Adam Pounds: String Quartet No.2 (20030 and some other works

Samuel BARBER (1910-1981) String Quartet, Op.11 (1935-36)

Adam POUNDS (b.1954) String Quartet, No. 2 (2003)

Dmitri SHOSTAKOVITCH(1906-1975) String Quartet No.3 (1946)

The Bingham String Quartet, Stephen Bingham (violin) Anna Bradley (violin) Brenda Stewart (viola) James Halsey (cello)

Cambridge Recordings CAMREC001

This CD opens with Samuel Barber’s fine String Quartet, Op.11 dating from 1935-36. This work is ‘famous’ for being the source of the pot-boiler ‘Adagio’ for Strings. Certainly this middle movement is one of the most profound examples of the art of the string quartet in any generation. The outer movements were always going to be in the shadow of this concentration of feeling; the very short ‘molto allegro’ which concludes the work is impressive in so far as it presents a foil to the ‘adagio.’ The quartet is cyclic with references to the opening ‘molto allegro e appassionato.’ This opening movement begins with a strong statement which is balanced by a further two themes: one almost hymn-like and the other reflective and full of longing. The work was written whilst Samuel Barber was living in Austria with his partner Gian Carlo Menotti.

Dmitri Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 3, Op. 73 was composed in 1946 shortly after his Ninth Symphony which had been proscribed by the Soviet authorities. The quartet was premiered in Moscow the same year by the Beethoven Quartet.  This is a major work lasting for more than half and hour. It is unusual in that it has five movements.  These movements were given rather trite titles to convince the Soviet censors that this work was not ‘elitist or abstract’. For example the first was labelled ‘Blithe ignorance of the future cataclysm’ and the last, ‘The eternal question: Why? And for what?’ It was a sorry reflection on the artistic mores of that particular political regime that such a conceit was required.  However, the listener is entirely free – and strongly advised – to dump this ‘programme’: the composer did before the quartet was published. It is best to listen to this work as any other ‘absolute’ music.

This quartet is an approachable work that, like much of Shostakovich’s music, represents a balance between his struggle against tyranny and his deep, personal emotional experiences. This approachability does not mean that the work is in any way easy to assimilate. There is a remarkable amount of interest in this quartet. As well as passages of beauty there are intimations of sheer naked aggression.  As a piece of music, I find it difficult to come to terms with the cynicism and the sarcasm that are ever-present features of this Quartet. However, that is to reflect on the inherent strength of the work: not to be a criticism.

British music enthusiasts will be impressed by the String Quartet No. 2 by Adam Pounds.  This fifteen minute work is composed in a single movement.  The quartet was written in 2003, a quarter of a century after his first example.  The opening of the work tends to fall into the so-called ‘pastoral’ school of music – but this is most likely because the composer has written a ‘modal’ tune that works well as a contrapuntal theme rather than any attempt at creating a particular ‘landscape’. This mood is not maintained for long. There are plenty of diverse moments that move this work away from any simplistic ‘rustic’ style. Some of this development is aggressive before returning to the more reflective opening themes. There is a continual tension between the disturbed and the reflective. The final mood is one of repose and resignation.  For me it is the most enjoyable work on this CD.

I enjoyed the performance of these three works and felt that the Bingham Quartet is completely committed and competent. Nevertheless, there a downside to this production: the liner notes and CD case. The text is in a small font, in a yellowy colour, printed on a brown photographic background. It is, quite frankly illegible. I felt a little more information could have been given about the Pounds’ work as this is most likely to be a new piece to most listeners.  There are some photos of the performance and recording sessions which are presented in ‘nostalgic’ sepia. They are not clear and are largely unhelpful.

On the ‘up’ side, this is a well-balanced recital with a convincing programme. I would not wish to suggest that Pounds’ Quartet is in any way beholden to Shostakovich or Barber, but there is a clear continuity of mood between the three works.

