Born near Manchester, of German/Irish descent, English
composer, Alec Roth studied music at
the University of Durham, where he was awarded the Scott Prize and gamelan at
the Academy of Indonesian Performing Arts (ASKI) in Surakarta, Central Java.
From 1986 to 1989 he was holder of the Collard Fellowship,
and in 2000 received a major grant to further his composition work from the
Gulbenkian Foundation. He has been Founder/Artistic Director of the Royal
Festival Hall Gamelan Programme and South Bank Gamelan Players (1987-91); Music
Director of the Baylis Programme at English National Opera (1988-93); Composer
in Association, Opera North (1994-96); and Lecturer in Music, University of
Edinburgh (2002-03).
Now working as a freelance composer, his collaborations with
the Indian writer Vikram Seth include the song cycles Chinese Gardens (Chester Festival commission 1998) and Romantic Residues (Bury St Edmunds
Festival commission 2003) and Earth and
Sky for children’s chorus (BBC commission for the Proms 2000 season).
Vikram Seth was also the librettist for Arion and the Dolphin, commissioned by English National Opera and
premiered in the Royal Navy Dockyard, Plymouth in 1994. Subsequent productions
have taken place in Singapore, Nottingham and Rotterdam.
Other works include a version of Shakespeare's The Tempest with gamelan (1989); Gretel and Hansel (1988), The Big Wash Cycle (1994); All Summer in a Day (1996) and four
commissions for the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Departure of the Queen of Sheba (1999) for oboe, cor anglais and
string orchestra, Nocturne (2000) for
viola and string orchestra; Concertino
Piccolo (2006) for string orchestra with two groups of young violinists;
and Concerto for Guitar and String
Orchestra (2010).
Between 2006 and 2009 he completed The Rivered Earth, a sequence of four major works created in
collaboration with Vikram Seth and violinist Philippe Honoré, co-commissioned
by the Salisbury, Chelsea and Lichfield Festivals. The first, Songs in Time of War, for tenor (Mark
Padmore), violin, harp and guitar, the second, a pair of works – Shared Ground for unaccompanied choir
(Ex Cathedra) and Ponticelli for solo
violin – was premiered in 2007. The third, The
Traveller, an oratorio for violin, tenor, choir, children’s choir and
orchestra (Britten Sinfonia) received its first performance in Salisbury
Cathedral in May 2008. The series was completed with Seven Elements for tenor (James Gilchrist) and piano (Rustem
Hayroudinoff) and Seven Elements Suite
for violin and piano in 2009.
2010 saw the first performance
of Alec Roth’s String Quartet No.2, soon followed by String Quartets No.3 and 4,
all written for the Allegri Quartet www.allegriquartet.org.uk and
premiered by them between 2010 and 2013. The Allegri Quartet have now recorded
these three quartets for Nimbus www.wyastone.co.uk/all-labels/nimbus/nimbus-alliance.html
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| NI 6321 |
String Quartet No.2 was
commissioned by James and Lis Woods and first performed by the Allegri Quartet
in St Thomas’ Church, Salisbury on 23rd May 2010 as part of the Salisbury
Festival. In five movements, it explores ideas relating to waiting.
In Waiting (1) a repeated string motif is taken forward
out of which a theme develops. Despite its ever changing lines, the underlying
motif does bring a feel of anticipation or waiting, of time constantly
revolving. Here the Allegri Quartet weaves some very fine textures. A pizzicato
violin motif introduces Dancing (1),
a fast moving rhythmic motif for the Quartet, each line dancing freely and
forming a terrific whole. Soon bowed phrases arrive but the pizzicato returns
providing a terrific spring to the rhythm. Eventually a wailing string motif is
heard above the players but the pizzicato phrases dance ahead to bring the coda.
This is a movement of terrific invention played with great panache.
Singing opens
quietly and slowly on a long drawn, drone like phrase from the viola and cello
before the Quartet slowly draw the music up. They create a terrific intensity as
the theme is brought to a passionate peak before falling back. The Allegri
Quartet provides some very fine sonorities before falling to a halt on a final
chord.
Dancing (2) opens
brightly and joyously with a repeated motif that is soon developed, each instrument
bringing new textures to vary the music. As it develops there are some terrific
moments as the individual instruments add details, all the while weaving a very
fine tapestry of sound and often finding a terrific rhythmic energy. After the
experience of the central three movement we find ourselves ‘waiting’ again, as
the Quartet bring the sonorous chords of Waiting
(2), full of fine textures, with pizzicato phrases to add to the texture
and remind us of what has gone before. Indeed with the long drawn chords and
many little details this final movement seems to recall so much of what has
gone before until moving to an exquisite hushed coda.
