On London Fields

Last updated

On London Fields is an opera in two acts by Matthew King with a libretto by Alasdair Middleton, notable for its use of multiple ensembles and choruses. Some of the music was devised during a series of improvisational workshops. It was commissioned by Hackney Music Development Trust and premiered in the Hackney Empire theatre in 2004. The opera has been described by the novelist, Margaret Drabble as "one of the most exciting community events I’ve ever seen." [1] The story concerns the life and prophecies of the 17th Century mystic and resident of Hackney, Hannah Trapnell. The opera is set in Hackney during the oppressive reign of Oliver Cromwell. Hannah leads the people of Hackney on to London Fields where, in a series of increasingly vivid prophecies, she sings of a new proto-Marxist Kingdom of Heaven. Among her followers are an idealistic young couple called Deborah and Abel. Eventually the meeting is brutally suppressed by a group of Puritan soldiers led by Sir Bawnagayne Surly. Abel tries to oppose the soldiers and is killed. The opera ends with his young widow singing a poignant lullaby to the couple's unborn child.

For the original production Matthew King composed for a cast of four professional singers (Sally Burgess, Alison Buchanan, Simon Thorpe and Jonathan Gunthorpe) and several choruses of Hackney residents, including a children's choir and a Gospel choir. The orchestra was the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, supported by Young Jazz Hackney; the Cambridge Heath Salvation Army Band; Hackney Centre for Young Musicians, a Turkish Saz band and an African Drumming group called Emashi. The opera makes use of spatial distribution of players and instrumentalists with the brass band playing in the upper circle of the theatre and other groups distributed around the building and off-stage. The opera critic and musicologist, Rodney Milnes, described the event in the following terms:

The scale was daunting. There were five orchestras, with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in the pit, plus jazz and brass bands (Henze would like that) dotted about the auditorium...There were more than 150 singers, of every known age, race and gender. [2]

Writing in The Evening Standard, Stephen Pettitt was also largely enthusiastic about the work:

King's music is eminently approachable, veering between jazz and a sort of energetic minimalism. Even so, he’s unafraid of complexity, even when writing for very young performers. Some of the clashing rhythms and textural layerings are mind-boggling. [3]

In 2005 On London Fields received the Royal Philharmonic Society Education Award. [4]

Related Research Articles

Philharmonia Orchestra Orchestra based in London

The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Richard Strauss, Wilhelm Furtwängler and Arturo Toscanini; of the Philharmonia's younger conductors, the most important to its development was Herbert von Karajan who, though never formally chief conductor, was closely associated with the orchestra in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The Philharmonia became widely regarded as the finest of London's five symphony orchestras in its first two decades.

The 14th Annual Grammy Awards were held March 14, 1972, and were broadcast live on television in the United States by ABC; the following year, they would move the telecasts to CBS, where they remain to this date. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1971.

Mark-Anthony Turnage CBE is an English composer of classical music.

The 9th Annual Grammy Awards were held on March 2, 1967, at Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville and New York. They recognized accomplishments of musicians for the year 1966. The 9th Grammy Awards is notable for not presenting the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Frank Sinatra won 5 awards.

Richard Rodney Bennett English composer and pianist (1936–2012)

Sir Richard Rodney Bennett was an English composer of film, TV and concert music, and also a jazz pianist and occasional vocalist. He was based in New York City from 1979 until his death there in 2012.

Somerset is a county in the south-west of England. It is home to many types of music.

Václav Nelhýbel was a Czech American composer, mainly of works for student performers.

Joseph Horovitz was an Austrian-born British composer and conductor best known for his 1970 pop cantata Captain Noah and his Floating Zoo, which achieved widespread popularity in schools. Horovitz also composed music for television, including the theme music for the Thames Television series Rumpole of the Bailey, and was a prolific composer of ballet, orchestral, wind band and chamber music. He considered the fifth string quartet (1969) to be his best work.

John Hardy is an English-born composer who has been commissioned by the Arts Council/National Lottery, the BBC, Welsh National Opera and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, among others. His work includes opera, choral and orchestral pieces, site-specific theatre events and film.

Allan Gilliland Canadian composer

Allan Gilliland is a contemporary Canadian composer.

Matthew King (composer)

Matthew King is a British composer, pianist and educator. His works include opera, piano and chamber music, choral and orchestral pieces. He has been described, by Judith Weir, Master of the Queen’s Music, as “one of Britain's most adventurous composers, utterly skilled, imaginative and resourceful”.

Cleveland Watkiss Musical artist


Cleveland Watkiss,, is a British vocalist, actor, and composer.

John Alldis was an English chorus-master and conductor.

Will Todd is an English musician and composer. He is a pianist, who performs regularly with others in his own works.

Martin S. Mailman was an American composer noted for his music for orchestra, chorus, multimedia, and winds.

Canandaigua Academy Public school in Canandaigua, Ontario County, New York, United States

Canandaigua Academy is a high school in Canandaigua, New York, United States. It is part of the Canandaigua City School District. The school was named a national Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education in 1996. Jamie Farr is the Superintendent of Schools. Marissa Logue is the principal of Canandaigua Academy. There were 129 professional staff members and 1,105 students as of 2019.

Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian is a British composer, singer, and harper. She is considered one of today's leading emerging composers.

Gavin Carr is a British conductor and baritone working with major choruses in the UK and appearing in opera and concert in the UK and around the globe.

References

  1. ↑ Margaret Drabble (quoted on the official website of Hackney Music Development Trust)
  2. ↑ Milnes, Rodney, Review: On London Fields, Opera , 2004 (republished on the official website of the Hackney Music Development Trust)
  3. ↑ Pettitt, Stephen, Hats off to the young and old of Hackney, The Evening Standard, 22 November 2004 (republished on the official website of the Hackney Music Development Trust)
  4. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-11-21. Retrieved 2014-01-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.