Harrison Birtwistle Night’s Black Bird The Shadow of Night The Cry of Anubis

The Hallé Owen Slade tuba Ryan Wigglesworth conductor Harrison Birtwistle

Photo: Hanya Chlala / Arenapal.com Photo: Hanya Chlala / 1 Night’s Black Bird 14'04

2 The Shadow of Night 28'15

3 The Cry of Anubis 13'24 Owen Slade tuba

Total timing 55'58

The Hallé Owen Slade tuba Ryan Wigglesworth conductor

This recording is made possible in part by Roche, who also commissioned the composition of Night’s Black Bird by Sir Harrison Birtwistle in 2003.

3 Harrison Birtwistle: A Personal Note by Ryan Wigglesworth

Like Birtwistle, I grew up in the industrial North, though on the – a fact manifestly displayed by the three works on the present opposite side of the Pennines. And like Birtwistle my earliest disk, each recorded here for the first time. And while the gut- experience of music making came from playing in the local band wrenching forcefulness of Verses, Tragoedia and Punch and Judy, (mine brass, his military). In themselves, such slight childhood or the monolithic grandeur of Mask of Orpheus and Earth Dances parallels are of little significance, and yet, when as a thirteen-year- may have given way to a more subtle, perhaps more reflective old budding composer I came to experience quite by chance discourse in The Shadow of Night, Night’s Black Bird, and The Cry Birtwistle’s music for the first time, the world it inhabited felt of Anubis, this is certainly not indicative of any late-period immediately and strangely familiar. This was a radio broadcast of mellowing; indeed, in each of these works can be identified the Verses for Ensembles (1968-9), and I can recall the visceral effect same steel and absence of compromise that have remained of the encounter just as vividly now. What was it about these hallmarks throughout his career. Personally, at least, there lingers sounds, written a decade before I was born, that imprinted the childhood sense that these three journeys were in some way themselves so indelibly on my memory? Apart from its sheer grit waiting to be discovered by Birtwistle – that their craggy lyricism and energy, its opposition of violence and stark tenderness, its exudes a timelessness unaffected by trend or fad. It also seems to roughness harnessed by a severe formalism, what struck me at me that something of the Lancashire land – or the time was a sense that this music had always existed. What’s townscape continues to inform Harry’s more, it seemed to me to be singing a peculiarly Northern song. creative consciousness. As Auden, writing of his industrial North, put it: ‘Tramlines Much later, I had the pleasure of working closely with Harry on the and slagheaps, pieces of machinery, premieres of two of his operas, and in the meantime I had /That was, and still is, my ideal discovered and absorbed, bit by bit, the rest of his remarkable scenery.’ output. Regardless of the piece and the period, what was always self-evident was the unwavering independence of his musical mind Ryan Wigglesworth, 2011

4 Anatomies of Melancholy On a number of occasions, Sir contexts of disruption – ‘a logic firmus unfolded by a woodwind Anatomies of Melancholy Harrison Birtwistle has suggested that’s been fractured’, as he has quartet that is gradually by Bayan Northcott that he thinks of himself put it – from which spontaneous amplified until it drowns out the essentially as a melancholic; not and original inventions may yet orchestra, taking over the so much in the sense of a be wrested. heterophony – only to retreat, person subject to glooms, more with seeming indifference, into as someone constantly aware of Beside the theatrical scores and silence. In the baleful the interplay of fate and chance ensemble pieces that make up processional The Triumph of and how little space this leaves much of his output, Birtwistle’s Time (1971-72), a more or less for individual freedom and concert works for full orchestra unrelated sequence of ideas is choice. The negative response to comprise a fairly select group – only just held together by this awareness could of course just seven scores, if one superimposed repetitions of a be a sense of helplessness excludes the medieval short saxophone figure and a leading to depression. But no recomposition Machaut à ma long, winding cor anglais melody, genuine depressive could have Manière (1988) and the operatic while Earth Dances (1985-86) found the purpose and drive to spin-off Gawain’s Journey derives its vast and unpredictable create a catalogue of something (1991). Yet each exploits the course from the simultaneous like 130 works to date, many on tension between the formalistic unfolding of several independent the largest scale. Rather, and the arbitrary in a distinctive orchestral layers which grind and Birtwistle seems to regard way. In Chorales for orchestra buckle against one another like composition as a kind of grim (1960-63) the process is tectonic plates. game in which, by seeming to essentially a stripping away of submit at once to fate in the layers of disparate detail to Despite the variety of procedures guise of deterministic reveal the starkly unified chorale in these earlier orchestral works, procedures, and to chance beneath. In Nomos (1968), the certain aspects emerge as through the operation of random orchestra generates elaborate constants. The most obvious of numbers, he is able to set up heterophonies around a cantus these is the predominant

