Elliott Carter: Symphonia: Sum Fluxae Pretium Spei (1993-1996)

Elliott Carter (b. 1908, and still alive and kicking!) is beyond doubt the most important living American composer. In his late nineties now, he is still producing works of outstanding originality, invention and quality. His "Symphonia: Sum Fluxae Pretium Spei" (finished when the composer was 87) is arguably his greatest achievement to date and in my opinion it is, along with Ives' Fourth Symphony, the greatest symphony ever written by an American composer, maybe even the greatest symphony since Mahler.

It is a large-scale piece (approx. 45 minutes in duration) cast in three contrasting movements, written in Carter's typical dissonant (atonal), yet highly poetic modernist language. There are dark, atmospheric moments of melancholy, but also wild, swirling and playful passages of high energy. A landmark in 20th century symphonic writing.