THE WINSTON CHURCHILL MEMORIAL TRUST OF AUSTRALIA

Transcription

1 THE WINSTON CHURCHILL MEMORIAL TRUST OF AUSTRALIA Report by Paul McMahon, 2002/1 Churchill Fellow. Churchill Fellowship to study The Oratorio Repertoire of J.S. Bach and G.F. Handel, with particular reference to The Evangelist in The Passions of J.S. Bach - The Netherlands. I understand that the Churchill Trust may publish this report, either in hard copy or on the internet or both, and consent to such publication. I indemnify the Churchill Trust against any loss, costs or damages it may suffer arising out of any claim or proceedings made against the trust in respect of or arising out of the publication of any report submitted to the Trust and which the Trust places on a website for access over the internet. I also warrant my Final Report is original and does not infringe the copyright of any person, or contain anything which is, or the incorporation of which into the Final Report is, actionable for defamation, a breach of any privacy law or obligation, breach of confidence, contempt of court, passing off or contravention of any other private right or of any law. Signed: Dated:

2 Index Page Section 1 Introduction Acknowledgements 2 Executive Summary i. Personal Details ii. Highlights and Interesting People iii. Major lessons learnt and conclusions 3. Programme 4. Main Body 5. Conclusions and Recommendations

3 Introduction Performing the vocal repertoire of Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel presents many challenges to both professional and amateur singers alike. Beauty of tone and fluent pronunciation are required as a matter of course, but the ability to deliver the text in a style that is both dramatically expressive and musically sensitive is of even greater consequence. The negotiation of intricate rhythmic and melodic writing while coping with the sustained high tessitura of the vocal line, present an added hurdle in the path of The Evangelist. The vast distance separating Australia and Europe is significant for Australian singers. Specialists with decades of performance experience in repertoire of this type (and the wealth of knowledge gained during such a career) work abroad and particularly in Europe. In order to access this resource, it is imperative to journey to Europe. Apart from performing, observing top class musicians at work on the concert platform is one of the best ways to learn. Performers of the highest calibre on show at festivals such as the Utrecht Early Music Festival in The Netherlands would rarely, if ever be assembled in Australia. Acknowledgements I would like to express my gratitude to The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust for granting me the opportunity to undertake this rewarding and inspirational period of study. To all those people who assisted in the preparation of my application, gave access to their contacts overseas, administered advice or simply gave their support and friendship, my sincere thanks - Meurig Bowen, Antony Chesterman, Amanda Durham, Jane Edwards, Anne Frankenberg, Alison Johnston, Timothy Matthies, Mats Nilsson, Josie Ryan, Neal Peres da Costa and Marius van Altena.

4 Paul McMahon Tenor 8/ 28 Tintern Rd Ashfield NSW 2131 Tel Executive Summary Highlights and Interesting People Mr Marius van Altena Vocal Coach, Koninklijk Conservatoire in The Hague Dr Neal Peres da Costa Seminar Presenter at the Utrecht Festival Dr Clive Brown Symposium. Musicologist and Utrecht Festival Symposium Convenor Handel House Museum Staff and Museum Guides 25 Brook St, Hanover Sq. London Shakespeare s Globe Staff, Guides and Actors New Globe Walk, Bankside London Lessons and Conclusions - Specialists with decades of performance experience in Baroque repertoire (and the wealth of knowledge obtained during such a career) work abroad and particularly in Europe. The opportunity to study with such a specialist in The Netherlands has been invaluable. - Apart from performing, observing top class musicians at work on the concert platform is one of the best ways to learn. Performers of the highest calibre on show at festivals such as Utrecht Festival of Early Music would rarely, if ever be assembled in Australia. - The crucial importance of singers possessing the ability to pronounce sung text with absolute clarity and dramatic intent. - The need for professional musicians in this country to make every endeavour to raise the profile of Baroque Repertoire and educate the Australian public in order to correct in some small way, the current imbalance in publicity and levels of funding between the sporting and classical music cultures. I intend to contribute to this effort by making every attempt to perform at the highest possible personal standard that I am able to achieve.

