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What's the Point of Symphonies?

What exactly is a symphony, and how can one written in the 18th century by Haydn have anything in common with one written today?

What exactly is a symphony, and how can one written in the 18th century by the β€˜father of the symphony’ Joseph Haydn (he wrote over a hundred), have anything in common with one written today? Where did they come from in the first place, and why did they come to dominate classical music for centuries? Why do they still feature in almost every orchestral concert programmed, when so few are actually commissioned? Tom Service investigates with help from our witness, composer Deirdre Gribbin.

Producer: Ruth Thomson

Available now

29 minutes

Last on

Fri 15 Sep 2023 16:30
ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3

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Music Played

  • Thomas Alexander Erskine Kelly

    Overture in C major Op.1 No.2 - Allegro

    Conductor: Pierre Boulez. Performer: Concerto Caledonia.
    • LINN RECORDS.
    • CKD 240.

  • Hector Berlioz

    Symphonie fantastique Op.14 - Songe d'une nuit du Sabbat

    Conductor: Colin Davis. Performer: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
    • PHILIPS.
    • 411 4252.

  • Johannes Brahms

    Symphony no. 4 in E minor Op.98 - 1st movement

    Conductor: Bernard Haitink. Performer: London Symphony Orchestra.
    • LSO Live.
    • LSO 0875.

  • Florence Price

    Symphony no. 3 in C minor - Juba: Allegro

    Conductor: Yannick NΓ©zet‐SΓ©guin. Performer: The Philadelphia Orchestra.
    • DG.
    • 48619009.

  • Gloria Coates

    Symphony no. 14 (Symphony in microtones) - The Lonesome Ones: Homage to Otto Luening

    Performer: Christoph Poppen. Performer: MΓΌnchener Kammerorchester.
    • NAXOS.
    • 8559289.

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Symphony no. 41 in C major K.551 (Jupiter) - Allegro vivace

    Conductor: Charles Mackerras. Performer: Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
    • LINN.
    • CKD308.

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Symphony no. 2 in D major Op.36 - Allegro molto

    Conductor: Osmo VΓ€nskΓ€. Performer: Minnesota Orchestra.
    • BIS.
    • SACD1825/26.

  • Elfrida AndrΓ©e

    Symphony no. 2 in A minor - Moderato

    Conductor: Gustaf SjΓΆkvist. Performer: Stockholm SR Symphony Orchestra.
    • STERLING.
    • CDS10162.

  • Arnold Bax

    Symphony no. 5 in C sharp minor

    Conductor: David Lloyd-Jones. Performer: Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
    • NAXOS.
    • 8554509.

  • Gustav Mahler

    Symphony no. 2 in C minor (Resurrection) - Allegro maestoso

    Conductor: Sir Simon Rattle. Performer: Berliner Philharmoniker.
    • EMI.
    • 5099964736327.

  • Dmitry Shostakovich

    Symphony no. 5 in D minor Op.47 - Allegro non troppo

    Conductor: Vasily Petrenko. Performer: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
    • NAXOS.
    • 8572167.

  • Johann Sebastian Bach

    Suite no. 1 in C major BWV.1066 - Ouverture

    Performer: Freiburg Baroque Orchestra.
    • HARMONIA MUNDI.
    • HMC902113/14.

  • George Frideric Handel

    Messiah - Sinfonia

    Conductor: John Butt. Performer: Dunedin Consort.
    • LINN RECORDS.
    • CKD285.

  • Antonio Vivaldi

    Orlando furioso RV Anh.84 - Sinfonia

    Conductor: Diego Fasolis. Performer: I Barocchisti.
    • dynamic.
    • CDS7803.03.

  • Claudio Monteverdi

    L' Orfeo - Act II: "Vi ricorda, o bosch'ombrosi"

    Conductor: Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Performer: Anthony Rolfe Johnson. Performer: English Baroque Soloists.
    • ARCHIV.
    • 419 250-1/2/4.

