UNTO THE HILLS music by David W. Bowerman
Tracks 1-4 Produced & Edited by Matthew Bennett Engineered by Dave Rowell Recorded on 6th May 2013 in the Music Room, Champs Hill, West Sussex, UK Tracks 5-11 Produced & Edited by Matthew Bennett Engineered by Dave Rowell Recorded on 6th October 2012 in the Music Room, Champs Hill, West Sussex, UK Track 12 Produced & Edited by Matthew Bennett Engineered by Will Brown Recorded on 27th July 2012 in the Music Room, Champs Hill, West Sussex, UK Tracks 13-17 Produced & Engineered by Michael Ponder Edited by Jennifer Howells Recorded on 30th July – 1st August 2012 at St Patrick’s Church, Soho Square SOPHIE BEVAN HANNAH BISHOP
Cover image: View of the South Downs, West Sussex from Champs Hill, by Alexander Van Ingen THOMAS CARROLL Tray image: ‘Woods covered with a blanket of wild bluebells at sun set’ by Piotreknik Executive Producer for Champs Hill Records: Alexander Van Ingen LONDON CONCHORD ENSEMBLE Label Manager for Champs Hill Records: John Dickinson THE SACCONI QUARTET CHOIR OF ST. PATRICK’S CHURCH, LONDON FOREWORD TRACK LISTING
David W. Bowerman (b.1936) Champs Hill (and its record Label Champs Hill Records) has swiftly gained BEDHAM WOODS a reputation for excellence, and especially for its promotion and care of Thomas Carroll - cello Julian Milford - piano young and very talented musicians. David and Mary Bowerman are kept busy 1 Lonely Woods 07’15 putting on concerts and organising recording sessions in their delightful 2 Bluebell Glade 06’00 3 Wild Life 04’00 Music Room, all part of their home in a beautiful garden set with magnificent views over the South Downs. 4 AUTUMN 05’00 Daniel Pailthorpe - flute Emily Pailthorpe - oboe Julian Milford - piano David’s greatest joy is to steal a few hours (all too rare) to write music. After a lifetime of farming, much of his music has a rural undertone and a spiritual PSALMS OF ASCENT awareness. This, his latest offering, reflects all these influences, with deep Sophie Bevan - soprano Emily Pailthorpe - oboe Julian Milford - piano 5 I am for peace 03’00 gratitude to all those who have performed. 6 I will lift up mine eyes 02’30 7 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem 04’00 8 Unto thee will I lift up mine eyes 04’30 9 I was glad 02’15 10 Except the Lord build the house 02’00 11 Children are a heritage 02’30
12 LA GRENOUILLE 08’11 Sacconi Quartet FOUR CANTICLES Choir of St Patrick’s Church, Soho Stephen Bednarczyk - director Stuart Hutchinson - organ 13 Jubilate Deo 02’30 14 Magnificat 05’15 15 Nunc Dimittis 03’15 16 Benedictus 04’45
17 ”GREATER LOVE” 05’45 Choir of St Patrick’s Church, Soho Stephen Bednarczyk - director Stuart Hutchinson - organ Hannah Bishop - trumpet PROGRAMME NOTES
Virtually throughout music history until at least the first decades of the 20th in an earlier Champs Hill album. On this album we can see this again, whether century, amateur composition flourished and was an enlivening part of the concert directly using Elgar’s famous themes – such as Nimrod for Greater Love – or more hall. Although many of its practitioners are now forgotten, its number include elliptically as in his Cello Sonata Bedham Woods . There are also other influences. As several great and acclaimed names. America has Charles Ives, the insurance well as Franck, evident in some of Bowerman’s more chromatic harmonies, one may salesman who composed most of his masterpieces in the first two decades of the note his clear admiration of Fauré – particularly evident in his setting of Pray for twentieth century; nineteenth-century Russia had a particularly rich efflorescence of the Peace of Jerusalem – and even the occasional hint of Wagner. In short, amateur composers including – just to name those who never made their living Bowerman’s music is clearly rooted in the late-nineteenth century, and though his from composition – Mikhail Glinka (a nobleman of leisure) and Alexander Borodin love of his sources sometimes means they are patently and unashamedly present (research chemist of international repute); and in England early in the twentieth and “undigested” in his music – as was sometimes the case with Charles Ives or century there was Lord Berners and, perhaps greatest of all, Edward Elgar, totally Francis Poulenc (another largely self-taught composer) – at its best Bowerman’s self-taught and essentially an amateur who ‘made good’ when he started making a music shows a truly original “voice”. living from his compositions from Enigma Variations onwards. Bowerman had been given a strict religious upbringing, several of his works either David Bowerman’s work very much harks back to that fertile period of musical evoke hymn tunes, or – as on this album – are actual religious works or settings of history. Although he has loved music