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Richard Blackford: 'Glory' Movement III. from La Sagrada Familia Symphony for Symphony Orchestra [Printed Music] Short Pieces for Orchestra
£75.00
In stock
Catalogue Number
NMP1267
for Symphony Orchestra
26-page A3 wire-bound Conductor's Score & 32 x A4 saddle-stitched Parts
Duration: c.7½mins
ISMN No: 979-0-708219-17-0
Orchestrating Carnival of the Animals for symphony orchestra and no pianos provided an opportunity to re-interpret Saint-Saens magical score with new instrumental colours. But it is the sensuous, full textures of which an orchestra is capable that most attracted me to the project, and each of the fourteen movements was a delight to animate with soft muted brass, cascading harp, gurgling woodwind, and no pianos.
Short Pieces for Orchestra
Nimbus and Lyrita have published a series of shorter orchestra works by Augusta Read Thomas, Richard Blackford, Gavin Higgins and George Lloyd. These Short Pieces for Orchestra (SPO) will be sold with a three-year, unlimited performance licence offering much better value for money than typical hire arrangements. Some pieces have been extracted from larger symphonic works and each is published with a descriptive name to support thematic programming and engage with the new “streaming” audiences. This series supports the desire to perform, programme and introduce audiences to new repertoire for less initial cost, and allows multiple performances for no additional cost. Each kit will contain a full conductors score and one “master part” per instrument along with a licence for the ensemble to reproduce and perform as often as they like for the next three years. Between three and fifteen minutes SPO are perfect for opening your concert or inserting just before the interval to create a talking point.
Manufacturer: Wyastone Estate Limited, Wyastone Leys, Monmouth, NP25 3SR
Email: sales@wyastone.co.uk
Reviews:
A striking new symphony
The concert’s first half [included the] premiere of Richard Blackford’s La Sagrada Familia Symphony: 25 minutes of busy orchestral activity inspired by the three façades of the extraordinary church in Barcelona. Comparisons between music and architecture were underlined by the accompanying projection of Blackford’s video, shot on the spot, detailing statuary or taking in general views of what often resembles a hideous neogothic ant heap. Strikingly conceived and brightly scored, Blackford’s lively imagination, Hill’s firm control and the Philharmonia’s sheen offered much to savour. ★★★★☆ In concert 8th May 2025 Philharmonia Orchestra, Back Choir, David Hill conductor. Delius, Blackford & Walton Geoff Brown, The Times
Richard Blackford La Sagrada Familia Symphony (2022, world premiere)
This imaginative concert presented three British works telling stories from overseas, their reach extending to Norway, Spain and Babylon respectively. London-born composer Richard Blackford has shown considerable flair when writing for orchestra, and this was immediately evident in the world premiere of his La Sagrada Familia Symphony. Completed in 2022 and already recorded on the Lyrita label, it is a musical response to a 2019 encounter with Gaudí’s vision, concentrating on three great facades of the building – Nativity, Passion and Glory. Blackford’s symphony was rich in colour but also vividly descriptive, his responses matched by an accompanying film, directed by the composer. Nativity began with awe-inspiring salvos from the brass but grew into a more intimate study, with elements of Hindemith and Berg in the orchestral writing, before a propulsive passage threw off the shackles. Passion was the emotional centrepiece, a vivid study in the brutality of the Good Friday story. Grotesque elements were emphasised by sudden closeups of Josep Maria Subirachs’s sculptures, their drawn expressions reflected in the music. The death of Christ was especially notable, marked by a solo of moving eloquence from cellist Martin Smith, then a sharp cry of dismay from Mark van de Wiel’s clarinet. Glory was less obviously jubilant than might have been expected, mystical and reverent, but again it was an accurate response to the imagery as the film briefly went inside the massive structure. Blackford’s imagery danced in the listener’s mind on its own merits, with the thrilling surge at the end, bolstered by the organ, reminiscent of Messiaen or Scriabin. David Hill secured a fine performance from the Philharmonia, bringing the splendour of Gaudí’s cathedral to the concert hall. The emphatic finish brought with it a reminder of the building’s likely completion in 2026, a mere 144 years after construction began! Arcana FM, Ben Hogwood
“…a confident, sincere work that knows exactly what it wants to say.”
There was far more focus in the world premiere of Richard Blackford’s La Sagrada Familia Symphony. Inspired by Gaudí’s basilica in Barcelona, this three-movement work was accompanied by a new film by the composer – an abstract, kaleidoscopic reflection of the building’s ornate geometry and religious symbolism. Multimedia concerts like this can often feel like more style than substance, but here the balance was just right. The visuals were atmospheric without being prescriptive, complementing the score rather than competing with it. Blackford’s music is unashamedly accessible – lush, rhythmically driven and cinematic in scope. But that’s not to say it lacks nuance. The first movement (reflecting the Nativity façade) opened with a quiet reverence, gradually unfolding into something warmer and more exultant. The second, darker and more angular, suggested the stark drama of the Passion façade, while the finale, built around a luminous ascending figure, reached towards the basilica’s unfinished glory with impressive restraint. There were no gimmicks, no overstatement – just a confident, sincere work that knows exactly what it wants to say. And crucially, it left space for the listener to respond. Hill conducted with clear affection, and the Philharmonia players gave the piece their full attention, drawing out both the grandeur and the intimacy in Blackford’s score. One hopes it won’t be long before it’s heard again. Music OMH, Keith McDonnell