Song Cycles 3

Soloists with Instrumental Accompaniment

Photo by Caroline Carsky for the cover of Paula Downes' DVD of film adaptations of Songs Cycles by Andrew Downes

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An account by his wife and publisher, Cynthia Downes, posted on March 30th, 2020

These same artists gave subsequent performances of the work at Ripple Church, Upton-on-Severn, as part of the Upton Association of the Arts concert series (April 1976), and at Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge (May 1976), which both went without mishap! 

This is one Andrew's early works which he wrote out by hand in blue biro and which I have since typeset.  

Our daughter Paula created an exquisite, multitrack promotional recording of Five Holy Songs in 2020, performing the violin, viola and voice parts herself and mixing it with synthesised sounds. You can hear it here.

A letter from Michael Rippon about the songs:

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These artists then performed the work again at Aston University Centre for the Arts in October 1978.

In January 1987, Sarah Stobart with the Halcyon Ensemble performed the cycle: 

In June that same year, in the Recital Hall of Birmingham Conservatoire, Gillian Robinson with Instrumentalists from the 20th Century Workshop included Lost Love in their concert:

A subsequent performance by Catherine James with the Musica Antiqua Soloists took place in Birmingham Cathedral in November 1988.  Their programme featured principally a Handel Cantata.  At they end of the concert, a lady came up to Andrew to tell him how much she had loved his songs.  She said, "Even Mr Handel paled into insignificance!"

They repeated their programme in the Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham:

When our daughter Paula was at Cambridge University she introduced Lost Love to the music scene there.  It was performed at student recitals, given in Trinity College (by Paula, soprano, Kirsten Howie, flute, Tim Rowe, cello, and Matthew Price, piano, in November 1998) and in Queen's College (by Georgeanna Williams, soprano, Kirsten Howie, flute, Hannah Thomas, cello, and James Weeks, piano, in February 1999);  

Back in the Midlands, Paula organised a performance in the 'Live and Local' concert series in St James's Church, Wollaston (by - herself, soprano, Eliza Marshall, flute, Yvonne Parsons, cello and Mike Smith, piano) in June 2002:

In the USA I have sold a number of copies of Lost Love to retailers. Performances which we knew about were given at King's Chapel, Boston, by Paula (soprano), David Trippett (harpsichord), Arielle Hansen (flute) and Elizabeth Main (cello) in October 2006; and at the MIT Chapel, Cambridge, Massachusetts, by Paula (soprano), David Trippett (harpsichord), Jen Bliss (recorder) and Hannah Thomas (cello) in February 2009.

In July 2000, Paula, with David Trippett (piano), Debbie Martin (flute) and Yvonne Parsons (cello) recorded the work for CD, produced by Chris Wilson, at Birmingham Conservatoire.  We had a lovely time at the recording and a delicious lunch in the Italian restaurant next door! 

Left to right: Debbie Martin, Yvonne Parsons, David Trippett, Paula Downes

From front left clockwise around table: Yvonne Parsons, Debbie Martin, David Trippett, Paula Downes, Andrew Downes, Chris Wilson

Back left to right: Debbie Martin, Paula Downes, Chris Wilson, Andrew Downes
Front left to right: David Trippett, Yvonne Parsons

I created the CD booklet and learnt a lot about the layout on the computer from the local firm who printed it. 

In February 2011, Paula, with David Trippett (piano), Sarah Mondon (flute) and Joanne Jefferis (cello) made a new recording of the cycle.  Using this recording, Paula created a series of 4 films depicting the songs, which she completed in July 2012.  Paula's films can be viewed on YouTube and are also on the DVD of short films by Paula, entitled Songs of Love and War.  Here is a clip of one my favourite moments in song 2.  

Andrew tragically died on January 2nd 2023.  At his funeral on February 6th, Paula, David and Joanne Jefferis performed the first song from the Cycle, The Walk.