  • Joseph Haydn

    Symphony no. 92 in G major H.1.92 (Oxford)

    Conductor: RenΓ© Jacobs. Performer: Freiburg Baroque Orchestra.
    • HARMONIA MUNDI.
    • HMX2961849.

  • Joseph Haydn

    Symphony no. 95 in C minor H.1.95 - Allegro

    Conductor: Marc Minkowski. Performer: Les Musiciens du Louvre.
    • ±·΄‘Ï³Υ·‘.
    • V5176.

  • Joseph Haydn

    Symphony no. 94 in G major H.1.94 (Surprise) - Andante

    Conductor: Colin Davis. Performer: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
    • PHILIPS.
    • 432 286-2.

  • Joseph Haydn

    Symphony no. 101 in D major H.1.101 (Clock) - Andante

    Conductor: Marc Minkowski. Performer: Les Musiciens de Louvre-Grenoble.
    • ±·΄‘Ï³Υ·‘.
    • V5176.

  • Joseph Haydn

    Symphony no. 104 in D major H.1.104 (London) - Finale

    Conductor: Marc Minkowski. Performer: Les Musiciens de Louvre-Grenoble.
    • ±·΄‘Ï³Υ·‘.
    • V5176.

  • Joseph Haydn

    Symphony no. 103 in E flat major H.1.103 (Drum roll) - Adagio - Allegro

    Performer: Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Performer: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
    • WARNER CLASSICS.
    • 825646306169.

  • Louise Farrenc

    Symphony no. 2 in D major - Andante - Allegro

    Performer: European Soloists, Luxembourg. Conductor: Christoph KΓΆnig.
    • NAXOS.
    • 8.573706.

  • Jeanne Louise Dumont Farrenc

    Symphony no. 3 in G minor Op.36 - Scherzo. Vivace

    Conductor: Laurence Equilbey. Performer: Insula Orchestra.
    • Erato.
    • 9029669852.

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Symphony no. 9 in D minor Op.125 (Choral) - Presto "O Freunde..."

    Performer: Monteverdi Choir. Performer: Orchestre RΓ©volutionnaire et Romantique.
    • ARCHIV.
    • 4778643.

  • Gustav Mahler

    Symphony no. 8 (Symphony of a thousand) - Alles VergΓ€ngliche ist nur ein Gleichnis

    Conductor: Sir Simon Rattle. Performer: Berliner Philharmoniker.
    • BERLIN PHIL.
    • DESR72036149.

  • Anton Bruckner

    Symphony no. 9 in D minor - Scherzo and trio

    Conductor: Claudio Abbado. Performer: Lucerne Festival Orchestra.
    • DG.
    • 00028947940494.

  • Richard Strauss

    Symphony in F minor Op.12

    Conductor: Hermann BΓ€umer. Performer: Deutsche Radio Philharmonie.
    • CPO.
    • 555290-2.

  • Richard Strauss

    Don Quixote Op.35 - Finale

    Conductor: Zubin Mehta. Performer: Berliner Philharmoniker.
    • DG.
    • 4747802.

  • Richard Strauss

    Eine Alpensinfonie Op.64

    Conductor: Bernard Haitink. Performer: London Symphony Orchestra.
    • LSO LIVE.
    • LSO0689.

  • Jean Sibelius

    Symphony no. 7 in C major Op.105

    Conductor: John StorgΓ₯rds. Performer: ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Philharmonic.
    • CHANDOS.
    • CHAN10809.

  • Deirdre Gribbin

    Venus blazing for violin and orchestra

    Conductor: Gavin Maloney. Performer: Bradley Creswick. Performer: RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra.
    • RTE Lyric.
    • CD125.

  • Deirdre Gribbin

    Triangles of Desire

    Performer: Crash Ensemble.
    • CRASH RECORDS.
    • BANDCAMP.

  • Gloria Coates

    Symphony no. 7 - Corridors of time

    Performer: Olaf Henzold. Performer: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
    • NAXOS.
    • 8559289.

Broadcasts

  • Sun 10 Sep 2023 17:00
    ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3
  • Fri 15 Sep 2023 16:30
    ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3

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