The Symphonist
@deeplyclassical.bsky.social
Passionate symphony lover. Other music is good too.
I'm adding everything to my #TheCompleteBritten playlists on Youtube and Qobuz as I listen, to build up a collection of all the composer's surviving music over the course of 2026.
Qobuz: open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
Youtube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Qobuz: open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
Youtube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
January 14, 2026 at 7:24 AM
I'm adding everything to my #TheCompleteBritten playlists on Youtube and Qobuz as I listen, to build up a collection of all the composer's surviving music over the course of 2026.
Qobuz: open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
Youtube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Qobuz: open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
Youtube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Discoveries like this piece, performed and recorded for the first time in 2013, are already making #TheCompleteBritten a complete joy, and I've only just started! Follow my playlists to join me on my journey.
Youtube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Qobuz: open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
Youtube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Qobuz: open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
January 13, 2026 at 6:58 AM
Discoveries like this piece, performed and recorded for the first time in 2013, are already making #TheCompleteBritten a complete joy, and I've only just started! Follow my playlists to join me on my journey.
Youtube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Qobuz: open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
Youtube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Qobuz: open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
January 11, 2026 at 6:02 PM
I'm adding everything to my #TheCompleteBritten playlists as I listen, to build a collection of all his surviving music over the course of 2026.
Youtube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Qobuz: open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
I put Felicity Lott on Youtube, and Sandrine Piau on Qobuz.
Youtube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Qobuz: open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
I put Felicity Lott on Youtube, and Sandrine Piau on Qobuz.
January 11, 2026 at 11:33 AM
I'm adding everything to my #TheCompleteBritten playlists as I listen, to build a collection of all his surviving music over the course of 2026.
Youtube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Qobuz: open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
I put Felicity Lott on Youtube, and Sandrine Piau on Qobuz.
Youtube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Qobuz: open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
I put Felicity Lott on Youtube, and Sandrine Piau on Qobuz.
They've been recorded quite a bit since they were published in 1982. Two accounts stood out for me: Felicity Lott with Bryden Thomson has a sultry, operatic sweep; Sandrine Piau's native feel for the words and introspective intensity are like chamber music. To really 'get' these songs, hear both!
January 11, 2026 at 11:17 AM
They've been recorded quite a bit since they were published in 1982. Two accounts stood out for me: Felicity Lott with Bryden Thomson has a sultry, operatic sweep; Sandrine Piau's native feel for the words and introspective intensity are like chamber music. To really 'get' these songs, hear both!
Ha! Not even Britten could entirely hide that he was a sheltered Suffolk boy of 15 when setting French words, a boy from Britain not Brittany. It still makes a difference to hear these songs sung by a native French speaker. No one makes music of the words like Sandrine Piau ❤️
January 11, 2026 at 11:00 AM
Ha! Not even Britten could entirely hide that he was a sheltered Suffolk boy of 15 when setting French words, a boy from Britain not Brittany. It still makes a difference to hear these songs sung by a native French speaker. No one makes music of the words like Sandrine Piau ❤️
The first song hints seductively at dodecaphony just over the horizon; all four are soaked in the delicate, shimmering colours and harmonies of Ravel and Debussy; and the finale nods appreciatively at Tristan und Isolde. The poetry Britten set also deals with subjects that would be lifelong themes.
January 11, 2026 at 10:54 AM
The first song hints seductively at dodecaphony just over the horizon; all four are soaked in the delicate, shimmering colours and harmonies of Ravel and Debussy; and the finale nods appreciatively at Tristan und Isolde. The poetry Britten set also deals with subjects that would be lifelong themes.
Bridge nurtured his protégé's precocious talent in intensive lessons, instilling discipline and introducing world of music the previously sheltered Suffolk lad soaked up like a sponge, incorporating it into his style in a way that magically amplified rather than diluted its feel of individuality.
January 11, 2026 at 10:40 AM
Bridge nurtured his protégé's precocious talent in intensive lessons, instilling discipline and introducing world of music the previously sheltered Suffolk lad soaked up like a sponge, incorporating it into his style in a way that magically amplified rather than diluted its feel of individuality.
Bridge gave Britten a model for what a British composer could be. A composer, performer and conductor, his interest in Stravinsky, Debussy and Berg influenced Britten's own aesthetic at a time when much of England's establishment viewed modern continental music with discouraging disdain.
January 11, 2026 at 10:27 AM
Bridge gave Britten a model for what a British composer could be. A composer, performer and conductor, his interest in Stravinsky, Debussy and Berg influenced Britten's own aesthetic at a time when much of England's establishment viewed modern continental music with discouraging disdain.
He dedicated the songs to his parents "Mr and Mrs R. V. Britten on the twenty-seventh aniversary of their wedding, September 5th 1928". A year before, he'd dedicated the ambitious but unaccomplished tone poem "Chaos and Cosmos" to them. What happened to produce "Le Grand Bond En Avant"?
January 11, 2026 at 8:35 AM
He dedicated the songs to his parents "Mr and Mrs R. V. Britten on the twenty-seventh aniversary of their wedding, September 5th 1928". A year before, he'd dedicated the ambitious but unaccomplished tone poem "Chaos and Cosmos" to them. What happened to produce "Le Grand Bond En Avant"?
I'm adding everything to my #TheCompleteBritten playlists on Youtube and Qobuz as I listen, to build up a collection of all the composer's surviving music over the course of 2026.
Qobuz: open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
Youtube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Qobuz: open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
Youtube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
January 11, 2026 at 7:56 AM
I'm adding everything to my #TheCompleteBritten playlists on Youtube and Qobuz as I listen, to build up a collection of all the composer's surviving music over the course of 2026.
