Classic Ross Amico

Tag: A World Requiem

John Foulds’ Lost World Requiem Rediscovered

It was on November 11, 1918 – the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month – that representatives of the Allied Forces and Germany sat down to sign the Armistice that concluded hostilities on the Western Front, formally ending the “War to End All Wars.”

Five years later, John Foulds’ “A World Requiem,” conceived as a memorial to the dead of all nations, was given its first performance, on November 11th, 1923. The work was embraced by the public, though critical reaction was mixed. Subsequent performances took place from 1924 to 1926 as part of a Festival of Remembrance. After that, it lay unheard for some eight decades, until resurrected by conductor Leon Botstein.

Botstein has dusted off more than his share of worthy curiosities over the years, though few more ambitious than “A World Requiem.” A performance of the 90-minute piece requires up to 1,250 musicians. The work’s world premiere recording, on the Chandos label, was taken from a live concert presented on Armistice Day 2007, at the venue in which the work was first heard, Royal Albert Hall London.

The Requiem’s texts were derived from various spiritual sources by the composer’s wife, Maud MacCarthy, built on fragments from the Requiem Mass, as well as writings of John Bunyan and the Hindu poet Kabir. The overall tone is more Brahms than Britten. Part One of the oratorio promises peace and rest; Part Two conveys radiant visions of paradise.

I had assumed that the work’s neglect had to do with the dual concerns of cost and evolving musical taste. However, around the time of the Requiem’s revival, it was discovered that performances may actually have been suppressed by the BBC, possibly at the instigation of Sir Adrian Boult – this despite the fact that Foulds donated all proceeds to the poppy appeal for the British legion. You can read more about the alleged “banning” of the Requiem here:

https://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/article/?id=3156

Across the pond and closer to home, in 1954, at the urging of U.S. veterans, Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day. Though the intent of the holiday is frequently confused with that of Memorial Day, Veterans Day is a time to honor ALL military veterans, not just those who died in service to their country.

Foulds’ gargantuan oratorio could serve double-duty. Sadly, it is almost never performed at all.

The oratorio falls into 20 movements (two parts subdivided into ten each) for soloists, massed choirs, including children’s choirs, large orchestra, offstage instrumentalists, and organ. A progressive tonal framework is spiced with quarter tones, cluster chords, and certain repetitive sequences.

War’s the pity. Always remember, and thank you to those who served.

Part I

1 I Requiem – 8:44
2 II Pronuntiatio – 4:05
3 III Confessio – 5:46
4 IV Jubilatio – 5:06
5 V Audite – 7:04
6 VI Pax – 3:53
7 VII Consolatio – 5:08
8 XIII Refutatio – 0:38
9 IX Lux Veritatis – 1:19
10 X Requiem 3:25

45:08

Part II

1 XI Laudamus – 6:30
2 XII Elysium – 6:24
3 XIII In Pace – 3:17
4 Hymn of the Redeemed – 4:37
5 XIV Angeli – 3:27
6 XV Vox Dei – 3:07
7 XVI Adventus – 4:01
8 XVII Vigilate – 2:03
9 XVIII Promissio et Invocatio – 7:30
10 XIX Benedictio – 1:41
11 XX Consummatus 2:06

44:50

November 11, 2021
Foulds’ World Requiem Armistice Remembrance

John Foulds conceived “A World Requiem” in the wake of World War I as a memorial to the dead of all nations. This Sunday night on “The Lost Chord,” we’ll conclude our two-part commemoration of the signing of the 1918 Armistice by highlighting the second half of this epic, 90-minute work for vocal soloists, massed choirs – including children’s choirs – large symphony orchestra, off-stage instrumentalists, and organ.

The Requiem’s texts were derived from various spiritual sources by the composer’s wife, Maud MacCarthy, built on fragments from the Requiem Mass, as well as writings of John Bunyan and the Hindu poet Kabir. Its overall tone is more Brahms than Britten. The second part conveys radiant visions of paradise.

“A World Requiem” was given its first performance on Armistice Day, November 11th, 1923, then performed annually for the next four years. After that, it lay unheard for some eight decades, until revived by conductor Leon Botstein. Botstein has dusted off more than his share of worthy curiosities, though few are more ambitious than “A World Requiem.” This world premiere recording, on Chandos Records, was taken from a live concert presented on Armistice Day, 2007, at the venue in which the work was first heard, Royal Albert Hall London.

