It’s fortunate that Lulu at Den Norske Opera was the last stop on the “Regietournee,” because honestly anything after that would have amounted to an anticlimax. If there is a more brilliant director working in opera today than Stefan Herheim, well, maybe I shouldn’t see any of his work, because it might be too much for the human brain to absorb. (more…)
Archive for April 28th, 2011
She sees dead people
Thursday, April 28th, 2011Here Comes the Bride
Thursday, April 28th, 2011By Keith Clarke
There is a fair likelihood that the rest of the world is little interested in Princess Diana’s son William getting hitched to an English lass whose extended family includes a cousin who runs a fish and chip shop. On the other hand, the airport arrivals halls seem to be pretty busy and people have been camping outside Westminster Abbey ready for tomorrow’s nuptials. Suddenly, London is the place to be, so I’m getting out of it. Had I got my act together and let out my apartment before heading out of town tonight it would probably have kept me in turkey dinners for the rest of the year.
While the music business toyed with the great unknown of which stirring tunes would make it on to the order of service, one thing we did know was that the happy couple had shunned the notion of getting a few notes out of the Master of the Queen’s Music. Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, for it is he, told today’s Times: “I was put on standby, but it seems that Prince William and Kate don’t want me. I’ve had no part in the music at all. But that’s all right. I’m Master of the Queen’s Music, not theirs.”
Max throws a graceful huff (fairly often), and is quite a magnet for publicity. But the timing of this flap of the wrists was interesting, for no sooner had we digested the Times piece than the royals sent us all a press release detailing the music for the wedding. And guess what? It contains a lovely piece by the Master: Veni Creator Spiritus.
For many, that might be enough information already. But for those who still harbour memories of the UK as a cosy crumpets-for-tea nation with Big Ben, Tower Bridge, red buses and smiling policemen in silly helmets, here is the full announcement of music for the match of the year:
Music for the Wedding Service
Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton are pleased to announce the music for their Wedding Service. The music has a largely British theme. The Couple have put considerable thought into selecting the music, and their choices blend traditional music with some newly commissioned pieces.
Before the Service
The music before the Service will begin with a selection of organ pieces: Fantasia in G (Pièce d’orgue à 5) by Johann Sebastian Bach, followed by Veni Creator Spiritus by the Master of The Queen’s Music, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies; Prelude on St. Columba Op. 28 by Sir Charles Villiers Stanford and Sonata for Organ Op. 28 (Allegro maestoso and Allegretto) by Edward Elgar.
Following this will be seven orchestral pieces:
Serenade for Strings in E minor Op. 20 (Allegro piacevole, Larghetto and Allegretto) by Edward Elgar
Courtly Dance V: Galliard from Gloriana (Symphonic Suite) Op. 53a no. 7 by Benjamin Britten
Fantasia on Greensleeves by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Farewell to Stromness by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring by Frederick Delius
Touch Her Soft Lips and Part from Henry V Suite by William Walton
Romance for String Orchestra Op. 11 by Gerald Finzi
Three of these pieces – Farewell to Stromness, Touch Her Soft Lips and Part and Romance for String Orchestra Op. 11 – were played at the Service of Prayer and Dedication for The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall in 2005. The Couple specifically chose these pieces for that reason. The final piece of music before the Service begins continues the broadly British theme: Canzona from Organ Sonata in C minor by Percy Whitlock.
Processional Music
The Service will begin with a Fanfare by The State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry to mark the arrival of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh. The Fanfare will be followed by three Processionals. For the Procession of The Queen, Prince William and Miss Middleton have chosen March from The Birds by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry. Prelude on Rhosymedre by Ralph Vaughan Williams will accompany the Procession of the Clergy, and was chosen for its Welsh echoes. The Couple have selected ‘I was Glad’, also by Parry, for the Procession of the Bride.
Hymns
Prince William and Miss Middleton have chosen three hymns for the Service: ‘Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer’, words by William Williams, translated by Peter Williams and others, and music by John Hughes. The second will be ‘Love Divine All Love Excelling’, words by Charles Wesley and music by William Penfro Rowlands. The third will be ‘Jerusalem’, by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, words by William Blake. All three hymns have been chosen because they are favourites of the Couple.
The Anthem and Motet
The Anthem, ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made’, has been composed specially for the occasion by John Rutter. It was commissioned by Westminster Abbey as a wedding present for Prince William and Miss Middleton and will be performed by both the Choir of Westminster Abbey and the Chapel Royal Choir. Mr. Rutter is a British composer, conductor, editor and arranger who specialises in choral music.
The Anthem will be followed by the Motet ‘Ubi caritas’ by Paul Mealor, a Welsh composer, who is currently Reader in Composition at The University of Aberdeen.
Mr. Mealor’s composing studio is on the Isle of Anglesey, where Prince William and Miss Middleton live. This version of ‘Ubi caritas’ was written on Anglesey and premiered at the University of St. Andrews in November 2010.
The National Anthem will be sung immediately before the Signing of the Registers.
