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The first performance of The
Martyrdom of St Magnus
Memories of the first
performance
The Opera was performed by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies' hand-picked
choral and performers and instrumentalists, "The Fires of
London", and they were superb.
My strongest memory now is the opening notes of the first aria.
The singer developed a low tone so soft as to be at first more felt
than heard into a swelling sound that rose in pitch and volume to an
awesome shriek over an interval of more than a minute. I
truly enjoyed the music, which to me was entirely new harmonically.
What I realized was that I had to relate each note mainly to the
preceding and/or the succeeding single note, rather than to think of
chords or arpeggios, as would be more usual.
An other event connected with the first was also especially memorable: The
Kirkwall Grammar School Orchestra, conducted by Richard Hughes, playing
music composed by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, who was in attendance.
Both these events took place in the Cathedral of St. Magnus the Martyr. The
venue was most impressive, the acoustics marvelous.
Contributed by Helen Bates
April 2002 |
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