Matilda Lloyd (trumpet) and Alexandra Whittingham (guitar) - Programme Notes

Nocturnal after John Dowland: Musingly, Op. 70, No. 1

Widely regarded as one of the most compelling figures in English art music, the composer, conductor, and somewhat reluctant pianist, Benjamin Britten exercised considerable sway on the British musical landscape of the twentieth century. His association with the tenor Peter Pears (1910–1986), for whom Britten wrote numerous operatic roles, was pivotal to the revival of English opera.

The realms of sleep, dreams, nightmares, and the unconscious, each held profound importance in shaping Britten’s artistic vision. This is particularly evident in Nocturnal after John Dowland, which is based on the melancholic lute song, Come, heavy Sleep (Ayres of Four Parts, No. 20, 1597) by English Renaissance composer John Dowland (c.1563–1626). In a 1969 interview, Britten admitted his Nocturnal ‘had some very, to me, disturbing images in it’. Written for English classical guitarist and lutenist Julian Bream (1933–2020) in 1963 , and premiered at the Aldeburgh Festival the following year, the reverse theme and variations is one of the most seminal compositions in the guitar canon of the twentieth century. The piece travels through different stages of insomnia, during which time the central musical theme does not appear in its original form until the very end, where we finally meet Dowland’s song.

The first movement, , Musingly, opens with a dreamlike introduction, gradually embracing the unsettling sound world in which Britten and Dowland reside through the subtle ambiguity between major and minor harmonies. Britten's masterful manipulation of the guitar's timbral and expressive capabilities creates a hauntingly beautiful dialogue between light and shadow, anticipation and reminiscence.

I Will Give my Love an Apple

I will give my love an apple

I will give my love an apple without e’er a core

I will give my love a house without e’er a door,

I will give my love a palace wherein she may be,

But she may unlock it without any key.

My head is the apple without e’er a core,

My mind is the house without e’er a door.

My heart is the palace wherein she may be

And she may unlock it without any key.

Throughout his career, Britten drew inspiration from traditional English folk songs, incorporating their melodies, rhythms, and themes into much of his compositional language. He often wrote music with particular performers in mind, and this is especially true of his folksong arrangements. Inspired by the artistry of Julian Bream and Peter Pears, Britten wrote his sixth collection, England, for guitar and voice. Written in 1956, the Dorset song, I Will Give my Love an Apple, showcases Britten’s keen sensitivity to text, as he carefully shapes the musical phrases to complement the eloquent qualities of the lyrics.

Nocturnal after John Dowland: March-like, Op. 70, No. 5

Signifying the ensuing release from insomnia and following on from the jagged unease of the fourth reflection, Britten changes the pace in his fifth variation to a more controlled March-like procession. Here the theme is inverted and presented in double octaves, played on the guitar’s outermost strings. Virtuosic lines and subtle shifts in mood, strive to create a delicate balance between reverence for the source material and a desire for artistic exploration, while pushing the boundaries of traditional form and expression.

Flow My Tears (‘Lachrimae Pavane’)

Flow my tears,

fall from your springs,

Exil'd for ever let me mourn

Where night's black bird her sad infamy sings,

There let me live forlorn.

Down, vain lights, shine you no more,

No nights are dark enough for those

That in despair their last fortunes deplore,

Light doth but shame disclose.

From the highest spire of contentment,

My fortune is thrown.

And fear, and grief, and pain for my deserts

Are my hopes since hope is gone.

Hark, you shadows that in darkness dwell,

Learn to contemn light,

Happy, happy they that in hell

Feel not the world's despite.

Renowned English Renaissance composer and lutenist, John Dowland left an indelible mark on the musical topography of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. He synthesised elements from the broadside ballad, dance music, the consort song, and madrigal to create the English lute-song. Most of Dowland’s lute music derives stimulus from dance forms such as pavanes, galliards, almains, and jigs. His melancholic and expressive style has earned him a lasting place in the history of Western classical music.

Composed in the early 1600s during his time at the court of Christian IV of Denmark, the mournful Flow My Tears (Lachrimae Pavane) is one of Dowland's most celebrated lute works, and remains a firm favourite among performers and listeners alike. It marks the transition from functional dance music to abstract instrumental music. The song begins with a falling tear motif—commonly employed in Elizabethan music to portray grief—and follows a traditional pavane dance structure, with its slow and stately tempo. Throughout the work, Dowland captures the era’s fascination with introspection through its movingly pleasing melody and intricate polyphony.

