GUIL.DFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL. CONCERTS 197879
Gwyneth Griffiths
50th Enterprising Concert
Gwyneth
Griffiths
is
a
contralto of exceptional
ability, her repertoire ranges from Bach to Verdi.
GUILDFORD BOROUGH
She has studied with some of the finest musicians in
COUNCIL CONCERTS
the country including Roy Henderson and Paul
1978/79
Hamburger.
CIVIC HALL, GUILDFORD
In the competitive field she has won the Kathleen
Ferrier Memorial Scholarship, The Royal Overseas
League Bronze Medal, a Leverhulme Scholarship
SATURDAY 9 DECEMBER 1978
for Study in Germany and the Award of Merit in the
s’Hertogenbosch International Vocal Concours.
at 7.45 p.m.
Gwyneth Griffiths is a regular performer at the
South
Guildford
Bank
Halls,
the
Royal
Albert
Hall and
numerous Cathedrals, Concert Halls and Festivals.
She received considerable acclaim from her international appearances in
Brazil,
Switzerland and
Holland.
Philharmonic
Recently she has recorded a performance of Bach’s
Christmas Oratorio for BBC Television.
Orchestra
Vivien Townley
Vivien Townley was born in Accrington, Lancashire
and studied at the Royal Manchester College of
Music under Elsie Thurston, where she gained the
Leader: JOHN LUDLOW
A.R.C.M. diplomas in teaching and performing.
For performances in College operas she was awarded the Ricordi and Imperial League of Opera prizes.
In her final year at the College, she was awarded the
much coveted Curtis Gold Medal for singing.
Gwyneth Griffiths
Vivien Townley
Ian Caddy
Philharmonic Choir
In May 1967 Vivien Townley won the BBC Opera
Singers Competition, and has since broadcast for
them frequently both in concert and recital. She
made her debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent
Garden in the same year and has since made several
guest appearances with the Covent Garden Company. During the 1973/74 season she sang The Fly-
ing Dutchman in Paris, Angers and Grenoble, and
Vernon Handley
toured in this country with the Sadler’s Wells Ring
production.
She
has
also
toured
with
the
Glyndebourne Opera Company.
Vivien
Townley
debut in
made
her
Promenade
Concert
1968 at the Memorial Concert for Sir
Malcolm Sargent. She appeared at the Proms again
in 1974 with Pierre Boulez, and at the 1976 Proms in
a performance of Stravinsky’s Les Noces.
During
the
1977/78
season,
Vivien
Townley
appeared at the Norwich Festival in a performance
of Elgar’s The Kingdom. Recent engagements have
included the title role in Jenufa, and Mimi in La
Boheme for the Welsh National Opera.
This concert is promoted by Guildford Borough Council
with
financial
Association.
support
from
the
South
East
Arts
Ian Caddy
lan Caddy appeared with the Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra and Vernon Handley in 1974 in a
performance of Vaughan Williams’s Serenade to
Music.
During
1977
he was featured in four different
television series and this year has recorded more
programmes for two of the series: ““Hit the Note” for
BBC2 and “Guideline” for Southern Television. He
has been heard again on BBC Radio several times
this year.
lan Caddy made his debut with the English
National Opera last September, and has toured
with them this year singing Falke in “Die Fledermaus’’ and Strephon in their revival of “lolanthe’ at
the London Coliseum.
Earlier this year lan Caddy recorded Vivaldi’s
“Dixit Dominus” for C.B.S. and the 12th century
“Play of Herod” with Ian Caddy singing Herod, for
O.U.P.
His future schedule includes concerts with the LPO,
Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and
with most of the major regional orchestras. He will
be making further recordings for Enigma, Lyrita
and Classics for Pleasure, and will also be working
with the BBC Northern and Welsh Symphony
Orchestras.
In spite of his crowded schedule, Vernon Handley
still manages to escape to his Gloucestershire home
for a period every year to work on enlarging his
already immense repertoire and to follow his keen
interest in ornithology.
