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BritSymphCup

@britsymphcup.bsky.social

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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

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BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1h

Live perf from 2013 Proms (BBCSO/Oramo): youtu.be/2kR3FzJ1Hh4?...

Vaughan Williams - A Sea Symphony - Oramo

YouTube video by Classical Vault 1

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BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1h

The symphony’s expansive structure and philosophical depth—exploring themes of exploration, humanity, & the cosmos—set the tone for his later symphonies & established him as a leading figure in 20th-century British music.

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BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1h

In Vaughan Williams’s life, A Sea Symphony represents his emergence as a mature composer. Though he had written many works before, this was his 1st large-scale symphonic statement. It followed a period of study with Maurice Ravel in Paris, which helped him refine his orchestral technique.

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BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1h

The 1st recording was made in 1954 by Sir Adrian Boult with the London Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir, & a later stereo version followed in 1968. Boult, a champion of Vaughan Williams’s music, worked closely with the composer, & his recordings remain among the most authoritative.

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BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1h

Vaughan Williams was introduced to Whitman’s poetry by Bertrand Russell, and was drawn to its transcendental and democratic spirit.

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BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1h

A Sea Symphony (1903–1909) is a monumental choral symphony that marked a turning point in British music & in the composer’s own artistic development. It was his 1st symphony & the 1st major work to integrate chorus throughout all movements, setting texts from Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass.

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BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1h

It was not formally commissioned, but the Festival committee offered him a modest fee of 20 guineas, which he accepted. Soloists were baritone Campbell McInnes & soprano Cicely Gleeson-White, with a chorus of 348 singers & an orchestra largely drawn from the London Symphony & Hallé orchestras.

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BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1h

Premiered #OTD in 1910, A Sea Symphony by English composer, Ralph Vaughan Williams. It launched on what was his 38th birthday—at the Leeds Festival, with the composer conducting. open.spotify.com/album/4R9d27... #britsymphyear

Vaughan Williams: A Sea Symphony

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BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1d

Live video: youtu.be/OGMaucIwfVw?...

DARYL RUNSWICK: Concerto for Piano and Nine Instruments

YouTube video by Daryl Runswick

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BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1d

Concerto for Piano & Nine Instruments stands as a culmination of Runswick’s eclectic musical journey—merging improvisation, classical structure, & contemporary technique into a compelling & celebratory statement.

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1d

His career spans roles as a performer, arranger, educator, & composer, including a decade as Head of Composition at Trinity College of Music.

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1d

The concerto reflects Runswick’s lifelong pursuit of musical synthesis. Educated at Cambridge & steeped in the jazz scene of Ronnie Scott’s Club, he has worked with artists ranging from Cleo Laine & John Dankworth to Pierre Boulez & John Cage.

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1d

The 1st recording was captured live at its premiere & released on the album The Eternal Song by Prima Facie Records in 2018. The album also includes Runswick’s Variations for String Orchestra (1980) & Gentle Do Not Care to Know... (1998), showcasing the breadth of his compositional voice.

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1d

The work is built on a fractal compositional technique, where every detail of the texture derives from a 5-note motif. Inkeeping with Runswick’s improvisational ethos, the soloist is required not only to interpret a written score but also to improvise, echoing the traditions of Mozart & jazz.

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1d

Though not commissioned in the traditional sense, the concerto was conceived as a personal milestone, celebrating Runswick’s multifaceted career in jazz, classical, & experimental music.

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1d

It was performed by pianist Aleksander Szram, I Solisti di Londra & conducted by Runswick himself.

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1d

Born #OTD in 1946, English composer & musician, Daryl Runswick. His Concerto for Piano and Nine Instruments premiered at Cadogan Hall, London, on 6 June 2017 as part of the composer’s 70th birthday gala concert. open.spotify.com/track/75D39V... #britsymphyear

Concerto for Piano and Nine Instruments: I. Driving

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BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1d

Correct!

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 1d

Sorry folks - it's obviously 100 years asgo - not 80!!!

BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 2d

Score video: youtu.be/03IH246VP1U?...

Ralph Vaughan Williams - Flos Campi

YouTube video by olla-vogala

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BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 2d

Flos Campi remains a singular achievement in Vaughan Williams’s output, challenging performers & listeners alike with its unconventional form & haunting beauty.

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BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 2d

The work’s exoticism & emotional ambiguity—part pastoral elegy, part mystical rhapsody—reflect his deepening interest in spiritual & philosophical themes.

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BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 2d

Composed during a period of stylistic transition, Flos Campi followed Vaughan Williams’s Pastoral Symphony & preceded his oratorio Sancta Civitas. At age 53, he had fully developed his mature musical voice, blending modal harmony, French impressionism, & English folk influences into a unique idiom.

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BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 2d

The first recording of Flos Campi was made in 1952 by Robert Hull with the Cornell A Cappella Choir & violist Francis Tursi. A notable later recording was released in 1990 by Hyperion Records, featuring Nobuko Imai (viola), the Corydon Singers, & the English Chamber Orchestra under Matthew Best.

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BritSymphCup @britsymphcup.bsky.social · 2d

Vaughan Williams used these verses as thematic inspiration, though they are not sung; instead, the chorus vocalises wordlessly, functioning as an instrumental texture.

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