The Old Warhorse
The composer Alexander Goehr discusses rise and fall of the Symphony.
The Reith Lectures · BBC Radio 4
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Show Notes
This year's lecturer is Professor of Music at the University of Cambridge Alexander Goehr. An English composer, his compositions, such as Psalm IV and The Deluge, have established him as an inspirational music creator. In his Reith Lecture series entitled 'The Survival of the Symphony', he explores what musicians have done to music.
In this lecture entitled 'The Old Warhorse', Alexander Goehr traces the importance of the symphony and its apparent fall from grace in the 20th century. He argues that despite many modern composers and performers being dissatisfied by the symphony, no one has been able to replace its richness and diversity.