The Signing of the Registers and the Recessional
During the Signing of the Registers, the choirs will sing ‘Blest pair of Sirens’, words by John Milton from At a Solemn Musick, music by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry.
Following the Signing, there will be a Fanfare by the Fanfare Team from the Central Band of the Royal Air Force. The Fanfare, called Valiant and Brave, after the motto of No. 22 Squadron (Search and Rescue Force) was specially composed for this Service by Wing Commander Duncan Stubbs, Principal Director of Music in the Royal Air Force.
The Recessional, for the Procession of the Bride and Bridegroom, will be Crown Imperial by William Walton. Toccata from Symphonie V by Charles-Marie Widor and Pomp and Circumstance March no. 5 by Edward Elgar will follow the Service.
An Experience To Be Missed?
Thursday, April 28th, 2011by Edna Landau
To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.
The following question comes from an individual whom I had the joy and privilege of representing in the early days of his career. My first exposure to his conducting was with the Haddonfield (New Jersey) Symphony. While I could predict even then that he would go on to great things, the music directorship of the New York Philharmonic and the directorship of conducting and orchestral studies at the Juilliard School were still far-away dreams. I am honored that he has chosen to write to “Ask Edna.”
Dear Edna:
I have enjoyed reading your advice column on musicalamerica.com.
I have a question that I have often been asked by young conductors, and I have a feeling that your insight, experience and thoughtful approach may shed very useful light for many people early in their conducting careers.
Experience in front of orchestras is obviously crucially important for any conductor —is there a level of orchestra below which one should not go just in order to get experience? That is to say, to put it bluntly, when does the experience of conducting a not very accomplished orchestra become worse than not having a chance to conduct at all? —Alan Gilbert
Dear Alan:
Thanks so much for writing in to my blog. I’m glad you have enjoyed reading it.
I have thought a great deal about your question and I don’t think there is one all-encompassing answer. It depends on the conductor and the stage in his or her career that we are considering.
Conductors obviously differ in one major way from other performing artists: they cannot practice and perfect their craft without a group of musicians in front of them. For some, this process begins at school. The quality of school orchestras can be quite high, sometimes affording the conductor a chance to try things out at a level that may be more advanced than what they would encounter in the field. At the same time, a school environment is somewhat compromised, since fellow students have a predisposition to go the extra mile and to give their very best for one of their own. Some aspiring conductors start their careers without even the benefit of a school orchestra with whom to work. Obviously, for those conductors, working with almost any orchestra is better than not working at all.
There are certain basics of conducting that any young conductor must master and part of that process is trial and error. A certain amount of experience with lower-level orchestras at the start of a career would seem beneficial, if only to gauge the efficacy of certain gestures and to try out different rehearsal techniques. Of course, there can come a point in a rehearsal when a player is consistently late with an entrance and it may be unclear to the conductor whether this is the player’s fault or his own. Even if the conductor is sure it isn’t his or her fault, succeeding in getting the desired outcome will serve him well in future orchestral encounters. Accepting these engagements is also very important because any young conductor has a formidable amount of repertoire to learn and trying it out in less exposed situations is virtually a “must.”
In my experience, it is a relatively small number of conductors who move quickly up the ladder by virtue of word of mouth or who begin their careers working with a fairly high level orchestra. Some might create their own orchestra and gain experience that way. Many others will only attract attention after having demonstrated that they have had significant conducting experience. Their resume will be their primary sales tool and it will need to show some heft. There are conductors who might be able to demonstrate that they have had experience in conducting educational and outreach concerts which could weigh in their favor as they apply for higher positions. I believe that the best approach during the early years is never to lose sight of the higher rungs of the ladder and to do everything possible to reach them, but also, to plant one’s feet firmly on the lower steps, taking in every opportunity to learn along the way.
As conductors advance in their career, the type of experience they need to gain changes. A higher level orchestra will afford them a greater opportunity to explore interpretive nuances and a broader range of color. They will use their rehearsal time differently and make adjustments in how they address the players. If they don’t get the results they are seeking, it may become clearer that they need to re-examine their own technique. During this particular growth period, it would probably be beneficial to limit the number of lower level orchestra engagements, perhaps making exceptions for orchestras who gave them a chance early in their career or who are interested in special projects that are meaningful to the conductor but not yet an option with a more prominent ensemble.
I discussed your question with conductor Jeffrey Kahane, who focused on the human side of it. He said that “working with an amateur orchestra reminds us that amateur music-making is important to our artistic culture.” I believe this takes on heightened significance in a time when we are struggling to build audiences for classical music. He also said that working with a community orchestra, for example, “might not significantly help your career or technique but it will reinforce who you are as a musician and your purpose as a musician.” Anyone who has attended concerts by such orchestras has witnessed the tremendous dedication of the players and their love for music-making, which may not be their primary occupation. Audiences are unfailingly inspired by this and conductors would do well to carry a little of it along with them, wherever their career path may lead.
To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.
© Edna Landau 2011