The other day, Classic fM
played the second movement from Doreen Carwithen’s (1922-2003) Suffolk Suite.
“Orford Ness” is one of four evocative movements. The work has its origins in
her film score for the British Transport Film East Anglian Holiday
(1954). I have discussed this documentary in these pages. In 1962, Carwithen
responded to a request from the Music Master of Framlingham College, in
Suffolk. This was close to Blythburgh where she was at that time living with
her husband, the composer William Alwyn. The work was required for a concert
given to celebrate the opening of the school’s new concert hall. Royalty was to
be in attendance. The Suite was designed with the musical capabilities
of the school orchestra in mind.
The Suffolk Suite was the
first orchestral piece that Carwithen had produced since Bishop Rock
(1952). Her most recent major work was the film score for Break the Circle (1955)
starring Marius Goring, Eva Bartok and Forrest Tucker. By 1961,
Carwithen was spending most of her time working as an amanuensis and secretary
to her husband. Apart from Six Little Pieces for cello, the Suffolk
Suite was her final major composition. That said, shortly before her death,
she was working on a Third String Quartet. Only sketches remain.
Dorreen Carwithen has provided descriptive notes for each movement of her Suffolk Suite:
I The Prelude begins with a trumpet fanfare which is followed by a stately tune on the strings, befitting a royal occasion.
II Orford Ness - a peaceful,
rocking movement, reminding listeners of the yachts at anchor, accompanies the
tune, played first on the solo flute, then on the strings, the oboe and finally
the clarinet.
III Suffolk Morris. The dancers,
wearing traditional costumes decorated with ribbons and bells, begin a lively
dance in 6/8 rhythm A brief, slower section (a long tune on solo woodwind
accompanied by chords on the harp) allows them to get their breath back before
the side drum sounds the dance rhythm and off they go again, through the market
square and down the High Street.
(MusicWeb International The William Alwyn Society pages).
Little else needs to be said. Carwithen has reimagined music from the 1954 film score. It has been elaborated and fitted into the formal scheme of a Suite. There is nothing challenging here. Just lovely imaginative and evocative music. It would be easy to categorise this score as “light music.” Certainly, it will appeal to listeners who enjoy tuneful music that is well written and approachable on a first hearing. But here and there something deeper emerges. This is especially so in the haunting “Orford Ness”. This is a miniature tone poem that perfectly matches the redolent mood of the landscape. Of interest here is the element of “deeper waters” that she introduces into the middle section before the water lapping the hulls of the yachts returns. Equally poignant is the ‘trio’ section of the third movement “Suffolk Morris”. The short “Framlingham Castle March” is just a little too short. Reminding listeners of many examples of English composer’s marches, it just does not quite deliver with its ‘big tune.’ The opening movement, the Prelude, to a large extent makes up for this. After a fanfare, the big tune does emerge. As Carwithen writes, it befits a Royal Occasion.
There are two recordings of the Suffolk
Suite available. In 1997 Chandos Records released a retrospective CD of
Carwithen’ music (CHAN 9524, rereleased in 2006 on CHAN 10365X). This included the
Overture ODTAA (One Damn Thing After Another) (1945), the Concerto for
piano and strings (1948), the dramatic Overture: Bishops’ Rock (1952)
and the present Suffolk Suite. All four pieces were Premiere
Performances. The London Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Richard Hickox and
the piano soloist was Howard Shelley. Edward
Greenfield, reviewing this CD for The Gramophone (May 1997, p.56f) was
impressed by the entire disc, both for content and performance. Turning to the Suffolk
Suite, he considered that “the wonder of this delightful, unpretentious
little Suffolk Suite is that though this is music written for schoolchildren to
play, you would hardly guess that from the richness of the scoring.” It is
certainly no cinch to play.
Scott Morrison (MusicWeb
International July 1997) has noted that “one does not sense any 'writing
down' here. The music is, however, somewhat more conventionally organized and
harmonized than [her other concert music]. Lovely tunes abound and the Morris
dance is particularly infectious.”
Guy Rickards (Tempo October 1999, p.59) writes that “The Suffolk Suite is light (but not slight) music, written to order for a school orchestra, full of good tunes and sounding grateful to play but not of the same order as, say, Thea Musgrave's The Seasons (on Cala CACD 1023). Shelley, Hickox and the LSO put not a foot wrong.”
Women Write Music was released in 1999 on the ATMA label (ACD 2 2199). This CD featured music by Elizabeth Maconchy, Jean Coulthard, Nicola LeFanu and others. The Foundation Philharmonic Orchestra is conducted by David Snell. Guy Rickards (Tempo, April 2001, p.52) notes that Carwithen’s “Suffolk Suite…seems bluff and obvious; it is also not really weighty enough to conclude the disc. Its performance by the Foundation Orchestra under David Snell does not rival that by Hickox & the LSO; indeed, it seems a touch lame - which is credit to Hickox.” I have not heard this recording.
Fascinating details of the Framlingham College concert to follow in the next post.
Doreen Carwithen’s Suffolk
Suite (Hickox) has been uploaded to YouTube. (Accessed 13
May 2021)
4 comments:
Just heard this on classic fm and with my family being from Suffolk wanted to know more. Now, thanks to you, I do. What a lovely thing to compose music for event that could be long forgotten and even better it was composed to allow for a school orchestra to perform. Thank you.
I believe they didn't marry until 1975? Olive Alwyn refused to divorce.
I heard this music today on our cable "light classical" channel and recognized it as music Disney used in "Darby O'Gill And The Little People". Googling it lead me to discovering, this previously unknown to me, female Composer. What a delight and I love the back story of her career.
I heard this piece this morning on WRTI, my local classical station in the Philadelphia area. It immediately caught my ear and I had to know more! Thanks for providing this information and the commentary, as well.
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