Qobuz: open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
Youtube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Qobuz: open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
Youtube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
January 10, 2026 at 6:17 PM
The conventional but spirited first movement will appeal to Dvořák fans. There's Beethovenian vigour and hints of Ravel (whose own Quartet in F was a favourite at the time). The Andante's ambiguity and the switch from major to minor point towards the mature composer to come.
January 10, 2026 at 8:52 AM
The conventional but spirited first movement will appeal to Dvořák fans. There's Beethovenian vigour and hints of Ravel (whose own Quartet in F was a favourite at the time). The Andante's ambiguity and the switch from major to minor point towards the mature composer to come.
More on Britten & Bridge soon. The boy Britten had been trying his hand at quartets for a few years. Part of his speed this time is because he recycled earlier works for the first two movements. The spare and atmospheric Andante began life as one of Three Poems for String Quartet in December 1927.
January 10, 2026 at 8:52 AM
More on Britten & Bridge soon. The boy Britten had been trying his hand at quartets for a few years. Part of his speed this time is because he recycled earlier works for the first two movements. The spare and atmospheric Andante began life as one of Three Poems for String Quartet in December 1927.
If you want an audio-only experience, then the incomparable and genuine live recordings conducted by Karajan and Kleiber will clearly now never be surpassed, so I'm sticking with them.
Better just to watch this year's on iPlayer - it's there all year I think.
Better just to watch this year's on iPlayer - it's there all year I think.
January 10, 2026 at 7:55 AM
If you want an audio-only experience, then the incomparable and genuine live recordings conducted by Karajan and Kleiber will clearly now never be surpassed, so I'm sticking with them.
Better just to watch this year's on iPlayer - it's there all year I think.
Better just to watch this year's on iPlayer - it's there all year I think.
Happy #NewReleaseFriday! The 2026 New Year's Concert has an appealing programme, but Sony once again suck the life out of the audio version by removing all trace of the audience. I'll be listening to to Klumpp's stimulating Mozart instead. Why not join me?
▶️ open.qobuz.com/playlist/513...
▶️ open.qobuz.com/playlist/513...
January 9, 2026 at 7:18 AM
Happy #NewReleaseFriday! The 2026 New Year's Concert has an appealing programme, but Sony once again suck the life out of the audio version by removing all trace of the audience. I'll be listening to to Klumpp's stimulating Mozart instead. Why not join me?
▶️ open.qobuz.com/playlist/513...
▶️ open.qobuz.com/playlist/513...
Uchida consistently received outstanding recorded sound from the engineers on all her Philips solo piano recordings. Her Debussy Etudes was one of my test CDs for many years, and still sounds pretty stunning 35+ years after it was released.
January 8, 2026 at 7:24 PM
Uchida consistently received outstanding recorded sound from the engineers on all her Philips solo piano recordings. Her Debussy Etudes was one of my test CDs for many years, and still sounds pretty stunning 35+ years after it was released.
I'm adding everything to my #TheCompleteBritten playlists on Youtube and Qobuz as I listen, to build up a collection of all his surviving music over the course of 2026.
Youtube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Qobuz: open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
Youtube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Qobuz: open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
January 8, 2026 at 7:12 AM
I'm adding everything to my #TheCompleteBritten playlists on Youtube and Qobuz as I listen, to build up a collection of all his surviving music over the course of 2026.
Youtube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Qobuz: open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
Youtube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Qobuz: open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
What's that you say? There's a Youtube playlist you can follow as well? How exciting!
www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
January 7, 2026 at 7:37 AM
What's that you say? There's a Youtube playlist you can follow as well? How exciting!
www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
'm adding everything to my #TheCompleteBritten Qobuz playlist as I listen, to build up a collection of all his surviving music over the course of 2026. Subscribe to join me on my musical journey.
open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
January 6, 2026 at 7:26 AM
'm adding everything to my #TheCompleteBritten Qobuz playlist as I listen, to build up a collection of all his surviving music over the course of 2026. Subscribe to join me on my musical journey.
open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
I'm adding everything to my #TheCompleteBritten Qobuz playlist as I listen, to build up a collection of all his surviving music over the course of 2026. Subscribe to it to join me on my musical journey.
open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
January 5, 2026 at 7:09 PM
I'm adding everything to my #TheCompleteBritten Qobuz playlist as I listen, to build up a collection of all his surviving music over the course of 2026. Subscribe to it to join me on my musical journey.
open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
January 5, 2026 at 5:39 PM
I'm adding everything to my #TheCompleteBritten Qobuz playlist as I listen, to build up a collection of all his surviving music over the course of 2026. Subscribe to it to join me on my musical journey.
open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
January 5, 2026 at 7:19 AM
I'm adding everything to my #TheCompleteBritten Qobuz playlist as I listen, to build up a collection of all his surviving music over the course of 2026. Subscribe to it to join me on my musical journey.
open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
Last chance for me to enjoy a festive movie before the Christmas tree comes down, and I have to go back to work.
#NowDrinking #NowWatching
#NowDrinking #NowWatching
January 4, 2026 at 6:21 PM
Last chance for me to enjoy a festive movie before the Christmas tree comes down, and I have to go back to work.
#NowDrinking #NowWatching
#NowDrinking #NowWatching
I'm adding everything to my #TheCompleteBritten Qobuz playlist as I listen, to build up a complete collection of all his surviving music over the course of 2026. Follow it to join me on my musical journey.
open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
January 4, 2026 at 3:58 PM
I'm adding everything to my #TheCompleteBritten Qobuz playlist as I listen, to build up a complete collection of all his surviving music over the course of 2026. Follow it to join me on my musical journey.
open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...