Earlier this morning, while drifting through the fantastic world of Naxos Music Library, I stumbled across something quite unexpected.
As a long-time fan of Arthur Sullivan’s music — the Kevin Kline-headed Pirates of Penzance is a staple in the Susanka household — I have been aware of (if not quite familiar with) his “serious” music. Yet I was surprised (and pleased) to discover that his early compositional years produced a symphony.
The Symphony in E Major, known simply as “the Irish,” was the only one Sullivan ever composed. It bears a more-than-passing resemblance to the symphonic efforts of both Schubert and Mendelssohn, and while lacking the excellence achieved by both those masters, there is certainly enough here to enjoy that I am disappointed he never found the time to write another.
Orthodox. Faithful. Free.
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YouTube is unhelpful on the matter — I believe there have been only a handful of recordings of the work ever made — so we must turn to Rhapsody. Naxos’ own recording also features Pineapple Poll, a ballet of Gilbert and Sullivan themes arranged by one of their greatest advocates, Sir Charles Mackerras. Its’ discovery is nowhere near as exciting, though; I’d suggest skipping right to the final four tracks.