Title: Modern Beethoven
Review: These are my personal favorites in the Simpson symphonic oeuvre. And if you are just getting acquainted with this British composer, this is a great place to begin. Here in these two symphonies Simpson tips his hat off to Beethoven.The opening of the Second Symphony is breathtaking. The slow movement has a gentle meditative quality, probing remote areas of the mind. The finale has the grittiness and energy of Beethoven's Seventh.The Fourth Symphony contains some of the most remarkable and the most communicative of Simpson's Beethoven paraphrases. The archetype here is the scherzo of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, with a Haydn quotation thrown in for good measure in the Trio section. Simpson remains close to the structure of the original, but creates a completely new experience.What words can describe this music? Transparent. Rhythmic. Energizing. Polytonal. Vernon Handley and his band do a masterful job in bringing forth the luscious details in these two incredible works.
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