Overture, Leonora No.3
Beethoven 1770-1827
Of the four overtures which Beethoven composed for
his opera Fidelio, only the last was included in the
published score of the opera. The first three overPhilharmonic Choir
tures are called Leonora (No.1, 2 and 3 respectively)
The Philharmonic Choir is the larger of the two
heroine of that name. Beethoven composed the first
in 1805, but he thought it unsatisfactory, and so
choirs under the conductorship of the Musical
Director, who acknowledges with thanks the help he
has received in training the choir from Kenneth
Lank and accompanists Linden Knight and Patricia
Wood. The Choir made its first recording in 1973
with the Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra: “In-
timations of Immortality”” by Gerald Finzi, and in
1976 recorded Hadley’s “The Trees So High’’ with
the Philharmonia Orchestra.
because the opera originally took its title from the
when the first performance of the opera took place
later in that year the second overture had been
written, but its drama and structure proved to be
somewhat too ambitious to precede an opera, and so
early in 1806 Beethoven revised the second overture
and called it Leonora No.3. Even then, the work
proved to be such an entity in itself, although tied to
the opera
thematically,
that
Beethoven wrote a
fourth overture, the Fidelio.
Vernon Handley
Leonora No.3 has, therefore, entered the orchestral
Vernon Handley was born in Enfield, North Lon-
don, and he studied at Balliol College, Oxford, and
the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He is
now one of the busiest British conductors, working
regularly with all major London and regional
Orchestras.
repertoire as a short symphonic drama, and it was
Wagner’s opinion that Beethoven succeeded ‘““more
completely and more stirringly”’ in the overture than
he did in the stage action of the opera. Certainly, the
off-stage trumpet calls, the mysterious suspense conveyed by the string pianissimos in the orchestra, and
the lyrical flute tune all have dramatic force in a
Since 1962 he has been Musical Director to the
work of this length, and it does not matter if we do
Municipality of Guildford where he has developed
the Guildford Philharmonic into a professional body
which the work has become detached.
of major importance, and he conducts the Proteus
Choir with singers all aged under thirty, as well as
the larger Philharmonic Choir. He has made several
records with both the Orchestra and Choirs.
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
not know what they represent in the opera from
Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
In the recording field, he has currently over a dozen
Wenn mein Schatz Hochzeit macht
recordings in the catalogue for four major recording
Ging heut morgens tiber’s Feld
companies and with a repertoire ranging from Finzi,
Ich had ein gliihend Messer
Die zwei blauen Augen von meinem Schatz
Vaughan Williams and Tippett to Tchaikovsky,
Faure
and
Saint-Saens.
Recently
released
is
Dvorak’s ‘New World’ Symphony with the Philhar-
monia on the new Enigma label, various modern
pieces on the Lyrita label, and for Thames TV he
recently recorded Vaughan Williams’s ballet Job
with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Soloist: Gwyneth Griffiths
Among other things Mahler was a master of the
orchestral song-cycle, a form first notably exploited
by Berlioz in Nuits d’Eté, later taken up by Wagner
in his Wesendonklieder and successfully employed
in our own day by Benjamin Britten. The Lieder
eines fahrenden Gesellen (‘Songs of a Wayfaring
Lad’ is probably the closest English approximation)
were Mabhler’s first cycle. Like the First Symphony,
which he began shortly afterwards, the songs were
prompted by an ill-starred love affair between the
composer and a soprano named Johanna Richter.
The rejected Mahler wrote the poems himself, imagining himself as the young wayfarer, a jilted lover
who, like the central figure of Schubert’s
Winterreise cycle, seeks forgetfulness and consolation in travel. It has sometimes been claimed
that in this early cycle Mahler miraculously an-
ticipated his discovery of Des Knaben Wunderhorn
(‘The Youth’s Magic Horn’), the collection of folk
poetry which he later used as song material — the
verse style is similar — but there is evidence that the
Wunderhorn poems had been familiar to him since
childhood. In fact, the opening lines of the first song
in the cycle are borrowed from a Wunderhorn
poem.
being
‘for
a
low
voice
with
orchestral
songs for voice and piano. The orchestration of the
songs appears to date from the following decade; the
final revisions were made in 1896 for the premiere in
Berlin of the cycle as we know it today.
