Mrs Symphonist and I are off for a weekend break in the country. No posts from me till Tuesday! 🌳⛰️🌄🐮🐏

#TheCompleteBritten #122 Seven Sonnets Of Michelangelo for tenor & piano, Op. 22 (1940) The first music Britten wrote specifically for the voice of his life partner Peter Pears. At that time theirs was "the love that dare not speak its name". So they sang it in Italian instead.

Happy #NewReleaseFriday! New light on the New World - Manfred Honeck and his Pittsburgh players can make the most (over-) familiar warhorses sound as fresh as the day they were premiered, and once again they give us an intriguing coupling for good measure. ▶️ open.qobuz.com/playlist/513...

I see Qobuz have released some new bugs for their app.

My husband's uncle always used to say (not sure how he knew) that Britten & Pears were invited for tea with the Queen, as a couple, before the law changed. So while things were very difficult for them, if that story is true they had a bit of privilege too.

It was premiered at the National in - gasp - 1990. Not heard of a production for years. It’s probably a connoisseur’s piece but it’s published, both alone and in a collection.

#TheCompleteBritten #122 Seven Sonnets Of Michelangelo for tenor & piano, Op. 22 (1940) The first music Britten wrote specifically for the voice of his life partner Peter Pears. At that time theirs was "the love that dare not speak its name". So they sang it in Italian instead.

Thank you so much for all of your happy birthday wishes. Honestly, I don’t really feel 100. I feel pretty good. I feel like I’m only 98!

Great thread. I had no idea about the history of the Sinfonia da Requiem (and sorry to hear about Mr. Symphonist's car).

Listen closely to the string section in this scene and you will notice that - there IS no string section. Herrmann scored JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS using only brass, woodwinds and percussion. This creates a raw, primal soundscape, energizing the mythological action on screen. 4/14 #filmsky #moviesky

🧵 Today is the birth anniversary of one my heroes of cinema: Bernard Herrmann (1911-1975). Viewed by many as the greatest film composer of all time, you won't hear an argument from me. This thread is a personal remembrance of his work, and its influence on me. 1/14 #filmsky #moviesky #musicsky #BOTD

Fly the angel sleeves of your hostess dress at half mast, dim the standard lamps of all suburbia and please be seated at the telephone table to make the gossipiest call you can from a landline in memoriam💙

Yes please www.carscoops.com/2026/06/cars...

In case you missed it last night, BBC4's extraordinary "Stravinsky conducts Stravinsky" (The Firebird in this case, with the New Philharmonia, in September 1965) is available on the iPlayer for another month.

#TheCompleteBritten #121 Diversions, Op. 21 for piano (left hand) & orchestra (1940) Divert yourself from Monday's horrors with this terrific work written for Paul Wittgenstein, who lost his right arm in World War 1. Wittgenstein also commissioned Ravel's Left Hand concerto among many other works.

Monday mourning.

Boo(ze)! #NowDrinking gin & tonic with lime #NowWatching A Ghost Story (2017)

Kukal: Just when you think it's awful, something wonderful happens. Teml: What's that? Kukal: it ends!

This weekend's @theipaper.com cartoon

#TheCompleteBritten #120 Sonatina Romantica for piano (1940) 1. Moderato 2. Nocturne 3. Burlesque 4. Toccata Britten abandoned the final movement while revising the work. Only the first two movements have been published, publicly performed and recorded.

#TheCompleteBritten #119 Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20 (1940) Today's instalment is dedicated to my car. After many years of dedicated service, it's finally succumbed to the inevitable rigours of time, and goes to the salvage yard today. Goodbye, old friend #RIP 🚗🪦

Ok, NOW you can celebrate Mel Brooks's 100th birthday.

Fischer's miniature forces are worlds away from the 40 violins & 10 double basses in the orchestra that premiered this music, but their sheer pizzazz and rhythmic chutzpah make up for any lack of heft. #86's finale made me laugh so hard, I had to put it straight back on 👍🎻🤣 #NewReleases2026 #122

"When I heard Morton Feldman's composition "For Frank O'Hara' at a concert, with its insistent but muted flow of sounds, like aural dabs of the brush, I remarked to Lucy, 'It's Guston 1953 in music'." - Irving Sandler 🎨 Philip Guston, Zone, 1953 youtube.com/watch?v=hpvy...

