 7), so named after the god of the underworld, shows a composer unafraid to channel honest (and jarring) emotion through thoughtfully chosen instruments and textures. There are at least 4 types of percussion present early on, each adding dimension and tension. The brass fanfares, while jarring, are perfect here as an embodiment of what Brouwer describes as a passionate, violent, and belligerent deity.

The first four minutes of the work leave us with no respite from an unrelenting atmosphere of dread, and just as we might be reaching our breaking point, a beautiful lyrical section arrives. However, the way the strings play it, this is not music to be mistaken as comfort; the transparent rustles are rife with a sense of unease, and an element of sinister urgency always seems to be lurking in the background. 

Indeed, the third and final section is an intense eruption and revisitation of the tumult that had riveted our attention earlier. Alsop and her players should be applauded for maintaining their energy and attention through an artistically demanding work, without ever sacrificing musicality.”
- Azusa Ueno, The Classical Review

“The album concludes dramatically with Pluto, commissioned by the Roanoke Symphony to add a ninth heavenly body to a performance of Gustav Holst’s The Planets (Brouwer has also written a version that includes a female chorus.)

Since Pluto the planet’s status has been downgraded, Brouwer has based her piece on the attributes of Pluto the god of the Underworld — aggressive, passionate, violent, intense, favoring war and extremes, inexorable but just — bringing it more in line with Holst’s astrological inspiration.

Fast rhythmic passages build and retreat in the brass and percussion, as long lines in the strings are wonderfully interrupted by short glistening fanfares. Brouwer describes its calmer middle section as “suggesting the time in Pluto’s orbit when it comes close to the restoring warmth of the sun.” The Vienna Radio Symphony produces a full, well-balanced sound no matter what dynamic is required.”

- Daniel Hathaway, ClevelandClassical