Mar

23

A Conversation with Paul Ayres

Filed Under Ayres: Brethren, Interviews, Commissions | Leave a Comment

Paul Ayres
British composer Paul Ayres reflects on his musical formation and the ideas that inspired the writing of Brethren, a choral piece commissioned by Soli Deo Gloria.

The Composer

Paul Ayres attributes his early musical development to participation in the local church choir and piano lessons, as well as music he heard at home. “My father had a large record collection and was a keen listener, so I was able to hear much of the classical orchestral repertoire at home.” Ayres sang in the choir until his voice changed, at which time his organ skills allowed him to be the accompanist for the ensemble. His proximity to the rich culture of London and his love for musical theater allowed him to attend many productions such as Chess and Les Miserables. Just before attending Oxford University, Ayres decided he would pursue music as his major. “I’d always thought of it as an engrossing activity, but never imagined it could be a ‘job’.”

The Church Times describes Ayres as “a versatile and sensitive composer, equally at home in a wide variety of styles.” Of his compositions, Kallisti Music Press says, “The vocal writing is exquisitely sensitive to the texts, and the accompaniments are strikingly varied in both technique and tone.” His compositions include a wide range of categories: choral, solo voice, instrumental (solo and small ensemble), music for theater and church music. His catalog of over 200 works includes music such as madrigals (Now is the Month of Maying), art songs (Artemisia, a song cycle for mezzo-soprano and string trio), arrangements of spirituals (Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel?), anthems (Gloria for Easter), hymn arrangements (All Creatures of our God and King), arrangements of folk songs (Scarborough Fair) and arrangements of pop music (Yesterday by the Beatles). His interest in musical theater has inspired compositions such as incidental music for Macbeth, Othello and a Midsummer Night’s Dream, Scheherezade, a children’s musical based on the stories in the Tales of 1001 Nights, and The Princess and the Goblin, a musical for children and adults based on George MacDonald’s classic fairy tale. Ayres also enjoys ‘re-compositions’ of classical masterworks, such as Messyah, a rewritten version of Handel’s Messiah and 4A Wreck, a re-interpretation of Faure’s Requiem. When asked about his widely varied style and versatility, Ayres commented, “I have always enjoyed musical variety, and I’m lucky to have had a classical training in harmony and theory – that way one can write in other styles like jazz, pop and musical theater (though I would never call myself an expert in these areas).” Ayres adds, “As a listener I’m always excited by pieces that can draw on many different sound-worlds.”

The Work

Psalm 133 provides the textual basis for Brethren, a piece written in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Wheaton College Men’s Glee Club and to honor its former Director, Clayton E. Halvorsen.

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments. As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

PSALM 133

Said Ayres, “The beginning of the music is somewhat mysterious in character, because although the first verse could be interpreted in quite a positive way, I wanted to imply the conditional tense: ‘how good and how pleasant if brethren were to dwell together in unity!’”

In creating the piece, the composer used the imagery of the “descending” of the dew and the ointment. The basic shape of a mountain (a triangle or “a capital A for Aaron”) helped create the image of the dew or oil running down the sides. Translating this image into music, he used an ascending scale followed by a descending scale to create the ‘triangle’. As a mountain is not completely symmetrical, the scales used in the melody vary as they ascend and descend. Ayres was inspired by his research on the actual Mount Hermon. “I thought about the real Mount Hermon, which is on the border of Israel and Lebanon. There has been a United Nations base (so I understand) on the top for many years, so the idea of having this ‘mountain rising and falling’ idea sung in the three main languages spoken there (Hebrew, Arabic and English) seemed to make sense.”

The following text was chosen by Ayres to partner with the psalm in this choral work:

The battle will not cease
Till once again on those white steeds ye ride,
O heaven-descended Twins,
Before humanity’s bewildered host.
Our javelins
Fly wide,
And idle is our cannon’s boast.
Lead us, triumphant Brethren, Love and Peace.

These words come from The Great Twin Brethren, a poem by Katharine Lee Bates (author of the words to America the Beautiful). The title itself drew Ayres’ attention, in addition to the contrasting imagery that the poem suggests. The first and third sections of Brethren, which use the psalm text, are more reflective, while this middle section, using the text from Bates’ poem, is more lively. “I was actually thinking of the cavalry riding over the hill to the rescue!”

When asked about the direction of the future of music, Ayres shared this analogy, “If Western musical history was a river, flowing through countries called ‘Renaissance’, ‘Baroque’, ‘Classical’, etc., then the twentieth century, with its plethora of schools and ‘isms’ was a delta, and the future is the open seas. I endeavor to write good musical works, but artists shouldn’t (in my opinion) trouble themselves as to their position in history, or cultural significance—they should just get on with the job in hand.”

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The Wheaton College Men’s Glee Club will present the world premiere of Brethren, under the direction of Dr. Mary Hopper, on March 24, 2007, in Edman Chapel, on the campus of Wheaton College, in Wheaton, Illinois.

Mar

8

A Requiem in View: Conductor Grant Gershon previews a new work by composer Christopher Rouse

Filed Under Rouse: Requiem, Concerts, Videos, Interviews, Commissions | Leave a Comment

In a video recently posted to YouTube.com, the Los Angeles Master Chorale gives a glimpse of the soon-to-be-premiered Requiem by celebrated American composer Christopher Rouse, the largest work ever commissioned by Soli Deo Gloria. In the video (below), the Chorale’s Music Director Grant Gershon reveals highlights from the score and discusses the work’s emotional potency.

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  • The Requiem According to Rouse - Victoria Loosleaf interviews the composer
  • A towering lament for troubling times - Program Notes by Victoria Loosleaf
  • Christopher Rouse’s Program Notes on the Requiem
  • Official website of Christopher Rouse
  • Christopher Rouse on MySpace.com

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    The world premiere of Christopher Rouse’s Requiem will take place at 7:00 p.m., on Sunday, March 25, 2007, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California. The Grammy-nominated Los Angeles Master Chorale will be joined by baritone Sanford Sylvan, the Los Angeles Children’s Choir and the Los Angeles Master Chorale Orchestra all under the baton of Music Director Grant Gershon. For details or to purchase tickets, visit www.lamc.org.