# Brincken Symphony no. 4



## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

I have often lamented the sorry state of modern composition. Composers more interested in stringing together sound effects. Inability to write satisfying harmonic, much less a good tune. Music that is emotionally a downer with little sense of exhilaration or life-affirmation. And then along comes this:









I read about this on the Toccata website and ordered it crossing my fingers. I've had it in my CD player for the last two days, and listened to the symphony six times now. This is real music, unashamedly romantic in spirit. Tonal! Gives me hope. This is one of the happiest musical discoveries for me in a long, long, time. The conductor writes in a small note that the composer hasn't made a breakthrough to the big time, and unfortunately this Fourth Symphony won't do it. He shot himself in the foot. It's scored for "a fairly large" orchestra, writes the composer. No, it's HUGE, like the back of the CD says: 5 flutes, 4 oboes, 5 clarinets, 4 bassoons, 8 horns, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, tuba, 8 percussionists, 2 harps, piano and strings (16.14.12.10.8). Even major orchestras don't have those numbers on hand. Smaller orchestras not close - the cost to mount this symphony would be a budget buster.

So if you're looking for something new, entertaining, thrilling, and listenable....go for it.


----------



## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Have you listened to Steve Elcock? I think that there is at least one of his CDs from Toccata. Then there is David Matthews, try his recent 9th.


----------



## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

Really interesting. You piqued my curiosity. I'm gonna try it very soon. Thank you.


----------



## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Wow ... I just got through the first movement. While the ending of it started making me think 'movie music' (not that that is bad), it certainly got off to a tremendous start and really felt like it was going somewhere.


----------



## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

A keeper! I did feel as though it slightly outstayed its welcome at a few points but nothing annoying and I might feel differently on a subsequent hearing. It definitely is writ on a large scale, perhaps the kind of thing that someone who works with a radio orchestra could get performed, and I think that I know exactly the person, but it will still be a tough sale ... however nothing ventured...


----------



## Malx (Jun 18, 2017)

For those interested in giving it a try it is available on Spotify.


----------



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Malx said:


> For those interested in giving it a try it is available on Spotify.


Sounds promising. I'll try it this weekend. Thanks folks.


----------



## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Malx said:


> For those interested in giving it a try it is available on Spotify.


YouTube as well. Going to give t a listen this weekend.


----------



## Malx (Jun 18, 2017)

Just listened to the symphony and have to say I'm not overly impressed: 

First movement starts off encouragingly but the second half disappoints. 
The second movement adagio is too cinematic for my tastes I found myself thinking of vistas across the prairies in some fifties cowboy movie.
The scherzo & finale are reptitive to the point that I can almost hear mild minimalist influences.

My general conclusion is that the material is spread to thinly - if the symphony was, perhaps 35 minutes in duration rather than over 50, then it might have worked better.

I appreciate this only my personal view and I will happily declare I dislike minimalist and film music which I will freely admit will have coloured my opinion.


----------



## dko22 (Jun 22, 2021)

I’ve already raved about Brincken in the thread on neglected symphonists. I do agree that there is occasionally repetition but Hollywood style films are in general descriptive impersonal music whatever the quality and this is about intensely personal and occasionally later somewhat cryptic feelings. 

Staying with Toccata, knowing Steve Elcock personally, I’d be duty bound to recommend him (despite the fact he has no time for Brincken) . There’s some very nice chamber music like “Cage of Opprobrium” or the recent Piano quintet. One of the three currently available CD’s features that side of him and I find “Choses” more individual than the 3rd symphony on the same CD even though I enjoy the latter. 

Quite a bit of fuss has been made of Matthews 9th but I’ve remained a bit underwhelmed. He’s a likeable composer but seems just a bit too stereotypically English somehow. As a Scot, I’m bound to be a bit prejudiced


----------



## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

curiosity suitably piqued


----------



## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

Will give it a listen when I can. The description of the typical modern orchestral composition on the OP strikes a chord,


----------



## dko22 (Jun 22, 2021)

I feel the need to come back on this one. I decided to contact Brincken, primarily to encourage him to keep writing this kind of thing as it's obvious even from the sleevenote that he's very frustrated by the lack of recognition for his major works. But he immediately picked up on my casual mention that it had inspired me to to write a symphony of my own which tried (not entirely successfully in my view) to recapture something of its spirit -- and indeed directly quotes the wonderful main theme of the slow movement--and asked to listen to it. Even more to my astonishment, he regarded it as as "very impressive" and the following week sent me a copy of his 1st symphony which was the only one to ever gain a live performance -- and by the Leningrad Philharmonic at that -- back in the 80's. It's more chromatic than the newer work but at 75' is the length of Brucker's 5th which is obviously the model for the finale and the closest I've even heard to rival our joint idol in terms of power and technical ability.

The first four minutes of the adagio is actually available on YouTube 



 so I urge anyone who has enjoyed no. 4 to seek this out. I do hope the entire work can be posted at some point.


----------



## dko22 (Jun 22, 2021)

Malx said:


> Just listened to the symphony and have to say I'm not overly impressed:
> 
> First movement starts off encouragingly but the second half disappoints.
> The second movement adagio is too cinematic for my tastes I found myself thinking of vistas across the prairies in some fifties cowboy movie.
> ...


I agree that the first two movements are stronger than the last two. But it's curious that after repeated listenings (and I've probably listened to the work around ten times by now) that the somewhat slow and deliberate build up of the material is carefully planned and does work when you learn how to follow it. Whether it's worth trying to get to know it well enough to follow the build-up is obviously a matter of personal taste.


----------

