Symphony No. 1 	(39:04)
1 	I Allegro Vigoroso, Quasi Alla Breve 	11:08
2 	II Adagio 	13:39
3 	III Presto 	6:52
4 	IV Allegro Moderato Ma Con Brio E Più Tarde Condelicatezza 	7:23

Symphony No. 2 	(35:40)
5 	I Allegro Vigoroso 	9:17
6 	II Adagio 	10:59
7 	III Presto Veloce 	5:50
8 	IV Allegro Moderato 	9:32

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Martyn Brabbins - conductor

Curiously, Michael Tippett is better known for his dense dramatic works than for his relatively accessible symphonies, but the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and conductor Martyn Brabbins are out to change that with their new symphony cycle. Tippett actually wrote five, withdrawing the first and leaving the present Symphony No. 1 of 1944 as his acknowledged debut. It's a bit of a mixed bag, with the trappings of Tippett's pastoral predecessors filled out with thornier material, including an extremely dark wartime finale. The Symphony No. 2 of a decade later is likewise something of a transitional work, with the later Tippett springing suddenly into bloom in the free-floating, lyrical episodes of the slow movement. Sample this for a taste of the composer finding a wholly original voice and for Brabbins and company catching the moment admirably. Traditional symphonic form is definitely present in these works and exists in a kind of uncomfortable tension with Tippett's developing imagination, but this is interesting in itself and brings insight into the composer. A welcome rehearing of these works. ---James Manheim, AllMusic Review

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Symphony No 3 (1970-72)	(57:49)
1-1 	Part One: Allegro Non Troppo E Pesante (Arrest) – Allegro Molto E Con Grande Energia (Movement) - 	13:06
1-2 	Part One: Lento 	15:32
1-3 	Part Two: Allegro Molto - 	6:42
1-4 	Part Two: Slow Blues: Andante – 'As I Drew Nurture From My Mother's Breast' -	3:28
1-5 	Part Two: Fast Blues: Allegro 'O, I'll Go Walking' 	2:51
1-6 	Part Two: Slow Blues: Largo – 'I Found The Man Grown To A Dwarf' - 	5:03
1-7 	Part Two: Pochissimo Meno Mosso 'They Sang That When She Waved Her Wings' 	11:03
Symphony No 4 (1976-7) 	(35:39)
2-1 	Tempo 1: Slow Crotchet Pulse (quaver = C100) Introduction And Exposition 	4:02
2-2 	Tempo 1 Fig. 21, First Development 	4:41
2-3 	Tempo 1 Fig. 52, Slow Movement 	8:42
2-4 	Tempo 2: Steady Crotchet Pulse (crotchet = C60) Fig. 78, Second Development 	3:19
2-5 	Tempo 3: Fast Crotchet Pulse (crotchet = C90) Fig. 100, Scherzo 	4:19
2-6 	Tempo 1 Fig. 139, Third Development – 	5:02
2-7 	Tempo 1: Fig. 160, Recapitulation and coda 	5:34
Symphony In B Flat (1932-3, Rev. 1934, 1938) First Recording 	(27:09)
2-8 	Lento – Allegro Con Fuoco 	10:43
2-9 	Adagio – Poco Più Andante – Adagio 	7:09
2-10 	Allegro E Cantabile 	9:17

Rachel Nicholls - soprano
Mark O'Keeffe - flugelhorn
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Martyn Brabbins - conductor

The music of Sir Michael Tippett has gone in and out of fashion, but the generally strong cycle of his symphonies by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, concluded here, argues for their rediscovery. Part of the reason for Tippett's persistence is that he doesn't fit into any of the usual boxes for 20th century music. His music is knotty, and approaches atonality, but it nevertheless seems to fit seamlessly into the English tradition. Moreover, he was touched by American vernacular traditions, as can be heard clearly in the second section of the Symphony No. 3, with its three consecutive movements designated as blues. Sample them, as they are recognizable as blues but are not simple evocations of popular style. If you don't know the Symphony No. 3, this is a good chance to get to know its mixture of influences, which range from Beethoven's Ninth to Bessie Smith (check the informative notes, which point out that the soprano-flugelhorn duet passages evoke those of Smith and Louis Armstrong). It's a diverse work but not eclectic; Tippett's big, intense personality is stamped on every page, and the straightforward performance here encompasses its totality. The Symphony No. 4, an orchestral display piece written for the Chicago Symphony in the glory days of Georg Solti, is a bit less successful; it opens with a famously unsuccessful sound of a baby's breathing, here accomplished via a digital sample spliced in afterward. It sounds OK, but it doesn't solve the basic problem. A bonus is the early Symphony in B flat major of 1933, unnumbered because Tippett withdrew it. It certainly sounds like Sibelius, but contrary to the opinions of the annotators it has hints of the composer's later language to these ears, and it will certainly be of interest to Tippett fans. Recommended, with solid performances. ---James Manheim, AllMusic Review

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