Symbolon is a composition for orchestra written by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The piece was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic for their 1988 tour of the Soviet Union and was completed on January 8, 1988. It is dedicated to Zubin Mehta, who conducted the work's premiere by the New York Philharmonic in Leningrad on June 1, 1988. It was the first piece of American orchestral music to be premiered in the Soviet Union.
Composition Symbolon is cast in a single movement and has a performance duration of approximately 16 minutes. The title comes from the Greek word for symbol, which, the composer wrote, "refers to the ancient custom whereby two parties broke a piece of pottery (or a stone, or a coin) in two, each party retaining half. Each half (or 'symbolon') thus became a token of friendship as well as proof of identity of the bearer." She added:
Instrumentation The music is written for a large orchestra consisting of three flutes, three oboes, four clarinets, three bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, and strings.
Reception Symbolon has been generally praised by music critics. Reviewing the United States premiere in New York City, Donal Henahan of The New York Times wrote, "The 15-minute score, which had its world premiere in Leningrad under Mr. Mehta during the Philharmonic's recent tour of the Soviet Union, is a true creature of its century, often glancing at Bartok, Strauss and Stravinsky (whose ostinatos haunt it). This is a forceful, listenable piece, with rich, transparently orchestrated sonorities that occasionally suggest such recent composers as Messiaen or Carter." Bill Zekariasen of the New York Daily News similarly remarked:
Reviewing a 1998 performance by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Robert Croan of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette observed:
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