The music of Sir Michael Tippett has gone in and out of fashion, but the generally strong cycle of his symphonies by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, concluded here, argues for their rediscovery. Part of the reason for Tippett's persistence is that he doesn't fit into any of the usual boxes for 20th century music. His music is knotty, and approaches atonality, but it nevertheless seems to fit seamlessly into the English tradition. Moreover, he was touched by American vernacular traditions, as can be heard clearly in the ...
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The music of Sir Michael Tippett has gone in and out of fashion, but the generally strong cycle of his symphonies by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, concluded here, argues for their rediscovery. Part of the reason for Tippett's persistence is that he doesn't fit into any of the usual boxes for 20th century music. His music is knotty, and approaches atonality, but it nevertheless seems to fit seamlessly into the English tradition. Moreover, he was touched by American vernacular traditions, as can be heard clearly in the second section of the Symphony No. 3, with its three consecutive movements designated as blues. Sample them, as they are recognizable as blues but are not simple evocations of popular style. If you don't know the Symphony No. 3, this is a good chance to get to know its mixture of influences, which range from Beethoven's Ninth to Bessie Smith (check the informative notes, which point out that the soprano-flugelhorn duet passages evoke those of Smith and Louis Armstrong). It's a...
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