Symphony No. 6 (Sessions)

Roger Sessions' Symphony No. 6 is a large-scale orchestral work composed between 1955 and 1958. It was commissioned by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and dedicated to Dimitri Mitropoulos. This symphony is considered a significant work in Sessions' oeuvre, representing a mature phase of his compositional style.

The symphony is characterized by its dense, contrapuntal texture and its use of serial techniques, although Sessions did not strictly adhere to a twelve-tone system. It is written in a single movement, approximately 25 minutes in duration, but encompasses distinct sections that can be interpreted as analogous to the traditional four movements of a symphony. These sections explore a range of contrasting moods, from introspective and lyrical passages to highly energetic and dramatic outbursts.

Sessions' Symphony No. 6 is known for its intellectual rigor and its challenging demands on both the performers and the listener. Its harmonic language is complex and dissonant, reflecting Sessions' commitment to a modernist aesthetic. Despite its challenges, the symphony is often praised for its expressive power and its profound exploration of emotional depth. Its reception has been mixed, with some critics hailing it as a masterpiece of 20th-century orchestral music, while others have found it to be overly dense and inaccessible.