I feel that this CD is a good investment for any string quartet enthusiast. Listeners who appreciate a fresh, traditionally sounding music that is always interesting and challenging will especially require this CD for Adam Pound’s String Quartet.

With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published.

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Adam Pounds: Notes and News

I recently reviewed Adam Pounds new CD ‘Resurrection’ on these pages. The composer has told me that it has been has been well received and that he is now planning a new recording of smaller – scale works which is planned for release next year.

He has given me notice of two important concerts in June that will feature his music. On the 11th (7.30pm), he will be conducting the Academy of Great St. Mary’s at the University Church, Cambridge in a performance of the Enigma Variations by Elgar and the programme will also include the first performance of his Norfolk Seascape. This is a rhapsody for solo flute and orchestra which the composer wrote for his wife, Dinah, who will be the soloist. Pounds told me that ‘like most of my music, the piece is programmatic and the opening represents the coast at Thornham in its tranquillity and timeless beauty. This is one of our favourite places.’

Thornham, for the curious, is a few miles east of Hunstanton on the North Norfolk Coast. There will be a second performance of the work on the 25th June at the Emmanuel United Reformed Church, Trumpington Street, Cambridge (7.30pm) when he will be conducting a concert that will include two choral pieces by Vaughan Williams – the Serenade To Music and Toward The Unknown Region.

Finally, hot off the press: Adam Pound has just finished composing a piece for voice, flute, viola, piano and percussion. The composition is called Time and sets words by Blake, Shakespeare and Shelley. This will be performed on July 14th (7.30pm) in Michaelhouse, Trinity Street, Cambridge. The evening will also feature other music and poetry readings on the subject of ‘time’.

Adam Pounds is not only a composer, but also a busy conductor. He is currently planning for the new season of music performed by Academy of Great St. Mary’s when he will be conducting some great music including the magnificent Concerto for Orchestra by Bartok.

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Resurrection: Music by Adam Pounds, Finzi, Howells and Berkeley

One of the great treasures on this CD is Herbert Howells’ setting of the Sussex Mummers Carol ‘O Mortal Man.’ This song was first collected by Lucy Broadwood in 1908. The liner notes suggest that Howells realisation of this only surfaced in the last few years so has not come under close critical gaze. A realisation of this work was prepared by Christopher Palmer; however the present recording is a new edition prepared by Sam Hayes. He has made a number of revisions to Palmer’s score, including reworking the ending and proposing a text for one of the verses that Howells had scored but not added words. I am not quite sure why only three verses (2, 3 & 6) were given out of the seven which were originally collected and published in English Traditional Songs and Carols. Finally, Howells’ original sketches are undated, however stylistic considerations suggest it may be contemporaneous with the Four Anthems from 1941. It is a worthy addition to the corpus of Herbert Howells’ music and deserves to be heard more often.

There is a perfect balance between the orchestral parts and the choral writing that claims the listener’s attention.

There are plenty of alternatives to Finzi’s Lo, The Full, Final Sacrifice, Howells’ 'Like as the Hart Desireth the Waterbrooks' and Lennox Berkeley’s 'The Lord is my Shepherd' and these are discussed in detail elsewhere. However, the Academy of Great St Mary gives a good account of all three under the baton of Sam Hayes.

The most interesting part of this new CD is the two orchestral works by the English composer Adam Pounds. Both are première recordings, although this is not mentioned on the track listing. I am indebted to the liner notes for information about these pieces. Life Cycle first saw light of day in 1992 as a ‘dance’ movement. Pounds had originally conceived it as a short piece for chamber septet. In this incarnation, it was successfully performed complete with dancers at the Chelmsford Cathedral Festival. The composer decided to revise it and transcribed it for full orchestra. Apparently, this version included a part for synthesiser (thankfully ditched in the present edition). In 2010 he further revised Life Cycle and rewrote the opening bars. It is hardly surprising that the idea behind this work is a ‘life journey’ - birth, the joy of life, stress and finally death. Adam Pounds uses different musical media to portray these stages of being. For example the ‘joie de vivre’ is largely minimalistic: the ‘death’ scene is a ‘mirror image’ of the birth music. Although the liner notes suggest that this is one of the composer’s most ‘experimental and abstract works’, there is little here to trouble all but the most conservative of musical tastes. That is not to say the music lacks challenge or interest. Every bar is well conceived and the whole ‘tone poem’ is a worthy addition to the orchestral repertoire.

