Day 274
Robert Simpson: Symphony no 7
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Vernon Handley
I was aware of Robert Simpson as an author and broadcaster but although I knew that he composed I don’t think that I have heard any of his music before. He wrote 11 symphonies (plus several earlier ones which he destroyed). This 7th symphony dates from 1977 and is dedicated to Hans Keller, a long-time colleague of his at the BBC.
Simpson wrote books on, among others, Nielsen, Sibelius and Bruckner and his music is steeped in the ethos of their work, with its emphasis on long-term symphonic growth and intense motivic development. This symphony is in a single movement in an arch structure with two faster sections surrounding a slower middle section. That middle section to me was the high point of the work. It was beautifully expressive with long lines and intense expression. But the whole symphony was a very rewarding piece to listen to. There was nothing in the least flashy or showy about the music - just a seriousness of purpose and a sense of inexorable progress to the final pages. I am certainly keen to hear more of Simpson’s music at some point in the future.
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