Edmund Rubbra - Symphony No.2 in D • Festival Overture • Symphony No.7 in C*

New Philharmonia Orchestra
London Philharmonic Orchestra*
Vernon Handley, conductor
Sir Adrian Boult, conductor*

Label: Lyrita
Copyright: 1992 Lyrita Recorded Edition, England
Catalogue number: SRCD.235
UPC/EAN: 5020926023520
Format: CD
Analogue / Digital recording: ADD
Number of discs: 1
Total playing time: 77.47
Price: £ 14.99 (+ postage & packing)

Tracks 1 - 4: Recorded at Kingsway Hall, 4 April 1976, Producer: James Walker, Engineer: Kenneth Wilkinson, John Pellowe
Track 5: Recorded at Kingsway Hall, 25 August 1976, Producer: Richard Beswick, Engineer: John Dunkerley
Tracks 6 - 8: No recording information available


"The Second Symphony composed in 1937, when Rubbra was in his mid-thirties, is a powerful piece with a very strong slow movement. Vernon Handley gives a fine account of the symphony and contributes an excellent sleeve-note too. Although he revered Vaughan Williams, there is little of the overtly pastoral in his music … but he possessed a keen sense of nature’s power which you can certainly feel in the haunting opening pages of the Seventh Symphony of 1957, a work which has consistently grown over the years in my estimation. This reissue is strongly recommended" Robert Layton, Gramophone

"If any disc can confirm the stature of Edmund Rubbra as symphonist, this is it. The sturdy elementalism of the Symphony No. 2 reveals quite staggering confidence for a composer still in his mid-thirties ... With a healthy playing time of over 77 minutes, this is a major issue. All lovers of Rubbra’s music should jump at the chance of picking up a copy ..." Colin Clarke, www.musicweb-international.com Click here to read the full review

"As might be expected, Vernon Handley's performance is a fine one ... He does a good job maintaining clarity of texture despite the sometimes thick scoring, and he keeps the music moving intently forward, never allowing Rubbra's rather relentless seriousness of purpose to degenerate into mere pedantry ... The Festival Overture makes a nice bonus. It's a pleasure to welcome these performances back to the active catalog ..." David Hurwitz, www.classicstoday.com Click here to read the full review


Symphony no.2 in D, Opus 45 Edmund Rubbra 34.28
1 1. Lento - rubato 9.58
2 2. Scherzo 5.41
3 3. Adagio tranquillo 10.54
4 4. Rondo 7.55
5 Festival Overture, Opus 62 Edmund Rubbra 7.19
Symphony no.7 in C, Opus 88 Edmund Rubbra 35.59
6 1. Lento e molto espressivo 11.21
7 2. Vivace e leggiero 9.39
8 3. Passacaglia & Fugue 14.59