Music and Vinyl: Edmund Rubbra

Writing in an essay in 1946 composer Bernard Herrmann commented on Edmund Rubbra (1901-1986) :

Edmund Rubbra

"Of the younger composers, Edmund Rubbra struck me as one of the most promising. His music goes back to the Tudor motet writers for its strong and somber contrapuntal texture."

This comment gives a clue to Rubbra's comparative neglect as a composer. With his eleven symphonies written between 1937 and 1979 the relative conservatism of his style was at odds with the various modernisms taking hold of new classical composers at the time. His music, like that of Arnold Bax, was seen as old fashioned and, perhaps even worse, it needed several hearings to truly make it's full impact.

Rubbra's 7th Symphony was completed in 1957, and was dedicated to the City of Birmingham Symphony Ochestra, who gave the premiere under Andrzej Panufnik. The performance on this 1970 Lyrita disc is conducted by that staunch advocate of British music, Sir Adrian Boult. Enlarge the sleeve note scan below for information on the music, and see here for a detailed overview of Rubbra and his music.

I posted the companion piece on this disc - the Vaughan Williams Tallis Fantasia - a few weeks ago.