This
new 3-CD set from Resonus includes the previously released Volumes 1 and 2 of Kenneth Leighton’s Complete Organ Works.
To this has been added a final Volume 3, which I understand has not been issued
separately. I have previously reviewed Volume
1
for MusicWeb International, so will not repeat myself in these comments. I was
unable to find any appraisal of Volume 2 listed on MWI.
The
second CD gets off to a great start. The ‘Festival Fanfare’ was composed for
the 1968 West Riding Cathedrals Festival held at Sheffield. The event included
the ‘massed choirs’ of Sheffield, Bradford and Wakefield Cathedrals and was
held during 1 and 2 November. Interestingly, the splendid cathedral of Ripon
was in the West Riding at that time, before the reckless county boundary
changes of 1974: I wonder why they were not invited?
The
‘Fanfare’ was personally requested by Sheffield organist Graham Matthews. It
lasts for about six minutes and is in Leighton’s usual jubilant, flamboyant,
dance-inspired style, ideal for ceremonial music. Making use of limited musical
material it is well-structured, and technically challenging. ‘Festival Fanfare’
was premiered by Matthews (other sources suggest it was Percy Saunders) at the
Festival Evensong and again at a concert, both in Sheffield Cathedral.
Kenneth
Leighton insisted that ‘Et Resurrexit’ (Theme, Fantasy and Fugue) op.49 is
‘…purely abstract in design, [however] the work attempts to give musical
expression to the individual’s struggle for belief in the miracle of the
resurrection…’ The massive canvas is developed from a minimum of musical
material. Despite the work’s formal division into three movements, it is easier
to understand as a kind of continuous variation or constant transformation. The
mood of the work is changeable, balancing emotions that are deeply felt, moving
and often euphoric. It places considerable technical demands on the organist,
especially in using the colours available through registration, as well as
simply playing the notes. It is dedicated to Robert Munns who gave the premiere
on 16 November on the organ of Brompton Parish Church, London.
‘These
are Thy Wonders (A Song of Renewal)’, op.84 was commissioned by the tenor Neil
Mackie to celebrate the 70th birthday of Peter Pears in 1980. It is
a setting of the poem ‘The Flower’ by George Herbert. I am never quite sure how well solo ‘song’
works with an organ. In this case, I guess Leighton has created a
through-composed work of considerable lyricism and ‘luminosity’ which gives an
effective balance to voice and instrument. It is brilliantly sung on this CD by
Nicky Spence. The work was first performed in the beautiful St Magnus Cathedral
in Kirkwall, Orkney on 21 June 1981. This was 364 days after Pears’ actual 70th
birthday.
The
short ‘Veni Creator Spiritus’ was written the year before the composer died. It
was commissioned for the Dunfermline Abbey Festival of 1987 and was first
performed there on 21 June by the Abbey organist, Andrew Armstrong. Although this finely-wrought work is entitled
a ‘prelude’ it is really a meditation on the ancient plainsong tune for
Whitsunday. The music follows the text in a restrained manner, gently acknowledging
references to the ‘living fire’, God’s promise to instruct his flock, the
perils for which we need God’s protection and the security of His divine love.
I
remember buying a copy of the sheet music of Leighton’s ‘Prelude, Scherzo and
Passacaglia’, op.41 in Biggar’s music shop in Glasgow around 1975. It was
issued in the buff coloured Novello International Series of Contemporary Organ
Music edition. It just appealed to me. I never could play it, and never will
play it, but it seemed like a good investment: I still have it in my music
library. The work was commissioned by Bryan Hesford of Brecon Cathedral, and
was first performed by him in Norwich Cathedral on 24 October 1963.
Lasting
for more than 20 minutes it is based on the development of a simple melodic
motif which is expressed in the opening bars of the Prelude. The Scherzo is
essentially a baroque gigue that juxtaposes edgy music with something that is
inherently playful. The Passacaglia, which is based on a 12-note theme creates
a much darker and more intense mood than the preceding scherzo. The theme is
used, twisted and then turned back on itself. The entire work is a clever
balance of largely traditional contrapuntal devices but also utilises a more
contemporary harmonic language. The overall impression is of a work of
consummate skill, written by a composer who fully understands all the
possibilities of the medium. It is hard to believe that this was his first
major work for the genre. I agree with
Arthur Milner (Musical Opinion,
October 1964) that this is ‘the finest composition for organ by an English
composer of the last thirty years.’ For me, it is Leighton’s organ masterwork.
The
third disc opens with Kenneth Leighton’s most ‘popular’ organ work ‘Paean’
(1966) with five recordings currently listed in the Arkiv catalogue, and many
more in the lists of deleted LPs, cassettes and CDs. It is a justifiably popular piece that is
full of rhythmic energy, extrovert gestures and surprising lyricism. It celebrates
perfectly the thanksgiving (and possibly triumph) suggested by the title. It was commissioned by Oxford University
Press (OUP) for the second volume of their successful Modern Organ Music series (Red Cover). The first performance was
given at the Royal Festival Hall on 25 January 1967 by Simon Preston. This was
part of a celebration of 40 years of the Organ Club.
OUP’s competitors Novello commissioned the ‘Elegy’ as one of
the numbers included in their Music
Before Service album, issued in 1965. This was the second of Leighton’s
organ pieces and was completed in April 1965. This work is composed in an
‘arch’ form, beginning and ending quietly, with a considerable climax in the
middle. Although the ‘Elegy’ is approachable and completely satisfying, it is
hardly the sort of piece one expects to hear at St Swithuns-on-Irwell on a
Sunday morning before 1662 Prayer Book Matins.
