Otaka BBC NOW Huw Watkins and Rachmaninov

Tadaaki Otaka, photo: Masuhide Sato, courtesy Askonas Holt

Huw Watkins The Moon at the Proms, Tadaaki Otaka conducting BBC National Orchestra of Wales, tyhe BBC National Chorus of Wales and the Philhamonia Voices.  It's real music, thank goodness, not made-to-order to fit BBC obsessions with non-musical targets. To prepare, Tōru Takemitsu's Twill by Twilight, a very good choice since it worked  with Watkins’s The Moon.  The programme, however, didn't at first seem to cohere. The Polovtsian Dances from Borodin's Prince Igor and Rachmaninov's The Bells on the surface bear little relation to the refined sensibility of Takemitsu and Watkins, but Otaka's performance showed why the two parts combined : bell-like sounds, obviously, but also more, of which, please read below.
Watkins is so well known that he hardly needs an introduction. And neither does Takemitsu, revered by many, including Oliver Knussen. Watkins has established a strong track record, as performer as well as composer.  Read his bio here from Schott,  his publishers. The Moon is a new venture in the sense that he's done lots of work for orchestra and chamber ensemble, but relatively little large scale work for chorus and orchestra. "Inspired by the fiftieth anniversary of the moon landing this year, my
new work for chorus and orchestra uses favourite poems by Percy B.
Shelley, Philip Larkin and Walt Whitman to explore the sense of wonder we identify with the moon and space. The piece tries to capture our experience of viewing the moon from Earth, and is also somehow about looking back at us here on Earth from above."  Bright, face-moving rivulets of sound - winds used to good effect - , introduce and illuminate the first choral section, where text is set so the words are occluded, in darkness, so to speak, suggesting mysteries. If the setting also evokes ancient hymnal, that, too, is reasonable : man has always revered, and feared, the unknown. I liked the way the highest voices in the choir "took off", so to speak, ascending over the mass. In the central orchestral interlude, bell-like percussion  and clear-toned winds created atmosphere, but there's more to this piece than impressionism. Forceful, dominant chords suggest the power of invisible forces - the moon may be distant and small but it controls the tides of the oceans on Earth. The music waxes and wanes, pulsating with a steady flow.  Zig zag figures (strings) dart : liveliness against a darker background. The instrumentation includes celeste, glockenspiel, and organ, for deeper resonance.  An attractive part for piccolo!  The chorus returned, in full force, before subsiding, slowly to hushed silence. As the voices faded, shimmering, magical bell-like sounds animate the orchestra. An affirmative coda - voices and full throated orchestra, in union.
In Rachmaninov's The Bells op 35, it's not just bells that ring out.  Oleg Dolgov's tenor rang out, magnificently, immediately establishing that the piece is about human beings, at different phases of life, the bells ringing out changes.  Natalya Romaniw (not Romanov, as the BBC had her down) is actually Welsh. She's regal, though not royal, and  a good choice for Otaka and the BBC NOW.  I have no idea how fluent her Russian is, but she sang with great clarity : a strong, operatic performance, bringing out the undercurrents of heroism that infuse the piece, which possibly meant more to Rachmaninov and his appreciation of Russian history than it might have to the poet Edgar Allen Poe. The third movement, The Loud Alarm Bells with its rousing choruses and high drama belong to a distinctly Russian sensibility.  In the last movement, the bells tolled with funereal gloom, for now the bells are iron, mournful and full of portent. Iurii Samoilov's baritone had the near-bass timbre this section needs to come over well.  The BBC NOW didn't need to have a "Russian" sound, Otaka drawing from his players brighter and more magical, even fairy tale lightness, which does, in fact, connect to Russian genres much better than heavy handed noise for its own sake. hence the connection between Rachmaninov, Takemitsu and Huw Watkins!  And so to the fantasy world of Polovtsian Dances from Borodin's Prince Igor.

