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Parry: Scenes from Shelley's Prometheus Unbound, Blest Pair of Sirens

9/8/2023, 19 Tracks, 1:10:46

Featuring

  • William Vann
  • Sarah Fox
  • Dame Sarah Connolly
  • David Butt Philip
  • Neal Davies
  • James Orford
  • London Mozart Players
  • Crouch End Festival Chorus
  • Charles Hubert Hastings Parry

Did you know?

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Composer Biography

Hubert Parry, the composer, worked in Lloyd's Register of Shipping as an underwriter after graduating from Oxford, but his true passion was always music.

Source: Booklet

Composition History

'Blest Pair of Sirens' was commissioned by Charles Villiers Stanford and the London Bach Choir for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887.

Source: Booklet

Recording & Production

This recording of 'Prometheus Unbound' is its first commercial release, 43 years after its groundbreaking BBC broadcast in 1980.

Source: Booklet

Critical Reception

The premiere of 'Prometheus Unbound' in 1880 received a 'distinctly mixed reception,' with some critics finding 'detached phrases of real beauty' while others were vehemently antipathetic due to perceived Wagnerian influence.

Source: Booklet

Historical Context

Edward Elgar, a prominent English composer, chose 1880 as the 'starting point' for modern English composition, likely referring to Parry's 'Prometheus Unbound'.

Source: Booklet

Compositional Technique

Parry's 'Prometheus Unbound' shows strong Wagnerian influences, with elements like unsettling fugato on muted strings and Tristanesque material for wind and brass.

Source: Booklet

Composition History

Parry's 'Prometheus Unbound' was commissioned for the 1880 Gloucester Three Choirs Festival, marking an early significant work in his career.

Source: Booklet

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©℗ 2023 Chandos