seasons - Signum Records

SEASONS
Anno Grace Davidson soprano
u Anno Epilogue Kerenza Peacock violins
Oliver Davis (b.1972)
1 I. Spring 2 II. Summer 3 III. Autumn 4 IV. Winter The Four Seasons
Kerenza Peacock violin
Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, RV 297, “L’inverno” (Winter)
r I. Allegro non molto
t II. Largo
y III.Allegro
[5.23]
[4.01]
[4.37]
[5.45]
Emma Heathcote viola
Susie Winkworth cello
Total timings: Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, RV 269, “La primavera” (Spring)
5 I. Allegro 6 II. Largo e pianissimo sempre
7 III. Allegro pastorale
[3.21]
[2.25]
[4.07]
Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8, RV 315, “L’estate” (Summer)
8 I. Allegro non molto
9 II. Adagio e piano – Presto e forte
0 III. Presto
[5.04]
[2.01]
[2.51]
Concerto No. 3 in F major, Op. 8, RV 293, “L’autunno” (Autumn)
qI. Allegro
w II. Adagio molto
e III. Allegro
[5.16]
[2.28]
[3.25]
Oliver Davis [3.26]
[1.41]
[3.26]
[2.55]
[62.16]
KERENZA PEACOCK VIOLIN
GRACE DAVIDSON SOPRANO
TRAFALGAR SINFONIA
IVOR SETTERFIELD CONDUCTOR
www.signumrecords.com
ANNO
OLIVER DAVIS
a song cycle. Whist researching potential texts I
soon discovered (as many already knew) that
Vivaldi had based the Four Seasons on four
existing poems; in fact some believe the poems
to be by Vivaldi himself, since they very conveniently
support the structure of the four concertos.
In September 2014 Ivor Setterfield and I
discussed the concept of an album based
around Vivaldi’s Four Seasons incorporating a
complementary original work, perhaps for voice
and strings. I decided to look for poetry based
on the seasons and then set this in the form of
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For the recording with Trafalgar Sinfonia Ivor
suggested we approach soprano Grace Davidson
and I was of course delighted when she agreed
to record the work. To complete the disc I wrote
an additional short piece, Anno Epilogue. This
quotes one of the key themes of Anno but
in a more reflective mood. We recorded at All
Saints, Orpington on March 4th, coincidentally
Vivaldi’s birthday!
at the Pio Ospedale della Pietà, one of four
orphanages for girls in Venice. This was to
remain his musical base for the greater part
of his life, and it was for the highly gifted
students at the Pietà that he composed much
of his music.
The Four Seasons forms the first third of a
collection of twelve violin concertos published
together in 1725 as ‘Opus 8’ with the overall
title Il cimento dell’armonia e dell’inventione
(‘The Trial of Harmony and Invention’). The
concertos broke new ground not only in terms
of their detailed depiction of poetic ideas,
but also their technical ingenuity – most
noteworthy in this regard are passages of
rapid string-crossing with the bow and
high-flying virtuosity for the left hand.
Oliver Davis
THE FOUR SEASONS
ANTONIO VIVALDI
A dashing figure with long, flowing auburn hair
and boyish good looks, Vivaldi was the musical
pin-up of Baroque Venice. His vast musical
output includes an astounding 500+ concertos,
86 solo and trio sonatas, some 46 operas
and a substantial quantity of vocal music.
He originally studied for the priesthood and
received Holy Orders in 1703, earning the
nickname ‘Il prete rosso’ (‘the red priest’) on
account of the distinctive colour of his hair.
Yet following his ordination, Vivaldi turned
his back on the church and went in search of
‘worldly’ musical employment. Just a few
weeks later he was appointed maestro di violino
© Julian Haylock
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La primavera
Allegro
Giunt’ è la Primavera e festosetti
La Salutan gl’ Augei con lieto canto,
E i fonti allo Spirar de’ Zeffiretti
Con dolce mormorio Scorrono intanto:
Vengon’ coprendo l’ aer di nero amanto
E Lampi, e tuoni ad annuntiarla eletti
Indi tacendo questi, gl’ Augelletti;
Tornan’ di nuovo al lor canoro incanto:
Spring
Allegro
Springtime is upon us.
The birds celebrate her return with festive song,
and murmuring streams
are softly caressed by the breezes.
