Holbrooke symphony no 3

 Day 155

Joseph Holbrooke Symphony no 3 Ships

Deutsche Radio Philharmonic Orchestra

Howard Griffiths 

Holbrooke is one of those figures who crop up in the sidelines of histories of music as an eccentric character. He features in an anecdote in Beecham’s autobiography and there is a lovely story that the conductor Dan Godfrey once had to put in a last minute amendment to a concert programme which read (according to Wikipedia) Mr Dan Godfrey begs to announce that Mr Joseph Holbrooke declines to play today, at this concert, because his name is not announced on the bills in large enough type, consequently the programme will be changed. Yet he had, at least in his younger days, a considerable reputation and his music was conducted by such major figures as Richter and Nikisch. He lived through to 1958 - he must have seen like a figure from a forgotten age.

This third symphony (1925) has three movements: warships, hospital ships, merchant ships. It is a fairly substantial work lasting over half an hour for a large orchestra include euphonium and saxophone. I found it an infuriating work. There was undoubtedly a powerful musical imagination at work here and there were were some very attractive movement. But the whole thing was a mess. No sense of style or continuity and it lurched from quite serious music in moment of excruciatingly bad taste. At times I thought that the first movement sounds like Richard Strauss takes a trip to the seaside! There are hints of Delius and, especially, Grainger in the use of folk song in the last movement but Grainger had much more control over his material than Holbrooke shows here. 

Holbrooke was by all accounts one of the most self centred of all composers - and that is saying a lot. He seems to have regarded the whole of the musical establishment as being in conspiracy against him. Perhaps had he had a greater self-awareness he might have developed his obvious musical talents in a more disciplined way and produced a body of work which would still have a place somewhere in the corner of the repertory. But as it is I can’t imagine that his work is going to be taken up by the modern equivalents of Richter and Nikisch.

That’s the last in this current round of British symphonies. There will be at least one more round to come. But I am off to France for a few days and will not have much time for listening so the next posts will look as some shorter orchestral peices by some minor French composers who have faded from view but whose names do crop up in the history books.