descripção
This is a suite of 5 organ pieces composed by David W Solomons
written for and performed by David Carlston Williams at ST Paul's Springfield Road in Sale in August 2014 and then for a CD in June 2015.
The sound sample is the CD performance of Passacaglia
The suggested order for this suite is:
1. Passacaglia: based on an ostinato passage in 3 time. The idea behind the passacaglia relates to the origin of the word, it is basically a gentle stroll down the street ("pasar la calle" in Spanish, which was converted into "Passacaglia" in Italian)
2. Dorina: a descriptive piece in Dorian mode based on a song about a cat, from the aptly named village of Chattevoix, who stalks, but never catches, a little bird.
3. Playtime: also about a cat, the composer's own cat who is playful and rushes around the house but occasionally stopping to pummel the soft furnishings.
4. Early Evening in Camden Town: a more serious and sad piece - in 3-3-2 time. It is an evocation of the poor folk in Camden and their dreams of what could be, if only….. It was originally a song, which the composer wrote when he was living in London, based on a poem by fellow Londoner Sandra Erös "The streets are part of a toy town, waiting to be played with…".
5. The Bishop's Dance: a curious and comical piece in 11 time (3, 3, 3, 2). It comes from the legend of Robin Hood, in which Robin meets the bishop of Hereford, who had hoped to get the better of him, but Robin prevails and forces him to dance. The clumsy attempts of the ungainly Bishop to obey Robin's commands cause great merriment among the merry men
To quote our vicar, Rev Barbara, after the recital "For me music paints a picture, and, for that, I have got this picture of someone going for a stroll in their village and then they came across a very old cat wandering down the street imaging it could catch birds but never catching them. And then it would lie down for a sleep and dream of the days when it was a kitten.... It was a very reflective programme and turns our mind about "What for the Autumn, what do we need to do next.." it really did fit in with the mood of the year, as we turn towards building up the programme for next year... So thank you, it gave us time to reflect in a very beautiful manner...."
The suite is also available as separate pieces (with performances by David Carlston Williams)