Thunderstorms, those heralds of Spring,
roar, casting their dark mantle over heaven,
Then they die away to silence, and the birds take
up their charming songs once more.
Largo
E quindi sul fiorito ameno prato
Al caro mormorio di fronde e piante
Dorme ‘l Caprar col fido can’ à lato.
Largo
On the flower-strewn meadow,
with leafy branches rustling overhead,
the goat-herd sleeps, his faithful dog beside him.
Allegro
Di pastoral Zampogna al suon festante
Danzan Ninfe e Pastor nel tetto amato
Di primavera all’ apparir brillante
Allegro
Led by the festive sound of rustic bagpipes,
nymphs and shepherds lightly dance
beneath the brilliant canopy of spring.
L’estate
Allegro non molto
Sotto dura Staggion dal Sole accesa
Langue l’ huom, langue ‘l gregge,
ed arde il Pino;
Scioglie il Cucco la Voce, e tosto intesa
Canta la Tortorella e ‘l gardelino.
Zeffiro dolce Spira, mà contesa
Summer
Allegro non molto
Under a hard Season, fired up by the Sun
languishes man, languishes the flock
and burns the pine
We hear the cuckoo’s voice; then sweet songs of
the turtledove and finch are heard.
Soft breezes stir the air... but threatening
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Muove Borea improviso al Suo vicino;
E piange il Pastorel, perche sospesa
Teme fiera borasca, e ‘l suo destino;
north wind sweeps them suddenly aside.
The shepherd trembles,
fearing violent storms and his fate.
Adagio e piano - Presto e forte
Toglie alle membra lasse il Suo riposo
Il timore de’ Lampi, e tuoni fieri
E de mosche, e mosconi il Stuol furioso
Adagio e piano - Presto e forte
The fear of lightning and fierce thunder
robs his tired limbs of rest
As gnats and flies buzz furiously around.
Presto
Ah, che pur troppo i Suo timor Son veri Tuona e
fulmina il Ciel e grandinoso Tronca il capo alle
Spiche e a’ grani alteri.
Presto
Alas, his fears were justified
The Heavens thunders and roar and with hail
Cuts the head off the wheat and damages
the grain.
L’autunno
Allegro
Celebra il Vilanel con balli e Canti Del felice
raccolto il bel piacere
E del liquor de Bacco accesi tanti Finiscono col
Sonno il lor godere.
Autumn
Allegro
Celebrates the peasant, with songs and dances,
The pleasure of a bountiful harvest.
And fired up by Bacchus’ liquor, many end their
revelry in sleep.
Adagio molto
Fà ch’ ogn’ uno tralasci e balli
e canti L’ aria che temperata dà piacere,
E la Staggion ch’ invita tanti e tanti
D’ un dolcissimo Sonno al bel godere.
Adagio molto
Everyone is made to forget their cares
and to sing and dance
By the air which is tempered with pleasure
And (by) the season that invites so many,
Out of their sweetest slumber to fine enjoyment
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Allegro
I cacciator alla nov’ alba à caccia
Con corni, Schioppi, e cani escono fuore
Fugge la belva, e Seguono la traccia;
Già Sbigottita, e lassa al gran rumore
de’ Schioppi e cani, ferita minaccia Languida di
fuggir, mà oppressa muore.
Allegro
The hunters emerge at the new dawn,
And with horns, dogs and guns to hunt
The beast flees and they follow its trail;
Terrified and tired of the great noise
Of guns and dogs, the beast, wounded, threatens
Languidly to flee, but harried, dies.
L’inverno
Allegro non molto
Aggiacciato tremar trà nevi algenti
Al Severo Spirar d’orrido Vento,
Correr battendo i piedi ogni momento;
E per Soverchio gel batter i denti;
Winter
Allegro non molto
To tremble from cold in the icy snow,
In the harsh breath of a horrid wind;
To run, stamping one’s feet every moment,
Our teeth chattering in the extreme cold
Largo
Passar al foco i di quieti e contenti
Mentre la pioggia fuor bagna ben cento
Largo
Before the fire to pass peaceful,
Contented days while the rain outside pours down.
