"Commisioned by Singapore Arts Festival 2006. Premiere 3-6-2006. Esplanade Concert Hall"--Container. The Philharmonic Winds ; Anglo-Chinese Junior College Choir, choir ; Robert Casteels, conductor ; Shane Thio, piano ; Margaret Chen, organ.
Robert Casteels Symphony no. 2 is in one movement of 23 minutes. Its unitary form was sculpted as its content was being developed, rather than being governed by any preconceived plan of an overall structure. The acoustical possibilities of each instrument dictated the choice of the diverse instrumentation. The 70-strong orchestra includes: choir, organ, piano, bowed strings, plucked strings (harp, harpsichord, pipa, yangqin, electric and acoustic guitars), complete clarinet family (from piccolo to contralto and contrabass clarinets), complete flute family (from 4 piccolos to alto and bass flute), and ensemble of tubas.