Anthony POWERS
Fast Colours (1997)
Double Sonata (1993)
In Sunlight (1993)
Quintet (1983)
Another part of the island (1980)
Psappha directed by Nicholas
Kok
Metier Sound and Vision
MSV CD92038 DDD
[72:28]
Crotchet
AmazonUK
AmazonUS
Anthony Powers belongs to that rich vein of British compositional talent
to emerge from the post-war 1940s and early 50s generation, including Oliver
Knussen, Colin Matthews, Robert Saxton and Simon Bainbridge. Born in 1953,
Powers has not had the advantage of the public profile that his colleagues
have achieved yet critically his music has been the subject of considerable
admiration. This disc, the first to be entirely devoted to his work, is therefore
particularly welcome.
The chamber works presented span a period of seventeen years, from one of
his earliest acknowledged works, Another part of the island, written
in 1980, to the piece from which the disc takes its title, Fast Colours,
of 1997. Not surprisingly perhaps for a former pupil of the legendary Nadia
Boulanger, there is a consistency that runs through the heart of all of these
works: namely a concern with both the vertical and horizontal aspects of
the music, whereby the importance of melody, harmony and contrapuntal line
combine to play a crucial part in the structural cohesion of the finished
score. One can sense that every note, chord and gesture has a significance,
whilst the instrumental textures demonstrate an impressive degree of clarity
and transparency.
The works are deliberately presented in reverse chronological order although
I have to say that I chose to listen to the earliest work, Another part
of the island, first, simply because it is the piece with which I was
most familiar. The first work, Fast Colours, is a dazzling virtuosic
showpiece, scored for flute, clarinet, piano, violin and cello. In a range
of divertimento-like episodes Powers cleverly contrasts breathtakingly headlong
material with more lyrical passages which play on the multiple meaning of
the title. The Double Sonata (scored for the same ensemble
as Fast Colours minus the flute) is a contemporary exploration and
elaboration of sonata form, the "double" being Powers' multiplication of
the form to give four as opposed to the normal two subjects. These are cast
in different tempi and superimposed to weave a contrasting pattern of tempo,
texture and melody. In Sunlight, for violin and piano, was completed
in the same year as Double Sonata and again explores the idea of
"doubling" in a variety of ways. He does this structurally, in its double
variation form, but also in the combination of double-stopped and open strings
which are utilised to striking effect. The significance of the title is evident
both in the sheer brightness of much of the material as well as the more
languid passages where the sun is perhaps filtered, as if sitting in the
shade on a hot Mediterranean afternoon. The Quintet, written in 1983
and scored for flute, clarinet, violin, viola and cello, is more substantial
at around seventeen minutes. Although ten years earlier than the preceding
works, it is recognisably the work of the same composer, demonstrating the
same concern with line and texture. A slower first movement and a tautly
constructed concluding passacaglia frame the central scherzo. Another
part of the island was the first piece I heard by Powers back in the
1980s and I recall being struck at the time by its clarity of expression.
Although The Tempest is the springboard for Powers' inspiration the
score does not adhere to any strict programme. It is however richly evocative
and I frequently found the island to be "full of noises". At around twenty-five
minutes this is a major score although the large scale sonata form structure
allied with the composer's deft use of his material holds the attention
throughout.
Manchester based Psappha (conducted by Nicholas Kok in Another part of
the island), give highly committed performances of all five works and
I very much hope that we get to hear more of them on disc in the near future.
The recording, which was made in Whaley Bridge, Cheshire, is clear and realistic.
Particular credit is due to David Lefeber of Metier Sound and Vision for
bringing this music to disc. As a published composer producing scores as
finely crafted as these this premiere Powers recording is long overdue but
better late than never!
Christopher Thomas
See also review by Peter G Woolf