Allegro
Caminar Sopra il giaccio, e à passo lento
Per timor di cader girsene intenti;
Gir forte Sdruzziolar, cader à terra
Di nuove ir Sopra ‘l giaccio e correr forte
Sin ch’ il giaccio si rompe, e si disserra;
Sentir uscir dalle ferrate porte
Sirocco, Borea, e tutti i Venti in guerra
Quest’ é ‘l verno, mà tal, che gioja apporte.
Allegro
We tread the icy path slowly and cautiously,
for fear of tripping and falling.
Then turn abruptly, slip, crash on the ground and,
rising, hasten on across the ice lest it cracks up.
We feel the chill north winds course through the
home despite the locked and bolted doors...
this is winter, which nonetheless
brings its own delights.
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GRACE DAVIDSON
KERENZA PEACOCK
Grace Davidson is an English soprano who
specialises in the performance and recording
of Baroque music. Winner of the prestigious
Early Music Prize whilst studying singing
at London’s Royal Academy of Music, she
has since carved a successful international
career working with the leading Baroque
vocal ensembles of our day under the batons
of Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Paul McCreesh,
Philippe Herreweghe and Harry Christophers.
As a Baroque soloist Grace has appeared on
many of the world’s most famous stages,
from Purcell’s Come Ye Sons of Art at London’s
Barbican to his Ode to St Cecilia and Bach’s
Magnificat at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw
to Bach’s St Matthew Passion at the Lincoln
Centre, New York. Her discography includes
a decade of CDs with The Sixteen, many of
which feature her as a soloist: Handel’s
Jephtha (as “Angel”) and Dixit Dominus,
Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers and Pianto Della
Madonna and the Lutheran Masses of Bach;
she is also the soloist for a recording of
Fauré’s Requiem by Tenebrae and the LSO:
“Grace Davidson made Pie Jesu the simplest
and most precious of gifts.” The Times.
Kerenza is inspired by many different styles
of music. She led the Pavão Quartet on five
albums and 15 years of tours throughout
the world. She is a regular concerto soloist
with the Trafalgar Sinfonia in St. Martin in the
Fields. Kerenza’s solo and chamber discs
have received 5-star reviews. Also centrestage in her career is her work with alternative
bluegrass band the Coal Porters. And
collaborations with artists in the classical
and pop worlds have led to her playing
on Grammy-Award winning discs, and many
no. 1 albums in the Classical and Pop Charts.
Future solo performing engagements include
a UK tour of Monteverdi’s Vespers with Harry
Christophers, and performances of Purcell’s
King Arthur in France and Germany for Paul
McCreesh. Recording projects include Handel’s
Silete Venti and Gloria for Signum Records
plus a recording of Dowland lute songs.
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Kerenza studied at the Royal Academy of
Music with Howard Davis, and was a Leverhulme
Chamber Music Fellow for 2 years. It was
at the Academy that the Pavão Quartet met
in 1998, leading to a successful recording
career, and extensive radio play on Classic
FM, BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 2. Their
disc of Elgar and Bax Quartets (“an ensemble
of real depth and musical distinction” Classic
FM Magazine, “an intoxicating warmth and
emotional spontaneity” The Strad Magazine),
was followed by their ‘Dreaming’ CD, which
was described as “Chamber music for a new
century” on Radio 2. Their Christmas CD
became the soundtrack of Christmas for many
people, on disc and on radio. Their concert
tours took them everywhere from the Wigmore
Hall to Ronnie Scott’s jazz club, and to the
Wailing Wall of Jerusalem and the Great Wall
of China. The Quartet toured extensively with
the Henri Oguike Contemporary Dance Company,
and collaborated with jazz musicians including
Guy Barker, Dom Alldis and Iain Ballamy.
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Kerenza released a disc of the world premiere
recordings of the Holbrooke Violin Concerto and
Sonatas, and was praised in Gramophone for
her “lithe, elegant violin-playing and her easy
conquest of the virtuoso demands”. Kerenza’s
extensive experience in the recording studio
has also led to her recording for many films
and for TV. As a member of bluegrass band
the Coal Porters, Kerenza is enjoying recording
with them and writing songs.
You are just as likely to hear Kerenza playing
on BBC Radio 1 as on Classic FM. At one point
she was playing on all Top 3 albums in the
Pop Charts, as well as on the Classical no. 1.
Artists she has recorded with include Adele,
Kanye West and Sir Paul McCartney. Highlights
of her career so far have included performing
on over 15 different Stradivari instruments
and once, during an encore, tap-dancing down
the aisle of St. Martin in the Fields.
