Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Richard Hickox.
I - Lento rubato - (attacca): 0:00
II - Scherzo. Vivace assai: 9:52
III - Adagio tranquillo: 15:40
IV - Rondo. Allegretto amabile - Coda. Presto: 25:47
Rubbra's Symphony No.2 was composed between February and November 1937, immediately after the first one. It was premiered in a radio broadcast on December 16 of 1938, conducted by Sir Adrian Boult (to whom the score is dedicated), who would conduct it multiple times aftwerwards. No.2 is the second of four closely related symphonies Rubbra wrote in quick succession between 1935-41. He described them as being "different facets of one thought", since each was a reaction to the last. The Symphony also reflects the agitated and turbulent times of Britain in the 1930s, also portrayed in William Walton's Symphony No.1 in B-flat minor, Vaughan Williams' Symphony No.4 in F minor or Alan Bush Symphony No.1 in C.
Rubbra substantially revised the work between 1945-6, reducing the requirement for triple woodwind down to double. He also made cuts to the first movement and revised the ending to finish in D major, somewhat clarifying the symphony's ambiguous tonality: the original version began in D minor and ended in E-flat major. The revised version was first performed at the Cheltenham Festival in 1946, with the composer conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra. It seems it was revised again in 1950. When Boult was a guest on the BBC's classical music program Desert Island Discs, in his choice of just ten recordings to take if he were to be exiled to a desert island for life, Boult chose this symphony as one of his ten
Rubbra himself described the work with the following words: "My 2nd essay in symphonic form was directed… to discover how far the interplay of melodic lines could be made to realize the dramatic tension necessary in such a work: how far melodic lines and units, without the adventitious aid of pattern and colour, could carry the weight of a large symphonic movement." Robert Simpson praised the symphony on 1978: "has all the deep thoughtfulness and lack of surface brilliance typical of this composer, the most substantial of whose works will withstand long familiarity and deep examination. No-one who takes music seriously should fail to get to know this work thoroughly".
The first movement begins with an expressive descending scale on strings, followed by an ascending one on woodwinds. These are the basic elements that construct the (mostly) D minor lento, Rubbra expertly creating long-range tension in relation to the home tonality. A dramatic main theme is contrapuntally unfolded, culminating in an agitated and passionate climax. Follows a calmer section introduced by a flute solo, but a long crescendo leads to a powerful second climax, showing a rather unique combination of expression and architecture. A rhythmic motive, previously introduced in the end of the first climax, lead to the movement's final peak, the most dissonant and dramatic in tone. The oboe poignantly recapitulates the opening descending scale before leading to the next part.
The second movement is a very free scherzo. It opens with a rhythmic main theme that shows the influence of Holst, the most notable of Rubbra's teachers. A lyrical second theme is introduced by strings and put in counterpoint with the main one. As with the first symphony, all of this material is largely derived from the opening, and in some ways the scherzo can be regarded as a development of the previous lento rubato. The music constantly changes of time signatures (9/8 and 15/8) alla Stravinsky, while harmonically the music struggles between C major and C-sharp minor. There is no contrasting trio section, but a brief slower bridge before the scherzo continues its contrapuntal vigour and energy. A muscular polytonal coda ends the vivace assai.
[Musical analysis continued in the comments section].
Picture: "Landscape with archaeological remains" set design for Giuseppe Mulè Opera "Taormina" (1937) by Italian Scenographer Carlo Santocito.
Musical analysis partially written by myself. Sources: tinyurl.com/27wuox8z, tinyurl.com/27z4lllr, tinyurl.com/25m9ve9t and tinyurl.com/2cw34m77
Unfortunately, the score isn't freely available.
BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Richard Hickox.
I - Lento rubato - (attacca): 0:00
II - Scherzo. Vivace assai: 9:52
III - Adagio tranquillo: 15:40
IV - Rondo. Allegretto amabile - Coda. Presto: 25:47
Rubbra's Symphony No.2 was composed between February and November 1937, immediately after the first one. It was premiered in a radio broadcast on December 16 of 1938, conducted by Sir Adrian Boult (to whom the score is dedicated), who would conduct it multiple times aftwerwards. No.2 is the second of four closely related symphonies Rubbra wrote in quick succession between 1935-41. He described them as being "different facets of one thought", since each was a reaction to the last. The Symphony also reflects the agitated and turbulent times of Britain in the 1930s, also portrayed in William Walton's Symphony No.1 in B-flat minor, Vaughan Williams' Symphony No.4 in F minor or Alan Bush Symphony No.1 in C.
Rubbra substantially revised the work between 1945-6, reducing the requirement for triple woodwind down to double. He also made cuts to the first movement and revised the ending to finish in D major, somewhat clarifying the symphony's ambiguous tonality: the original version began in D minor and ended in E-flat major. The revised version was first performed at the Cheltenham Festival in 1946, with the composer conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra. It seems it was revised again in 1950. When Boult was a guest on the BBC's classical music program Desert Island Discs, in his choice of just ten recordings to take if he were to be exiled to a desert island for life, Boult chose this symphony as one of his ten
Rubbra himself described the work with the following words: "My 2nd essay in symphonic form was directed… to discover how far the interplay of melodic lines could be made to realize the dramatic tension necessary in such a work: how far melodic lines and units, without the adventitious aid of pattern and colour, could carry the weight of a large symphonic movement." Robert Simpson praised the symphony on 1978: "has all the deep thoughtfulness and lack of surface brilliance typical of this composer, the most substantial of whose works will withstand long familiarity and deep examination. No-one who takes music seriously should fail to get to know this work thoroughly".
The first movement begins with an expressive descending scale on strings, followed by an ascending one on woodwinds. These are the basic elements that construct the (mostly) D minor lento, Rubbra expertly creating long-range tension in relation to the home tonality. A dramatic main theme is contrapuntally unfolded, culminating in an agitated and passionate climax. Follows a calmer section introduced by a flute solo, but a long crescendo leads to a powerful second climax, showing a rather unique combination of expression and architecture. A rhythmic motive, previously introduced in the end of the first climax, lead to the movement's final peak, the most dissonant and dramatic in tone. The oboe poignantly recapitulates the opening descending scale before leading to the next part.
The second movement is a very free scherzo. It opens with a rhythmic main theme that shows the influence of Holst, the most notable of Rubbra's teachers. A lyrical second theme is introduced by strings and put in counterpoint with the main one. As with the first symphony, all of this material is largely derived from the opening, and in some ways the scherzo can be regarded as a development of the previous lento rubato. The music constantly changes of time signatures (9/8 and 15/8) alla Stravinsky, while harmonically the music struggles between C major and C-sharp minor. There is no contrasting trio section, but a brief slower bridge before the scherzo continues its contrapuntal vigour and energy. A muscular polytonal coda ends the vivace assai.
[Musical analysis continued in the comments section].
Picture: "Landscape with archaeological remains" set design for Giuseppe Mulè Opera "Taormina" (1937) by Italian Scenographer Carlo Santocito.
Musical analysis partially written by myself. Sources: tinyurl.com/27wuox8z, tinyurl.com/27z4lllr, tinyurl.com/25m9ve9t and tinyurl.com/2cw34m77
Unfortunately, the score isn't freely available.
