Phoenix Rising Received warmly in London and Bristol
Robbie Guthrie
Last week the LSO and Maestro Antonio Pappano performed Thea’s 1997 work Phoenix Rising in London and Bristol in performances which have gone down a treat with the UK audiences. Get a snapshot of the performances and a summary of reviews we’ve spotted here!
In a little over 20 minutes it enacts a journey from darkness to light, from turbulence to peace: the disruptive timpanist (shades of Nielsen’s Fourth) and four percussionists batter away at drums of various sizes, transferring – as the phoenix rose – to mostly tuned percussion and sounds of the utmost delicacy. There was a theatrical element, decorous rather than dramatic: the hero (the principal horn) began offstage, while the villain (the timpanist) ruled the roost; when the horn appeared on the stage the rest of his section stood (a briefly Mahlerian moment); and as he joined them the timpanist retreated offstage the other side of the platform, his distant drums reduced to a desultory muttering.
Musgrave’s music is never less than interesting, and often compelling, as it moves from jarring dissonance via romantic intensity to shimmering calm. It is skilfully written – even in the loudest passages we could always hear what the strings were doing – and there were telling solos for flute and piccolo, cor anglais and contrabassoon, violin and cello. Timpanist, percussionists and solo horn – virtuosos all – richly deserved their ovations.
Chris Kettle - Seen and Heard International
15/12/2025
A 23-minute rollercoaster, it pits a blackguardly timpanist and his stick-wielding allies against a devil-may-care hornist and his brassy backup band…
…Pappano and the London Symphony Orchestra gave it a thorough workout with marimba, vibraphone, glockenspiel, xylophone and tubular bells creating a magical aura. The musicians certainly revelled in its prickly harmonies, though the theatrical elements might have been pushed further.
Clive Paget - The Guardian
13/12/2025
Phoenix Rising is one of Thea Musgrave’s most electrifying and adventurous scores, blazing an incandescent trail at the start of this concert of British music.
The Hackney Gazette