Master Kilby

In the heat of the day

When the sun shines so freely,

There I met Master Kilby,

So fine and so gay.

Then I pull'd off my hat

And I bowed to the ground

And I said: "Master Kilby,

Pray where are you bound?"

I am bound for the West,

There in hopes to find rest,

And in Nancy's soft bosom

I will build a new nest.

And if I were the master

Of ten thousand pounds

All in gay gold and silver

Or in King William's crowns.

I would part with it all

With my own heart so freely,

But it's all for the sake

Of my charming Nancy.

She's the fairest of girls,

She's the choice of my own heart,

She is painted like waxwork

In every part.

Composed in 1960, Britten’s arrangement of the traditional English folk song, Master Kilby, (collected by Cecil Sharp 1859–1924) forms part of the sixth volume of folk-song arrangements, England, for guitar and voice. Characterised by its lyrical simplicity, the work possesses profound emotional depth. The interplay between instruments creates a compelling discourse, with Britten's sensitive harmonies providing a rich backdrop to the timeless narrative.

Sonata in D Major, K.333

An Italian composer and harpsichordist of the Baroque era, Domenico Scarlatti was a leading figure in the development of keyboard music. Born in Naples in 1685, his musical talents were recognised early in life, and Scarlatti went on to serve as a court musician in several European cities, including Madrid and Lisbon. His 555 keyboard sonatas, divided into two collections—Parma and Venice (from the cities to whose libraries these valuable manuscripts belong)—were pioneering in their exploration of the tonalities and technical possibilities of the harpsichord.

The Sonata in D Major, K.333, from the seventh Venice volume dated 1754, employs a binary form, dividing the piece into two distinct sections. The opening Allegro sees the second voice entering in imitation of the opening figure, eventually giving way to a gentle lilting 6/8 Allegrissimo section.

Toward the Sea

— The Night
— Moby Dick
— Cape Cod

''Music is either sound or silence. As long as I live, I shall choose sound as something to confront a silence. That sound should be a single, strong sound.''

— Tōru Takemitsu (1962)

Award-wining Japanese composer, Tōru Takemitsu, first encountered Western music during his military service in World War II. Despite his lack of formal musical training, he began to write—initially motivated by the works of Debussy and Messiaen. Takemitsu came to international attention following Stravinsky’s praise of his Requiem for strings in 1959. His fame grew during the 1970s and 1980s with numerous successful film scores and residencies.

A fascination with the theme of water permeated much of Takemitsu’s oeuvre. He composed 3 versions of the chamber work Umi e (Toward the Sea): the first, for flute and guitar (1981),; the second for harp and string orchestra (1981); and the final for flute and harp (1989). The core of the work is based on three tones carved from the word ‘Sea’ (E-flat—Es in German notation, E, A). The first movement, The Night, suggests rustling leaves swept by an off-shore breeze. The second movement, Moby Dick, captures the essence of the literary work, utilising the guitar's capabilities to portray the vastness of the sea and the intensity of Captain Ahab's pursuit. Impressions of the shimmering Atlantic waters off the coast of New England draw the composition to its final close, Cape Cod.

Lettre encore

Tunisia-born French classical guitarist, composer and arranger, Roland Dyens was a skilled improviser and prolific writer. As a performer he was well known for his unpredictability and often declined the convention of providing advance notice of his intended concert programme. Dyens’ works hold considerable significance in the contemporary virtuoso recital repertoire.

In 2001 he brought together an amusing collection of short pieces under the title 20 Lettres pour Guitare Solo which were dedicated to his many friends and varied in technical demand. The collection focuses on three primary areas—tuning, eliminating unwanted notes, and unnecessary ‘squeaks’. Penned for Greek guitarist Elena Papandreou, Lettre encore (2000) reveals the broad spectrum of Dyens’ sensibilities. The bossa nova style of the miniature defers to the composer’s love of Brazilian music which permeated much of his output.

Music Network Commission Caprice for Trumpet in C & Guitar.

