The Art-Music, Literature and Linguistics Forum
March 29, 2024, 02:25:28 pm
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?

Login with username, password and session length
News: Here you may discover hundreds of little-known composers, hear thousands of long-forgotten compositions, contribute your own rare recordings, and discuss the Arts, Literature and Linguistics in an erudite and decorous atmosphere full of freedom and delight.
 
  Home Help Search Gallery Staff List Login Register  

Grace Williams - Missa Cambrensis

Pages: [1] 2 3   Go Down
  Print  
Author Topic: Grace Williams - Missa Cambrensis  (Read 3425 times)
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
britishcomposer
Level 3
***

Times thanked: 36
Offline Offline

Posts: 225


View Profile
« on: February 25, 2016, 08:52:12 pm »

A St David's Day performance of Grace Williams's Missa Cambrensis may close a gap in Colins choral list:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b071cyg7
Report Spam   Logged

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

jimfin
Level 4
****

Times thanked: 21
Offline Offline

Posts: 496



View Profile
« Reply #1 on: February 26, 2016, 12:23:54 am »

How lovely! Grace Williams is always good value!
Report Spam   Logged
Dundonnell
Level 8
********

Times thanked: 137
Offline Offline

Posts: 4081


View Profile WWW
« Reply #2 on: February 26, 2016, 12:34:22 am »

I presume/hope that some kind soul will record this broadcast for us.....please!!

This will be only the work's second ever performance and at over an hour long is Grace Williams's biggest composition (apart, possibly, from the unpublished opera "The Parlour"). It is wonderful that the work is getting this second chance :)
Report Spam   Logged
calyptorhynchus
Level 3
***

Times thanked: 42
Offline Offline

Posts: 213


View Profile
« Reply #3 on: February 27, 2016, 09:54:19 pm »

I normally can record stuff off Radio 3 and post it, though it's not always as high quality as some would like.

 :)

However, as I'm not a Christian I don't listen to Christian music generally (and I think it was a pity GW wasted her time on this instead of writing another couple of Symphonies, or String Quartets (which are my religion)).

I was going to do it for you, but I see it involves narration by Rowan Williams  :( And I can't bring myself to sit through that.

(I can't just leave it recording and come back an hour later as our wonderful internet keeps on dropping out and I have to listen to spot when the glitches are, which I repair later).
Report Spam   Logged
Dundonnell
Level 8
********

Times thanked: 137
Offline Offline

Posts: 4081


View Profile WWW
« Reply #4 on: February 28, 2016, 01:02:35 am »

That is entirely your prereogative.

I hope that someone else with the necessary equipment can record the work.
Report Spam   Logged
Albion
Level 7
*******

Times thanked: 2750
Offline Offline

Posts: 1683


Frederic Cowen (1852-1935)


View Profile
« Reply #5 on: February 28, 2016, 10:00:55 am »

I will record the broadcast and upload a copy to the archive.

 :)
Report Spam   Logged

"A piece is worth your attention, and is itself for you praiseworthy, if it makes you feel you have not wasted your time over it." (Sydney Grew, 1922)
tapiola
Level 5
*****

Times thanked: 18
Offline Offline

Posts: 575



View Profile
« Reply #6 on: February 28, 2016, 03:15:37 pm »

Albion, that would be marvelous!  Thank you very much.
Report Spam   Logged
shamus
Guest
« Reply #7 on: February 29, 2016, 04:26:34 pm »

Though also not being of any organized religious persuasion I am crazy about Requiems! Berlioz' "Sanctus" is so beautiful to me, especially the old recording with Charles Munch and Leopold Simoneau singing it. I can't relate to the text but the sounds ovewhelm me in much church or temple-related music. Sometimes, philistine that I am, and without a libretto, I also listen to operas just for the music, letting the vocal sounds become simply another part of the listening experience. So, perhaps there is a way, religious or not, to enjoy Grace Williams "Missa Cambrensis", and as someone else said, her other stuff is wonderful (to me, anyway).  Gotta admit, pieces with narration rarely float my boat but if the music is worth it, I will deal with that, too. Just a ramble, not a jibe nor criticism. Thanks, Jim
Report Spam   Logged
northern
Level 3
***

Times thanked: 33
Offline Offline

Posts: 116


View Profile
« Reply #8 on: February 29, 2016, 07:38:38 pm »

I believe that amongst the texts, Grace Williams sets Vernon Watkins poetry. Though none were Swansea born, Dylan Thomas, Daniel Jones and Vernon Watkins were members of the Kardomah Gang who regularly met up in a Swansea cafe. Grace Williams spent much of her life in Barry, close to Cardiff, and I guess we’ll find out tomorrow just how well she knew her fairly local contemporaries.