Lösungen für alle Probleme

Fischer's miniature forces are worlds away from the 40 violins & 10 double basses in the orchestra that premiered this music, but their sheer pizzazz and rhythmic chutzpah make up for any lack of heft. #86's finale made me laugh so hard, I had to put it straight back on 👍🎻🤣 #NewReleases2026 #122

Now that the biggest of today’s worries has been resolved, my sons and I are having a TURNTABLE PARTY as the sun sets My older son asked for “drawing music,” so I put on John Coltrane’s “Ascension” It seems to be serving its purpose lol

"What did you say?" "HAPPY #NewReleaseFriday!" "What's new this week?" "Strauss's Alpine Symphony from Ed Gardner, Andrew Manze in Bruckner 7, and two modern Czech masters." "Two modern Czech masters?" "YES! YOU AND ME!" "Oh yes, now I remember!" ▶️ open.qobuz.com/playlist/513...

"How dare you plagiarise my plagiarism machine" is the new "No fighting in the war room"

"What did you say?" "HAPPY #NewReleaseFriday!" "What's new this week?" "Strauss's Alpine Symphony from Ed Gardner, Andrew Manze in Bruckner 7, and two modern Czech masters." "Two modern Czech masters?" "YES! YOU AND ME!" "Oh yes, now I remember!" ▶️ open.qobuz.com/playlist/513...

When reality surpasses fiction! Top: fictional forecast for August 2050, broadcast by French TV in 2014 to warn about the consequences of global warming. Bottom: Real French forecast for yesterday, June 22, 2026.

One of my favourite research resources is my second-hand copy of the Who’s Who of Music, 1937. [Choc full of women composers 😄] Anyway, here is Benjamin Britten’s entry - he was very diligent in filling it out! (And took the opportunity to big up his Phantasy)

Jason would be so happy if Austria could somehow get N goals

#TheCompleteBritten #119 Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20 (1940) Today's instalment is dedicated to my car. After many years of dedicated service, it's finally succumbed to the inevitable rigours of time, and goes to the salvage yard today. Goodbye, old friend #RIP 🚗🪦

Never mind AI data centres – when are we going to address the desperate waste of time, resources and energy caused by people NOT READING THE EMAIL AND THEN ASKING FOR INFORMATION THAT WAS ALREADY IN THE EMAIL it’s fine I’m fine

In space, no one can hear you slurp. #NowDrinking Good ol' G&T #NowWatching Solaris (1972)

Do you know British composer, Guirne Creith’s violin concerto? Also from the same period? I’d be interested in any views on it. A new recording came out quite recently. There’s a taster here: youtu.be/l1vL9SwQZsc?...

Must say cows when you see cows

THE FIBONACCI BEEQUENCE 🐝 🐝 🐝🐝 🐝🐝🐝 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

Tonight we're gonna party like it's 1999. #NowWatching #NowDrinking

This isn’t actually funny but I keep cackling to myself when people say we should pursue AI because it will tell us how to solve climate change. Like, we *know* how, we’re just not. ::burns so much fossil fuel to ask:: hey AI, what do? AI: “stop burning fossil fuel”

Andy Burnham to star in ENO production of Janáček The Cunning Little Vixen

Stalin talking about Shostakovich's film music: “The orchestra crackles, squeals, pipes, jingles, disturbs your visual images. Why is leftism so tenacious in music?”

#TheCompleteBritten #118 Canadian Carnival, Op. 19 (1939) Mahler 3 meets Aaron Copland, as Britten assimilates the influence of his new world. Conceived in Canada, composed in the USA, this jeu d'esprit weaves together four French-Canadian folksongs, including a surprisingly sinister 'Alouette' 🫎

Happy #NewReleaseFriday! This week we've symphonies by Beethoven's boyhood buddy Anton Reicha (1770-1836), and Felix & Fanny Mendelssohn's friend Ferdinand Hiller (1811-1885). Will these 'Colleagues of the Great Composers' prove their worth? Listen & decide ▶️ open.qobuz.com/playlist/513...

Re-upping this key thread on electric vehicles and better cities.

Happy birthday to Paul McCartney who is 84 today, but thinks he is 73 because he ACTUALLY believes there are eight days a week

#TheCompleteBritten #116 The Knotting Song, Z. 371 - Purcell realization (1939) After Les Illuminations, listening to this is like suddenly breathing air from another planet! Britten became devoted to English music of the baroque era. Purcell's word setting was a particular inspiration to him.

Just got home from seeing Backrooms and now I can see a huge rabbit hole that I know I'll have to go down ...

I think he worked in two (or more?) worlds, and was the master of them both. btw Les Illuminations is at the Proms on Sunday morning on 6 September. (I cannot imagine a less suitable day, or time, o gracieux fils de Pan...).