Rediscovering Tippett's music

Ah, vinyl. 33 and a third RPM.

I've been listening recently to Sir Michael Tippett's music in the latest audio format - Spotify - but today I luxuriated with some vintage vinyl.

I first encountered Tippett back in the late 60s when I joined the World Record Club. I knew nothing of classical music so I stabbed a pin into the list... a disc with Prokofiev's Visions Fugitives arranged for string orchestra and Tippett's Concerto for Double String Orchestra.

Pow! What was this about? Music that sounded back-to-front but throbbing with rhythm and invention. A dozen things going on all at once.

Ten years later and my love of Tippett had grown to a collection of LPs and dozens of cassette recordings of Radio 3 broadcasts.

The piece by him that I love the most is the Second Symphony. 30 years on and we meet again on new-fangled Spotify. Hello old friend. It's been a while and now I can't get you out of my head.