Download Booklet
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
lennox & michael berkeley organ works tom winpenny the organ of St Albans Cathedral RES10119 Lennox Berkeley (1903-1989) & Michael Berkeley (b. 1948) Lennox Berkeley Organ works 1. Impromtu (1941) * [3:11] Three Pieces for Organ, Op. 72, No. 1 2. Aubade [2:53] 3. Aria [3:04] 4. Toccata [4:48] Tom Winpenny organ Michael Berkeley Sonata (1979) * The Organ of St Albans Cathedral 5. Ricercare: [4:07] 6. Intermezzo [3:36] 7. Toccata [6:06] Lennox Berkeley 8. Andantino, Op. 21, No. 2b [3:19] (arr. Jennifer Bate, from Festival Anthem, Op. 21 No. 2) 9. Fantasia, Op. 92 [9:08] Michael Berkeley 10. Wild Bells (1986) [5:47] About Tom Winpenny: ‘Tom Winpenny’s immaculate playing is beyond reproach’ Total playing time [46:07] International Record Review ‘The crisp and rhythmic playing of Tom Winpenny, * World premiere recording [...] brings these performances of Stanford's organ works to life’ Gramophone (on Charles Villiers Stanford: Organ Works - RES10104) Lennox & Michael Berkeley: Michael’s career has been perhaps a little Organ Works more diverse than that of his father’s, with a long and distinguished period as a broadcaster Two of the most individual voices from the alongside his activities as a composer, as well last 100 years of British music are those as a significant spell as artistic director of the of Sir Lennox Berkeley (1903-1989) and his Cheltenham Festival from 1995 (Lennox had eldest son Michael Berkeley (b. 1948). A been president of the festival from 1973-1983). product of a combination of strong British Michael’s early studies were with his father and French musical traditions, Lennox and one of Lennox’s pupils, Richard Rodney rapidly established himself as a composer Bennett, and his musical output can be in his twenties and thirties. Following a divided into two unambiguous periods. The degree in modern languages at Oxford, he latter of these began in the mid-1980s when, studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris on going against the establishment, Michael Maurice Ravel’s recommendation – a began to include considerable elements of time in his life that influenced everything modernism in his musical language. Despite he wrote subsequently. He also had well- this dramatic change in his style, his later documented and close friendships with works are noted for having the same clear illustrious names such as Benjamin Britten communication of his more overtly tonal and Francis Poulenc. His contribution to earlier style. British music was extensive in a wide number of genres, with vocal music – As father and son, the respective musical song and choral works – often at the outputs of Lennox and Michael regularly centre of his output, along with music for feature together, particularly on disc, and the piano. Despite post-war fashion changes often with much success. While their personal threatening to leave him more in the styles are evidently and significantly different, musical wilderness, Lennox persisted with these two distinctive composers frequently his own very personal musical style and complement each other to great effect. While language that has served him well over neither Lennox nor Michael has written time. His involvement as a teacher at extensively for solo organ, the resulting the Royal Academy of Music for over selection of repertoire provides a convenient twenty years saw him teach some of the and satisfyingly varied recital for the most significant composers of the second instrument, with each piece written within half of the twentieth century. a period of fewer than fifty years. Tom Winpenny In addition to the three works for solo organ punctuated by the pedals gradually making the good-natured interaction continues, but and was first performed by Nicholas Kynaston heard here (along with one arrangement), the way to hushed semiquaver passages, beneath is soon interrupted by the material from at the Royal Festival Hall in December 1976. organ featured prominently, and effectively, which the main theme can be heard in the opening, a brief period of rising tension Also dedicated to Lennox’s second son, Julian, within a number of Lennox’s significant the pedals. The continuous semiquavers persist leads to an extended resolution in which it is the most extensive single movement that output of choral works. While Michael, in as the music builds towards a recapitulation the music becomes gradually calmer towards Lennox composed for the instrument. The addition to works for choir and organ wrote of the opening chordal theme, this time with a hushed and satisfied ending. two-part imitative counterpoint seen in the his Concerto for Organ and Orchestra in both elements combined as the culmination earlier Three Pieces characterise parts of the 1987, shortly after the two solo works of the Impromptu approaches. The influence of French music on Lennox Fantasia, and are alternated with bolder featured here. First performed in the becomes clear in the