Robert Simpson composed his Symphony No. 10 in 1988 and dedicated it to the conductor

Vernon Handley Vernon George "Tod" Handley (11 November 1930 – 10 September 2008) was a British conductor (music), conductor, known in particular for his support of British composers. Early life and education He was born of a Welsh father and an Irish mothe ...

who gave the premiere of the work in the Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, on 16 January 1991 with the

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Royal Liverpool Philharmonic is a music organisation based in Liverpool, England, that manages a professional symphony orchestra, a concert venue, and extensive programmes of learning through music. Its orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmo ...

. This is Simpson's largest and longest

symphony A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning c ...

, being one of his most

contrapuntal In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous Part (music), musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and Pitch contour, melodic contour. The term ...

works and in four substantial movements.

Form

The symphony is approximately 51 minutes in length and is divided into four

movements Movement may refer to: Generic uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Movement (sign language), a hand movement when signing * Motion, commonly referred to as movement * Movement (music), a division of a larger c ...

which broadly resemble a classical symphony structure: #

Allegro Allegro may refer to: Common meanings * Allegro (music), a tempo marking that indicates to playing quickly and brightly (from Italian meaning ''cheerful'') * Allegro (ballet), brisk and lively movement Artistic works * L'Allegro (1645), a poem b ...

#:The symphony opens wrathfully and, like all the movements of the symphony, projects the leap of a

minor third In music theory, a minor third is a interval (music), musical interval that encompasses three half steps, or semitones. Staff notation represents the minor third as encompassing three staff positions (see: interval (music)#Number, interval numb ...

through three octaves from the orchestra, a motive that is used to provide much of the thematic and

melodic A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of pitch and rhythm, while more figuratively, the term c ...

material of the whole work. It develops without much affinity with a typical, classical

sonata form The sonata form (also sonata-allegro form or first movement form) is a musical form, musical structure generally consisting of three main sections: an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation. It has been used widely since the middle of t ...

, culminating to a massive coda in which the tempo broadens out. # Allegro leggiero #:This second movement is a relatively brief

scherzo A scherzo (, , ; plural scherzos or scherzi), in western classical music, is a short composition – sometimes a movement from a larger work such as a symphony or a sonata. The precise definition has varied over the years, but scherzo often r ...

, played entirely ppp and seemingly evoking shimmering moths around a light at night, shifting rapidly in tonality. Throughout, there are hints of a vast tidal force just below the musical surface. # Andante con moto #:This is a broad, calm movement in a three part section that includes a middle section whose overall tempo feel is double of the outer sections. Throughout there are hints of the very opening gesture of the work in the brass and woodwinds. # Largo - Allegro con brio #:The work culminates in an enormous, 20 minute finale which was apparently inspired by the finale of the

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

‘Hammerklavier’ Piano Sonata. It opens with a slow, mysterious introduction that gives way to a spirited, fiery fugal subject which becomes increasingly polyphonic and explores a wide range of orchestrational colours. It culminates in a furious battle from the two

timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion instrument, percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a Membranophone, membrane called a drumhead, ...

sts which closes with two sharp chords from the orchestra that recall the opening gesture, suggesting the argument has come full circle.

Discography

Currently, the only commercially available CD is a

Hyperion Records Hyperion Records is a British classical music record label. It was independent until February 2023, when it was acquired by the Universal Music Group. Under Universal, Hyperion is one of the three main classical record labels, alongside Decca a ...

performed by the

conducted by

.Andrew Jacksons,
Recordings and Reviews of Simpson's Works
. Accessed 5 May 2008

References

10 1988 compositions {{symphony-stub