all his life, it is only just over ten years ago religious texts. Finest of these on this album are the Psalms of Ascent , that he started composing his own works. Born in 1936 in south England, unconventionally scored, and there are also several examples of works Bowerman had a successful career as a farmer before retiring and moving to Champs commissioned for liturgical use – witness the Four Canticles . Most interesting, Hill in West Sussex. There he and his wife, Mary, built a 160-seat concert hall and though, are his non-religious works for chamber ensembles, of which there are two recording venue called The Music Room. Holding 25 concerts per year – hosting on this album. La Grenouille is a charming piece of musical fun, including the such artists as Felicity Lott, Ian Bostridge, Simon Keenlyside, Viktoria Mullova, nursery song A Frog he would a wooing go , treated in quasi-fugato manner like a Stephen Isserlis, the Nash Ensemble and the English Chamber Orchestra – it has well-behaved Classical finale. Even more individual is Bedham Woods , a tribute to also been the venue of several critically acclaimed and prize-winning recordings. Elgar and the inspiration the early-twentieth-century master took from the Although Bowerman’s first love was always music, he received little or no formal woodland next to the cottage he and his wife rented during World War I. That training before he started composing. The results are remarkable for their technical Bowerman also take inspiration from the land around his home – witness the quirky savoir faire , most strikingly his idiomatic writing for instruments. Bowerman himself and very individual Autumn Fantasy – is both a source of common ground with has written: “I unashamedly draw on music that has meant much to me; a love of Elgar, and also, since Bowerman clearly has his own “take” on the natural world, the music of Elgar and the organ works of César Franck.” His affinity with Elgar’s the source of his own individual voice. music is perhaps hardly surprising, and it often serves as a starting point or La Grenouille was inspired by a favourite restaurant in New York, where, the springboard for his own compositions, such as Fantasy on a Theme of Elgar recorded composer tells us, “it is probably advisable to miss the frogs’ legs and stick to Dover Sole (recommended).” Our amphibious hero, Bowerman suggests, “hops reminiscent of the opening of Schumann’s Rhenish Symphony – which appeared in clumsily down the rocks and slides gracefully into the water, followed by his Spring Fantasy . beloved, where they engage in aquatic love to their hearts’ content.” Psalms of Ascent are settings of seven out of the 15 Psalms so-named as they are Bedham Woods is a sonata for cello and piano. Bowerman writes: “Bedham Woods thought to have been either sung by pilgrims on the road to Jerusalem, or by the will mean little to those who are not passionate about Sir Edward Elgar’s chamber priests as they ascended the 15 steps to Jerusalem’s Temple. Written for the music. As the First World War progressed, Elgar was not in good health and the unusual combination of soprano, oboe and piano, Bowerman’s settings to a degree inspiration to write had deserted him. So he and his wife rented a tiny cottage near recall Schubert’s The Shepherd on the Rock for soprano, piano and obbligato Fittleworth in West Sussex. Brinkwells was to be their home for only a short while, clarinet, but also at times the artful simplicity of Holst’s Four Songs for Voice and but there, Elgar rediscovered his creative genius and wrote four of his greatest Violin . But, as so often with Bowerman, there is a wide range of stylistic references, works. The cottage was on the edge of Bedham Woods where Elgar found a peace of ranging from the Fauré-esque Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem (shades of La lune mind that gave birth to some of his most sublime music.” Those works of Elgar’s blanche from the Frenchman’s song cycle La bonne chanson ) to the very Handelian I were his String Quartet, Piano Quintet, Violin Sonata and, most famously, his Cello Was Glad (something of Let the bright seraphim here?). Concerto. It seems appropriate then that Bowerman pays tribute to Elgar and the About the Four Canticles , composed for the more conventional forces of choir and woods which inspired him through the cello. Yet Bowerman here avoids obvious organ, Bowerman writes: “A request by the Rogate Choral Society for a Magnificat allusions to Elgar’s work, instead creating a sonata remarkable in its stylistic and Nunc Dimittis was a challenge readily accepted. The choir was invited to sing coherence, which takes us from the sober yet engaging first movement to the for choral evensong at Chichester Cathedral where these