5 August Programme London Visits to The Handel House Museum and Shakespeare s Globe in London August 23-September 1 Attend concerts in the Utrecht Festival of Early Music in The Netherlands. Attend lectures in the Utrecht Festival Symposium. September 2 - October 8 Study with Mr Marius van Altena at The Koninklijk Conservatoire in The Hague, Netherlands. Main Body My Churchill Fellowship commenced in London with a tour of The Handel House Museum, 25 Brook St, Hanover Square. It was the perfect place for me to instigate my Handel and Bach Investigation and it proved to be an informative and inspirational visit. This elegantly restored dwelling was home to George Frederic Handel from 1723 until his death in Written evidence, in the form of correspondence between Handel s friends, neighbours and colleagues, proves he spent considerable time rehearsing and even holding small scale performances within this abode. By necessity, composers of the time tended to be a rather transitory breed. Though Handel travelled abroad on a regular basis to supervise and conduct performances of his work, the maintenance of a continuous lease on the Hanover Square residence for over 35 years was a remarkable exploit in that age. Taking into account the music composed during the time Handel lived at No. 25 Brook St (i.e. The Coronation Anthems; Music for The Royal Fireworks and of course Messiah, a piece that remains one of his most distinguished and one the most popular pieces of music in history), I felt that I had been given the chance to peel back the pages of history and gaze first hand into the life of one of the hallmark figures in Western Music. The house itself passed on to other tenants following Handel s death in The physical structure remained intact until 1905 when extensive work was undertaken to turn the residence into an art dealers premises. It remained in this guise under various antique dealers until 2000, when the Handel House Trust was able to obtain the lease. Over five million pounds sterling has been invested to return it (as far as can be judged nearly 250 yrs later) to the original construction and fittings of

6 the property. The Trust has also obtained original opera and oratorio scores, personal letters written by Handel, some portraits of the singers he employed and a magnificent double manual harpsichord, thought to be similar to Handels own instrument. I left the building feeling inspired and enthusiastic for the weeks of learning ahead. Shakespeare s Globe, on the banks of the River Thames, is an illustrious reconstruction of the theatre William Shakespeare part owned and where he worked as an actor and playwright. Shakespeare s influence on opera libretti, song and the theatrical play was immense. I was very excited to be able to experience this museum, as it is not only a superb re-creation of the original, but also a fully functioning theatre. The visit gave me another perspective on songs by composers of Shakespeare s time (i.e. Morley, Dowland, Johnson). The Globe is an intimate space for the audience, actors, singers and instrumentalists. I had a sense of close involvement in the drama as it unfolded before me on the stage and within what is known as the yard, or the area of standing room between the stage and the fixed wooden seating. Listening to the actors and singers go through their paces, two concepts became evident - how vital it is for performers to possess the ability to pronounce text (sung and spoken) with absolute clarity and secondly, the songs of this age (and particularly those incorporated in the performance at The Globe) were bristling with spirit and vivacity. Interpretations of these songs by singers on the concert stage today are often bland to the point of being soulless. Hardly (in my opinion) the way the composers would have been intended! The first Globe Theatre opened in 1599 and is thought to have had a capacity of approximately In 1613, a stage cannon above the stage was fired during a performance. Gun powder wadding fell into the thatched roof, causing the structure to burn to the ground. A second Globe (with tiled roof) was built on the site of the original. Vocal and instrumental music was used extensively in public theatres like the Globe. Parties, battles or magical scenes were all flavored with accompaniment by stringed, woodwind or brass instruments. Replicas of these period instruments (viols, lutes, sackbuts and trumpets) played by professional musicians, form an integral part of Shakespearean productions at The Globe today. The instruments are played from the Gallery located above the stage or incorporated into the play proper. I was able to form a direct link between Shakespeare s Globe and The Early Music Festival in the city of Utrecht in The Netherlands in a concert by English group Musicians of the Globe, directed by Philip Pickett. It was fascinating to hear an ensemble that included the Viol, Block Flute (a type of recorder), bandora (a wire stringed bass instrument) and Cittern (a flat backed instrument somewhere between a guitar and lyre) in live performance. A discovery upon my arrival in Utrecht that the performance of Handel s L Allegro ed il Penseroso ed il Moderato being given by The Monteverdi Choir, The English Baroque Soloists conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner (acknowledged as one of

