Recordings

A wide selection of Tippett’s music is available to stream or download from the usual online repositories (iTunes, Spotify, etc). A Child of Our Time is his most recorded work, of which the version conducted by the composer, then nearing ninety, may be the most moving, though not the most energetic (Naxos 8.557570). Second-hand outlets must be searched for discs of his fourth opera, The Ice Break (Virgin Classics, 1991) and of his late masterpiece The Mask of Time (EMI, 1987). The first commercial recording of New Year, his final work for the stage, was released by NMC Recordings, featuring the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

See also: YouTube links and a curated Spotify playlist on this website.

Recent releases include:

New Year; BBC Scottish Symphony and soloists, conducted by Martyn Brabbins. NMC Recordings, 2025

Piano Concerto & Symphony No. 2; London Philharmonic Orchestra and Steven Osborne, conducted by Edward Gardner. LPO Live, 2024

The Midsummer Marriage; London Philharmonic Orchestra and soloists, conducted by Edward Gardner. LPO Live, 2022

Symphonies 3, 4 & B flat; BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Martyn Brabbins. Hyperion, 2019.

Symphonies Nos 1 & 2; BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Martyn Brabbins. Hyperion, 2018

The Complete String Quartets; Heath Quartet. Wigmore Live, 2015.

The following box sets are also recommended as offering a wide survey of Tippett’s work:

Tippett: Orchestral and Chamber Works (six CDs: Decca, 475 6750)

Tippett: Vocal Music (four CDs: Decca, 475 717-2)