By that time Mahler had two symphonies behind
him, which helps to explain the precision of the
scoring. A full orchestra is used but more for clarity
and variety of tone colour and texture than for
weight of sound. The music of the first two songs is
in a folk-like vein. Mahler used the country-walk
melody
of
movement
the
second
of the
First
again
in
Symphony.
in the First Symphony’s funeral march) the un-
happy wanderer goes off at dead of night and
beneath a linden tree finds peace at last in sleep.
ERIC MASON.
1.
Wenn mein Schatz Hochzeit macht,
When my sweetheart has her wedding,
frohliche Hochzeit macht,
has her merry wedding,
I have my day of mourning!
Geh ich in mein Kdimmerlein!
I go into my little room,
Weine, wein um meinen Schatz,
um meinen lieben Schatz!
dark little room!
Weep, weep for my sweetheart!
for my dear sweetheart!
Verdorre nicht, verdorre nicht!
Flower of blue, flower of blue,
Voglein siiss, Voglein stiss,
do not wither, do not wither!
du singst auf griiner Heide!
Sweet bird, sweet bird,
Ach, wie ist die Welt so schén!
You are singing on the green heath!
Zikiith! Ziklith!
Ah, but how lovely the world is!
Singet nicht! Bliihet nicht!
Cheep! Cheep!
Lenz ist ja vorbeil!
Do not sing! Do not flower!
Alles Singen ist nun aus!
Spring is over now!
Des Abends wenn ich schlafen geh,
All singing is done with!
denk ich an mein Leide,
At evening when I go to sleep
an mein Leide!
2.
Ging heut morgens tiber’s Feld,
I think of my sorrow,
of my sorrow!
2,
Tau noch auf den Grésern hing;
I walked this morning over the fields;
sprach zu mir der lust’ge Fink:
dew still hung on the grass;
‘Ei, du! Gelt?
The gay chaffinch spoke to me:
‘Hiyou! Is it?
Guten Morgen! Ei gelt?
Du!Wird’s nicht eine schéne Welt?
opening
The
music of the kind we often encounter in the
symphonies. In the final song (which Mahler quoted
1.
Bliimlein blau, Bliimlein blau!
the
idiom
changes in the third song, the image of the knife in
the jilted lover’s breast bringing forth agonised
Mahler composed the cycle in 1884, describing it as
hab ich meinen traurigen Tag!
accom-
paniment’, but at that time only sketching out the
Zink! Zink!schtne Welt
A good morning! is it?
You there! Isn’t it a lovely world?
Zink! Zink! schén und flink!
Tweet-tweet! Sharp and sweet!
Wie mir doch die Welt gefallt!’
How I love the world!’
Auch die Glockenblum am Feld
And the bluebell in the meadow
hat mir lustig, guter Ding
— cheeful, kind creature —
mit den Gl6ckchen, klinge, kling,
with its bells went tingting,
ihren Morgengruss geschellt:
and rang a morning greeting for me:
.
‘Wird’s nicht eine schéne Welt?
‘Isn’t it a lovely world?
Kling kling! Schénes Ding!
Ting-ting! Pretty thing!
Wie mir doch die Welt gefillt!
How I love the world!
Neia!’
Hey ho!’
Und da fing im Sonnenschein
Then in the sunshine
gleich die Welt zu funkeln an;
the world suddenly began to glitter;
alles Ton und Farbe gewann
all things took on music and colour
im Sonnenschein!
in the sunshine.
Blum und Vogel, gross und klein!
Flowers and birds, both great and small!
‘Guten Tag, ist’s nicht eine schéne Welt?
Ei, du, gelt?’
‘Good day, isn’t it a lovely world?
