Rubbra: Symphony No. 2; Symphony No. 6

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This disc shows Rubbra (1901-86) becoming more mature on one hand (Symphony No. 2 of 1937), and on the other, returning to more experiments in tonality than most other composers of his generation (Symphony No. 6 of 1954). The disc starts off with Symphony No. 6, which is much more user-friendly. It's more tonal, more engaging in lyrical ideas; yet these ideas do not draw from folk-music sources. It only alludes to them obliquely, then moves on. Symphony No. 2 avoids folk-music sources altogether and is more of an experiment in polyphonic patterns. It's quite an intense work; it's also quite brilliant. --Paul Cook

Rubbra: Symphony No. 2; Symphony No. 6, Music, Michael George, Edmund Rubbra, Richard Hickox, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, 20th/21st Century Symphony, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Orchestral & Symphonic, Symphonic

Edward Rubbra - Complete Symphonies / Hickox
Average customer rating:

Well Worth Acquiring

A major British symphonist

Truly a Giant of a Composer

Rubbra Will Reward

A Desert Island Set

Edward Rubbra - Complete Symphonies / Hickox
Edward Rubbra , Richard Hickox , and BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Rubbra, Edmund | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00005NW4I
Release Date: 2001-09-25

Tracks:

Symphony No. 1, Op. 44: Allegro moderato e tempestoso
Symphony No. 1, Op. 44: Perigourdine: Allegro bucolico e giocoso
Symphony No. 1, Op. 44: Lento
Symphony No. 2, Op. 45: Lento rubato
Symphony No. 2, Op. 45: Scherzo: Vivace assai
Symphony No. 2, Op. 45: Adagio tranquillo
Symphony No. 2, Op. 45: Rondo: Allegretto amabile-Coda: Presto

Tracks:

Symphony No. 3, Op. 49: Moderato
Symphony No. 3, Op. 49: Allegro
Symphony No. 3, Op. 49: Molto adagio ma liberamente
Symphony No. 3, Op. 49: Tema con 7 variazioni e una fuga
Symphony No. 4, Op. 53: Con moto
Symphony No. 4, Op. 53: Intermezzo: Allegretto gracioso
Symphony No. 4, Op. 53: Introduzione: Grave e molto calmo
Symphony No. 4, Op. 53: Allegro maestoso

Tracks:

Symphony No. 5, Op. 63: Adagio-Allegro energico
Symphony No. 5, Op. 63: Allegro moderato
Symphony No. 5, Op. 63: Grave
Symphony No. 5, Op. 63: Allegro vivo
Symphony No. 6, Op. 80: Lento (Sempre flessibile)-Allegretto
Symphony No. 6, Op. 80: Canto: Largo e sereno
Symphony No. 6, Op. 80: Vivace impetuoso
Symphony No. 6, Op. 80: Poco andante-Allegro moderato

Tracks:

Symphony No. 7, Op. 88: Lento e molto espressivo
Symphony No. 7, Op. 88: Vivace e leggiero
Symphony No. 7, Op. 88: Passacaglia and Fugue: Lento
Symphony No. 8, Op. 132: Moderato
Symphony No. 8, Op. 132: Allegretto con brio
Symphony No. 8, Op. 132: Poco lento

Tracks:

Symphony No. 9, Op. 140: Prelude
Symphony No. 9, Op. 140: Chorus: 'Crux fidelis'
Symphony No. 9, Op. 140: Chorale: 'Almighty Lord we pray thee'
Symphony No. 9, Op. 140: Narrator: 'Now in the place where he was crucified'
Symphony No. 9, Op. 140: Narrator: 'Peter went forth'
Symphony No. 9, Op. 140: Chorus: 'Regina coeli'
Symphony No. 9, Op. 140: Narrator: 'And behold, two of them went'
Symphony No. 9, Op. 140: Conversation piece
Symphony No. 9, Op. 140: Narrator: 'And Jesus led them'
Symphony No. 9, Op. 140: chorus: 'Viri Galilaei'
Symphony No. 10, Op. 145: Lento e liberamente
Symphony No. 10, Op. 145: Scherzando ma grazioso
Symphony No. 10, Op. 145: Lento
Symphony No. 10, Op. 145: Molto adagio

