Watercolour by Edwin Aybar

Camilo Aybar began his second symphony in F♯ minor, titled "The Futile Pursuit of Love" in December 2021, around the time he was rejected by his third love interest. Defying the "third time's a charm" saying, the realization struck that he may die alone, and that he may never find the one, or merely anyone who would want to be with him. No matter how much he could accomplish as a clarinetist and composer, his diminutive stature, physical appearance and self-sabotaging plights like his social awkwardness and obsessive tendency to overthink rendered it null in the eyes of seemingly all of his love interests. With this empty feeling of utter hopelessness, he felt highly compelled to base his next symphony on this all-consuming and never-ending struggle. Aybar originally envisioned his second symphony sooner or later to be in A major, as a celebration of an eventual love pursuit ending in success—until the Hammer of Fate (in hommage to Mahler), with each brutal strike marking a new rejection, struck this symphony's tonality into the depressing relative minor, F♯. Aybar then planned to base each movement on a separate love interest and his pursuit of her: (with the exception of IV. Intermezzo)

I. Vivace con immenso dolore "The Cellist"

II. Andante cantabile "The Violinist"

III. Allegro furioso "The Pianist"

IV. Intermezzo: Aria del Destino

V. Finale. Tema con variazioni "The Violist"


Since his first love pursuit was already depicted by the last
movement of his Clarinet Sonata No. 1 in C Minor "Youth", he decided to start with his second pursuit (which ended catastrophically), which would then be followed by three more inevitably ill-fated pursuits. The symphony would encapsulate five years of heartbreak, but following this cycle, Aybar hoped that he could ultimately bring this symphony a triumphant finale—but he was not optimistic.

Spe meliora, parare ad deteriora
is his motto, Latin for "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst."

Progress Summary

I. Vivace con immenso dolore "The Cellist"
started on 11 Dec 2021, completed 22 Aug 2022

II. Andante cantabile "The Violinist"
started on 18 Sep 2022, completed 27 May 2023

III.  Allegro furioso "The Pianist"
started on 2 Jan 2023, completed 3 October 2024

IV. Intermezzo: Aria del Destino
started on 9 Jan 2024, completed 17 Feb 2024
 

V. Finale. Tema con variazioni "The Violist"
started on 8 Mar 2023, to be completed 14 Feb 2025
    
    Theme Completed
    Var. I Completed
    Var. II Completed    Var. III Completed    Var. IV Completed    Var. V Completed    Var. VI Completed    Var. VII Completed   Var. VIII Completed    Var. IX Completed    Var. X Orchestration in progress    Var. XI Orchestration in progress    Var. XII Orchestration in progress    Var. XIII Orchestration in progress    Var. XIV Orchestration in progress
Choral Finale    Var. XV Completed    Var. XVI Orchestration in progress    Var. XVII Completed    Var. XVIII Completed    Var. XIX Orchestration in progress    Var. XX Orchestration in progress    Var. XXI Orchestration in progress
    Var. XXII Completed
    Var. XXIII Completed