Customer Reviews

Robert Simpson: Symphony No. 10

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The good news is that Robert Simpson is one of the more approachable composers of the 20th century, using classical musical strucures such as the symphony, and diatonic harmonies. The slightly less good news is that the tenth symphony of 1988 is undoubtedly more difficult than his earlier ones. Having said that, it is well worth the effort to get to know, and with familiarity will come a deep admiration for an amazing and thrilling work.

It is a huge piece of almost an hour in traditional four movement form. The notes in the Hyperion CD are very helpful with a full musical analysis (increasingly rare these days). Or you can sit back and be swept along by the forces that are typical of Simpson's symphonies - exciting and powerful.

As with the other recordings in the Hyperion cycle of Simpson symphonies, Vernon Handley and the Royal Liverpool Symphony Orchestra play together brilliantly and the recording quality is second to none.

This is a CD I snapped up immediately upon its release about 15 years ago, and I wasn't disappointed. I had already been greatly impressed by Simpson's 9th, and, although this 54-minute work seemed a bit daunting by comparison, it took just a few listenings to "get it". What we have here is a modern symphony structurally based on Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata. That is, it has a strong, declarative first movement, a brief and and relatively light scherzo, a profound slow movement, followed by a fugue-to-end-all-fugues. That final movement should leave you breathless by its conclusion.
In 2001 I had the rare pleasure of meeting "Tod" Handley, and told him how much I had enjoyed his recordings of the Simpson symphonies, especially the 10th. I mentioned that I was exhausted by the end of that symphony. His response: "Believe me, we were ALL exhausted by the time we reached the end!"
Oddly, some musicologists don't think that the 10th represents Simpson's best efforts. I respectfully disagree, and strongly suggest exploring this exciting work.

I've only listened to the Symphony twice. I'm enjoying it more each time. Still, my favorite Simpson is his Symphony 4. That has a vibrant subtle humor that I enjoy.

Hyperion's coverage of the music of Robert Simpson is nothing if not admirable. Stylistically, the connection between Simpson's music and Carl Nielsen's is often noted (vast, open musical canvasses), but the symphonies of Beethoven, Hindemith, Alwyn and perhaps even Bruckner should be mentioned as well. Drive and momentum and organic growth are the most important factors, it seems - all his symphonies have to grow effortlessly towards a final culmination where all threads are pulled together. Thus none of his works come across as meandering (due, of course, to the fact that Simpson had an unerring ability to bring it off), yet there is always a lot of activity going on. The music is tonal, though not exactly melodic in the traditional sense (and Simpson did apparently admire Schoenberg, something I think is rather audible - the music is often based on thematic cells, and there are often quirky formal puzzles in the music that it is easy to overlook on first listening). It does, admittedly, demand concentrated listening, but definitely repays such listening.

The tenth symphony is a major contribution to the repertoire, even if it does not challenge the ninth or fifth as the greatest of Simpson's symphonies. As its predecessor, this is an ambitious work full of shimmering brilliance (though not so much surface glamour) and surging drama. The opening allegro is immensely powerful - less subtle, it seems, than the music of Simpson's previous symphonies but on the other hand curiously elusive. The following allegro leggiero is cold and mystical, glittering in orchestral colors and definitely captivating. The andante is aslo elusive - again, Simpson employs his formal tricks, but it is harder to appreciate the music without unraveling the riddles and codes than in some of his earlier efforts. The final Largo - Allegro con brio movement is powerful and generally convincing, but ends in a stubborn exclamation rather than a cumulatively evolving climax.

It is a very fine work indeed, even though it does in no way surpass the glorious ninth in terms of level of inspiration. Just like its predecessor, it places substantial technical demands on the performers, and I am happy to report that the players here again rise to the challenge magnificently. The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic sounds as convincingly brilliant as the Bournemouth Symphony has done in the other recordings in this series, and Vernon Handley comes across as something of an ideal Simpson interpreter (although I have heard few others try their hand in this music). The sound is splendid as well, and this is overall a firmly recommended release, even though newcomers are advised to start with the fifth or ninth symphonies.