two anthems were quirky and genuinely charming finale. performed [in 2011]. This was an enjoyable time, so two more were written, Autumn Fantasy is essentially a belated addition to the Three Seasons Fantasy , Jubilate Deo and Benedictus . recorded in the earlier Champs Hill album A Fantasy Idyll , so completing the The recording was made at St Patrick’s Church in Soho Square, London, with its standard sequence of four seasons. Bowerman writes: “the so-called ‘season of choir under their Organist and choirmaster, Stephan Bednarczyk. The choir was mists and mellow fruitfulness’ is a somewhat romantic view of the English Autumn; accompanied by organist Stuart Hutchinson, an Associate of The Royal Academy of it is more often a season of gales and blowing leaves. This fantasy describes the Music. latter primarily but gives some regard to the quiet beauty that this season can present. It gives opportunity for the flute, oboe and piano to interplay and enjoy Greater Love was originally written for The Royal Hospital Chelsea. Fittingly for a the prospect of a bracing wind as well as moments of mellow charm and peace.” war memorial service, Bowerman prefaces his choral setting with the bugle call Sunset (also known as the Retreat Call ), played by trumpet to which Bowerman Autumn Fantasy opens with a slightly chaotic passage of bitonality, suggesting the added organ accompaniment. The choral setting follows, setting words from the chaos of autumnal leaves being gusted by a wind. The piece also reinforces its Gospel of St John often used as the text for war memorial services. Finally, the relationship to the earlier fantasies by including a reference to a theme – somewhat trumpet plays the opening phrase of Last Post . BIOGRAPHIES
Thomas Carroll cello The Welsh born cellist Thomas Carroll was born in Swansea. Thomas studied with Melissa Phelps at the Yehudi Menuhin School and with Heinrich Schiff in Austria. An exceptionally gifted cellist, he is one of only two artists who auditioned successfully for both Young Concert Artists Trust in London and Young Concert Artists, Inc. in New York. He has gone on to perform as a concerto soloist with some of the finest orchestras in the world including the London Symphony Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra as well as working with a large range of top chamber music partners including the Belcea Quartet, Yehudi Menuhin, Ivry Gitlis, Gidon Kremer and many others. Thomas is currently a Professor at the Royal College of Music in London and the Yehudi Menuhin School.
Julian Milford piano An English graduate of Oxford University, Julian Milford subsequently studied piano and piano accompaniment at the Curtis Institute and the Guildhall. He has worked as an n e l accompanist and chamber musician with some of Britain’s l A
k finest instrumentalists and singers, performing at major c i r t
a chamber music venues across Britain and Europe. Julian is P
: the pianist and a founder member of the London Conchord o t o h Ensemble, a mixed chamber music ensemble founded in p 2002 that has a busy performing schedule in venues including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels, the Library of Congress, and the Wigmore Hall. Julian has recorded extensively for labels including Chandos, Hyperion, ASV, Black Box, Champs Hill Records and Orchid Classics. Daniel Pailthorpe flute Sophie Bevan soprano One of the few orchestral principals of international standing Sophie Bevan graduated from the Benjamin Britten International Opera School who plays on a modern wooden flute, Daniel Pailthorpe has where she was awarded the Queen Mother Rose Bowl Award. gained a world-wide following for the uniqueness and breadth Conductors she works with include Sir Antonio Pappano, Daniel Harding, Harry of his sound as well as the warmth of his musicianship. Christophers, Edward Gardner, Laurence Cummings, Sir Mark Elder, Sir Neville As co-principal flautist of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Marriner and Sir Charles Mackerras. is regularly heard on BBC Radio 3 and at the Proms. He has Her operatic roles for English National Opera appeared as a soloist with the orchestra, toured with them to i include Xenia Boris Godunov , Despina Così fan a
Australia and the Far East, and worked with conductors such as h C
tutte , soprano solos Messiah , Polissena Radamisto , L S
Bychkov, Slatkin, Belohlavek and Gergiev. He features
: Yum Yum Mikado , Telair in Rameau’s Castor and o prominently on the BBC TV ‘Symphony’ series and is a familiar t o Pollux and her first Sophie Der Rosenkavalier . For h p g
face on the Last Night of the Proms. r
Garsington Opera she has performed Pamina, u b l Donna Elvira and her first Susanna and for Welsh h A
e
Emily Pailthorpe oboe i
