Robert Simpson(1921-1997)

[kyjo]

In the past, I've been quite dismissive of Simpson's music, finding it cold and uninvolving. But recently, I revisited his Eighth Symphony in this excellent performance by the Royal Danish Orchestra under Jerzy Semkow (in decent sound quality):

https://youtu.be/rNh9rNwRtUQ?si=DiKwpcb_n9MhpVdK

Quite powerful, thrilling stuff, and often imbued with a great sense of mystery in the quieter sections. I detected a bit of a similarity to Holmboe's symphonic style in places. Simpson's music fits the bill if I'm in the mood for something not overly warm or emotional, and I'm looking forward to revisiting more of his works with fresh ears!

[DavidW]

I have a couple of recs for passionately performed Simpson:




Handley is an excellent conductor, but he also emphasized the intellectual rigor in Simpson's symphonies.  Trying other conductors might open the door to his music.

[foxandpeng]

In the past, I've been quite dismissive of Simpson's music, finding it cold and uninvolving. But recently, I revisited his Eighth Symphony in this excellent performance by the Royal Danish Orchestra under Jerzy Semkow (in decent sound quality):

https://youtu.be/rNh9rNwRtUQ?si=DiKwpcb_n9MhpVdK

Quite powerful, thrilling stuff, and often imbued with a great sense of mystery in the quieter sections. I detected a bit of a similarity to Holmboe's symphonic style in places. Simpson's music fits the bill if I'm in the mood for something not overly warm or emotional, and I'm looking forward to revisiting more of his works with fresh ears!

Lovely to hear this, Kyle. Simpson's music has been a great journey of discovery for me in the last 2 or 3 years, and agree that there are shades of Holmboe in there!

[calyptorhynchus]

For warmth and beauty in Simpson's music I recommend the String Quintet No.1:



(It's on youtube, but as far as I could see someone has split the one track for the Quintet up and there's no playlist  ).

The other work on that disc is the SQ 12, and I must tell everyone of a joke that I just read in Lionel Pike's book, which made me laugh out loud. The SQ 12 is a gigantic slow movement followed by a gigantic scherzo (the slow movement is also very beautiful)—it is itself a joke because if this string quartet had a first movement and a finale it would be so huge as to be unplayable.

Anyway Pike points out that this plan is also followed in the Symphony No.11, then tells this story. After one performance of the SQ 12 he approached the Coull Quartet and congratulated them, but said it must have been exhausting (because they were sweating) and one of them said 'You should hear it when we do it with the repeats!') 

[relm1]

In the past, I've been quite dismissive of Simpson's music, finding it cold and uninvolving. But recently, I revisited his Eighth Symphony in this excellent performance by the Royal Danish Orchestra under Jerzy Semkow (in decent sound quality):

https://youtu.be/rNh9rNwRtUQ?si=DiKwpcb_n9MhpVdK

Quite powerful, thrilling stuff, and often imbued with a great sense of mystery in the quieter sections. I detected a bit of a similarity to Holmboe's symphonic style in places. Simpson's music fits the bill if I'm in the mood for something not overly warm or emotional, and I'm looking forward to revisiting more of his works with fresh ears!

This was quite good.  Thanks for posting. 

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I bought the Simpson book yesterday. I've started to listen to the symphonies (again), but now with Lionel Pike as my guide. I can understand how Simpson operates as a symphonist much better now. Listened to the First four times already. The trajectory is becoming clear now. Simpson is, not surprisingly, an 'absolute' symphonist, it's all conflict and momentum, which does not mean there is no tenderness or beauty. I think I finally 'get' him.

[relm1]

I bought the Simpson book yesterday. I've started to listen to the symphonies (again), but now with Lionel Pike as my guide. I can understand how Simpson operates as a symphonist much better now. Listened to the First four times already. The trajectory is becoming clear now. Simpson is, not surprisingly, an 'absolute' symphonist, it's all conflict and momentum, which does not mean there is no tenderness or beauty. I think I finally 'get' him.

Yes, I hear him as perpetuum mobile composer and hear lots of Nielson in him though haven't heard most of his music - maybe just a quarter of his symphonies.  Who is the book by? 

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Yes, I hear him as perpetuum mobile composer and hear lots of Nielson in him though haven't heard most of his music - maybe just a quarter of his symphonies.  Who is the book by? 

