REPRINT SERIES

 Alan Rawsthorne’s Symphonic Studies is a large-scale orchestral work completed in 1938 and first performed at the ISCM Festival in Warsaw in 1939. It was one of the pieces that established his reputation early on, and Rawsthorne’s own materials and later commentary treat it as a major breakthrough in his orchestral writing. The score is for a large orchestra, including expanded woodwind and brass, timpani, percussion, celesta, harp, and strings.

The piece is often described as concerto-like in its treatment of the orchestra, with different sections given prominent, soloistic roles rather than being used only as a massed sound. Its formal design is tightly worked and strongly connected by recurring thematic material, which gives the music both drive and unity. In that sense, Symphonic Studies shows Rawsthorne’s characteristic combination of clarity, concise argument, and concentrated orchestral color.