The other major new work is The Martyrdom of Latimer. It was commissioned by the Ely Sinfonia to celebrate their tenth anniversary in 2009. It was duly performed in Ely Cathedral. Adam Pounds gave me a brief overview of this work which is worthwhile quoting here: - ‘‘The Martyrdom of Latimer’ explores the final days of Latimer’s life and his death at the stake. I have employed modal themes and liturgical ideas combined with strong rhythmic statements. The orchestra, which is fairly large, also employs four trumpet parts. Two of the players are to be sited in the gallery. The piece was started on March 23rd and took shape very quickly, being completed on the 15th May. I was asked to explore the concept of resurrection in the piece. To this end, I have designed a coda which employs material used earlier in the work that embodies Latimer’s character – some of it is based on the music of the Tudor composer Robert White. When this music returns it is extended and uses strong ‘open’ intervals. This is intended to reinforce the concept that in death, Latimer became more powerful and therefore ‘alive’.’

This is an impressive and ultimately moving work that justifies its title. This is a major symphonic poem that covers a wide range of emotional activity – from the profundity of Latimer’s death to the renewed life of the martyr. However if the listener does not want to provide the historical apparatus of the death of Thomas Latimer, it is perfectly possible to listen to this as a successful piece of abstract music. The musical language is much more conservative and traditional than Life Cycle, yet it is ultimately more satisfying and deeply moving. Certainly, in both these works Adam Pounds proves himself to be an underrated master of the orchestra. He justifies the confidence that any pupil of Sir Lennox Berkeley would engender. It is no major criticism to suggest that both of these works demand a full professional recording.

The presentation of this CD is attractive. The cover features an attractive bronze sculpture on the front and a stained glass window depicting the great Thomas Latimer on the rear. The liner notes are impressive and give all the necessary information. A little more on the Pounds pieces may be of interest. It is good that a list of all the performers is given, as I guess that many in this amateur choir and orchestra will be very proud of their achievement and will wish to have their involvement recorded for posterity. The sound recording process claims to be a method designed to allow the ‘music to be heard as it should and would be in a live performance, without the clinical sterility of a lot of modern studio recordings.’ Interestingly there is an apology for any extraneous noise such as birdsong, wind and venue noise e.g. creaking timbers etc. However the producers believe that this adds to the ‘atmosphere of the recording.’

In spite of some problems with balance and instrumental and choral intonation which probably reflect the technical capabilities of the players, this is a well played disk that largely does justice to the music performed. I confess that it would not be my first choice for the Howells (Like as the Hart), the Berkeley and the Finzi, however, it is the only place that Adam Pound’s two excellent works are to be heard. For these alone it is worth the price of purchase. And lastly, this may be the only currently available recording of Herbert Howells 'O Mortal Man.'

Herbert Howells (1892-1983) O Mortal Man (c.1941) Like as the Hart Desireth Waterbrooks (1941) Adam Pounds (1954- ) Life Cycle (1992) [12:53] Martyrdom of Latimer Lennox Berkeley (1903-1989) The Lord is my Shepherd (1975) Gerald Finzi (1901-1956) Lo, the Full Final Sacrifice (1946) Academy of Great St. Mary’s Sam Hayes, (conductor) Adam Pounds (conductor, Life Cycle and Martyrdom)

CAMBRIDGE RECORDINGS CAMREC004

Resurrection can be bought from the Cambridge Recordings website

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