6 7 harshness and bleakness of the more ancient circular time- of the skills composers were have been interspersed by a sound and imagery – tokens less experience, the ‘eternal return’ traditionally supposed to acquire, more fluctuating, wave-like of self-expression than of a view of the revolving seasons and the and constructing a language of handling of tempo. Indeed, a of life in general as a tragic life cycle. his own out of a few musical listener, knowing nothing of predicament. In keeping with elements and ‘source’ works Birtwistle’s background and this, Birtwistle’s orchestration is These characteristics and that seemed absolutely basic. coming to the darkly swirling almost entirely ‘functional’: preoccupations have certainly But this has enabled him latterly ebbs and flows of The Shadow of geared to the clear presentation not vanished from his more to come to such composers as Night (2001) for the first time, of the keening monodies, block recent orchestral works – on the Beethoven and Wagner with might be forgiven for mistaking it contrasts and varied ostinati that contrary, his labyrinthine Exody fresh ears. Typically, his first as a latter-day descendent of the comprise his characteristic (1997-98), composed during comment on getting to grips with late Romantic tone-poem procedures, without sensuous or the upswing to the millennium, Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony tradition. Most saliently, perhaps, picturesque indulgence. And comprises his definitive was that it discovers a whole this score, together with its behind this lies his idiosyncratic realization of time as circular: ‘In new range of roles for the satellite Night’s Black Bird handling of musical time: the my end is my beginning, and in bassoon. And so it does – but (2004), moves the treatment of constant disruption of forward my beginning is my end,’ as the how few commentators had melancholia on from an movement, so that the listener medieval tag has it. Yet in previously noticed this. apprehension of collective plight has the recurrent sense of certain respects, his handling of towards something more having to repeat the journey by a sound and procedure has grown Birtwistle’s own approach to the personal and positive. Birtwistle different route, or of retracing more subtle and flexible. In part orchestra, though fundamentally tells us that he took the title The steps in a maze – never finally this may reflect his belated unchanging, has certainly gained Shadow of Night from a long arriving or getting out. Ultimately, engagement with aspects of in the precision of its balances poem by the Elizabethan poet Birtwistle seems to be implying Western music he ignored and in the atmospheric, even George Chapman, ‘where that the modern Western before. At the outset of his sensuous qualities of its melancholy is no longer an inert concept of time as progressive career he appeared to evolve by blendings. And the juxtapositions and depressive mood, but a may be less powerful in a strategy of artistic autism; and reversals that characterized humour of the night, an inspired determining our existence than simply turning his back on most his earlier handling of timing spiritual condition’.

