BRIDGE: The Sea

The Sea, H.100 is an orchestral suite written in 1910–11 by Frank Bridge. It is also described as a symphonic tone poem. It lasts about 22 minutes. Bridge completed the work in July 1911, while staying at the Sussex coastal town of Eastbourne. This was the same place where Claude Debussy had finished his own musical evocation of the sea, the symphonic poem La mer (The Sea), in 1905. Bridge was to die at Friston near Eastbourne in 1941. The Sea received its first performance at a Prom Concert in London on 24 September 1912, with the New Queen's Hall Orchestra conducted by Sir Henry Wood. The composer himself conducted the Cleveland Orchestra, Detroit Symphony and Boston Symphony premieres after the First World War. Bridge also conducted a recording of the suite. Later recordings have been conducted by Sir Charles Groves, Vernon Handley and Richard Hickox. 1. Seascape: Allegro ben moderato "Seascape paints the sea on a summer morning. From high drifts is seen a great expanse of waters lying in the sunlight. Warm breezes play over the surface." 2. Sea Foam: Allegro vivo "Sea-foam froths among the low-lying rocks and pools on the shore, playfully not stormy." 3. Moonlight: Adagio non troppo "A calm sea at night. The first moonbeams are struggling to pierce through dark clouds, which eventually pass over, leaving the sea shimmering in full moonlight." 4. Storm: Allegro energico – Allegro moderato e largamente "Wind, rain and tempestuous seas, with the lulling of the storm an [allusion] to the first number is heard and which may be regarded as the sea-lover's dedication to the sea." WIKIPEDIA

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