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Numerous subsequent performances by different artists have taken place in Birmingham, London, other UK venues and the USA.   

Andrew's 20th Century Workshop concerts soon developed into a week- long annual 'Music Extra Festival'.  In the December 1992 Festival, Dream-Land was chosen for one of the concerts:

In 2003, Andrew was overjoyed to receive a message that his musical setting of Dream-Land was to be given it's USA premiere on 2nd November 2003 in New York!  New York Metropolitan Opera soprano, Deborah Saverance, with Paul Cohen, saxophone, and David Maiullo, piano, were to perform it in a concert entitled ‘Poe as Parlor Music’, in honour of the publication of Edgar Allan Poe - Poems and Poetics by the Library of America, produced by the New York Literary Roundtable for the New York Historical Society and presented by TimeOut NewYork!  

Andrew was sent a recording and was delighted with their performance, and even more delighted when he read the following report in Plymouth State University Journal: ‘The most striking examples of otherworldliness were in Andrew Downes’ Dream-Land (US premier), sung by Deborah Saverance with Paul Cohen on saxophone and David Maiullo on piano, and Leonard Bernstein’s Israfel… These two pieces, in their emotionally astute and beautifully sung arrangements, took Poe’s words far into the realm of the spirit.'  

Review:

Emails between Andrew and Cynthia Downes and the performers:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       The first performance with clarinet (instead of soprano saxophone) was given by our daughter Paula (soprano), Kylie Redman (clarinet) and David Trippett (piano) on August 17 2004 in the Church of St Lawrence Jewry-next-Guildhall, London.  Andrew and I were delighted to attend their excellent concert. 

The first performance with violin (instead of soprano saxophone) was given by our daughters Paula (soprano) and Anna (violin) with Duncan Honeybourne (piano) on May 11th 2005 at Wednesbury Museum and Art Gallery.  it was magical.

Anna and Paula performed the work with pianist Gillian Cracknell a couple of months later in London, at St Sepulchre-without-Newgate:

They performed the work with Duncan Honeybourne again in Peterborough Cathedral in August 2014 2005.  Andrew and I were due to drive to Peterborough for the recital, but Andrew badly scalded his leg the day before with a cup of boiling hot coffee, and we were advised by the burns specialist who treated him not to go.  The burn took a long time to heal, but we were able to listen to their beautiful recording of the recital, which was given to a large and appreciative audience in the cathedral. 

The first American performance with violin (instead of soprano saxophone) was given by our daughters Paula (soprano), and Anna (violin), with David Trippett (piano), on October 26th 2005 at Adams House, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.  Paula and David had just settled in as Pastoral Tutors at Adam's House, Harvard (where David was studying for a post graduate doctoctorate), following their marriage in the summer of that year.  Andrew and I went over for the Dream-Land performance and enjoyed a lovely family reunion at the same time.  Anna was just pregnant with Oscar, our first grandchild!

In September 2016 the work was performed by the Amabile Trio (Paula -soprano, Anna - violin, and Duncan Honeybourne - piano) as part of Andrew Downes' 65th Birthday Concert at Birmingham Cathedral. Read the Birmingham Post Review.  

In October 2016 Paula, with Sally MacTaggart (soprano saxophone) and David Trippett (piano), performed the work in their recital in the OCR, Trinity College, Cambridge, and then recorded it in Emmanuel College, Cambridge, for SoundCloud and a beautiful online film.  I made a swift visit to attend their concert, and returned next morning to Andrew, who was not well enough to travel, and couldn't access the concert, because of the steps up to the OCR. 

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In April 2019, Paula, Anna and Tony performed 'Noon' from the cycle at Great St Mary's Church, Cambridge. 

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We gave a second performance of the cycle in Great St Mary's University Church, Cambridge, in October 2017.

Paula sang these arrangements with her husband, pianist David Trippett at St Clement's Cambridge as part of the #andrewdownes70 series.

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