National Opera she has sung the title role in The s s u S
Emily Pailthorpe first gained public attention in 1989 when, as the youngest artist Cunning Little Vixen . For the Royal Opera House, : o Covent Garden she has appeared as Waldvogel t
ever to win the Gillet International Oboe Competition prize, she was hailed by the o h judges as the ‘Jacqueline du Pre of the oboe’. Emily went Siegfried and Pamina. p on to study English at Yale university and oboe at the Sophie was the recipient of the 2010 Critics’ Circle award for Exceptional Young Juilliard School of Music winning prizes for both concerto Talent. She was nominated for the 2012 Royal Philharmonic Society Awards and and orchestral playing. She appeared as Principal Oboe was the recipient of The Times Breakthrough Award at the 2012 South Bank Sky with many orchestras, including the Baltimore Symphony, Arts Awards. s i l
l Dallas Opera, Hallé Orchestra and London Philharmonic i t n Orchestra among others. She is a founder member of the a s T mixed chamber ensemble Conchord, with whom she has n a D
recorded and toured Europe and America. Resident in the : o t
o UK since 2000, Emily made her solo Wigmore Hall debut h p in June 2004. Other solo appearances have included the Schleswig-Holstein Festival, the Spoleto Festival, Italy, and the Strauss Oboe Concerto with the Philharmonia Orchestra. Sacconi Quartet HM Chapel Royal Hampton Court Palace, St George’s Spanish Place, St Etheldreda’s The Sacconi Quartet is recognised for its unanimous and compelling ensemble, Ely Place, The Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy, Hampstead Parish Church and performing with style and commitment and consistently communicating with a numerous other churches across London. For concerts, recordings and some feast a days the choir is extended to ten members. m fresh and imaginative approach. Formed in e k l
A 2001, its four founder members continue to Since its formation in 2011 St Patrick’s Choir has acquired a varied repertoire of n r o demonstrate a shared passion for string music including masses and motets by Byrd, Palestrina, Victoria, Hassler, Bach, o H quartet repertoire, infectiously reaching out Mozart and Liszt to name a few. Music is selected to enhance the liturgy of the n a v
to audiences with their energy and Church’s calendar. In December 2011 the Choir’s first concert was rapturously a i t e enthusiasm. Over the past decade they have received. n e V
enjoyed a highly successful international : o t career, performing regularly throughout o Stuart Hutchinson organ h p Europe, at London’s major venues, in Stuart Hutchinson began organ studies whilst a young chorister. In 1974 he was recordings and on radio broadcasts. The Sacconi is Quartet in Association at the awarded the London University Organ Scholarship – Royal College of Music and Quartet in Residence at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre. choosing subsequently to study on a scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music. He graduated from the RAM in Choir of St Patrick’s Church, Soho 1979 with six prizes, diplomas and an Honours Degree. Stephen Bednarczyk director Whilst still a student at the RAM, Stuart was appointed Breda McKinney and Stephen Bednarczyk established The Choir of St Patrick’s in Director of Music to the University of London May 2011 to provide music liturgy for three services celebrating the re-opening of Chaplaincy (Hinde Street) – a post he held for thirteen the church after major restoration works. This was also the occasion of the world years (1976-1989). Apart from directing a choir and premiere of St Patrick’s Magnificat , by James MacMillan, a work commissioned to student choral society, he was also responsible for celebrate the re-opening of the church. Thereafter the choir has sung weekly at orchestral and chamber concerts, providing music for Sunday morning Mass, feast days, and at concerts, until December 2012. In 2013 BBC broadcasts, and served as Artistic Director of the the choir will sing at Mass on occasional Sundays, Feast Days, and also concerts, Wesley Arts Festival. weddings and additional special services and events. Stuart was subsequently Director of Music at the Wren The Choir of St Patrick’s consists of six professional musicians including Choirmaster church of St Andrew (Holborn), where Handel was once organist; also, at Holy Stephen Bednarczyk, and principal soloist Breda McKinney. The other members are Redeemer (Clerkenwell), and for twenty years at the parish church of St James, four professional singers who have enjoyed freelance work at St Paul’s Cathedral, Islington (London). P s H i S H S M Y F a a S F D p P H R s T E O R n t u r u i o h t n t w n a r h o o e r e a a a r u u
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