Robert Simpson (1921-1997) has so far only appeared in these posts as a commentator on the music of Carl Nielsen - of which Simpson is a noted scholar, writing about his music along with that of Sibelius, Beethoven and Bruckner. To author, you also need to add BBC producer, and most importantly composer. In the period 1951 to 1990 Simpson composed eleven symphonies, fifteen string quartets, four concertos (piano, violin, cello and flute) and many other pieces.
The Third Symphony dates from 1962 and is dedicated to fellow composer Havergal Brian (also a composer of symphonies - 32 in his case). First performed in Birmingham under Hugo Rignold, the piece has only two movements - the first a sonata-allegro and the second described by Simpson as "a huge composed accelerando but with the dynamics repressed".
The first recording of the Third Symphony was this Unicorn release from 1970, with the LSO conducted by Jascha Horenstein. A rehearsal sequence with Horenstein, recorded in 1966 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is available here.
The sleeve notes to this album are reproduced below, and the pages of the Robert Simpson Society are well worth a read.
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