theoutlaws
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Registered: 07-2006
Location: Scotland
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Durham album review
a review of the concerto:
The Times
"In the small but growing field of pop stars who, in their dotage, write classical music, Lord is a clear leader.
Commissioned by Durham University for a work celebrating the city, he has composed a six-movement, three-part concerto with considerable if underdeveloped skill. He quotes Brahms, and constructs a competent fugato in the fifth movement. Mischa Damev conducts the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, while the solo cellist Matthew Barley evokes Elgar and the violinist Ruth Palmer Vaughan Williams. Elsewhere, the piper Kathryn Tickell summons the city to work, and Lord on organ twice fails to suppress his crudely exciting 1970s rock persona. (4 out of 5 stars)"
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8/2/2008, 0:03
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David Meadows
The Fountain Of Useless Knowledge
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Re: Durham album review
MusicWeb International has this:
At the most meagre level this is a beautifully packaged delightful musical souvenir of Durham University's 175th anniversary in 2007. The concept might remind you of John Scott’s Colchester Symphony but this is in fact a seriously-intentioned extended orchestral suite of six movements grouped in pairs.
At the start long-held Tallis-like string chords speak out of the mists of antiquity. This is music that takes a slow-shifting shading from Hovhaness. The glistening murmur forms a backdrop to meditative solos from the wind instruments. Then at 3.10 comes Ruth Palmer's Lark-like violin solo speaking as a fragile human voice against the downward remorseless tread of time. Given the accent of this first movement it is some surprise that Lord was not among those pop-contemporary world musicians interviewed for Tony Palmer’s recent RVW film-biography. As this movement, entitled Cathedral at Dawn, rises to its peak it is the notable ecstasy of Vaughan Williams that is most closely echoed.
The composer's Hammond organ is featured in four of the six movements. It ushers in the second (Durham Awakes) with its atmospheric solo for Northumbrian Pipes. The pipes are played by that doyenne of the instrument Kathryn Tickell. Matthew Barley's solo cello acts as orator and encourager in this Copland-inflected music but ancient and melancholically serene voices from the Pipes – unable to escape celtic connections - and the solo violin are there too. The Hammond also intercedes at several points. This movement proves a fine example of the successful interweave of pipes, cello and violin.
Those first two movements form Part 1: Morning. Then comes Afternoon in the shape of another two movements. The first reflects the spiritual journey of St Cuthbert and the physical journey of his mortal remains to interment in the Cathedral. It communicates as a slow revelatory sunset much in the same atmosphere as the Dawn. This is followed by the equally introspective, cello-led From Prebends Bridge. Here the composer had in mind the view from the Bridge and the innumerable people who have stood and taken in that view down a thousand years.
The cello solo once or twice seems rather meandering before it gathers itself for a more direct and emotionally hard-hitting address. The music here reminded me of the Elgar concerto, Rubbra's Soliloquy and Holst's Invocation. Then comes a much needed rowdy movement in which students on a rag day and a miners gala meet head on. The brassy whoops here reminded me of Arnold. Again Lord's Hammond is to the fore, lending dynamism to its usual watery discourse - it's the nature of the instrument. There's plenty of forward pulse here and the orchestra have fun with the pizzicato writing. The Arnold accent appears strongly at 4:12 onwards with something of the Commonwealth Christmas Overture to be heard as well as a nicely burred and brassy Gaudeamus Igitur at 6:21. History takes hold again at the end of the movement and those sustained string chords reassert the long view. The Pipes invoke the sorrowing melancholy of heritage morphing without break into the long meditative finale: Durham Nocturne.
I hope we will hear more of Lord's classical compositions including the suite for strings, Disguises (2004) and the piano concerto Boom of the Tingling Strings (2003). Both are due out from EMI later in 2008. What else remains to be recorded?
The concept of the present piece and the use of an 'ethnic' instrument recall, as an idea, Shaun Davey's works – especially The Relief of Derry Symphony and The Brendan Voyage.
The playing throughout the Durham Concerto is sensitive and glowing with much accomplished and thoughtful work for the solo instruments. The recording produces an almost tangible effect without embracing an in-your-face pop balance.
Here is an extended work of continuity across six substantial movements. The predominant meditative character will instantly mesh with those who love John Barry’s Beyondness of Things, Tavener and Vaughan Williams.
Rob Barnett
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2008/Jan08/Lord_AV2145.htm
--- The End of the Road -- Issue #48 of Heroes (the comic book without pictures) now on line. |
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8/2/2008, 9:11
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Happy Hammond
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Registered: 12-2005
Location: At the piano or at the bar!
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Re: Durham album review
One time Tory boy and now some time Classic FM "D.J." David Mellor said he was dissapointed and likened it to "glorified film music" he gave it 2 stars.
Well...we all know how disappointed his wife was when she found he'd been having an affair, then had to loyally stand by as the press went to town on him as he lied his way deeper and deeper into political obscurity!
A disgrace to the Cheslea FC colours if you ask me! (That's Mellor, not Jon - obviously!)
Tosser!
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It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.
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8/2/2008, 20:34
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theoutlaws
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Registered: 07-2006
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Re: Durham album review
God save me from defending Tories  , however I remember an interview with The Sun 'journalist' that ran the 'Chelsea' sex story about Mellor years after the event.
He admitted that, whilst yes, Mellor was having an affair, the stories about Chelsea tops/sex games etc was a complete fabrication (a lie m'lud). Of course Mellor was in a position where any answer - even a denial - would simply have begged the question 'Ok, what were you doing then'.
What a sad little episode in the heroic history of journalism that someone as small-fry as Mellor should have his entire career wrecked over a situation I couldnt give rats ass about, so a newspaper could destroy him with lies. Aye, wheres yer freedom noo?!
If he didnt like, ah well. Not sure why he thinks its 'film music', too episodic possibly?
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8/2/2008, 22:08
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