Hey, you, isn’t it?’
Nun fdngt auch mein Gliick wohl an?
Well, is my luck too starting now?
Nein, nein, das ich mein,
No, no, indeed I think
mir nimmer bliihenkann!
nothing can ever blossom for me!
A
3.
Ich hab ein gliihend Messer,
1 have a gleaming knife,
ein Messer in meiner Brust.
a knife in my breast.
O Weh! Das schneid’t so tief
O grief! It cuts so deep
in jede Freud und jede Lust.
into every joy and every pleasure.
Ach, was ist das fiir ein b&ser Gast!
What a bad guest it is!
Nimmer hilt er Ruh, nimmer hilt er Rast,
It is nevery quiet, never stops,
nicht bei Tag, noch bei Nacht wenn ich schlief.
neither by day nor by night when I sleep.
O Weh!
O grief!
Wenn ich in den Himmel seh,
When I look at the sky,
seh ich zwei blaue Augen stehn.
I see two blue eyes standing there.
O Weh!
Wenn ich im gelben Felde geh
O grief!
When I walk in the yellow fields,
seh ich von fern das blonde Haar
far away I see that fair hair
im Winde wehn.
waving in the wind.
O Weh!
Wenn ich aus dem Traum auffahr
O grief!
und hore klingen ihr silbern lachen,
When I start out ofa dream
and hear her silver laughter pealing,
O Weh!
Ich wollt ich l4g aug der schwarzen Bahr,
O grief!
I wish I were lying on a black bier,
kdénnt nimmer die Augen aufmachen!
never to open my eyes again.
4.
4.
Die zwei blauen Augen von meinem Schatz,
My sweetheart’s two blue eyes
die haben mich in die weiten Welt geschickt.
have sent me into the wide world.
Da musst ich Abschied nehmen
I had to bid farewell
vom allerliebsten Platz!
to the well-beloved place!
O Augen blau, warum habt ihr mich angeblickt?
O blue eyes, why did you look at me?
Nun hab ich ewig Leid und Gramen.
Now pain and grief are with me for ever.
Ich bin ausgegangen in stiller Nacht
I went out in the quiet of night
wohl tiber die dunkle Heide.
far over the dark heath.
Hat mir niemand Ade gesagt.
Nobody said Goodbye to me.
Ade! Mein Gesell war Leib und Leide.
Goodbye! My fellow was love and pain.
Auf der Strasse stand ein Lindenbaum,
da hab ich zum ersten Mal im Schlaf geruht,
On the street stood a linden tree;
there for the first time I found quiet in sleep,
unter dem Lindenbaum.
under the linden tree.
Der hat sein Bliiten liber mich geschneit,
It snowed down its blossoms on me,
da wusst ich nicht wie das Leben tut,
till I did not know what life was doing;
war alles, alles, wieder gut,
all, all was well again,
alles, Lieb und Leid,
all —love and pain,
und Welt und Traum!
and world and dream!
Copyright English translation by William Mann, reprinted by arrangement with the author.
Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra
Director of Music/Conductor:
INTERVAL
Vernon Handley
First Violins
Piccolo
JOHN LUDLOW
Christopher Nicholls
Sheila Beckensall
Requiem, Opus 58
Boris Blacher 1903-1975
Vito Gambazza
John Gralak
Requiem aeternam — soprano, baritone and choir
Kathleen Hamburger
Oboes
Robin Canter
Jocelyn Streater
Dies Irae — choir
Christina Lenton
Cor Anglais
Domine Jesu — baritone, soprano and choir
Robert Lewcock
Jennifer Porcas
Sanctus — choir
Hazel Mulligan
Clarinets
Agnus Dei — choir, baritone and soprano
Martin Pring
Hale Hambleton
Andrew Read
Victor Slaymark
Lux aeternam — soprano solo
Eric Stuckey
Libera me — soprano, baritone and choir
Where so much music of the twentieth century is
said to be obscure and incomprehensible that of
Boris Blacher shines out clear as clear and accep-
table at first hearing, even if a product quite
demonstrably of modern times. One could have expected that a professor of the Berlin Hochschule
would have a respect for form and balance. One
could not necessarily expect that he would have the
Gil White
Pamela White
Second Violins
Nicholas Maxted Jones
Harold Nathan
Marlese Amberg
Constance Ames
Helene Barriere
Bass Clarinet
Gordon Lewin
Bassoons
Julie Andrews
Geoffrey Colmer
Contra Bassoon
Kenneth Cooper
Horns
wit of Gershwin and the orchestral lightness of a
Ravel. Yet these are the things which are apparent
Timothy Callaghan
Peter Clack
Anthony Kitchen
Dennis Scard
in every work that he wrote. Having established
himself with such works as the Piano Concerti, the
Ruth Dawson
Andrew Laing
Ronald Harris
George Woodcock
Rosemary Roberts
David Clack
Concertante Music and the Orchestral Variations
on a theme of Paganini he occasionally produced ex-
Adrienne Sturdy
tended works of a more serious character. Of these,
the Cello Concerto, the Requiem and the Concerto
Violas
David Appleyard
John Meek
Edgar Riches
Levine Andrade
John Pickles
for Strings are important examples.
The Requiem had its first performance in Vienna in
1959. The formal shape of the work is extremely
clear, the first two movements being of extended
character, the second recalling the material of the
first for its final Amen. Domine Jesu and Agnus Dei
are musical relief movements on either side of the
colossal
Sanctus
metamorphic
and
variations
the
of
Libera
the
me
material
of
uses
the
previous larger movements. The work is remarkable
for the independence of the solo and choral lines,
Roger Chase
William Hallett
Susan Georgiadis
Jonathan Barritt
Alison Hunka
Trumpets
Trombones
Ian White
Christopher Guy
Bass Trombone
Leonard Lock
Ronald Bryans
Cellos
Tuba
Geoffrey Thomas
Stephen Wick
John Stilwell
Harp
John Franca
Fiona Hibbert
neither of which are given much help from the
orchestra. The strain that this throws upon the
chorus and soloists, both musically and physically
John Sharp
Gordon Kember
may,
Bridget Loeser
Timpani
account
for
the
work’s
neglect,
yet,
in-
dependent
though their utterances are, they all
share musical material. The most obvious example
of this is the Rex tremendae passage of the Dies
Irae, where the outburst of the chorus is mirrored in
similar chords and rhythms by the orchestra, but at
different times, thus giving the words different and
more telling colours. No-one can doubt the sincerity
of this
Requiem.
It is as different from other
German religious music as Holst’s Hymn of Jesus
was from English religious m usic at the time of its
first performance.
Pauline Sadgrove
Tina Macrae
Pianoforte
Basses
Roger Blair
Thomas Martin
Percussion
Arthur Watts
Charles Fullbrook
Richard Lewis
Stephen Lees
Stephen Whittaker
Michael Lee
Michael Fagg
Dugald Lees
Flutes
Henry Messent
Kate Hill
David Stirling
Concerts Manager
Kathleen Atkins
SUNDAY 14 JANUARY 1979 at 3 p.m.
Civic Hall
The Banks of Green Willow — Butterworth
Violin Concerto in E minor — Mendelssohn
Symphony No.4 in B flat — Beethoven
Soloist: Bronislav Gimpel
Conductor: Vernon Handley
SATURDAY 3 FEBRUARY 1979 at 7.45 p.m.
Portsmouth Point — Walton
Violin Concerto No.2 — Bartok
The Chagall Windows — John McCabe
Soloist: Barry Griffiths
Conductor: Vernon Handley
Tickets for the above on sale Guildford Public Library 2nd
January 1979.
4 The audience may be interested to know that the
violin sections are listed in alphabetical order after
the first desk, because a system of rotation of desks is
adopted in this orchestra so that all players have the
opportunity of playing in all positions in the section.