British Proms Premieres 1971 Justin Connolly: Cinquepaces, op.5

This is the first of a series of posts considering some British Proms Premieres given 50 years ago, during 1971. These may be World Premieres or simply works heard at the Proms for the first time. Chronologically, they date from a performance of Henry Purcell’s The Fairy Queen (1692) to several pieces commissioned by the BBC for that year’s event. 

Justin Connolly’s Cinquepaces, op.5 was performed at the Round House, Camden at 9 pm on 6 September. It was one of only two works by the composer to be heard at the Proms. The other was Diaphony, given at the Albert Hall on 8 September 1978.

One reviewer suggested that “the point in going to the Round House was, I imagine, to attract an audience more attuned to rock than to modern art music, and it was a great pity that the opportunity to present worthwhile music was missed…” It think that this was somewhat disingenuous. The concert also included Olivier Messiaen’s time-bending Sept Haïkaï (1962), George Newson’s Arena (1966), György Ligeti’s Adventures (c.1965) and his Nouvelles aventures (c.1965). The performers were an “all-star” cast including Pierre Boulez, Jane Manning, Cleo Laine, Alan Hacker, the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble and the King’s Singers.

Cinquepaces is a brass quintet scored for two trumpets, horn, trombone and tuba. Written in 1965, it was dedicated to Peter Racine Fricker. Interestingly, it won the 1967 Alfred Clemens Memorial Prize. It was the first of the composer’s works to gain a solid reputation.

Paul Conway (Liner notes, SRCD 305) has written that the title Cinquepaces is derived from “cinq pas”, Five Steps and “comes from a generic term describing certain Elizabethan dances, such as the galliard. Their style was forceful and athletic, analogous to modern ballet, then dancers usually male, and the sequences were frequently devised for pairs of soloists rather than a single performer.” Connolly himself has written that "the players are not only perhaps the five steps of the dance but are themselves the dancers".

The quintet has several contrasting sections. The main element are the three “Cinquepaces”, separated by two interludes. These are framed by an opening Prelude and a short coda. From the first note to the last, dance movement is to the fore. This is a dramatic work that reveals the composer’s sympathy with the exemplar. Despite some harsh moments, this music is approachable, sometimes lyrical and always engaging. The writing for the brass instruments is idiomatic and confident.

Connolly’s Cinquepaces was premiered on 6 July 1968 at the Cheltenham Festival during a concert promoted by the Society for the Promotion of New Music. The review in the Musical Times (September 1968, p.831) noted that the composer conducted “an obviously under-prepared Philip Jones Brass Ensemble…”

In 1973, Argo released an LP (ZRG 747) of Justin Connolly’s chamber music. This included the Poems of Wallace Stevens, Verse for eight solo voices I and II, Triad III and the present Cinquepaces. The performers included Jane Manning (soprano) the Nash Ensemble conducted by the composer, the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, the John Aldis Choir and the Vesuvius Ensemble. The album was reissued in 2008 on Lyrita SRCD305. William Mann, in his review for The Gramophone (January 1974, p.1401), considers that “the music is extremely physical: jerky rhythms, glissandi, lollopping gait, desultory conversation with sudden bursts of speed, animated dialogue…sometimes the music sounds neo-medieval, but not a pastiche; one interlude is more like a nostalgic blues. It is invigorating, sociable music, brilliantly played by all five artists.”

Rob Barnett, (MusicWeb International, 8 July 2008) wrote that “Cinquepaces is…raspingly salty. Crazed – and I do not mean insane - discontinuity is the order of the day. It's still commanding writing.”  It is a good summary.

The Philip Jones Brass Ensemble performance of Cinquepaces can be found on YouTube.