It's by Lionel Pike, who also has written a marvellous study about Beethoven and Sibelius, called 'The Profound Logic'.

[calyptorhynchus]

Glad to hear that Lionel's book is being read and helping listeners appreciate Simpson's work more.

One thing the book underlined for me was what a clever clogs Simpson was; his books on Bruckner and Nielsen describe composers who wrote music where there was tonal conflict, but Simpson, even as early as the First Symphony, went way beyond this: some of his works have non-atonal serial construction, another is based on an octatonic scale... and so forth.

But they still sound good.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Glad to hear that Lionel's book is being read and helping listeners appreciate Simpson's work more.

One thing the book underlined for me was what a clever clogs Simpson was; his books on Bruckner and Nielsen describe composers who wrote music where there was tonal conflict, but Simpson, even as early as the First Symphony, went way beyond this: some of his works have non-atonal serial construction, another is based on an octatonic scale... and so forth.

But they still sound good.

Yes, Simpson certainly was a 'clever clogs'. His thinking and practice go to the heart of symphonism itself. That's why I really have to use all my faculties of head and heart to follow his structures. And also yes: that First Symphony is already amazingly subtle. Compared to other symphonists I love and admire, there is an ability to strip away everything seemingly extraneous to musical thought itself, which I find quite unique. Simpson is, to coin a phrase, 'meta-tonal', or: he shows tonality itself in action. I know from sonata form that in the Classical style the themes are conduits for tonality. In Simpson you seem to get tonality raw, because he isn't interested in melody very much (which isn't a criticism) but much more in motivic kernels.

My few cents.

[calyptorhynchus]

The great thing about the book for me was it proves Simpson's dictum that listeners instinctively understand what is going on in music and respond if the music is well-written ('it doesn't matter if you don't know C major from a rissole...'). I had been listening to the Simpson symphonies for 25 years, helped only by the liner notes, and I still recognised them as great works. Now I have more information I know more about how they are constructed, but my appreciation is still the same.

[calyptorhynchus]

The Toccata release of:

String Quartet in D major (1945)
Two Songs:
Trocknet nicht (1940s)
The Cherry Tree (1942)
Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano (1967)
Quintet for Clarinet, Bass Clarinet and Three Double Basses (1981)

Is scheduled for December 

[foxandpeng]

The Toccata release of:

String Quartet in D major (1945)
Two Songs:
Trocknet nicht (1940s)
The Cherry Tree (1942)
Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano (1967)
Quintet for Clarinet, Bass Clarinet and Three Double Basses (1981)

Is scheduled for December 

Thank you - I look forward to this!

[Maestro267]

I assume that's a "String Quartet No. 0" they've pulled out from the fire.

[calyptorhynchus]

I assume that's a "String Quartet No. 0" they've pulled out from the fire.

I believe it is.

[Symphonic Addict]

For January 17 2025:

[calyptorhynchus]

The Clarinet Trio (1967) about to be released on Toccata is for A Clarinet, Cello and Piano. (I know this because I have the score, and transcribed it and made a MIDI version for Youtube, but I have now taken this down).

Can someone with access to either the score or other information let me know if the Clarinet Quintet from the next year is also for A Clarinet, or is it for a Bflat instrument?

[lunar22]

if no-one knows, I guess the Robert Simpson society will tell you through their contact form. I'm assuming that the later quintet for clarinet and bass clarinet (probably my favourite Robert Simpson work to the extent it inspired me to write my own for that combination) is in Bb but the sleevenote doesn't say so specifically.

[Maestro267]

I very much enjoyed listening to the Horn Quartet for the first time this morning. Scored for horn, violin, cello and piano, and like plenty of Simpson's other works in two large movements. Even though the horn is listed as the main instrument in the title of the piece, I'd hardly describe it as a solo role. It's sort of an equal partner.

[calyptorhynchus]

Ok, so thanks to the archivist of the RS Society I can tell you that not only is the Clarinet Quintet (1968) for Clarinet in A, but the 2 Clarinet Quintet from the 1980s (recorded on that Toccata disc for the first time in its original instrumentation) is also for Clarinet in A, and Bass Clarinet in Bflat.

Simpson preferred the slightly lower instrument for his chamber works.