Customer Reviews:

Well Worth Acquiring.......2005-06-27

Twenty-five years ago I bought a LP of Rubbra's second symphony and found, after several listens, I really enjoyed his composition. Now, in middle age, my inclinations have increasingly gone to modern composers. Based upon reviews, I bought this set last month from Amazon and it has rarely been out of the CD player since. Rubbra reminds me of 20 year old scotch, a taste that must be acquired but the benefits are so many. His later symphonies are very Brucknerian in dimensions and fascinating. Chandos has, again, done a marvelleous job with the recording and Richard Hickox (who did a spendid job with the Vaughan Williams symphonies) also excels. This CD box now resides in honoured position next to my heavily used sets of symphonies by Arnold Bax, Eduard Tubin, and Gustav Mahler.

A major British symphonist.......2003-11-17

Edmund Rubbra's symphonies received a very mixed reception in their time. Some listeners found their contrapuntal logic absolutely riveting, and complimented Rubbra on making them fall in love with music again. Others, however, found them too single-minded and rather drably orchestrated, comparing them to reinforced concrete or brown wallpaper. Over the years, however, the musical language became more flexible in its sequence and warmer in its harmony. Strict thematic logic is combined in the later symphonies with many a wayward shift in tempo and timbre; it is the combination of logic and freedom (without the logic the freedom would produce incoherence) that makes these works so human and so endlessly rewarding for a listener who is sufficiently sympathetic to the idiom (which is akin to that of Vaughan Williams and Finzi).
These performances do not entirely supersede the Lyrita recordings of the 70s (particularly of the 7th and 8th Symphonies). Hickox's direction of the Fifth is, however, even better than the classic recording by Barbirolli; it is the first recording, in my view, that makes the final epilogue convincing. The high quality of both playing and recording, and Hickox's complete understanding of the musical idiom, make this set worthy of unhesitating recommendation.

Truly a Giant of a Composer.......2003-10-22

This is music. This is truly ground breaking symphonies. There is power in every measure. Rubbra was truly a 20th Century Giant. He is in the same class as Elgar. All others of his day were mere imitators, lighweights; unable to come near the heights that he climbed. When you hear these recordings you are standing in the presence of greatness. The music is performed with enthusiasm, skill and daring. Richard Hickox knows how to inspire his band of Welshmen. The BBC National Orchestra of Wales is a true world class symphony orchestra. This is music. This set must be owned.

Rubbra Will Reward.......2003-01-08

I first came across Rubbra a year and a half ago. While in the Dublin Public Library leafing through the CDs I saw a name I hadn't seen nor heard of before. The Symphonies were the 1st and 3rd on another the Lyrita label. Since then I bought Hickox's rendition. I remember first hearing the music: tuneful romanticism was notably absent; but a strong unrelenting quality like an overbearing salesman first tapping, then knocking, then pounding came to my ears. The themes came streaming, constantly mutating, ever advancing, morphing over again on itself, still surging ahead. His music never rests: it is a staunch, granite dynamism. Over time, I have really come to regard Rubbra as a generally ignored genius. His music may be dry compared to the high melodies of Romantic music; but it is a dryness that one learns to cultivate like developing a taste for a good complex wine, where a myriad of complentary flavors enduring pleasantly on the palate is for what one yearns. To really appreciate Rubbra you have to appreciate his developmental mastery; and to do that you have to get him in your head, which will take more than one listening. Don't be daunted if you like him only somewhat after one listening. After getting the music in your head you will be able to step back and see the grand structure of his music, something truly awe inspiring. Give him some patience and he will reward.

