Robert Simpson: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 4 [Import]

Robert Simpson (Composer), Vernon Handley (Conductor), Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Vernon Handley
• Composer: Robert Simpson
• Audio CD (November 19, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Hyperion UK
• ASIN: B000002ZPQ
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #59,168 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Symphony No. 2: Allegro grazioso

2. Symphony No. 2: Largo cantabile

3. Symphony No. 2: Non troppo allegro, ma con brio

4. Symphony No. 4: Allegro moderato

5. Symphony No. 4: Presto

6. Symphony No. 4: Andante

7. Symphony No. 4: Allegro vivace

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Modern Beethoven, February 17, 2000

By 

M. Seeley (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Robert Simpson: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 4 (Audio CD)

These are my personal favorites in the Simpson symphonic oeuvre. And if you are just getting acquainted with this British composer, this is a great place to begin. Here in these two symphonies Simpson tips his hat off to Beethoven.

The opening of the Second Symphony is breathtaking. The slow movement has a gentle meditative quality, probing remote areas of the mind. The finale has the grittiness and energy of Beethoven's Seventh.

The Fourth Symphony contains some of the most remarkable and the most communicative of Simpson's Beethoven paraphrases. The archetype here is the scherzo of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, with a Haydn quotation thrown in for good measure in the Trio section. Simpson remains close to the structure of the original, but creates a completely new experience.

What words can describe this music? Transparent. Rhythmic. Energizing. Polytonal. Vernon Handley and his band do a masterful job in bringing forth the luscious details in these two incredible works.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary music, October 25, 2003

By 

Paul Graziano (Burlington, VT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Robert Simpson: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 4 (Audio CD)

There is little I can say without repeating the other reviews posted here. This was my first exposure to Simpson and it got me hooked, so, by my own experience, I'd recommend it as a good introduction. The 2nd might be the easiest for a newcomer to digest, and the 4th is simply extraordinary. I'll repeat another reviewer by stating that the scherzo is an exhilarting high-wire act that must be heard to be believed. I can definately see some people being turned off by this music. Simpson is not concerned with producing lovely melodies by the dozen, and if you're the type of person who grows impatient with Bruckner or finds Nielsen too harsh (specifcally, I'm thinking of his 4th & 5th), you might want to look elswhere. Which is not say there isn't great beauty here, just don't expect it sound like Faure. For those with a more robust consitution seeking a truly adverturous musical experience, Simpson is the way to go.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars music for the fall, October 24, 2001

By 

NotATameLion (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Robert Simpson: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 4 (Audio CD)

In my humble opinion, I believe Robert Simpson to one of the handful of composers I would throw in the category labeled "greatest of all time." His music is the only I know of that can be raucously jolly and viscerally intense at the same time.

I truly believe that autumn is the best time to listen to his symphonies. Wait for as blustery day. Wait until the wind is really kicking up the leaves--until it is starting to be twilight. Then put this disc in and turn it up.

Symphony No 2 is one of Simpson's more unruly steeds. It thunders off in directions that one cannot begin to anticipate, all the time retaining its stately beauty. Did I mention this is not music for the faint of heart?

The more I listen to his cycle of Simpson's symphonies, the more I like and respect Vernon Handley as a conductor. I can imagine how easy it would be to lose hold of one of these pieces as a conductor. Handley never fails to reign in his forces perfectly. The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra does an outstanding job of confronting these pieces.

Symphony No 4 takes a little more time to build up its steam then No 2 does. It is more atmospheric in some ways. To me, it is mildly reminiscent of a cat toying with a mouse before the kill. In the end, when No 4 swoops down, its effect is crushing and exhilarating.

I recommend this disc. Get it. You will not be disappointed.