BBCNOW/MacMillan/Childs review – James MacMillan’s nostalgic celebration of the euphonium
Brangwyn Hall, SwanseaThe composer conducted his new work Where the Lugar Meets the Glaisnock, beautifully played by the virtuosic David ChildsNamed for the sweet euphony of its tone, the euphonium is proving itself outside the brass band world and coming into its own in contemporary repertoire. Much music for euphonium is commissioned by David Childs, one of the instrument’s strongest and most gifted advocates – his whole family veritable champions – the latest being James MacMillan’s new concertante work for euphonium and string orchestra.Its title, Where the Lugar Meets the Glaisnock, refers to the confluence of river and tributary in the Ayrshire town of the Cumnock where MacMillan spent his early years. It is dedicated to Childs and to the composer’s euphonium-playing grandfather, George Loy; an element of nostalgia is thus imbued in the piece’s character, evident from the opening solo statement – slow, lyrical and reflective. Yet the fast scale passages that emerged from the strings like eddying ripples and were quickly taken up by Childs signalled the soloist’s virtuosity immediately. It was this balance of arching melody and increasing rhythmic vitality that drove the performance, the absence of other wind instruments ensuring the soloist never risked being compromised. Only a long, expansive phrase with euphonium and strings in unison was curious for being undeniably rich but somehow not entirely convincing. Continue reading...
Brangwyn Hall, Swansea
The composer conducted his new work Where the Lugar Meets the Glaisnock, beautifully played by the virtuosic David Childs
Named for the sweet euphony of its tone, the euphonium is proving itself outside the brass band world and coming into its own in contemporary repertoire. Much music for euphonium is commissioned by David Childs, one of the instrument’s strongest and most gifted advocates – his whole family veritable champions – the latest being James MacMillan’s new concertante work for euphonium and string orchestra.
Its title, Where the Lugar Meets the Glaisnock, refers to the confluence of river and tributary in the Ayrshire town of the Cumnock where MacMillan spent his early years. It is dedicated to Childs and to the composer’s euphonium-playing grandfather, George Loy; an element of nostalgia is thus imbued in the piece’s character, evident from the opening solo statement – slow, lyrical and reflective. Yet the fast scale passages that emerged from the strings like eddying ripples and were quickly taken up by Childs signalled the soloist’s virtuosity immediately. It was this balance of arching melody and increasing rhythmic vitality that drove the performance, the absence of other wind instruments ensuring the soloist never risked being compromised. Only a long, expansive phrase with euphonium and strings in unison was curious for being undeniably rich but somehow not entirely convincing. Continue reading...