Romance de Claudine

Born into the illustrious Mendelssohn family, Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel was a highly talented and often overlooked composer, pianist and salon hostess of the nineteenth century. She was one of the first women to write a string quartet and was a life-long supporter of the music of Bach, Beethoven, and her brother Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. Musicologist Angela Mace Christian describes Hensel as a pianist of ‘rare talent and prodigious memory who dazzled private audiences at her concert series in her Berlin home’. Conflicted by social propriety and the impulse to compose, Hensel only decided to publish her music a year before her untimely death at the age of 41. In recent years, scholars have unearthed the true extent of Hensel’s extensive musical contributions.

Between the ages of 15 and 17, Hensel set 18 French poems to music. 14 of these were included as scenic songs in stories and novels by Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian. Romance de Claudine (1820) draws programmatic motivation from the novel, Claudine: Nouvelle Savoyarde (1792). Here, a young heroine falls pregnant by an Englishman and is forced to leave her humble parental home. She disguises herself as a boy and finds work until she comes across her seducer and they marry, restoring her good name. Hensel’s musical tale unfolds with a charming and lyrically rich melody, showcasing early glimmers of her mastery in crafting emotive and poignant musical narratives. The work exudes refined sensibility and contemplation.

Gnossienne No. 1

An iconoclast of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, French composer Erik Satie strove for absolute perfection in simplicity. His contributions to the avant-garde movement of the time left an indelible mark on the world of classical music. Satie was the embodiment of the wartime esprit nouveau and a wonderful eccentric who always appeared in one of seven identical suits. Interested only in eating white food, Satie often carried a hammer upon his person to defend himself against any assailants. Famed for his innate sense of humour and foppish charm, Satie was affectionately known as the ‘good master from Arcueil’ by his friends.

Originally written for piano, Satie’s Gnossienne No. 1 is one of six written in 1890 and one of his most frequently played compositions. The piece unfurls enigmatically with a hypnotic, almost ethereal quality. Its slow tempo and freeform structure, created by the deliberate omission of bar lines, allows the artist greater autonomy in interpreting the speed and phrasing, allowing each individual performance to be a distinct and personal experience.

Dans les ruines d’une abbaye, Op. 2, No. 1

Gabriel Fauré, a prominent French composer of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, is celebrated for his contributions to modern French music, particularly in the realms of chamber and vocal compositions. He took delight in refreshing traditional musical forms, with a blend of bold harmonic progressions and sudden modulations, with deceptive simplicity and measured execution. Fauré was quite unique among his generation in his lack of interest in the pervasive musical spell of the German Lied, favouring instead the French art song—the mélodie.

Composed in 1865/1866, when Fauré was just 20 years old, Dans les ruines d’une abbaye (In the Ruins of an Abbey) exhibits glimpses of the unique voice that would personify his later works. The work navigates through cascading arpeggios and expressive lines, capturing the essence of the melancholic scene, while balancing reflection with moments of heightened drama.

Le papillon et la fleur, Op. 1, No. 1

The humble flower said to the heavenly butterfly:

Do not flee!

See how our destinies differ.

Fixed to earth am I,

You fly away!

Yet we love each other, we live without men

And far from them,

And we are so alike, it is said that both of us

Are flowers!

But alas! The breeze bears you away, the earth holds me fast.

Cruel fate!

I would perfume your flight with my fragrant breath

In the sky!

But no, you flit too far! Among countless flowers

You fly away,

While I remain alone, and watch my shadow circle

Round my feet.

You fly away, then return; then take flight again

To shimmer elsewhere.

And so you always find me at each dawn

Bathed in tears!

Ah, that our love might flow through faithful days,

O my king,

Take root like me, or give me wings

Like yours!

One of Faure’s earliest surviving compositions, Le Papillon et la Fleur (The Butterfly and the Flower) was written when he was just 16 years old (1861) and a student of Saint-Saëns at the École Niedermeyer. The song is based upon a farcical poem by Victor Hugo in which a flower falls in love with a coquettish butterfly. An elegant interchange between the fluttering butterfly and the graceful flower is skilfully portrayed through the composer's cultivated use of dynamics and phrasing.

Romance de Célestine

The pleasure of love only lasts one moment;

The regret of love lasts one's whole life.