A Desert Island Set.......2001-09-28

I was fortunate to purchase this set in London roughly a month ago. Suffice it to say that it has rapidly become my favorite set of 20th century symphonies (a lofty statement, but I really love this music). The symphonies are lyrical but tautly constructed, easy on the ear but intellectually challenging. Rubbra's symphonies don't really sound like anybody else's, but I'd portray them as a cross between Walter Piston's intelligence and Vaughan Williams's lyricism. Not much dissonance, but enough ear-tickling sonorites to make it interesting from the start of #1 to the end of #11. Great performances, great recording. All in all, a set to treasure.

Average customer rating:

Masterful 2nd, Lyrical 6th!
Rubbra's Masterpiece
A 20th Century Polyphonist

Rubbra: Symphony No. 2; Symphony No. 6

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
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Rubbra: Symphony No. 4; Symphony No. 10; Symphony No. 11

ASIN: B000000AZS
Release Date: 1996-09-24

Tracks:

Sym No.6, Op.80: I. Lento (Sempre Flessibile)-Allegretto
Sym No.6, Op.80: II. Canto: Largo E Sereno
Sym No.6, Op.80: III. Vivace Impetuoso
Sym No.6, Op.80: IV. Poco Andante-Allegro Moderato
Sym No.2, Op.45: I. Lento Rubato-
Sym No.2, Op.45: II. Scherzo: Vivace Assai
Sym No.2, Op.45: III. Adagio Tranquillo
Sym No.2, Op.45: IV. Rondo: Allegretto Amabile-Coda: Presto

Amazon.com

This disc shows Rubbra (1901-86) becoming more mature on one hand (Symphony No. 2 of 1937), and on the other, returning to more experiments in tonality than most other composers of his generation (Symphony No. 6 of 1954). The disc starts off with Symphony No. 6, which is much more user-friendly. It's more tonal, more engaging in lyrical ideas; yet these ideas do not draw from folk-music sources. It only alludes to them obliquely, then moves on. Symphony No. 2 avoids folk-music sources altogether and is more of an experiment in polyphonic patterns. It's quite an intense work; it's also quite brilliant. --Paul Cook

Customer Reviews:

Masterful 2nd, Lyrical 6th!.......2003-04-25

Rubbra's symphonies have been overshadowed by the work of his better known colleagues, Walton and Vaughn Williams. But his work is every bit as well crafted and provacative as anything by his compatriots. This Chandos CD is a welcome continuation of a traversal of the entire Rubbra symphonic cycle by Richard Hickox...one that is long over due.

The Sixth Symphony is perhaps one of the best places to begin a survey of the composer's symphonies. It is an immediately friendly work, primarily lyrical in style...almost folksy at times and yet still distinctly Rubbran. Cast in the traditional four movements, this is a work of exquisite charm and craft.

For me, though it is problematic, the second is a much deeper piece. It follows on the heels of Rubbra's First Symphony and takes up where that turbulent work left off. Rubbra is in modernist mode here, tonal and yet sharply dissonant and rhythmic. The first movement is a restless allegro reminicent of the first movement of the 2nd, but with even greater concision and craft. Most impressive is the climax of the slow movement, a truly terrifying and intense build up of sound.

Hickox is to be commended for his attention to forgotten British repertoire. His conducting is pristine, the BBC National OPrchestra of Wales is rich and lush, and the sound is typically brilliant for Chandos. In fact, along with Naxos, Chandos is fast becoming my favorite classical label. The smoothness and clarity of the recorded sound, along with the adventurousness of the programming, really appeals to me.

If you like the music of Vaughn Williams, Walton, or Finzi, I would highly recommend this symphony of Rubbra's to you. You may want to start with this disc to see if you enjoy the music. If you do, then you should go ahead and get the complete boxed set of all the symphonies.

Rubbra's Masterpiece.......2002-01-23

The Sixth Symphony is, perhaps, the most perfect of Rubbra's works. Each movement has a strong lyrical drive which, coupled with Rubbra's translucent orchestration, results in one of the most delicately beautiful pieces of symphonic music from the last century. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

The Second Symphony is rich in invention, and although it has its flaws, offers an interesting insight into Rubbra's symphonic development.

