Parry: Symphony No. 2 / Symphonic Variations in E Minor

Featuring

Andrew Penny
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Charles Hubert Hastings Parry

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Composition History

Parry's Overture to an Unwritten Tragedy was a commissioned work for the Worcester Festival in 1893, part of his ongoing connection with the Three Choirs festivals.

Composer Biography

Parry studied law and history at Oxford, but continued to compose music, particularly songs and sacred music, and enjoyed informal musical gatherings.

Composer Biography

Hubert Parry, the composer, came from a distinguished family; his father inherited a fortune and his maternal great-uncle was Lord Gambier, Admiral of the Fleet.

Composition History

Parry's Symphony No. 2, known as 'The Cambridge' or 'The University Symphony', was written between October 1882 and May 1883 for the Cambridge University Musical Society.

Performer Biography

The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, formed in 1891, was originally known as the Scottish Orchestra and later became full-time in 1951, taking its current name.

Composer's Artistic Vision

A contemporary critic associated Parry's Overture to an Unwritten Tragedy with Shakespeare's Othello, seeing themes representing Othello's strength and Desdemona's innocence.

Compositional Technique

The 'Cambridge' Symphony has an inner program depicting the life and aspirations of an undergraduate, with movements reflecting schoolboy feelings, joy of friends, love, merriment of holidays, and graduation.