The Symphony No. 8 by Robert Simpson was completed in 1981 and commissioned by the

Royal Philharmonic Society The Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) is a British music society, formed in 1813. Its original purpose was to promote performances of instrumental music in London. Many composers and performers have taken part in its concerts. It is now a mem ...

. The first performance was given at the

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...

on 10 November 1982 by the

Royal Danish Orchestra The Royal Danish Orchestra (''Det Kongelige Kapel'') is a Danish orchestra based in Copenhagen. The Danish name for the orchestra indicates its original function as an ensemble geared to supplying the music for court events. The Royal Danish Orch ...

conducted by

Jerzy Semkow Jerzy Semkow (12 October 1928 – 23 December 2014) was a Polish conductor. Semkow was born in Radomsko, Poland, later took French citizenship and resided in Paris. He studied in Cracow and Leningrad. His conducting mentors included Erich Kleib ...

. The work employs a large orchestra which includes two sets of timpani. It one of Simpson’s largest, richest and most complex scores. Prior to composing this work, Simpson had in mind to write a symphony for one particular listener and decided asked a close friend, painter Anthony Dorrell, to describe the kind of symphony he would like to hear. The resulting work was this large-scale four-movement symphony in two halves, each half containing two movements that are played without a break in between each other. The first movement, titled Poco animato, begins with a relatively peaceful, quiet introduction that slowly develops and becomes increasingly agitated throughout the remainder of the movement. It is full of violent, stark and almost feral brass outbursts in the midst of suppressed violence. Just as the first movement reaches its climactic point, it collapses into the second movement, a threateningly sinister Scherzo that gradually builds up to a terrifying, volcanic climax which eventually declines into the depths of the orchestra. After a break, the third movement begins the second half of the work with a passionate Adagio. It opens with a slow fugue, and as the movement progresses the aim of calm and serenity following the horrific first part comes closer to vision. This movement gives way to a vigorous finale, full of the energy that is typical of a Simpson finale. The main subject is derived from the fugue from the third movement, gradually developing to give a sense of harmonic fluidity. The work ends decisively with a biting cadence.

Discography

Currently, the only commercially available CD is a

Hyperion Records Hyperion Records is an independent British classical record label. History Hyperion is an independent British classical label that was established in 1980 with the goal of showcasing recordings of music in all genres and from all time period ...

release which also includes Symphony No. 1, both performed by the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

conducted by

Vernon Handley Vernon George "Tod" Handley (11 November 1930 – 10 September 2008) was a British conductor, known in particular for his support of British composers. He was born of a Welsh father and an Irish mother into a musical family in Enfield, Middle ...

.Andrew Jacksons,
Recordings and Reviews of Simpson's Works
. Accessed 4 March 2008

References

{{Authority control 08 1981 compositions Works commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Society