# SS 20.10.18 - Parry #3 "English"



## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

A continuation of the Saturday Symphonies Tradition:

Welcome to another weekend of symphonic listening! 
_*
*_For your listening pleasure this weekend:*

Hubert Parry** (1848 - 1918)*

Symphony No. 3 in C major "English"

1. Allegro energico
2. Andante sostenuto
3. Allegro molto scherzoso
4. Moderato
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Post what recording you are going to listen to giving details of Orchestra / Conductor / Chorus / Soloists etc - Enjoy!


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## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

Another weekend is upon us and another symphony is up for your listening enjoyment. This weekend it's British Composer Hubert Parry's Third. I really like this Symphony (I like all of Parry's Symphonies for that matter) it's a shame it doesn't seem to get played much. I'm looking forward to hearing it again this weekend.

This may be the only recording of the work. It's the only one I know of, so I'll post a YouTube link as well:




Matthias Bamert/London Philharmonic


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## Dimace (Oct 19, 2018)

View attachment 109138


Thanks for the thread! I will write more later. *Parry is a real master* and I a big fan of him.


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## Mika (Jul 24, 2009)

Same recording via Spotify


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Same again via my closet.


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## D Smith (Sep 13, 2014)

Thanks for the link, I'll listen to that.


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

Out of the hundreds of choices (!) I'll go for Bamert too. I got these as they came out, and still enjoy all five, more than Stanford's, for example. Brahmsy ? So what!


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## cougarjuno (Jul 1, 2012)

Bamert for me also. I've ignored Parry for a long, long time in favor of Stanford and Howells. Curious to hear what I've missed after so long.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Same for me too.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Bamert for me! On YouTube since I don't have a recording. But is there really any other choice?

BTW Matthias Bamert, who conducted the giant "Contemporaries of Mozart" series on Chandos, was also responsible for the infamous "Twelve Tone Commercial".


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## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

I’m in with the same as everyone else


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Bamert on Chandos from my CD collection.

I still remember buying this one in an Amsterdam classical music shop I did not go before (around 1990). The owner asked me whether I knew what I was buying - somewhat startled, I replied "yes, I already have one from this series". He smiled, and said "I don't sell much of this type of music, so I just wondered".


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Looks like there are few options for this one..... Bamert, Bamert or Bamert. So I'll go with Bamert. :lol:


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## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

Merl said:


> Looks like there are few options for this one..... Bamert, Bamert or Bamert. So I'll go with Bamert. :lol:


Wise choice on your part


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

If anyone is interested, the Phoenix, Arizona based Musica Nova orchestra will be performing this Parry symphony live next week end. The information is HERE. Phoenix isn't the cultural desert people like to think. Thanks to this orchestra we've heard live performances of Arnell, Raff, Gal, Atterberg, and many other overlooked and neglected composers.


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## Malx (Jun 18, 2017)

Like everyone else I gave Bamert's LPO recording a spin. 
I have to admit I prefer Parry's 4th & 5th. It was good to hear it again but not one I'll rush back to.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Interesting listening this week since 19th-century British music pre-Elgar was pretty much a blank to me. I had heard a few things, but nothing that left much of an impression. Reading up, I found that the “renaissance” of British music was primarily due to three composers – Hubert Parry (English), Charles Villiers Stanford (Irish), and Alexander Mackenzie (Scottish).

So, Parry’s “English” Symphony was a fitting start to a new exploration. I found the music hearty and straightforward, holding the attention well. But its relentless diatonic manner along with a lack of tension in the musical fabric made it less engaging than it might have been. Also, the last movement, a busy but pretty pedestrian set of variations, seemed a significant step down from the first three.

I’ll be listening to his other four symphonies, all of which are on YouTube. But meanwhile I dialed up Stanford’s Symphony No. 1 (Vernon Handley, Ulster Orchestra) for comparison. This is a longer work – perhaps a bit too long – but it seemed more successful and interesting than Parry’s work.

Both symphonies are well worth hearing, and both surprised me by their vigor.


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## AClockworkOrange (May 24, 2012)

I can’t believe I missed this instalment. Just my luck 

I’ll join in with a belated listen. While it’s a pity that there aren’t more recordings, I’m very grateful for the quality of the recording we do have. I haven’t heard this particular work for a little while so I look forward to listening with fresh ears.


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## Weird Heather (Aug 24, 2016)

I enjoyed this one. As KenOC notes, it isn't particularly intense, but it is enjoyable and rather cheerful. I find its style to be rather old-fashioned, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I thought of a couple friends who tend to like music of the Classic era and earlier but don't usually like Romantic music. They might like this one.

Also, following KenOC's post, I was interested in comparing this to other pre-Elgar British symphonies. I checked my collection and found two, both from the 1860s and both rather heavily influenced by Mendelssohn (who was popular in England at the time). William Sterndale Bennett's Symphony in G Minor is definitely the sort of music I would expect of the middle Romantic era; it has a decent amount of emotional intensity, but it isn't too heavy, and it is unusually compact and concise for the time period. I find it to be a worthwhile work but not as memorable as the masterpieces of the time. Arthur Sullivan's Symphony in E Major is perhaps a bit more interesting. Unless I am forgetting someone, Sullivan is the only British composer between Handel (not exactly British but active in England for many years) and Elgar who is well known at the present time, but he is only remembered today for his light operas. The symphony is an early work, but at times, Sullivan's gift for crafting a catchy tune is evident, particularly in the third movement. All in all, it is an enjoyable work, even if it isn't quite to the level of his light operas. I wonder what would have happened if he had pursued the symphony instead of opera - he might have produced some masterpieces in the genre, but then we wouldn't have the Gilbert & Sullivan operas, and I like them, so I'm glad he chose the path that he did.

(Maybe Sullivan's Symphony in E Major would be a good choice for a future Saturday Symphony - given the composer's fame in another genre, perhaps people would be interested in hearing this early work.)

Back to Parry, this symphony, albeit lighter fare than those of its time (and the two that I mentioned earlier) that usually catch my attention, is definitely worthwhile despite its shortcomings, and I would like to hear more of his work. I think the collection of his complete symphonies goes on my growing list for purchase. In a way, it is a nice respite from the heavy and emotionally fraught work of composers such as Mahler and Bruckner, so it definitely has a place in the world (and in my collection).


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## Great Uncle Frederick (Mar 17, 2021)

As a newcomer, I'm not sure whether this is the proper place for this question, but does anybody happen to know why Naxos originally intended to record all of Parry's symphonies? As far as I'm aware, the only one available on that label is the 2nd.


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

Great Uncle Frederick said:


> As a newcomer, I'm not sure whether this is the proper place for this question, but does anybody happen to know why Naxos originally intended to record all of Parry's symphonies? As far as I'm aware, the only one available on that label is the 2nd.


Welcome to the forums!
Not sure I understood your question, but Naxos released this Parry 2 in 1996 or 1997 and made no further moves to record any other symphonies, so I don't think you should hold your breath for it.
Chandos offers a very good complete set I can heartily recommend.


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## Great Uncle Frederick (Mar 17, 2021)

I haven't been hanging on for further Naxos recordings of Parry symphonies - it's just that they normally record all the symphonies of arguably underrated or neglected English composers, such as Alan Rawsthorne and William Alwyn. The only other Parry symphony I have at present is No. 5 - the CD has an appropriately numbered locomotive on the cover!


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## golfer72 (Jan 27, 2018)

I think the Parry 3rd is excellent. I also like Parry's solo piano works


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