I have had immense enjoyment reviewing the recordings of
works by British composer, Peter
Seabourne www.peterseabourne.com
which I have found to be ‘compelling’ (Steps Volume 5: Sixteen Scenes before a
Crucifixion) and ‘powerful and emotional’ (Pietà for viola and piano) (see
links below for reviews).
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| The Sick Rose No. 5 by Azadeh Razaghdoost © www.azadehrazaghdoost.com |
Following on from the world premiere of his Piano Concerto No. 2 that received a
tumultuous reception at Prague’s Martinů Hall (view at: https://youtu.be/T0mLc2MNenM) Peter Seabourne’s Symphony of Roses received its triumphant world premiere on 18th
May 2016, performed by the Biel Solothurn Theatre Orchestra, Switzerland www.tobs.ch/de/home conducted
by Kaspar Zehnder www.kasparzehnder.com , the composer called back to the platform
many times.
Peter Seabourne’s Symphony of Roses was written
between 2011and 2014. Lasting around thirty minutes, its first two movements
were influenced by William Butler Yeats’ poems, The Rose of Battle www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/rose-battle
and The
Rose of Peace www.bartleby.com/336/667.html
. It was a painting by the poet’s brother, Jack Yeats, A Rose Among Many Waters, www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/yeats-a-rose-among-many-waters-t12918
that gave inspiration for the third and last movement.
Woodwind and brass weave a motif around bell chimes in the
opening of The Rose of Battle before pizzicato
strings join. The music pulls itself up into a longer breathed theme for strings
with the Biel Solothurn Theatre Orchestra under Kaspar Zehnder providing a fine
tautness of phrasing. The music seems to hover between pensive and more
expansive passages, full of drama and increasing emotional heft. Soon there is
a slackening of tension as a passage of intense sadness arrives. The music
develops through a passage for woodwind, brass and pizzicato strings before
gaining in weight in the lower orchestra. Bells are heard whilst a cor-anglais
takes the melody, rising to a tremendously dramatic peak only to find a more
relaxed gentle sad passage out of which a glorious melody emerges. The composer
pulls together so many strands with pizzicato strings and bells appearing,
before a side drum is heard. There is a wonderfully conceived passage where a
myriad of instruments feed through the orchestral tapestry. The music increases
in agitation, pointed up by side drum, finding much power before arriving at a
series of incisive chords. The music suddenly lightens, there is the briefest
of rests before a wonderfully glowing passage arrives where the cor anglais is
heard, hushed bells then appearing in the in the coda.
A lone clarinet opens The
Rose of Peace with a little questioning motif before the orchestra moves
with the celeste adding a gentle line in music of intense yearning. A cor-anglais weaves through the strings in
this lovely theme, finding some exquisite moments with beautifully shaped ideas.
Soon the music finds a strength as it rises, only to fall back with intense
melancholy. A little string ensemble
weaves a lovely passage, shot through with woodwind before a lovely moment when
a trumpet appears over the strings. The clarinet appears with its opening motif
with a harp accompaniment as we are led to a quite wonderful hushed coda with chiming
of bells.
There is an unsettled nature to the final movement, A Rose Among Many Waters, which opens with
fast moving, vibrant pizzicato strings. These are soon joined by woodwind
before the orchestra takes the theme in a more flowing passage. The pizzicato
strings return before brass enter as the music increases in strength. There are
pounding outbursts as the orchestral weight increases but soon the music falls
to a melancholy passage for strings out of which woodwind bring some lovely
phrases. A trumpet brings a heart rending theme over anxious strings before brass
rise up bringing stabbing phrases. The strings lead quickly ahead, the
orchestra getting increasingly dramatic with bass drum strokes. Bells chimes
appear in a luminescent moment before the orchestra takes us to the sudden coda
on a bass drum stroke.
This symphony is a tremendous work, full of drama, strength,
poetry and intense tragedy, wonderfully structured. It is a work that reveals
even more with repeated listening. It received a remarkably fine performance
from Kaspar Zehnder and the Biel Solothurn Theatre Orchestra.
The whole symphony can be heard as part of a complete
concert broadcast by SRF
http://www.srf.ch/play/radio/popupaudioplayer?id=2e272d36-433f-4c1b-bd98-f2d31a936af3
(57 minutes into broadcast for the Symphony of Roses).
The second movement can be seen in a video available on
YouTube at:
See also:
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