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THE ADVERTISER MAY 5 1989
War: the universa
message
THERE is a great deal of
the music is explicit and all
such
within the context of the
various texts, a credible reflection of the words
musical literature on the subject of war. This century
alone has spawned
diverse examples of Prokofiev’s War and Peace, Brit-
ten's War Requiem and the
comparatively rarely-played
but nevertheless powerful reflection of the effects of war
composed
by Arthur Bliss
and entitled Morning Heroes.
Bliss examines warfare, using literature which spans
over 2,500 years; from the
llaid to Walt Whitman the
common theme is one of
bravery by those engaged in
war and sadness on the part
of those left behind.
universality of this
came through
strongly in a performance of
the work given on Saturday
by Guildford Philharmonic
Orchestra under the baton of
The
message
Sir Charles Groves.
From the poignancy of a
farewell between husband
and family, the emotions of a
-young wife at home and the
vivid portrayal of the Somme
to the portrayal of Achilles
arming himself for combat,
the more powerful for being
themselves.
The Civic Hall rang thh
the
martial
sounds and
fierceness of the more aggres-
sive aspects of the composition, the Guildford Phil
playing with a great sense of
commitment in response to
Groves’s driving tempo.
That he has equally con-
vincing in the more human
movements of the work was
also evident, for this was also
a sensitive performance, with
the elegaic moments — and
especially those final few bars
with barely a sound to be
heard — as effective as the
stunningly played climaxes.
Richard Baker was a tell-
ing narrator in Hector’s Farewell and Spring Offensive, the
latter providing the single
most convincing movement
of the work. Here, the combi-
nation of voice, timpani and
bass drum gave a clarity
which allowed the textual
message to be drwen home to
greatest effect.
The same clarity was, how-
ever, missing from some of
the singing by Guildford
Philharmonic Choir. It rose
magnificently to the challenge of the finale — a sound
full of excitement
and energy
— just as it had, earlier, provided crisp vocal tone in The
City Arming.
But the more exposed
parts of the score when quiet- .
er, more refined qualities
were heeded found the singing tentative, which led to
singing which was totally thin
dynamxcally
and
monotonous.
There. was, however, noth- .
ing tentative about the approach of Groves and the
orchestra to the Prelude and
Liebestod from Tristan und
Isolde, which preceded Morning Heroes.
Probably one of the most
effective out-of-context orchestral extracts from the operatic world, this is also one
of the most difficult to bring
off successfully in the comparatively clinical atmosphere of the concert
platform.
‘That it succeeded was due
to the way that Groves and
the GPO established the
atmosphere of the prelude.
The undercurrent of yearning, the doubts of Isolde, the
sense of forboding for the
tragedy that lies ahead; all
are reflected in the music of
all of these, plus the tension
that is so vital to the opera as
a whole, were contained in
this beautifully-paced reading
of the music, which was
played with great musicality
by the orchestra.
:
Robert Ben]afleld