Format : Sheet music
Blake Dreaming ‘Goodison Quartet No. 5’ was commissioned by Nicholas and Judith Goodison.First performance on 30th April 2010 at Wigmore Hall London by Roderick Williams (baritone) and the DoricQuartet. Composer's Note The commission was for a work which “uses the voice as an extra instrument without a text.” In BlakeDreaming I have cheated a little setting a line from “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell” albeit incompletely:- The roaring of lions the howling of wolves the raging ofthe stormy sea... are portions of eternity too great for the eye of man. The first section sets the Blake down to “stormy sea” with voice alone and follows this by a “dreaming” upon andaround it for voice and quartet where the baritone has pure vocalise. The second section sets the rest of the sentence again followed by an extended “dreaming” with pure vocalise. The baritone line should be urgentand moody suggesting eventful and disturbing dreaming. I would suggest that he imagine a dramatic outline throughout – even to specific (but unsung!) words and emotions – to ensure as powerful and gripping a dialoguewith the quartet as possible.
SKU: HL.14021022
ISBN 9780711982888.
This work was commissioned by the University of British Columbia through the gift of David Lemon. It was first performed on 11th May 1997 at the Chan Center, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, by Valdine Anderson (soprano), Linda Maguire (mezzo soprano), Paul Moore (tenor) and Kevin McMillan (baritone), with the Vancouver Bach Choir and the CBC Vancouver Orchestra, conducted by the composer. Like Vaughan Williams in his Job: A Masque for Dancing, Davies was inspired in part by William Blake's 21 engravings for the Book of Job. His oratorio, however, is less dependent on finding parallels for Blake's visual details, given the direct poetry in David Lemon's adaptation of the Stephen Mitchell translation from the biblical original, it is hardly surprising that the spotlight should be so much on Job's suffering litany. The baritone has the lion's share of the setting, though the other soloists occasionally reinforce his plea and chorale-like episodes universalize his predicament. Davies frames with work with two seminal plainsong-like passages; there is also plenty of dramatic contrast both within Job's monologues and in the vivid orchestral writing for the smarmy Comforters, the initially shrill God who finally appears out of a dazzling orchestral whirlwind and the animal life he uses to illustrate the wonders of creation to a humbled Job.
SKU: HL.14021023
ISBN 9780711969292. UPC: 884088439910. 9.0x12.0x0.375 inches.
A substantial work for four soli, SATB chorus and orchestra, using text from the translation of Stephen Mitchell's The Book Of Job. Like Vaughan Williams in his Job: A Masque for Dancing, Davies was inspired in part by William Blake's 21 engravings for the Book of Job. His oratorio, however, is less dependent on find parallels for Blake's visual details, given the direct poetry in David Lemon's adaptation of the Stephen Mitchell translation from the biblical original, it is hardly surprising that the spotlight should be so much on Job's suffering litany. The baritone has the lion's share of the setting, though the other soloists occasionally reinforce his plea and chorale-like episodes universalize his predicament. Davies frames with work with two seminal plainsong-like passages; there is also plenty of dramatic contrast both within Job's monologues and in the vivid orchestral writing for the smarmy Comforters, the initially shrill God who finally appears out of a dazzling orchestral whirlwind and the animal life he uses to illustrate the wonders of creation to a humbled Job. Commissioned by the University of British Colombia, it was first performed in May 1997 by Valdine Anderson (soprano), Linda Maguire (mezzo soprano), Paul Moore (tenor) and Kevin McMillan (baritone) with the Vancouver Bach Choir and the CBC Vancouver Orchestra, conducted by the composer. Vocal score with piano reduction of the orchestral score. Duration c. 70mins.
