David W. BOWERMAN (b. 1936)
Favoured Fantasies (2001 - 2010)
1. Isolde Fantasy [9:26]
2. Theme and Variations [12:35]
3. Cello Sonata [14:33]
4. Wildbrooks Suite [11:30]
5. Elegy [4:49]
6. Fantasy on a Theme of Elgar [8:23]
7. Fantasy on “Abide With Me” (“Eventide”) [15:39]
Diane Galvydyte (violin: 1) Anna Peletsis (piano: 1) Stephen De Pledge (piano:
2) Bridget McCrae (cello: 3), Julian Milford (piano: 3-6) Daniel Pailthorpe
(flute: 4) Ittai Shapira (violin: 6) Bronte Quartet (Sara Trickey and Katy
Garsuch (violins), Jan Thorne (viola), Daisy Gathorne-Hardy (cello): 7)
rec. no dates or location given
CHAMP HILL RECORDS CHRCD015 [76:55]
Few people have heard of the composer David Bowerman. This album of romantic
music, while generally unremarkable, was written by a quite remarkable man.
He was born 75 years ago in south England, and worked a full and successful
career as a farmer. He has loved music all his life but has almost no formal
training. He had not put pen to staved paper until ten years ago, yet this
is the second CD full of his music. He came from a strict religious upbringing,
and so several pieces on the two CDs evoke hymn tunes, but the majority of
works are pleasant variations or fantasies on the themes of other composers.
Since retirement after forty years at farming, Bowerman has created a rich
and enviable life. He and his wife Mary moved to a place in West Sussex called
Champs Hill. There they built a concert and recording venue called The Music
Room. Its 160 seats host 25 concerts per year and are always sold out. The
list of artists featured there would fill a musical Who’s Who: Felicity
Lott, Simon Keenlyside, Viktoria Mullova, Ian Bostridge, Stephen Isserlis,
the Nash Ensemble and the English Chamber Orchestra.
Bowerman’s greatest joy, besides composing, is helping and encouraging
young performers. He assists them financially, and gives them opportunities
to perform and record. Nine of them are featured on this CD, produced under
Bowerman’s own independent label, Champ Hill Records . It begins with
an Isolde Fantasy, a very pleasant scaling downof the love themes
for violin and piano. The performers are Diana Galvydyte and Anna Peletsis
respectively.
Themes and variations dominate the album, from an original hymn tune and variations
for piano solo, to a Fantasy on a Theme of Elgar for violin and piano,
to a Fantasy on the hymn “Abide With Me” performed by the
Bronte Quartet. One can hear much of Brahms in Bowerman’s approach to
variation writing. His first Cello Sonata, written on a beach vacation
in Antigua, is performed by its dedicatee, Bridget MacRae, and pianist Julian
Milford. An Elegy for piano, and the Wildbrooks Suite for flute
and piano, round out the album. The music is easy to listen to, and rouses
one’s interest in hearing his first CD, A Fantasy Idyll (see review).
In a recent interview in Fanfare magazine, the composer responded to one critic
who said “Bowerman writes to please”. “I thought what does
that mean? Of course I write to please. Isn’t that what composers are
supposed to do? But now I realize that perhaps they are not supposed to please.
I write to please myself, and hopefully others who might like to listen.”
Initially one is tempted to think of this as a vanity recording, but given
Bowerman’s level of activity and achievement, it might be better labeled
as an accomplished recording.
Paul Kennedy
The music is easy to listen to, and rouses one’s interest in hearing
his first CD, A Fantasy Idyll.