String Quartet No.3
'Autumnal' was also commissioned
by James and Lis Woods and first performed by the Allegri Quartet at St
Thomas’s Church, Salisbury on 4th June 2013 as part of the Salisbury Festival.
It is based around a setting by the composer of poem by John Donne ‘No spring
nor summer beauty hath such grace, As I have seen in one autumnal face.’ The
first of its four movements is Prelude
where vibrant pizzicato chords open a striding repeated motif that soon slows
to bring a rich deep cello theme. This fine melody demonstrates just what a
gift Roth has for melody. The theme is shared around the players with, later, a
sudden violin outburst full of passion over pizzicato phrases from the rest of
the quartet. The violin weaves the melody ahead, soon taken by all the players before
the gentle coda is reached.
The viola introduces a fine theme in Serenade joined by all the players as they add fine harmonies and
textures. It is one of those themes that stick in the mind, beautifully
revealed by the Allegri Quartet. Soon they bring a quizzical section with
pizzicato phrases over which a rich theme is played. Eventually a tango rhythm
is revealed that has been there all along. Later the music slows to a longer
viola melody supported by the rest of the quartet in a rather sultry version of
the theme before eventually the opening theme leads to the coda.
After the dance rhythms of the Serenade in the third
movement, Dance, pizzicato strings
rise over a cello chord to a motoric rhythm with ever unfolding layers, rising
to an intense brilliance as the Allegri Quartet adds incisive layers in this
fast moving movement. The music eventually gains the feel of a frantic Eastern
dance - before suddenly dropping to pizzicato phrases. The motoric rhythm
returns, over which the theme appears before racing, with just a very brief
respite, to the coda.
Meditation brings
a slow, melancholy theme that has a plodding pizzicato pulse in the cello.
These players bring fine textures with a gently anguished sound appearing as
the music rises in passion in a fine melody. There are some lovely rich
textures before falling to a shimmering texture as the coda arrives.
The composer tells us that he moved from London to Malvern
in 2011. Despite being composed during his walks on the Malvern Hills his String Quartet No.4 'On Malvern Hills' is
quite abstract. However, Roth tells us that he has incorporated thematic
material form Elgar’s works extensively transforming them. Commissioned by the
Malvern Concert Club the Allegri Quartet gave the first performance at the
Forum Theatre, Malvern on 26th September 2013.
Fleeting opens
with a repeated motif that soon varies in rhythm and is overlaid with new
textures. The music rises suddenly with some broad chords, full of deep
sonority and wonderful textures. The opening motif returns soon to be developed
into a softer, gentler version with some very fine individual string lines. The
repeated opening motif returns frequently throughout but is always quickly
overlaid with other lines and harmonies, constantly developing before finding a
rich sonorous coda with repeated chords.
Bright brings a series
of bright sounding chords against a fast moving motif before falling to a
slower yet still rhythmic theme. The theme is taken forward and woven through a
myriad of variations. There are some particularly rather beautiful passages before
the opening chords return only to be developed with even bolder, richer
harmonies and textures before a rich, gentle coda.
The cello opens Dark with
a slowly rising mournful theme before the other strings suddenly bring a
lighter buoyant theme to which the cello eventually joins. Soon the cello again
brings its deep, rich mournful theme to which the other strings join,
apparently giving way to the more sombre ideas of the cello. However, they
cannot be held back and soon return with the more buoyant theme before finding
a settled compromise to end.
Ambling opens slowly
and quietly with each instrument
finding its own variant of the theme. The music achieves a lovely pace very
much reflecting the title, though with little pauses that suggest a pause to
look around. There are some subtle variations of rhythm in this overall sunny
movement, full of great textural variety and well-conceived variations. There
is a little tune that seems to reveal itself as familiar before the music rises
up high as a lovely version of the theme is played by the first violin and the
hushed coda arrives.
Listeners will surely hear hints of familiar themes yet, so
closely are they woven into Roth’s textures and ideas, one is never quite
sure.
These are an impressive group of quartets, full of fine
ideas, textures and rhythms. As would be expected, the Allegri Quartet give
first rate performances.
They are finely recorded by Tony Faulkner at Pamoja Hall,
The SPACE, Sevenoaks School, England. There are useful notes from the composer.
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