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Charles Villiers Stanford Mass Via Victrix - Partington, BBC NOW

Charles Villiers Stanford Mass Via Victrix 1914-1918 Op. 173 with Andrew Partington conducting The BBC National Orchestra of Wales, The BBC National Chorus of Wales and soloists Kiandra Howarth, Jess Dandy, Ruari Bowen , Gareth Brynmor John, from Lyrita.  Stanford hoped this large scale work would be popular in the aftermath of war The only performance proved to be an account of  the Gloria accompanied only by organ, in 1920, at Cambridge where Stanford had been Professor of Music.  This performance, based on Jeremy Dibble's recent edition of the manuscript, is effectively the premiere, and was recorded at  Hoddinott Hall on 27th October 2018.

Completed in December 1919, the Mass is inscribed with the Latin translation of a line from Psalm 66, "Transiverunt per ignem et aquam et eduxsisti
in refrigerium",  which means "We went through fire and through water; But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.". Since Stanford and his contemporaries knew their Bible well, it is important to read the psalm in full to understand context.  The psalm is not a hymn of mourning but a song of triumph.  Even more pointedly, the psalm is about power  that cannot be questioned.  "How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power. Your enemies shall submit themselves to You" And "He rules by His power forever; His eyes observe the nations;Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves".
Which is fair enough as God is omnipotent, but soldiers killed in battle, no matter how heroic they were, are men, not gods : they cannot be conflated in the same terms.  So savage was the 1914-1918 war that everyone had some connection to those who were killed, maimed or bereaved, and by 1919 it would have become obvious that the whole configuration of Europe was irretrievably changed. There would not be, and could not be,  any return to the unchallenged certainties of the past.  

Religion does not necessarily factor into Requiems as a means of musical expression : many composers who have written Requiems weren't devout and no doubt a good few were only Christian by social convention. But the ultimate goal is always the same : redemption.  Stanford follows the form faithfully, alternating outbursts of volume with moments of restraint.  Each section is elaborately orchestrated, maximizing impact and drama, making the piece impressive. Ultimately, though, a Requiem recognises that man is mortal, and that God alone brings victory over death.  Humility is of the essence ! The assertive certainities of this Mass may be comforting to live with in our modern world, which seems to be growing infinitely more divisive and intolerant.  Perhaps the popular mood has shifted again, and the time has come for aggression, as long as you are on the right side, even if that doesn't sit well with what a Mass should be.  Via Victrix is grand, but I'm not sure it's personal or heartfelt.

As music, Stanford's Mass Via Victrix is rousing, and should prove popular,  though it may not be a  major masterpiece. The Kyrie Eleison is a funeral march,  voices intertwining like the fronds of a wreath, undercurrents of brass and percussion adding gravitas.  The soloists introduce more personal presence : the ending is particularly attractive,  hushed choral lies taking over where the soloists leave off.  Gloria in Excelsis is exuberant with punchy brass interpolations and lots for a chorus to glory in. The soloists sound jubilant, the orchestra swelling around them.  Nice balance from the soloists with the inventive decorations on the word "miserere", and a bold climax, culminating in emphatic "Amen!".  The Credo is "muscular Christianity" at its most militant; after all, it is a statement of faith.  Flowing, confident vocal lines underlined by orchestral vigour, leading into a more melodious section where the soloists interact, the chorus behind them.  A particularly lovely part for the soprano evokes the Stabat Mater, with a touchingly restrained section, before the final affirmation, the chorus in full flow.   The Sanctus features a quartet for horns who go on to support the ensemble of soloists, re-emerging as part of a chorale.  In  the Agnus Dei, the funeral procession of the Kyrie returns,  this time with calm reassurance, and a beautiful section for soprano and first violin.  The pace picks up, as does the mood, horns calling forth.  Like an angel, the soprano sings "Dona Nobis Pacem", the male voices repeating her words as the Mass draws to a close. 

On this recording Stanford's Mass Via Victrix is paired with his At the Abbey Gate op 177 (1920).  The Abbey Gate in question is Westminster Abbey, the occasion the entombment of the Unknown Soldier.   An orchestral introduction leads to choral procession from which the  voice of the baritone emerges.   "England's - Nelson's: thine" . The text is by Charles John Darling, 1st Baron Darling, is suitably formal and heroiuc.   "Who are thou, friend then ?" sing the chorus. "I was - and am -No one" replies the baritone - "an unknown Host are we".