I left everything for the ungrateful Sylvie;

She leaves me and takes another lover.

The pleasure of love only lasts one moment;

The regret of love lasts one's whole life.

As long as this water flows softly

Toward this brook that borders the plain

I will love you, repeated Sylvie to me.

The water still flows, she has changed however.

The pleasure of love only lasts one moment;

The regret of love lasts one's whole life.

Based on the poem Plaisir d’amour (The Pleasure of Love) which appeared in Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian’s novel, Célestine (1784), Hensel composed her Romance in 1820. The work combines elegance and emotional depth, with lyricism and introspection. The melody was later somewhat borrowed by Elvis Presley in his Can’t help falling in Love.

Recuerdos de la Alhambra

Recognised for his humility of person, Spanish guitarist and composer, Francisco Tárrega was instrumental to the rebirth of the guitar in the twentieth century, and the establishment of the New Spanish Guitar School. His compositions for solo guitar, not all of which have been published, comprise approximately 78 original works and 120 transcriptions; he also made 21 transcriptions for two guitars. Tárrega was not taken with the large concert hall or the accolades of its audiences, and believed that the guitar was better suited to more intimate spaces. His legacy traversed the world through a large and influential group of admirers that included: Miguel Llobet, Daniel Fortea, Emilio Pujol, and the Italian guitarist Maria Rita Brondi.

Among Tárrega’s most famous solos, sits the tremolo study, Recuerdos de la Alhambra (Memories of the Alhambra). The piece was written for and dedicated to Tárrega's patron Concepción Gómez de Jacoby in 1899, commemorating their visit to the Alhambra palace and fortress complex in Granada, Spain. The virtuosic work demands technical prowess from its performer who must pluck a single melody note consecutively by the ring, middle and index fingers in such rapid succession that the result is an illusion of one long sustained tone. The thumb plays an arpeggio pattern simultaneously.

Siete Canciones Populares Españolas

— El paño moruno
— Seguidilla murciana
— Asturiana
— Jota
— Nana
— Canción
— Polo

A distinguished figure of twentieth-century Spanish music, Andalusian composer and pianist Manuel de Falla ‘brought international sophistication to a musical world on the fringe of Europe’. Despite the fact that he was not an abundant or fluent writer, Falla’s legacy within the Western classical tradition is quite remarkable. He melded diverse stylistic, folk, and literary influences into distinctive new musical languages with great refinement. The American music historian Gilbert Chase remarked that even though many of Falla’s accompaniments are complex and difficult ‘they represent the re-creation on an artistic plane of the inherent melodies of each song’—such a feat can only be accomplished when a great artist and a profound folklorist are found in the same person’.

While Falla was preparing his opera La Vida Breve for its Paris premiere in 1913, he was approached by a Greek singing teacher seeking advice on the appropriate style of accompaniment to use for some melodies from his homeland. At the same time, the soprano Luisa Vela asked Falla to provide some songs in a Spanish style for a series of forthcoming solo recitals. Having experimented with setting one of the Greek songs, Falla applied his new-found technique to the songs that he was preparing for Vela—7 popular indigenous melodies derived from various Spanish regions. The Siete Canciones Populares Españolas (Seven Popular Spanish Songs) was completed in 1914 and received its Madrid debut the following year to great public and critical acclaim. Employing a combination of authentic and ‘retouched’ folk melodies, Falla succeeded in elevating simple, popular tunes to a higher artistic echelon.

El Paño Moruno (The Moorish Cloth), is a song from Murcia in southeastern Spain whose accompaniment was inspired by the steely brilliance of the guitar. Falla later reproduced the opening bass line of this piece to characterise the Murcian miller in his ballet The Three-Cornered Hat (1919). Seguidilla Murciana, also from the province of Murcia, is a popular dance song in quick triple time. In contrast to the previous lively songs, Asturiana is a lament from the northern region of Asturias. The exuberant and joyful Jota, mainly associated with the central province of Aragon, is one of the most familiar of Spanish dance forms. Nana is a tender and heartfelt Andalusian lullaby. Canción (‘Song’) exhibits the pattern of mixed rhythmic stresses that punctuates much of Spain’s indigenous music. The final Polo, Andalusian in origin, draws the work to its invigorating close through its portrayal of the Gypsy world of flamenco.