Composed in 1897 whilst director of the Royal College of Music and teacher of Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst, Frank Bridge and John Ireland. His early orchestral compositional style owed a great deal to Wagner, and to Brahms.
Today’s choice comes a decade after two of his most popular works – the choral work Blest pair of sirens, and his oratorio Judith from where we get the hymn tune used for Dear Lord and Father of Mankind. It is also sandwiched between the Fourth (1889) and Fifth (1912) Symphonies with his Lady Radnor’s Suite for strings, and his Elegy for Brahms whose death in April 1897 shocked Parry.
The Symphonic Variations became popular thanks to the film composer Korngold who use themes from the Variations in his music for the 1939 film ‘The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex’ starring Bette Davis and Errol Flynn.
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