Julius Benedict G minor Symphony op. 101 now on IMSLP

[pcc]

I check every couple of months to see if someone has scanned this symphony, as it has been discussed in this forum and several people know I'm quite fond of it, and now it is up!  It is one of the very few 19th century British symphonies to be printed within a short time of its initial performances -- Stanley Lucas, Weber & Co. printed it the year after its 1874 premiere, and it's a handsome full score.  It's fascinating to read as well as hear (in the Myer Fredman BBC recording) and it shows how well Benedict understood orchestration -- it not only sounds good, but the writing for all instruments is idiomatic and often adventurous, especially in the context of mid-Victorian music.  The brass writing in particular is much more adventurous than Sullivan's or practically any other contemporary British composer, and it's fun to see Benedict's affinity for valve horns and bass trombone.  The woodwind writing is equally colourful and well-suited; Benedict sometimes uses instruments for very brief passages or even single notes to shade and colour sections very particularly, an unusual approach at the time.  Others may want to have a look now.

His overture for Shakespeare's The Tempest (op. 77) from a few years earlier is also up, and on first glance it is not as impressive a work.  It's also in G minor, but uses a larger orchestra (including cornets, ophicleide, and harp).  To me it seems a little "blocky" and not as well-organized as the Symphony; however, I'm going to take some more time next week and study it more deeply.

Now for someone to put up his overture to Dion Boucicault's controversial play The Octoroon -- that's very hard to track down, but it was published and I think it may be worthwhile!

[Alan Howe]

Oh dear, I'm afraid I have to disagree. I find the Symphony dreary in the extreme; I know the sound of the Fredman performance is poor, but I really can't hear much of interest through the murk. There's certainly no comparison with the delightful Sullivan work. One for the pile containing Prout's efforts in the genre, I feel...

[pcc]

I am rather surprised by your response to my post, Mr. Howe -- on 14 August 2012 you wrote

This thread has prompted me to give the Symphony in G minor another listen - to be honest, I have probably never given it my full attention. I can certainly understand your enthusiasm for it, pcc: it has some glorious writing, especially for the horns, and some lovely harmonic sequences. While it hasn't Sullivan's easy melodiousness, it strikes a more serious pose, I think, and certainly belongs in the pantheon of fine 19th century British symphonies. It obviously deserves to be recorded. (BTW does the main theme of the superb slow movement remind anyone of the Enigma Variations at all?)

Thanks so much for making me listen properly to Benedict's Symphony again. This is an example of what I was hoping the forum in its revised form would do...

Mr. Thomas and semloh also agreed with you after relistening to the work.

You can understand that your latest comment confuses me.

[Alan Howe]

Opinions are always subject to revision, of course. But perhaps I was having a bad day after 30-odd gnat bites. I'll give it another go...

[pcc]

Sorry if I sounded -- well, "unsocial" -- but that was a heck of a revision.  I don't know why I should care, except the last reports were so positive about it and made me feel like my interest had made a difference.  I was just offering news based upon that. 

Hope the gnats are less plaguing.

[Alan Howe]

Thank you. I suspect my patience has been wearing rather thin. And your persistence is much appreciated - I'm sure I need to listen more carefully...

[Justin]

Just uploaded a recording of the same Fredman broadcast, but with superior quality.

The Andante is the only movement that sticks out for me, although I would have to disagree with Alan and say that it is more reminiscent of Prout than of Elgar, with that gaily antiquated theme at the beginning. Like Prout's fourth symphony, it sounds like it could have been written decades earlier. Stanford's first symphony was only 4 years after Benedict's, and it sounds like a different era.

[semloh]

Thanks, Justin. This gives us the opportunity to assess rather more clearly whether the symphony is, indeed, dreary. 

[Raffio]

The date should be 1873, as the autograph score at the RCM Library is dated as finished "London 8/9 October 1873".

Best wishes,

Anthony

[eschiss1]

Composition date @ IMSLP modified.  The interior movements were, as noted there, ready for premiere by 1872 (which may be the cause of confusion), but the whole work was completed in October 1873 as you say and premiered in November of that year (as stated on the score- Saturday November 22 for the first time.)