The Symphony No. 7, Op. 113 by Malcolm Arnold was finished in

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

. It is in three movements: I. Allegro energico ("Katherine")
II. Andante con moto – Molto vivace – Lento ("Robert")
III. Allegro – Allegretto – Allegro – Allegretto – Allegro ("Edward") The score was largely written at Sir William Walton's home La Mortella on Ischia. Each movement is a portrait of one of his three children, to whom the work is dedicated. The work was commissioned by the New Philharmonia Orchestra. It was premiered by the composer on 5 May 1974 with the New Philharmonia Orchestra at the

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...

. , the manuscript is on deposit in the library of Eton College, having been discovered by Arnold's daughter for sale on eBay.

Instrumentation

The symphony is scored for 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, snare drum, tam-tam, cymbals (crash and suspended), wood block, whip, 2 cowbells, conga, bongos, 2 timbales, tubular bells, tenor drum, harp and strings.

Commercial recordings

*1991 Vernon Handley and the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

on Conifer Records 74321-15005-2 (re-released on Decca 4765337) *2001

Andrew Penny Andrew Jonathan Penny MBE (born 4 December 1952, Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England) is an English conductor. He has recorded a complete cycle of Malcolm Arnold's symphonies. From 1982 to 2022, he was Musical Director of the ...

and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra on

Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about 1 ...

8.552001 (recorded 21–22 February 2000, in the presence of the composer) *2001 Rumon Gamba and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra on

Chandos Records Chandos Records is a British independent classical music recording company based in Colchester. It was founded in 1979 by Brian Couzens.Martin Yates Martin Yates (born 1 July 1958, London) is a British conductor. After attending Kimbolton School (1969–1974), he studied at the Royal College of Music and Trinity College of Music, London, where his teachers included Bernard Keeffe (conducti ...

and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra on Dutton Vocalion Dutton Epoch CDLX7318

References

Faber Music page on the Symphony
{{Authority control Symphony No. 7 1973 compositions