performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Mathias Bamert Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, 1st Baronet was born in Bournemouth, the youngest of six children, on February 27, 1848. Three of his siblings died in infancy, and his mother died only … Continue reading Sir Hubert Parry: Symphony no. 3 ‘The English’
performed by the Mannheim String Quartet with Joachim Griesheimer, available here on iTunes (U.S. store) or on Amazon (No YouTube today, but I highly recommend purchasing the recording of this work; it’s exquisite.) Smyth’s music was seldom evaluated as simply the work of a composer … Continue reading Dame Ethel Smyth: String Quintet in E, op. 1
performed by the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra under Douglas Bostock (in what is apparently a world premiere recording), or in a slightly garbly recording below from The Ulster Orchestra under Kenneth Alwyn (Please let’s be clear here. There are two symphonies … Continue reading William Sterndale Bennett: Symphony in Gm, op. 43
performed by the Milton Keynes Chamber Orchestra (apparently now known as the Milton Keynes City Orchestra) under Hilary Davan Wetton (Caveat emptor: if you download this recording from iTunes, as I did, there’s a maddening clicking sound most noticeable in the first and fourth movements. I’m … Continue reading Cipriani Potter: Symphony (no. 10?) in Gm
performed by Cantilena under Adrian Shepherd Thomas Augustine Arne was born on 12 March, 1710, in Covent Garden. The two generations of Arnes that preceded him were upholsterers, but it didn’t work out so well for his grandfather, who died in … Continue reading Thomas Arne: Symphony no. 4 in Cm
performed by the London Mozart Players under Matthias Bamert Yes, that William Herschel. The one who discovered Uranus. Feel free to giggle. Frederick William Herschel (but actually Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel) was born on 15 November, 1738, in Hanover, “in Germany, then part of … Continue reading William Herschel: Symphony no. 8 in Cm for strings
This is finally happening. There was a discussion I read online recently about countries or cultures ‘pulling their weight’ or not in classical music relative to the country’s international/historical influence and how the renown of their classical musicians is in … Continue reading Series: The English Symphony
Fugue for Thought 