Gary Higginson (b.1952) Scenes from Shakespeare, Op. 164 for piano

I have read, enjoyed and valued Gary Higginson’s reviews over the years on MusicWebInternational. I was lucky enough to catch up with the ‘man himself’ at a notable concert of music by Lakeland Composers at the Chapel, University of Cumbria, Lancaster on 1 March 2019. Gary was represented by his fascinating Sonatina for oboe and piano, as well as ‘God So Loved the World’ for chorus. Other music heard at this concert included David Jennings’s remarkable Passacaglia and Fugue for violin and piano, the premiere performance of Arthur Butterworth’s Three Songs, op.144 and the idiosyncratic Windemere Fantasy for piano by Peter E Wood. Additionally, I was able to fit in a lovely walk along Morecambe Promenade in the morning. It is looking great these days and brought back many happy memories of family holidays here in 1960-1. But it is sad that the piers and the lido have vanished.

Of the several pieces of Higginson’s music that I have encountered, the Scenes from Shakespeare, Op. 164 is my favourite. (I thank Gary H. for letting me see a copy of the score). This could be regarded either as a set of miniatures or a suite. Each movement has it source in one of the plays: a relevant quotation is given in the score and printed in the liner note. Proceedings open with ‘Bottom’s Dream’ which is a thoughtful little scherzo (Midsummer Night’s Dream). This is followed by ‘Beatrice and Benedict’ (Much Ado about Nothing) which is syncopated, also scherzo-like and musically portrays the bickering couple. ‘Bosworth Field’ (Richard III) includes little ostinatos. Dissonant chords reiterate and there is the odd lull in the music’s progress. But typically, it is quite aggressive as the title suggests.  Good old ‘Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew Aguecheek’ (Twelfth Night) opens with a parody of a diminutive marching song. All is not as it seems. The mood is presented as an image seen through the two gentlemen ‘in their cups.’ A wee bit distorted.  I like the character of King Henry V but have always resented his treatment of Sir John Falstaff in King Henry IV Part II – ‘I know thee not old man, look to thy prayers.’  Higginson’s take on this minor tragedy is a broadly-played piece that reflects sadness and rejection. It is both emotional and intense. ‘Hamlet meets the Ghost of his Father’ is bleak, just as it should be. Dissonant chords and widely spaced phrases, concurrently portray the ‘Spirit of health or goblin damned.’ The most touching moment in these Scenes is when ‘The Statue Awakes.’ This is beautifully restrained music that reflects the awakening of Queen Hermione in The Winters Tale. It is crisp, almost late Frank Bridge-ian in it effect. Was Hermione ever actually dead, was she resurrected or simply a vision? Who knows, but the music certainly suggests a moment of wonder. The final movement is dynamic ‘The Witches Dance’ imagined from Macbeth – ‘Round and round the cauldron go…’  Certainly, Higginson has created a round dance. It is not quite as spooky as the subject material may demand. But it is certainly aggressive and energetic.

Scenes from Shakespeare is a challenging presentation of musical ideas that are unified in a sound world that is certainly not English ‘pastoral’ but echoes the world of mid to late twentieth-century music. It is not avant-garde by any account, but nods towards the style of composers such as Peter Racine Fricker and Kenneth Leighton. There are elements of jazz in these pages, but this is not the predominant feature. I enjoyed these eight miniatures and found them absorbing and a little (but not too much) challenging. It is certainly a splendid antidote to so much of the anodyne piano music that seems to be composed these days.

Gary Higginson, Scenes from Shakespeare, Op. 164 can be heard on the SHEVA Label (SH209).