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I'm playing John Sheppard's beautiful Western Wind Mass in my Future Radio programme this Sunday, November 18. The CD was recorded by the Tallis Scholars in Salle Church here in Norfolk, and my header photo shows the interior of the magnificent Anglican church.
The music in this Sunday's programme is a catholic selection. Sheppard's Western Wind Mass was probably composed in the reign of Queen Mary who briefly returned England to Catholicism. Edmund Rubbra, whose Fifth Symphony is the second work in the programme, was a mid-life Catholic convert. Like Thomas Merton, he went to explore Buddhism, but unlike Merton he also became interested in Taoism.
My catholic selection is on Future Radio at 5.00pm this Sunday, November 18. And remember, you can help shape the future of internet radio later that evening.
* Listen via the audio stream on Sunday Nov 18 at 5.00pm UK time. Convert Overgrown Path radio on-air times to your local time zone using this link. Windows Media Player doesn't like the audio stream very much and takes ages to buffer. WinAmp or iTunes handle it best. Unfortunately the royalty license doesn't permit on-demand replay, so you have to listen in real time. If you are in the Norwich, UK area tune to 96.9FM. Photograph (c) On An Overgrown Path 2007. Report broken links, missing images and other errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk
This photo of the interior of Salle Church in Norfolk was taken this afternoon. The church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul is in a rural area of the county and is uniquely all built in one style. The construction of the massive church took just thirty years and was completed in 1430, and since then there have been no alterations or additions to the structure.
Many readers will have recordings made in this wonderful building in their CD collections. For many years it was the chosen location for Tallis Scholar recordings due to its magnificent acoustics. Their CD of Manuel Cardoso's sublime Requiem was made there, and plays as I write.
But terrorism can even affect deepest rural Norfolk.
Photo On An Overgrown Path. Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report broken links, missing images and other errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk
What is the musician’s role in times of war, or in times of terrorist attacks such as we recently experienced in London?
Is it to perform close to the front line to show that art will win over terror? That was the choice of the young Daniel Barenboim and Jacqueline du Pré when they performed close to the front line shortly after the Six Day War in June 1967. It was also the choice of the BBC Symphony Orchestra from 1939 to 1945 when it continued to perform live concerts in defiance of German air raids on London, Bedford and Bristol. And somewhat less ingeniously it was the choice of Leonard Bernstein who hosted a fund raiser for the Black Panthers from the front line of his Park Avenue apartment in 1970.
Or is the musician’s role to keep his skills safe well away from the front line, and to use them only when things are again settled and calm?
Last night there was a concert in the Church of St Peter and St Paul deep in rural Norfolk. This glorious, and isolated, church can claim to have world famous acoustics as it was the venue for many of the Tallis Scholars best selling recordings. It is 120 miles, several hours difficult travelling, and a few time warps, from central London. The announced artists for the concert were Hungarian flautist Janos Balint and Argentinian pianist Eduardo Hubert. On the evening the performer was Janos Balint with a totally different (and very fine) programme for solo flute. The programme book said…….
"There has been a change in programme in that the distinguished pianist, Eduardo Hubert, currently in Argentina, has felt that he cannot come to England until events here become more settled and calmer. We believe that there will be some understanding and even sympathy for that view."
The BBC Promenade Concerts are currently taking place in the Royal Albert Hall in London. This is the front line. 56 people people were killed and 700 were injured in London one week before the start of the Proms season. One of these bombs exploded one mile north of the hall on a train at Edgware Road station. (See photo above). The UK media predicts that further terrorist attacks in London are inevitable.
The night before Eduardo Hubert played the no-show sonata in Norfolk, the Danish National Girls Choir together with their compatriots in the Danish National Symphony Orchestra (photo to right) courageously decided that staying at home wasn't an option. So they delighted us with the world premiere of Bent Sørensen's The Little Mermaid at the Albert Hall.
Thankfully great musicians like them, from all round the globe, continue to perform every night close to the front line at the BBC Proms, and in other London music venues. Their selfless actions will guarantee that art will win over terror.
If you enjoyed this post take an overgrown path to Dresden 1945 - London 2005
