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Susan Spain-Dunk

Suite for String Orchestra

First section of manuscript of Suite for string orchestra by Susan Spain-Dunk

Susan composed this Suite for String Orchestra in 1923. It was the first piece she conducted at a Promenade Concert, on 21 August 1924. The Morning Post reported on 23 August 1924 that ‘her Suite is good music with the additional quality of being scholarly’.

A modern recording of Suite for String Orchestra, edited by Peter Cigleris, was created by the Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim, conducted by Douglas Bostock, on their album British Music for Strings, Vol. 3, CPO CX 5457, 2021.

A reviewer of this album felt that Suite for string orchestra “has some astonishing pre-echoes of much later work by Finzi” (Kevin Mandry, British Music Society, 2022).

Listen

Section titled “Listen”

I. Prelude. Moderato

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II. Interlude

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III. Romance. Andante con espressione

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IV. Scherzo. Presto e spicato

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V. Finale. Lento ma non troppo

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Performed by the Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim, conducted by Douglas Bostock. Edited by Peter Cigleris. From the album British Music for Strings, Vol. 3, CPO CX 5457, 2021.