Symphonies

Orchestral Catalogue · Six Numbered Symphonies

Auerbach’s Symphonies

Lera Auerbach’s six numbered symphonies span works for orchestra alone and large-scale compositions involving soloists, chorus, spatial sound, and theatrical elements. This page brings together their principal information, performances, texts, and score materials.

For conductors, artistic planners, orchestras, and festivals

View the Symphonies Overview Boosey & Hawkes Catalogue
At a glance

The Six Symphonies

An overview of duration and principal forces.

WorkDurationPrincipal forces
Symphony No. 1 Chimera40′Orchestra
Symphony No. 2 Requiem for a Poet42′Mezzo-soprano, cello, choir, orchestra
Symphony No. 3 The Infant Minstrel and His Peculiar Menagerie43′Violin, mixed choir, orchestra
Symphony No. 4 ARCTICA44′Piano, mixed choir, orchestra
Symphony No. 5 Paradise Lost35′Orchestra
Symphony No. 6 Vessels of Light40′Cello, whisperers, mixed choir, orchestra
Lera Auerbach

Symphony No. 1

Chimera

For orchestra

40′OrchestraRental materials available

In Chimera, hybrid forms and shifting identities unfold within a purely orchestral frame.

Length 40′
Rental information Sikorski / Boosey & Hawkes. Rental materials available.
Orchestration 3(=picc, afl).3(=corA).3(=bcl).3(=dbn) – 4.3.3(btrbn).1 – timp; perc(4); theremin ad lib.; 2 hp; cel; harpsichord; piano; strings.
Work Page Request Perusal Score Score and Materials
Lera Auerbach

Symphony No. 2

Requiem for a Poet

For mezzo-soprano, violoncello, choir and orchestra

42′Mezzo-soprano · Cello · Choir · OrchestraRental materials available

Poetry, mourning, and memory converge in a requiem where mezzo-soprano, solo cello, chorus, and orchestra become intertwined dramatic voices.

Length 42′
Rental information Sikorski / Boosey & Hawkes. Rental materials available.
Orchestration 3(=afl).3(=corA).3(=bcl).3(=dbn) – 4.3.3(btrbn).1 – timp; perc.; hp; piano; strings; mezzo-soprano, solo cello and choir.
Language Russian; English working translation provided for reference
Text Marina Tsvetaeva, Novogodnee
Work Page Request Perusal Score Score and Materials

The complete text will appear here.

Lera Auerbach

Symphony No. 3

The Infant Minstrel and His Peculiar Menagerie

For violin, mixed choir, and orchestra

43′Violin · Choir · OrchestraRental materials available

A solo violin enters a surreal theatrical menagerie, moving between protagonist, storyteller, and unruly child within a choral-orchestral fantasy.

Length 43′
Rental information Sikorski / Boosey & Hawkes. Rental materials available.
Orchestration 3(=picc, afl).2(=corA).2(=bcl).2(=dbn) – 2.2.2(btrbn).1 – timp; perc(3); hp; piano; cel; strings; solo violin and choir.
Language English
Text Erroneous Anonymous — Lera Auerbach
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The complete text will appear here.

Lera Auerbach

Symphony No. 4

ARCTICA

For piano, mixed choir, and orchestra

44′Piano · Choir · OrchestraRental materials available

Conceived as a musical encounter with the Arctic, ARCTICA transforms piano, chorus, orchestra, water, ice, and resonance into a ritual of beauty and warning.

Length 44′
Rental information Sikorski / Boosey & Hawkes. Rental materials available.
Orchestration 3(=picc, afl).3(=corA).3(=bcl).3(=dbn) – 4.2.3.1 – timp; perc(6) incl. theremin, water-drops, ice-drums, waterphone, water-gong, crystal glasses; 2 hp; cel; strings; piano and choir.
Language Kalaallisut, Inuktitut, Inuktun, Iñupiaq, Yupik, Aleut, Alutiiq, and Nenets
Libretto Lera Auerbach, created in collaboration with Arctic Indigenous language and cultural advisors
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The complete text will appear here.

Lera Auerbach

Symphony No. 5

Paradise Lost

For orchestra

35′OrchestraRental materials available

In a concentrated orchestral span, Paradise Lost unfolds within the vast literary and metaphysical resonance of its title.

Length 35′
Rental information Sikorski / Boosey & Hawkes. Rental materials available.
Orchestration picc.1.1.corA.Ebcl.bcl.1.dbn – 2.2.1.btrbn.1 – perc(3) incl. aquaphone, watergong, glockenspiel, vibraphone, marimba; hp; ondes Martenot; strings.
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Lera Auerbach

Symphony No. 6

Vessels of Light

For violoncello, whisperers, mixed choir, and orchestra

40′Cello · Whisperers · Choir · OrchestraRental materials available

Solo cello, chorus, orchestra, and whispered voices form a shifting architecture of memory, breath, and resonance.

Length 40′
Rental information Sikorski / Boosey & Hawkes. Rental materials available.
Orchestration vlc solo – SATB chorus – whisperers – 3(I=picc).1.corA.1.bcl.1.dbn – 2.2.1.btrbn – timp; perc(3) incl. campanelli, waterphone, stones; hp; strings.
Language Yiddish; English translation included for reference
Text / Libretto Yiddish poetry, selected and arranged by Lera Auerbach; Psalm 121 appears silently in transliteration and translation
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The complete text will appear here.

Scores and Performance Materials

Perusal scores, orchestral materials, and further information are available through Boosey & Hawkes.

Request a Perusal Score Publisher Catalogue Symphony Overview
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