‘Beethoven’s business’ – Parry the Symphonic Composer 1

Hubert Parry’s predominant interest between 1867 and 1887 was an ‘instrumental art on the grandest and broadest lines’ which had found its ‘perfect revelation’ in Ludwig van Beethoven. He evolved his technique cautiously through the series of experimental chamber works which culminated in the Piano Quartet of 1879 and the Cello Sonata of 1880. The lento movement, ‘Love’, contains the most glowing music in the symphony, quintessential Parry, its mood crossing over the Adagios of Edward Elgar’s First and the opening of the Lento assai of Beethoven’s last string quartet. The successful premiere of the symphonic Suite Moderne at the Gloucester Festival 1886 encouraged Parry to produce a sequel, which he sketched in 1887. Parry enthusiasts should enjoy the quotations from other composers which Parry sprinkles throughout these sincerely felt scores for Aristophanes’ brilliant comedies.