Phillip Brookes: Symphony in B flat, op 10 (final upload)

This is a new upload of this piece, with greatly a sound glitch corrected.

I wrote this symphony in 1975 and 1976, when I was 22. It was originally for brass band, but I very soon orchestrated it. It was first played in 1989, in the brass version, by Invicta Brass (the University of Oxford band) in the chapel of Merton College as part of a concert for the Oxford University Musical Society.

It was a sort of exercise in creating a large structure, which I attempted by deriving almost all the themes from the bassoon solo at the start. Sometimes the resemblance is very slight, but usually it’s there. But in truth, the whole thing is undigested Sibelius, Elgar, Prokofiev, Vaughan Williams - and a few others. I enjoyed the experience, though.

I dedicated it to four friends who were supportive and encouraging at the time. But none of the symphony is a ‘portrait’ of any of them, any more than the movements are individually connected with each of them; it’s all me.

Putting it into this form has been fun, and I'm pleased and surprised that is stands up quite well.

I’ve used a whole host of art to accompany it, but again, there’s no direct correlation. I just like the pictures, the artists, or their ‘feel’ sometimes reminds me of how I felt - now and again - back then. I've named all the artists, but not the individual paintings (sorry!).

Mvt. 1: 00:00
Mvt. 2: 09:59
Mvt. 3: 18:44
Mvt. 4: 25:15