Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

BritSymphCup

@britsymphcup.bsky.social

240 followers 350 following 1.9K posts

Originally, World Cup of 500 British & Irish symphonies. From Jan 2025 #britsymphyear, tweet a day exploring 20/21C British/Irish classical music. Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7BWeL8ZjWAQ4L1aPdtOGOK?si=kBxDnR42SwGZnHv0dfua4Q&pi=RQ5cU2bVSVGcA

open.spotify.com

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 2h

youtu.be/yM7yL0ONbDs?...

Kammersymphonie: I. Delirium

YouTube video by Ensemble SurPlus - Topic

youtu.be

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 2h

Clarke’s belief that “it is not the role of new art gently to massage the ears” is evident throughout the Kammersymphonie, which challenges listeners to engage with music as a site of tension, transformation & intellectual depth.

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 2h

His aesthetic—marked by formal fragmentation, timbral experimentation, & philosophical rigor—is fully realised in this work.

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 2h

Kammersymphonie represents a culmination of Clarke's chamber ensemble writing. By the time of writing, Clarke had already established himself internationally, with performances at the Venice Biennale, ISCM World Music Days, & Ars Musica Brussels.

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 2h

The first recording was released in 2015 by Edition Zeitklang, featuring Ensemble SurPlus under James Avery. The recording captures the work’s intense, fractured energy and its exploration of sonic extremes.

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 2h

It was also championed by Ensemble Phoenix & Jürg Henneberger who gave performances in Basel in 2012.

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 2h

After the 2001 ballet launch of the 4-movement incarnation it was taken up by Ensemble SurPlus & conductor James Avery, both long-time collaborators with Clarke, & performed by them in Freiburg in July 2003.

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 2h

The 4 pre-existing works had been commissioned and taken up by Ensemble Köln (1996-E), Kammerensemble Neue Musik Berlin (1994-E) and Musik i Skåne (2201-E-1 and 2001-E-2).

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 2h

The piece was conceived for expert performers capable of navigating its extreme technical demands, including microtonal inflections, complex rhythmic layering, & abrupt shifts in texture & dynamics.

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 2h

Kammersymphonie is a 4-movement chamber symphony for 10 musicians, gathering together 4 previously-exsiting works: 1996-E, 1994-E, 2001-E-1 and 2001-E-2. It reflects reflecting Clarke’s mature engagement with the New Complexity movement.

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 2h

Born #OTD in 1957, English composer, James Clarke. His Kammersymphonie was premiered in Stockholm in November 2001, by Efva Lilja Dance Company & Ars Nova, conducted by Harald Eikaas. spotify.link/kSVo1yFItXb #britsymphyear

Kammersymphonie: I. Delirium

spotify.link

1 2

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1d

youtu.be/aid_RdjyuTI?...

Harty - An Irish Symphony (Thomson) (vinyl: Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC ☆, Graham Slee, CTC Classic 301)

YouTube video by Classics and Vinyl

youtu.be

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1d

The symphony’s success helped launch his conducting career, eventually leading to his long & influential tenure with the Hallé Orchestra. It remains one of his most beloved works, reflecting both his Irish heritage & his early compositional voice.

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1d

An Irish Symphony represents a turning point in Harty's life. It was composed shortly before his move to London, where he would become one of the most celebrated accompanists & conductors of his generation.

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1d

A later recording by the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, conducted by Proinnsías Ó Duinn, was released by Naxos in 2000, further cementing the work’s place in the Irish orchestral canon.

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1d

The first commercial recording of An Irish Symphony was made by the Ulster Orchestra in 1980 at Ulster Hall, Belfast, & released by Chandos Records.

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1d

The 4 movements—On the Shores of Lough Neagh, The Fair-Day, In the Antrim Hills, & The Twelfth Night—paint vivid musical pictures of Irish life & landscape. It blends late Romantic orchestration with folk-inspired melodies & rhythms, showcasing Harty’s gift for lyricism & colourful orchestration.

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1d

The symphony was written in response to the cultural momentum of the Feis Ceoil, a festival celebrating Irish music, & as a personal artistic statement during Harty’s early years in Dublin & Bray.

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1d

Harty’s Irish Symphony, composed in 1904 & revised in 1915 & 1924, is a richly evocative orchestral work that draws on Irish landscapes, traditions, & musical idioms. It was first performed in Dublin in 1904, marking Harty’s debut as a conductor.

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1d

Receiving its London premiere #OTD in 1905, An Irish Symphony by Irish composer & conductor, Hamilton Harty. It took place at the Proms, with Henry Wood conducting The New Queen's Hall Orchestra. open.spotify.com/track/78dmZV... #britsymphyear

An Irish Symphony: I. On the Shores of Lough Neagh (Revised 1924)

open.spotify.com

1 3

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 2d

Live video (conducted by Rutter): youtu.be/OhcMQCkQIJM?...

Rutter: Requiem (Conducted by John Rutter - Florence Debut)

YouTube video by MidAmerica Productions

youtu.be

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 2d

The Requiem marked a turning point. Already known for his Christmas carols & lighter choral works, it demonstrated his ability to handle profound themes with sincerity & grace. It’s become a staple of the choral repertoire, performed widely as a source of comfort & reflection in times of mourning.

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 2d

The 1st recording was made in 1986 by the Cambridge Singers & the City of London Sinfonia, conducted by Rutter. This version used the full orchestral scoring. A later recording of the chamber ensemble version was released in 2002 by the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge.

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 2d

The Requiem emerged from Rutter’s desire to write something for himself, free from external deadlines. He combined texts from Latin Missa pro defunctis with English-language psalms & excerpts from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, creating a 7-movement arch-like structure moving from sorrow to light.

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 2d

Rutter described the piece as “intimate rather than grandiose, contemplative & lyric rather than dramatic,” aligning it more with the gentle spirituality of Fauré’s Requiem than the theatricality of Berlioz or Verdi.