The short Ode was yet another commission for an album of
organ music: A Second Album of Preludes
and Interludes-Six Pieces by Contemporary British Composers published by
OUP in 1979. The music is an exercise in
the building up of tension and increasing dynamics on a very limited canvas.
The work ends, conventionally, with a powerful C major chord.
If I am honest, Fantasy on a Chorale (Es ist genug), op.80
(1979) just does not do it for me. I feel the combination of violin and organ
is not judicious. It is the only piece where the composer has attempted this
instrumentation. The chorale appeared in Bach’s cantata ‘O Ewigkeit, du
Donnerwort,’ BWV 60. Enthusiasts of Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto will recall
the composer’s use of the tune in his celebrated Violin Concerto.
The Fantasy is written in a single continuous movement,
albeit divided into five sections. I find that it is typically uninspiring from
the first note to the last. At 26 minutes in duration it seems just a wee bit
too long. I am sure that other listeners will heartily disagree with me. One feels guilty in not enjoying or
appreciating this piece, as it was written ‘in memoriam’ for Leighton’s father.
The Fantasy was commissioned by the American violinist Jean Harmon and was
first performed in the Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC on 4
May 1980.
The short chorale prelude ‘Rockingham’ is a beautiful,
restrained sicilaino-like meditation on the well-loved hymn tune used with the
words ‘When I Survey the Wondrous Cross’. It first appeared in the collection Chorale Preludes on English Tunes
published by OUP c.1977.
The
relatively ‘easy to play’ Fanfare was included in Volume 1 of OUPs Easy
Modern Organ Music published in 1967. Peter
Hardwick in his British Organ
Music (2003) suggests that
the work has ‘an engaging pervasive brightness and rhythmic forward thrust’
which is achieved by the ‘symmetrical phrases that begin on weak
beats.’ It is certainly a good place for aspiring organists to begin their
study of Kenneth Leighton’s organ music.
‘Veni Redemptor’ (A Celebration), op.93 is based on the eponymous
chant published in the Sarum Antiphoner.
The piece was written for the North Wales International Music Festival at St.
Asaph in 1985, and was first heard there on 20 September of that year. It was
performed by the dedicatee John Scott (1956-2015). The composer’s own words sum
up the powerful effect of this music: ‘[It is] a celebration of Christmas which
gives expression to awe and majesty as well as to joy and brightness.’ From its
quiet opening, followed by a skittish section, then building up to a glorious
peroration, this is a perfectly constructed piece of organ music.
The final work on this third CD, ‘De Profundis’, op.76, is
not for organ: it is the only piece that Kenneth Leighton composed for the
harpsichord. It was written during August 1977, and had its premiere on 7 June
1978 in that great repository of keyboard instruments, the St Cecilia’s Hall in
Edinburgh. The composer was the soloist.
Leighton has described the work as ‘…a set of constant
variations…it tries to use for the most part the lyrical and contrapuntal
potentialities of the harpsichord…’ The liner notes suggest that ‘De Profundis’
was composed at a time of unhappiness for Leighton. This mood permeates much of
the work, yet the vibrant rhythms of some of the faster sections seem to be
positive, whilst the darker moments certainly suggest sadness. I must admit
that I found the piece a little hard going: it is not my favourite work by the
composer. On the other hand, it is good that it has been given this splendid
recording.
The work was crafted to be played on a historic instrument.
In the present recording, Stephen Farr uses a Pascal Taskin instrument built in
1769, which is now housed in the St Cecilia’s Hall. This was presumably loaned
to St
George’s Church, Chesterton, Cambridge from St Cecilia’s Hall (see recording
details) for this performance.
The
liner notes, written by Adam Binks, who is currently writing the first
biography of Kenneth Leighton, are near-dissertation length, and give a
splendid overview of the composer and his organ music. Each piece is discussed
in some detail. Biographical information is given about the performers. Organ
specifications are included for all three instruments: the 1992 Rieger Organ at
St Giles Cathedral, the Klais Organ at the Symphony Hall, Birmingham and the
Henry Willis instrument in St Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge, London. The text of
‘These are thy wonders’ by George Herbert is printed in full.
The
performance of all this music is ideal. I thoroughly enjoyed most pieces (see
above for caveats) and felt that Stephen Farr, John Butt, Chloë Hanslip
(violin) and Nick Spence (tenor) have done a splendid job in performing this
important repertoire. Clearly, the lion’s share of these three CDs has fallen
to Stephen Farr. It is a stunning achievement. The sound quality of the
recording is perfect: it makes the listener feel they are present at the venues.
No better compliment can be paid.
Track Listings:
Kenneth LEIGHTON (1929-1988)
CD2
Festival Fanfare
(1968)
Et Resurrexit
(Theme, Fantasy and Fugue) op.49 (1966)
These are Thy
Wonders (A Song of Renewal), op.84 (1981)
Veni Creator
Spiritus (1987)
Prelude, Scherzo
and Passacaglia, op.41 (1963)
Nicky Spence
(tenor, These are Thy Wonders), Stephen Farr (organ)
Rec. The Klais
Organ of Symphony Hall, Birmingham 27-28 August 2014
CD3
Paean (1966)
Elegy (1965)
Ode (1977)
Fantasy on a
Choral (Es ist genug) for violin and organ, op.80 (1979) [26:03]
Rockingham (1975)
Fanfare (1966)
Veni Redemptor (A
Celebration) op.93 (1985)
Improvisations ‘De
Profundis’, op.76 (1977)
Rec.
St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh on 20 April 2016, The Henry Willis Organ of St
Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge, London, (Fantasy) on 1 October 2015, St George’s
Church, Chesterton, Cambridge 18 June 2016 (Improvisations)
RESONUS
RES10178
With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published.
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