slow ‘Aria’ – with the chordal sections. The fantasia qualities of impressive space of Ely Cathedral, the Lennox’s Three Pieces for Organ, Op. 72, No. 1, staccato and gently discordant pedal never the work particularly come to the fore in concerto was considered as a seminal work were originally written separately, and are quite allowing the music to settle beneath the, at times, dream-like softer central section. in Michael’s output, where his modernism dedicated to the composer’s middle son, the lyrical right hand. Following the smooth A toccata-like moto perpetuo section ensues, came to the fore. Julian. The first of the Three Pieces, ‘Aubade’, but somewhat anxious central section, again alternated with chordal passages, was composed in 1966 for the Aldeburgh soothing relief is soon provided in the form before a prolonged resolution of the At Oxford, Lennox had studied the organ Festival’s Edith Sitwell Memorial Concert, of a recapitulation of the opening. accumulated tension. with William Harris (1883-1973), who was and first performed in June the same year at that time the director of music at New by Simon Preston in Aldeburgh Parish Church. The characteristics of the ‘Aubade’ make a Composed in 1945 for Rev. Walter Hussey and College. Despite Lennox’s fluent writing for The remaining two pieces ‘Aria’ and ‘Toccata’ return in the closing ‘Toccata’, which begins the Choir of St Matthew’s Church, Northampton, the organ, he was not a great lover of the were written some two years later for the with a busy section of two-part counterpoint. the Festival Anthem (‘Sion’s Daughters, Sons instrument declaring that ‘[...] I feel I shall 1968 Cheltenham Festival – Preston once However, the chromatic movement here is of Jerusalem’), Op. 21 No. 2 is perhaps the never really like the organ – the sound is so again did the first performance which took more adventurous and involved, creating most significant and well-known of Lennox’s often lacking in clarity – so blurred and place in the chapel of Cheltenham College. a colourful section that boils over into works for choir and organ. In 1982 Jennifer indefinite. Only in quiet passages is it pleasing inevitable cascading figures and an Bate, under discussion with the composer to my ear’ – an opinion which neatly explains The ‘Aubade’ (in this context probably referring unresolved climax, before a calmer fugal arranged a section for solo organ for a his judicious use of extended louder to a song at daybreak) is characterised by section. Following on from the restatement recording with the Hyperion record label, and passages in his writing for the instrument the almost playful interaction of an imitative of the opening, the closing section sees the piece was subsequently published as two-part counterpoint at the opening, with a repetitive figure based on the main musical Andantino, Op. 21, No. 2b. First performed The earliest work in this collection Impromptu the changing metre further blurred by material of the movement, providing a in St James’s Church, Muswell Hill in London, was composed by Lennox in October 1941 irregular syncopation. The interplay between suitable conclusion to the ‘Toccata’. the result is a valuable organ miniature, full for the Rev. Colin Gill ‘on the occasion of his hands continues following the pedal statement of character and melodic invention. translation from Holborn to Brighton’. A of the theme, and they are briefly joined The final solo piece that Lennox wrote for typical ‘closing voluntary’, it begins grandly, together leading into the central section organ, Fantasia, Op. 92, was commissioned for As a chorister of Westminster Cathedral, with a bold chordal statement of the theme of the movement. With a new theme, the Golden Jubilee Recital of The Organ Club, Michael was exposed to the organ regularly in these vital formative years, and he states ‘Toccata’ – with as much variety as the how his organ concerto was ‘inspired by opening ‘Ricercare’ and the same restless my impressionistic days as a chorister at short sections, there are echoes of the Westminster Cathedral, and in particular, opening movement as the work begins to the liturgy of Easter: the bringing of light reach its zenith before an explosive finish. after the darkness of Lent.’ The earlier of his two solo works for the instrument to The progression in Michael’s musical language date, Sonata – composed in 1979 – came is clear in Wild Bells (1986). From the very some years before his seminal organ opening, the driven rhythmic section displays concerto. Formed of three movements a distinct transformation in style and musical (‘Ricercare’, ‘Intermezzo’ and ‘Toccata’), the voice when compared with the earlier Sonata. Sonata has some echoes of Lennox’s Three As with Lennox’s Fantasia (and other works Pieces for Organ in scale and structure including Kenneth Leighton’s Paean and organ and, as one of Michael’s earlier works, duet Martyrs), it was commissioned by the language is in contrast to that of the The Organ Club.