As always, Richard Hickox gives a first-rate performance.

A 20th Century Polyphonist.......2000-12-11

Robert Layton wrote as recently as 1992 that Edmund Rubbra (1901-1986) had yet to make his case as a symphonist of unavoidable interest. Rubbra will never enjoy the popularity of a Sibelius or a Shostakovich, but he seems to me to belong to a circle of British composers who rank quite high as twentieth century practitioners of symphonic form; in terms of consistency and continuous development of a complicated personal style, he definitely outranks William Alwynn and Malcolm Arnold (as impressive as they are) and stands next to Robert Simpson as an author of undeniably modern works that nevertheless set their roots deeply in the soil of tradition. Rubbra's symphonies appeared sporadically on disc beginning with a 1948 performance of the Fifth led by Sir John Barbirolli; in the 1960s and early 1970s, Lyrita gave us the Second, Third, Fourth, Seventh, Sixth, and Eighth, under a variety of leadership and with different orchestras. Richard Hickox's Chandos cycle, however, is the first to yield all the symphonies under a single hand and with one orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Here I consider the CD of the Second (1937; revised 1950) and Sixth Symphonies (1953/54). What are the characteristics of Rubbra's symphonism? Rubbra accepts the shared premises of Renaissance polyphony and the Bachian fugal style; rarely does he write a straightforward sonata movement with clear first and second subjects, development, and recapitulation. Almost always, Rubbra derives the entire material of a given movement from a web of contrapuntal motifs given out in the first few measures. He has a fondness for variational procedures, particularly for passacaglia, with its rhythmical strictness and dialectical yoking of alteration against repetition. Rubbra offers his symphonic music thickly scored, with the kind of density we associate with Tudor motet-writing, a trait that has admittedly elicited some complaints (unwarranted, I believe) about textural opacity. The Second Symphony offers a study in the Rubbran style: The opening Lento Rubato, for strings alone, sounds like something by Tallis or Weelkes; woodwinds enter, then the brass, all part of an organic elaboration of the song-like commencement in descending intervals, coupled with a rising figure presented first by the horns. The Scherzo (Vivace Assai) might remind savvy listeners of the lone completed movement that Gustav Holst, Rubbra's friend and mentor, produced for a projected but unfulfilled symphony. The emotional heart of the Second lies in the slow movement (Adagio Tranquillo), an essay in mystical quest and implicit faith that looks forward to the Romanza of Vaughan Williams' wartime Fifth Symphony. Scalar figures play an important role, as they did in the First Movement; pedal notes and stalking bass often underpin the contrapuntal elaboration of the parts. Wilfrid Mellers spoke of the "profoundly calm" ethos of this movement and said (in 1942) that it amounted to Rubbra's "finest achievement." The Finale (Allegro Amabile - Presto) returns to the boisterousness of the Scherzo; syncopated rhythms lend it a certain impetuosity. The Sixth Symphony comes from a decade and a half later. The First Movement (Lento [Sempre Flessibile] - Allegretto) begins with a string cantilena over pedal notes in the woodwinds and eventually gives way to dance-rhythms, an ethereal rather than an earthly dance. Rubbra describes the Second Movement (Largo & Sereno) as a "Canto," a song, and appends a brief text by the Italian poet Leporello to the score: "Always was this lonely hill dear to me / And this hedge which shuts out / So much of the distant horizon." The calmness of this quiet, ever-changing, densly contrapuntal music defies verbal summation just as it touches the soul. After the brief Scherzo (Vivace Impetuoso), the Finale (Poco Andante - Allegro Moderato) returns us to the earth. A Roman Catholic, Rubbra nevertheless felt great sympathy for the magic of old, pre-Christian places, ideas, and lore. The Sixth Symphony expresses this. Hickox and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales turn in fine accounts. There used to be competition for the Second on Lyrita and for the Sixth on an Italian Intaglio import, neither currently available.

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

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