52 BookReviews
excitementin shapingandmanipulating language, This volume should be made compulsory
labyrinthinebut highly specific attempts at readingfor all young studentsof composition
demarcationof semanticspace,which contrast (andquitea few olderonesaswell).Evenif they
stronglywith the pomposity,sanctimonyand finally found a cause to reject most of what
self-righteousnessthat characterizeso much Ferneyhoughhas to say, it would bring intel-
writingon music.There is a gamingaspectto lectual upheavalin composers'understanding
what Fereyhough does, a fascinationwith andvision,farmoreimportantthananyamount
abstractthingsoutsideof anypurposetheymight of rote-like studies of prescribedforms of
serve.Thisis a deeplyAnglo-Saxontrait(albeita harmony,counterpointor orchestration.
non-conformistone), and one shouldquestion lan Pace
whetherFerneyhough reallyis 'deadcentrein the
Europeantradition'.
Obituary
RobertSimpson(1921-1997) - a Tribute recordingsof the majorworks will stimulate
With the death of Robert Simpson on 21 greatinterestin Simpson'smusic,both in this
November 1997, Britain has lost one of its countryand abroad.
leading composers and most forceful personal- His finestworkshave a timelessqualityand
ities. Central to his output are the cycles of 11 monumentalstature,placinghim in a unique,
symphoniesand 15 stringquartetswhose mastery unchallengedposition in terms of late 20th-
of organic growth and grandeur of design are century music. The Ninth Symphony, for
easily worthy of comparisonwith Shostakovich. instance, radicallyreassessesthe concept of
Simpson was blessed with the rare ability to re- moder symphonism. Ina singletripartitemove-
define symphonic thinking from a completely ment,lastingnearly50 minutes,it hasone basic
modem perspective, proving that the form is pulse which remains consistent throughout.
just as durable, vital and crucial to our culture Withinthisvastspan,Simpsondemonstrates the
(such as it is) as it was in the era of Haydn or sheerversatilityof his maturelanguage,froman
Beethoven. austereBrucknerian nobilityin the firstsection,
His piano music, though less wide-ranging in througha centralscherzoof titanicenergyto a
expression, reveals a craggy, uncompromisingly final set of variationsof epic proportions.The
individual keyboard style stemming ultimately calmcodawhichconstitutes the lastfourminutes
from the greatcontrapuntists:Bach (Bach-Busoni of thesymphony hasperhapsonlybeensurpassed
even), the Beethoven of the Hammerklavier, in symphonicterms by the closing pages of
later Nielsen and Reger. The works for brass Sibelius'sSixthSymphony.
band comprise such an impressive corpus that Variation formfascinatedSimpsonthroughout
Simpson easily surpasses all his contemporaries hislife. TheNinth Quartetis a setof 32 variations
in this field. His three concerti, for Piano (1966), plus fugueon a palindromic minuetby Haydn.
Flute (1989) and Cello (1991) reveal a vivid Themajesty,spaciousness andprofoundlyhuman
indentification with the human qualities of the qualitiesin thisworknaturally bringthreeother
solo instrument concerned, combined with an greatvariation-sets to mindas parallels:Bach's
advanced degree of structuralinnovation. 'Goldberg',Beethoven's'Diabelli'andBrahms's
There are still lamentably few opportunities 'Handel'.
to experience live performances of Simpson's Once,whendiscussingthe geniusofJ.S.Bach
music. The physical excitement engendered by over a bottleof fine Irishwhisky,Bob Simpson
such moments as the fiercelyjoyous closing pages maintainedto me that it was the 'magical
of the FourthSymphonyor the drivingmomentum combinationof energyand serenity'thatmade
in the finale of the Sixth make a shatteringimpact Bach'swork so compelling.These are also the
in the concert hall. The Kensington Symphony qualitiesthatI mostgreatlycherishin the music
Orchestra conducted by Russell Keable proved of RobertSimpson.
this in the QEH performancesin recentyears. Let MatthewTaylor
us hope that the impressive array of Hyperion