7 the worlds leading exponents of this repertoire) was sold out produced one of the few disappointments in this festival. I was unable to pre-purchase tickets from Australia (and suggested at the festival box-office this failing may need to be rectified for future international visitors) and had to take my chance that tickets would be returned on the day. Sadly, it was not to be. However, I was able to experience the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Choir directed by Ton Koopman in a premiere performance of C.P.E. Bach s St. Matthew Passion. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was the third son of J.S. Bach and a fine composer in his own right. The manuscript used in this performance, along with many other sacred scores was confiscated from The Singakademie in Berlin by the Russians at the end of World War Two. The score was restored through detailed work led by the American Bach scholar Christoph Wolff. C.P.E. Bach utilized some chorales and choruses from his fathers St. Matthew Passion, as well as borrowing from his own earlier works - a practice accepted at the time. His engagement as Cantor and Music Director in Hamburg allowed him sparse little time. It was Church convention for the Cantor to provide new music every year, so Bach shaped this Passion in such a way to allow a basic fabric of recitatives, arias and choruses that could be substituted in future years. The pilgrimage between the styles of father and son seemed at first to make for a bumpy ride, but there was music of fine quality. For my taste, some of C.P.E. Bach s da capo arias although confidently sung, seemed superfluous. Some of his arias paled a little when compared to the J.S. Bach chorales and choruses that followed, although given the genius of Bach Senior, that is hardly surprising. Koopman, skillfully supporting the recitatives on chamber organ and standing to direct the choir, shaped the performance with graceful intelligence and at times, passionate zeal. The soloists and choir responded in kind to achieve an outstanding event. Among the other concerts of note in this festival were performances of St. Luke Passion and St. John Passion by Heinrich Schütz, a predecessor of J.S. Bach. The contrast in the manner of vocal writing between these two countrymen was particularly interesting to me. The Evangelist in Schütz Passions was written in an unaccompanied chant-like style, which given the late hour and dimly lit, cavernous surrounds of the St. Peters Church in Utrecht, produced a devotional aura and a rather mesmeric effect. It seemed (at first) to be less dramatic than the more intricate recitative fashion employed by Bach, but taking into account Schütz austere compositional approach and the sparing use of instrumental accompaniment, the ear was drawn to the vocal colours employed by the singers (The Netherlands Bachvereniging and Trinity Baroque respectively) and proved a pleasing and effective illustration of Christ s Passion. The Utrecht Festival included a Symposium on 19th Century Performance Practice run by the Foundation for Historic Performance Practice. Keynote speakers from many countries gave theoretical and scholarly conceptions on nineteenth century performance technique. I attended sessions presented by Dr. Neal Peres da Costa (pianist and recent PhD recipient from the University of Leeds) and Dr. Clive

8 Brown (musicologist and author of Classical and Romantic Performance Practice, published by Oxford University Press.) This interesting seminar raised questions in my mind regarding the concept of interpretation. A number of piano roll and early disc recordings by some famous pianists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century were played. These recordings demonstrated the interpretation of a piece of music can be as varied as the number of musicians involved. The examples were not only distinctive in diversity of tempo and use of rubato but also the coordination of left and right hand and the way arpeggiated chords were played. The lessons with Mr Marius van Altena at The Koninklijk Conservatoire in The Hague (acknowledged as one of the worlds leading centres in Early Music education) covered pieces in the baroque vocal repertoire and particularly The Evangelist in The St. John Passion of J.S. Bach. I was keen to heed the wisdom gained in his near 40 years experience as both a professional performer and teacher. His fluent German pronunciation was priceless in assisting me deal with the text and interpretation of the dramatic line. The sense of subtlety in baroque style and his love and understanding of this particular piece, with nearly 250 performances to his credit were vividly apparent. I enjoyed these sessions tremendously and have now returned to Australia armed with a substantial injection of knowledge and renewed enthusiasm in my journey as a singer and singing teacher. Conclusions and Recommendations The oratorio literature of Bach and Handel has long formed the basis of programs performed by professional and amateur, chamber and large scale choirs and orchestras throughout Australia. However, I believe it is tendencies of wider Australian culture combined with the vast distance between Europe (the origin of Bach and Handel) and Australia that forms a barrier to baroque music being presented on a more frequent basis here. I encountered a large number of expatriate Australian musicians studying or working in Europe, keen to return home and put their skills to paid work but hampered by the lack of opportunity in this country. Musicians have a desire to sing/ play/ rehearse and perform this repertoire to an attentive audience. In Western Europe Opera, the Symphony Orchestra and Oratorio and sport tend to be on a more equal footing in the battle for publicity and the consumer dollar than in this country. As a long time lover of sport myself, I am very much aware of its domination in the Australian way of life. By my choice, (and continued rejection by the Test selectors), it is not from sporting pursuits but classical music that I am trying to make a living. I accept the question Who is playing full forward for The Lions in the AFL Grand Final? may be a bigger talking point than Who is singing the Bass arias in The St. Matthew Passion? The expertise gained through undertaking this Churchill Fellowship will aid the

9 development of my Evangelist singing and recognition of the complexities in Baroque music. As one of a very small number of Evangelist Tenors in Australia, the experience I have acquired through study with Marius van Altena and observing musicians of the calibre of Ton Koopman, The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, The Netherlands Bachvereniging, Paul van Nevel and The Huelgas Ensemble in concert performance will allow me to approach my work in a more disciplined fashion. I have enhanced my knowledge of the German language (an integral part of this repertoire) which in turn has given me more dramatic control over the piece; I ve gained an insight into the interaction of characters in The Passion story of Christ and I ve been able to spend considerable time within the role of The Evangelist, working on the many sections of musical complexity. It is my intention (within my limited power) to chip away at the imbalance between the sporting and classical music culture and now that I have returned to Australia, I hope that by performing this repertoire at the highest standard that I can possibly achieve and passing on to my students some of what I have learned in my study in The Netherlands, I will help to raise the profile of Bach and Handel in the minds and hearts of Australians from all walks of life.