We’ll round out the hour with music by Cecil Coles, one of the many (too many) artists who lost their lives in combat. Coles was born in Scotland in 1888. He studied at Edinburgh University, the London College of Music, and Morley College; then in Stuttgart, where he remained as assistant conductor at the Stuttgart Royal Opera House. Forced to return to England before the outbreak of war, he enlisted for overseas service and was sent to the trenches in 1915. Coles was killed near the Somme on April 26, 1918, during a heroic attempt to rescue some wounded comrades.

Coles had continued to compose even on the front lines. His manuscripts of the period, some still embedded with shrapnel, have been painstakingly reconstructed for a recording on Hyperion Records. We’ll hear one of the surviving movements from “Behind the Lines,” titled “Cortège” – a military funeral procession – especially poignant, given the composer’s fate. Coles was just 29 at the time of his death.

“The War to End All Wars” was a lesson that won’t be learned, apparently, but it’s healthy to reflect on the horror, the heroism, the waste, and the sacrifice. Join me in marking the centenary of the Armistice, on “A Farewell to Arms, Part II,” this Sunday night at 10:00 EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

November 18, 2018
A World Requiem Forgotten Memorial Day Music

For Veterans Day, here’s a piece of music that could serve double-duty, for both today and Memorial Day. Sadly, it is almost never performed at all.

John Foulds composed his massive oratorio, “A World Requiem,” between 1919 and 1921 to honor the memory of all those – of whatever nation – who fell during WWI. The text, in English, was assembled by his wife, Maud MacCarthy, the work’s dedicatee, who compiled it from the Requiem Mass, sundry Biblical passages, selections from John Bunyan’s “The Pilgrim’s Progress,” a poem by Kabir, and her own original material.

The oratorio falls into 20 movements (in two parts of ten each) for soloists, massed choirs (including children’s choirs), large orchestra, offstage instrumentalists, and organ. A progressive tonal framework is spiced with quarter tones, cluster chords and certain repetitive sequences.

It was first performed on Armistice Night (now Veterans Day in the United States), November 11, 1923, in Royal Albert Hall, by up to 1,250 musicians. The work was embraced by the public, though critical reaction was mixed. Subsequent performances took place from 1924 to 1926 as part of a Festival of Remembrance. Then the work lay neglected for some 80 years until revived in 2007 by the forces in this recording, under the direction of the indefatigable Leon Botstein.

Part I

1 I Requiem – 8:44
2 II Pronuntiatio – 4:05
3 III Confessio – 5:46
4 IV Jubilatio – 5:06
5 V Audite – 7:04
6 VI Pax – 3:53
7 VII Consolatio – 5:08
8 XIII Refutatio – 0:38
9 IX Lux Veritatis – 1:19
10 X Requiem 3:25

45:08

Part II

1 XI Laudamus – 6:30
2 XII Elysium – 6:24
3 XIII In Pace – 3:17
4 Hymn of the Redeemed – 4:37
5 XIV Angeli – 3:27
6 XV Vox Dei – 3:07
7 XVI Adventus – 4:01
8 XVII Vigilate – 2:03
9 XVIII Promissio et Invocatio – 7:30
10 XIX Benedictio – 1:41
11 XX Consummatus 2:06

44:50

Thank you to those who served.

November 11, 2017
Foulds’ World Requiem on WPRB

Coming up on WPRB in the 9:00 hour EDT: John Fould’s “A World Requiem.”

Scored for a mass of soloists, choristers and orchestral musicians to rival those of Mahler’s “Symphony of a Thousand,” the Requiem was conceived by Foulds as a memorial to the dead of all nations in the wake of the First World War. It was given its first performance at Royal Albert Hall on Armistice Night, November 11, 1923. It then lay in neglect for 80 years, until its resurrection by Leon Botstein, who conducted the work’s revival at Royal Albert Hall on November 11, 2007. We’ll hear his recording of the piece, which was issued two months later, on the Chandos label.

Listen now to WPRB103.3 FM or wprb.com. We remember the soldiers who laid down their lives in combat and the unfortunate civilians who were collateral casualties, in our salute to the musical dead of all countries, for Memorial Day, on Classic Ross Amico.

May 25, 2017

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