Symphony No. 1 (In Memoriam, Dresden, 1945)

Symphony No. 1 is a very dark piece of music that depicts the allied firebombings over Dresden, Germany during World War II. The piece itself is four movements long.

In Movement I, the mood of the piece is established with the impending disaster upon the small city.

Movement II is the seeding of the bomb targets. It depicts the fury of the bombing.

Movement III is a quiet mood depicting the religious and artistic heritage of Dresden. The movement is also looked ipon as a silent prayer by refugees within the city before the attack.

Movement IV, the final movement is a very unique movement as it is the recreation of the firebombing and the resulting firestorms of Dresden that were the death of nearly 50,000 people.

The piece ends climatically, then softens down as a very quiet flute solo ends the Symphony.