Symphony No. 8

Symphony No. 8 is an outgrowth of an early work, "Oktagonon". The title "Oktagonon" is a Greek word meaning "eight angles". The same applies to the present work, Symphony No. 8. Here the "eight angles" are also used by three clarinets and one bassoon as a ritornello idea that controls the form of the piece. The composer has in his mind the work Bolero by Ravel. Specifically, the melody keeps repeating itself by adding instruments, thus increasing the density. Symphony No. 8 uses in addition a string orchestra. Several techniques of composition are used, including the motivic variations employed extensively by Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. Therefore, similarities with the two great composers is obvious in Symphony No. 8.