Brian: Symphonies Nos. 7 & 16
Show recording details8.573959
Release Date: May 2019
Originally recorded in 2019
Classical
Orchestral & Concertos
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Reviews
“… The Tinker’s Wedding Overture (1948) is a celebratory comedy overture redolent of the Edwardian era. Being Brian, however, the music has its quirks: it is craggily episodic, and he writes for tuba as though it were a flute. Symphony No 7 from the same year continues the Elgarian pomp with trumpet fanfares but soon veers into Brian’s unsettled stylistic deconstruction. Again, the orchestration offers unexpected challenges, especially its ever-busy bass lines and use of percussion, including xylophone. The single-movement Symphony No 16 (1960) is alternately mysterious and aggressive, harmonically astringent, and completely isolated from British music of the time. Alexander Walker and the orchestra have recorded several of his symphonies and are comfortable with his idiom. Walker knows how to balance the sometimes incongruous elements, as the musicians manage the climactic outbursts while retaining a light touch…” ****½
“… Believe me, the whole work [Sym. No. 7] is a wild ride, yet paradoxically, it might well be regarded as a good place to start listening to Brian’s music, encompassing as it does elements of his earlier, broader style coupled with many indications of his unique orchestral style. The orchestra and conductor deserve much credit for the enthusiastic and accurate way they present it to us… The Sixteenth Symphony is a different kettle of fish … the music never seems to settle, flickering and morphing from one section to another, sometimes softly, sometimes in complete uproar. The orchestration is wonderful, including a fugue starting with four bassoons, a short eerie section for celesta and harp, with cor anglais and oboes in attendance. The work culminates in a wildly dissonant outburst from full orchestra, with four grinding discords, a slowly rising scale and a starling sidestep… The CD opens with the shortest and most accessible work, The Tinker’s Wedding Overture. It is relatively uncomplicated in style, but reveals the composer’s tendency to create wilful disruptions to the musical flow. Here, they provide moments of comic contrast, the composer using the orchestra with the same virtuosity he demonstrated in his symphonies.”
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