Robert Simpson: 31 May-4 June

[Serial_Apologist]

A first COTW for Professor Simpson?

A strange amalgam of a composer to me, but certainly deserving of his place.

[jayne lee wilson]

A first COTW for Professor Simpson?

A strange amalgam of a composer to me, but certainly deserving of his place.

May I request some elaboration, SA? An amalgam of.....what...?

I've always found his voice, and all the flowing motivic continuities of his symphonic forms, very distinctive; original but clearly relatable to their Sibelian, Nielsonian and Holmbovian traditions...(with Beethoven and Bruckner at a further remove...). He has "The breath of a Symphonist" as Schoenberg almost said...

But for now back to the Garden....those Cats will need all the water bowls (for the birds and hedgehogs really, but....) replenishing; I need to replenish my glass and re-stock the ice cubes too.

[Bert]

A first COTW for Professor Simpson?

A strange amalgam of a composer to me, but certainly deserving of his place.

An amalgam of Nielsen, Beethoven and above all, a clear individual voice of his own, is perhaps unusual, but never strange.

But it is to be celebrated that we now have this COTW and half a little Prom. We Simpson fanatics have never had it so good ........

[Ein Heldenleben]

May I request some elaboration, SA? An amalgam of.....what...?

I've always found his voice, and all the flowing motivic continuities of his symphonic forms, very distinctive; original but clearly relatable to their Sibelian, Nielsonian and Holmbovian traditions...(with Beethoven and Bruckner at a further remove...). He has "The breath of a Symphonist" as Schoenberg almost said...


But for now back to the Garden....those Cats will need all the water bowls (for the birds and hedgehogs really, but....) replenishing; I need to replenish my glass and re-stock the ice cubes too.

I thought some of the music today was tremendous - a whole notch above some of the Prom pieces we’ve had premiered over the last few years...

[Richard Barrett]

above all, a clear individual voice of his own

It may be that my ears are made of cloth but this is something I just don't hear.

[Bert]

It may be that my ears are made of cloth but this is something I just don't hear.

It's a cognitive thang, nothing to do with your ears, or what they're made from.

[Edgy 2]

An amalgam of Nielsen, Beethoven and above all, a clear individual voice of his own, is perhaps unusual, but never strange.

But it is to be celebrated that we now have this COTW and half a little Prom. We Simpson fanatics have never had it so good ........

although I think we Simpson fanatics should really have it much better

[Serial_Apologist]

although I think we Simpson fanatics should really have it much better

I think so: the string quartets are cited as alongside those of Shostakovitch in terms of formal integrity and depths of feeling.

My difficulty with Simpson lies in the oddness with which he seems to have wiped whole swathes of 19th and 20th century music off the map as being non-accordant with his views of life as something one just has to get on with, gruelling as that may be, other people undependable and all that. It seems rather a puritan viewpoint, and that goes with his long reach back to Beethoven to breathe fire into his most important gestures. The ensuing battles and clashes between tonalities, born less of musical logic, as one might expect from one so into the Baroque and Classical, than of an unsorted psyche governed by an ego that seems on the surface to broach no access to advice, so stubbornly insistent is it on getting its own way. Maybe I am reading Simpson wrongly, and this is why I shall give this week all my attention. It's a problem I also have with Nielsen.

[jayne lee wilson]

Don't forget the Composers' Subforum Thread on Robert Simpson, where I tried to summarise his symphonic achievement here (#123) -

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?17752-Simpson-Robert-(1921-1997)/page13

...included further on is a review of the Lyrita issue earlier this year of the 1973/1980 premieres of the 4th and 5th Symphonies (from BBC tapes) essential listening as you'd expect...

Donald Macauley's Biography is very good, but is now around £10 dearer than when I bought it....

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1479794384/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

More comments about it on the aforesaid thread...

[LMcD]

I think so: the string quartets are cited as alongside those of Shostakovitch in terms of formal integrity and depths of feeling.

My difficulty with Simpson lies in the oddness with which he seems to have wiped whole swathes of 19th and 20th century music off the map as being non-accordant with his views of life as something one just has to get on with, gruelling as that may be, other people undependable and all that. It seems rather a puritan viewpoint, and that goes with his long reach back to Beethoven to breathe fire into his most important gestures. The ensuing battles and clashes between tonalities, born less of musical logic, as one might expect from one so into the Baroque and Classical, than of an unsorted psyche governed by an ego that seems on the surface to broach no access to advice, so stubbornly insistent is it on getting its own way. Maybe I am reading Simpson wrongly, and this is why I shall give this week all my attention. It's a problem I also have with Nielsen.

I'm pleased to say I've never had a problem with Nielsen, although I would advise newcomers to leave the 6th Symphony for a while!

[Bryn]

I'm pleased to say I've never had a problem with Nielsen, although I would advise newcomers to leave the 6th Symphony for a while!

I'd be happy to recommend jumping in at the deep end with the Sinfonia Semplice. Wonderful work.

[cloughie]

I'm pleased to say I've never had a problem with Nielsen, although I would advise newcomers to leave the 6th Symphony for a while!

In order I’d tackle them 2 1 5 4 3 6.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Once overheard a brass player in the bar describing the “Inextinguishable” symphony as the “Inexcusable” . I’d never heard it live before and hadn’t realised how loud it was - the orchestra had perspex screens everywhere. Despite the brass player’s reservations it was an excellent performance ...
On thread I wonder if having a few nicknames might have helped Simpson’s symphonies cut through a bit more with the public ?

[ahinton]

Once overheard a brass player in the bar describing the “Inextinguishable” symphony as the “Inexcusable” . I’d never heard it live before and hadn’t realised how loud it was - the orchestra had perspex screens everywhere. Despite the brass player’s reservations it was an excellent performance ...
On thread I wonder if having a few nicknames might have helped Simpson’s symphonies cut through a bit more with the public ?

Oh, God forbid! Just think of all those rubbishy ones that were appended many years ago to certain works of Chopin, such as the "Raindrop" prelude and the "Revolutionary", "Æolian Harp", "Ocean", "Butterfly" &c. études!...

[Bryn]

Oh, God firbid! Just think of all those rubbishy ones that were appended many years ago to certain works of Chopin, such as the "Raindrop" prelude and the "Revolutionary", "Æolian Harp", "Ocean", "Butterfly" &c. études!...

At least no one could reasonably call Nielsen's Uudslukkelige the Indistinguishable.