8 9 and composers… I took melodic fragments and (2004) Night’s Black Bird inspiration’, he continues, ‘from anticipatory upsurges and two dark sources – the descents. The second, launched (2001) The Shadow of Night (2001) expressions of melancholy in by a magical texture of keening Albrecht Dürer’s engraving wind phrases over ripplings and For a composer who has often symbiotic relationship is easier Melancholia I (1514) and John rockings for tuned percussion, spoken of viewing ‘musical to feel than to trace in Dowland’s song In Darkness Let harps and strings, comprises a objects’ from different angles, technical detail. Me Dwell, the first three notes of long, central nocturne in several or of pursuing alternative paths which are quoted in the piccolo’s paragraphs, punctuated by more across the same musical Commissioned by the BBC, solo soon after the opening of turbid outbursts – Birtwistle’s landscape, it is perhaps scored for very large orchestra the piece. This motif, which rises ‘passing clouds’ perhaps – and strange that Birtwistle has including six horns, four each of a semitone and then down eventually gathering in a rarely, if ever, taken an entire trumpets and trombones and five again, is woven into the fabric of sustained accelerando building existent work of his own as percussionists, The Shadow of the work and also alluded to to what proves not quite to be such an object or landscape to Night was premiered under figuratively: lines split and later the work’s climax. This, in the re-explore differently. But with Christoph von Dohnányi in reunite, the notes of a chord form of an almost expressionistic the successive appearance of January 2002. Birtwistle tells us move away and back again, and outburst of violence, actually The Shadow of Night and that his initial thought was to longer melodic lines are occurs mid-way through the Night’s Black Bird, we have compose a companion piece to interrupted and resumed, like the recaptitulatory third part, before something like it at last. his earlier BBC commission, the moon shining through a series of the music ebbs away beneath a Something like it, because, turbulently constructivist Earth slowly passing clouds.’ brief skirl of nocturnal birdsong. although both works are Dances. In the event, he inspired by the same produced something more like its The work’s circa 25-minute span Commissioned by Roche for the imaginative source, open and opposite: ‘a slow and reflective falls very broadly into three 2004 Lucerne Festival where it close with virtually the same nocturne, exploring the world of parts. The first is a substantial was premiered by the Cleveland music and contain some of the melancholy as understood and introductory section of tenebrous Orchestra under Franz Welser- same musical imagery, their celebrated by Elizabethan poets and sub-lunary textures, halting Möst, Night’s Black Bird is

10 11 prefaced with the same a single paragraph in which The Cry of Anubis (1994) programme note as The Shadow birdsong and other nocturnal The Cry of Anubis of Night, except that the noises in the winds gradually The published score is prefaced with a short poem by Stephen Pruslin, Dowland song that Birtwistle accumulate over an intensifying librettist of Birtwistle’s first opera Punch and Judy. cites in this instance is Flow My background of string clusters Tears. It is also scored for with no accelerando at its For Sir Harry’s Sixtieth Birthday on 15 July 1994 similarly large forces, including, climax. Nor is the climax in the in anticipation of the work he was about to write. this time, a bass trumpet, but it final section anything like as runs to less than half the length apocalyptic. Birtwistle has often Tuba mirum spargens sonum, of the previous work and is far remarked that when he wants to Per sepulchra regionum. more concise and clear-cut in write a repeat in his music, he Trumpets, structure. Where the earlier relies on his memory rather than trombones shake the throne piece initially introduced its looking back – hence the varied but both must bow before the tuba. melodic material in fragments, detail that creeps in. In Plangent, the opening paragraph of composing Night’s Black Bird, then progressively articulate, Night’s Black Bird already one has the impression that a monody replete with malefaction discloses a sustained long line rather than leafing through the crystallizes into howl, for violins and violas, while in earlier score, he put together a unearthly, elegant, the second paragraph, the composite memory in his mind the lone cry of piccolo introduces the kind of and composed that. Yet, on this Anubis. birdsong figuration only heard disc, Birtwistle has requested near the end of The Shadow of that the later score precede the Top brass trumpet worldly pomp Night. The central section of earlier, as if to suggest that, in a while tuba’s wolf-cub Night’s Black Bird is also circular time world, a memory rends a torso of concerto, renders fragments simpler than the earlier work: may also be a premonition.by of a pocket requiem. by Stephen Pruslin