 Rowan Williams is, however, a Swansea born poet and great admirer of Vernon Watkins’ poetry, so the links are made, and his choice as narrator is a natural one. I do agree with Jim, though, about narration.in general.

Anyone interested in settings of Vernon Watkins may want to listen to Furnace of Colours by Christopher Painter on Youtube (Hoddinott pupil, and sounds like one! His Third Symphony is also up there).
Report Spam   Logged
Albion
Level 7
*******

Times thanked: 2750
Offline Offline

Posts: 1683


Frederic Cowen (1852-1935)


View Profile
« Reply #9 on: March 02, 2016, 06:00:24 am »

I have added the Missa Cambrensis to the archive and updated the catalogue.

 :)
Report Spam   Logged

"A piece is worth your attention, and is itself for you praiseworthy, if it makes you feel you have not wasted your time over it." (Sydney Grew, 1922)
Gauk
Level 7
*******

Times thanked: 58
Offline Offline

Posts: 1125



View Profile
« Reply #10 on: March 02, 2016, 08:53:59 am »

I am generally opposed to narration in music as being distracting and a bad idea, but here it is not too bad. I did listen to the broadcast, but with distractions. What helps here is that the narration is in Welsh, so for a non-Welsh speaker like me (and I suspect most of us) the effect is one of a quiet, not unmusical burbling of sounds from Rowan Williams with the strings beneath.

It is a great shame that this was only the second public performance of such a major work in 45 years - partly due to the difficulty of the choral writing. I have to say, though, that making allowances for the fact that I was not giving the work my full attention, there are other pieces by Williams I would look forward to re-hearing first.
Report Spam   Logged
northern
Level 3
***

Times thanked: 33
Offline Offline

Posts: 116


View Profile
« Reply #11 on: March 02, 2016, 09:14:26 am »

Thanks for the posting of the work.  I have one too as a backup, and guess I had 28 days of iplayer had it gone wrong.

Well, what I first understood to be a 25 minute mass grew into a work with sections of the mass interspersed with narration and poetry, but I wasn’t sure if the poetry was sung or narrated. What we heard was quite different, substantially longer,  very powerful, and successful I think in moving away from the mass to the interlude and narration over orchestra, which must take a lot of practice.

I only read about the Vernon Watkins connection (my post above) in relation to this broadcast but despite searching joint names, nothing now comes up, although what does come up, as one would expect, is that they, and Daniel Jones, were friends, and she had earlier set a Watkins’ poem. It seems that the Watkins link to the mass was wrong. Apologies (yet again!).
Report Spam   Logged
Dundonnell
Level 8
********

Times thanked: 137
Offline Offline

Posts: 4081


View Profile WWW
« Reply #12 on: March 02, 2016, 05:24:38 pm »

Thank you, John, for the upload :)
Report Spam   Logged
tapiola
Level 5
*****

Times thanked: 18
Offline Offline

Posts: 575



View Profile
« Reply #13 on: March 02, 2016, 06:35:09 pm »

Amazing score.  There's iron in this music, beauty and anger too.  Far exceeds so much pablum recorded today. The performers seem inspired to me and well recorded too.  I sense a CD forthcoming as the audience held their applause for some time.
Thank you very much.
Report Spam   Logged
guest251
Guest
« Reply #14 on: March 25, 2016, 08:54:31 am »

According to this month's Gramophone, this performance was recorded by Lyrita for release in August this year
Report Spam   Logged

Pages: [1] 2 3   Go Up
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by EzPortal
Bookmark this site! | Upgrade This Forum
SMF For Free - Create your own Forum


Powered by SMF | SMF © 2016, Simple Machines
Privacy Policy