12 13 Concertante works are relatively Birtwistle’s surreal recent opera harp and tubular bells and few in Birtwistle’s catalogue: only The Second Mrs Kong (1993- whirling woodwinds – the textures Melancholia I (1976) for 94). But The Cry is not extracted coming together before the clarinet, harp and strings, from it; rather, it develops some climactic descent, thwacked out Endless Parade (1987) for of the opera’s material anew. on the timpani and continued in trumpet, vibraphone and strings, an almost Tchaikovskian gesture and Antiphonies 1992) for piano The piece opens with a stumbling by unison strings. The piece now and orchestra precede The Cry march-like motion complemented unwinds in a more disparate of Anubis (1994) for tuba and by a slow descent on the tuba. sequence of sonorous images orchestra, and none of these There follows a sequence of and a brief cadenza for tuba and could be described as concertos measured pacings and more timpani before finally resolving on in the traditional sense. agitated gestures, each one a near-unison. Resolution in Composed for an educational stated three times in varied form Birtwistle? For those with ears to concert to be given in London’s before passing to the next, during hear there was always more Queen Elizabeth Hall by the which the tuba climbs circuitously harmonic focus in the way of axial London Philharmonic under Elgar to its highest range before pitches and modal middlegrounds Howarth in January 1995, The returning to mid-register. So far, than his reputation for fearsome Cry is scored for medium sized so funereal. Then rather suddenly dissonance allowed. Repeatedly orchestra, with double winds and the music speeds up into the throughout The Cry of Anubis, the (pace Pruslin) no trombones, semblance of about the last thing tuba homes in on the note D and its 13-minute unfolding is one might expect in Birtwistle: an natural, and when the work’s exceptionally clear-cut in agitated symphonic allegro. This harmony finally closes fan-like on articulation and structure. The is soon put a stop to by one of its ‘home’ pitch, D it proves to be. solo tuba represents Anubis, the the tuba’s increasingly plangent jackal-headed god of the Ancient descents, but there are further Egyptian city of the dead, who bursts of fast music, cross cut had played an important part in with hieratic figures for timpani, © 2011 Bayan Northcott

14 15 Sir Harrison Birtwistle

Sir Harrison Birtwistle was born in Arcadiae Mechanicae Perpetuum. Passion for Aldeburgh Almeida Opera Lucerne Festival and Wien Modern. Accrington in 1934 and studied Large-scale works in the following and Night’s Black Bird commissioned clarinet and composition at the Royal decade included the operas Gawain by Roche for the Lucerne Festival. Birtwistle has received many Manchester College of Music, making and The Second Mrs Kong, the His opera The Minotaur received its honours, including the Grawemeyer contact with a highly talented group concertos Endless Parade for trumpet premiere at the Royal Opera House Award in 1986 and the Siemens of contemporaries including Peter and Antiphonies for piano, and the Covent Garden in 2008, while The Prize in 1995; he was made a Maxwell Davies, Alexander Goehr, orchestral score Earth Dances. Corridor was staged at the 2009 Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des John Ogdon and Elgar Howarth. In Aldeburgh Festival. Lettres in 1986, awarded a British 1965 he sold his clarinets to devote Birtwistle’s works of recent decades knighthood in 1988 and made a all his efforts to composition, and include Exody, premiered by the Birtwistle’s music has attracted Companion of Honour in 2001. He travelled to Princeton as a Harkness Chicago Symphony Orchestra and international conductors including was Henry Purcell Professor of Music Fellow where he completed the opera Daniel Barenboim, Panic which Pierre Boulez, Daniel Barenboim, at King’s College, University of Punch and Judy. This work, together received a high profile premiere at the Elgar Howarth, Christoph von London (1995-2001) and is currently with Verses for Ensembles and The Last Night of the 1995 BBC Proms Dohnányi, Oliver Knussen, Sir Simon Director of Composition at the Royal Triumph of Time, firmly established with an estimated worldwide audience Rattle, Peter Eötvös and Franz Academy of Music in London. Birtwistle as a leading voice in British of 100 million, and The Shadow of Welser-Möst. He has received Recordings of Birtwistle’s music are music. Night commissioned by the Cleveland commissions from leading available on labels including Decca, Orchestra and Christoph von performing organizations, and his Philips, Deutsche Grammophon and The decade from 1973 to 1984 was Dohnányi. The Last Supper received music has been featured in major Teldec as well as NMC. dominated by his monumental lyric its first performances at the Deutsche festivals and concert series including tragedy The Mask of Orpheus, staged Staatsoper in Berlin and at the BBC Proms, Salzburg Festival, Reprinted by kind permission of by English National Opera in 1986 Glyndebourne in 2000. Theseus Glyndebourne, Holland Festival, Boosey & Hawkes (released on NMC D050), and by the Game, co-commissioned by series of remarkable ensemble RUHRtriennale, Ensemble Modern scores now performed by the world’s and the London Sinfonietta, was Information about the artists on this recording can be found on leading new music groups: Secret premiered in 2003. The following year NMC’s website at www.nmcrec.co.uk Theatre, Silbury Air and Carmen brought first performances of The Io

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