TRAFALGAR SINFONIA
Violin
Kerenza Peacock
Paul Barrett
Anna Croad
Libby Croad
Matthew Elston
Tetsuumi Nagata
Hayley Pomfrett
Kate Robinson
Sarah Sexton
Viola
Dorothea Vogel
Tom Hankey
Becky Jones
Cello
Susie Winkworth
Katy Cox
Kerenza is extremely grateful to Ingles & Hayday
Ltd for the loan of a Peter Guarneri violin for
the recording.
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Double Bass
Ben Russsell
Harpsichord
Julian Perkins
Trafalgar Sinfonia was founded by its Musical
Director, Ivor Setterfield and was originally
created to accompany the London choirs
he directed. The orchestra, comprising
outstanding instrumentalists from the London
music colleges, quickly developed a reputation
as a virtuosic ensemble in its own right. It is
now established as a professional orchestra
with a regular season of London concerts
and an international following. The Trafalgar
Sinfonia has performed at all the major
London venues including the Royal Festival
Hall, Kings Place, the Barbican Hall, Cadogan
Hall, and the Royal Albert Hall, and continues
to display both warmth and brilliance within
a truly diverse repertoire. Previous recordings
by the orchestra include English String
Serenades, featuring works by Warlock,
Vaughan Williams, Holst and Elgar.
OLIVER DAVIS
Oliver studied under Justin Connolly at
the Royal Academy of Music graduating in
1994. He has since composed and produced
numerous concertos, albums, soundtracks
and television scores working with all the
major London orchestras.
Oliver’s debut album, Flight, was a series of
violin concertos written for Kerenza Peacock.
For the recording at Air Studios she was
accompanied by the London Symphony
Orchestra conducted by Paul Bateman.
Released in March 2015 Flight quickly
rose to number 2 in the UK Specialist
Classical Charts and 16 in the US Billboard
charts with 5 Star reviews in both the US
and UK. In addition it was chosen as featured
album of the week on Classic FM and was
played daily on the station.
Oliver’s interest in ballet has led to
collaborations with choreographer and First
Artist with the Royal Ballet, Erico Montes. His
work Within the Hours was performed by the
Royal Ballet and reviewed by Debra Craine
in The Times as “beautiful new music by
Oliver Davis”. The collaboration continued with
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another short ballet based upon the second
movement of Flight. Recent works include the
music to Chris Shepherd’s film ‘The Ringer’ for
Canal Plus and working with Oscar nominated
director Sylvain Chomet on the opening ‘couch
gag’ sequence for The Simpsons – reaching
over 6 million views on YouTube!
Soundtracks include 12 television series,
15 short films and 2 Playhouse films for Sky
Arts. Other collaborations include creating
the music and sound design for Tate Britain
art installation AnnLee You Proposes by
Turner Prize nominee Liam Gillick.
Oliver’s studios are based in the heart of
Soho where he has been writing and recording
since 1998.
Thanks to
Debbie Reddy, Ingles and Hayday,
J’Anna Jacoby and Steve Harrold, Josh Radnor,
Caroline Horton and Linda Drake, Emma and Isaac.
Recorded at All Saint’s Church, Orpington on 4th and 5th March 2015
Recording Engineer – Alex Barnes
Anno Oliver Davis
Produced, Edited and Mixed – Oliver Davis
Sibelius Editing – Sophia Pagoni
The Four Seasons Antonio Vivaldi
Produced and Mixed – Alex Barnes and Oliver Davis
Edited – Oliver Davis
Anno Epilogue Oliver Davis
Produced, Edited and Mixed – Oliver Davis
CD Mastering by Mike Hatch
Cover Design – Rebecca Manley
Italian Translation – Emanuela Guastella
Anno and Anno Epilogue are published by Eaton Music
Design and Artwork – Woven Design www.wovendesign.co.uk
P 2015 The copyright in this CD booklet, notes and design is owned by Signum Records Ltd
© 2015 The copyright in this CD booklet, notes and design is owned by Signum Records Ltd
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www.signumrecords.com
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ALSO AVAILABLE
on signumclassics
Oliver Davis: Flight
Kerenza Peacock violin
London Symphony Orchestra
Paul Bateman conductor
SIGCD411
“The music is full of movement and energy. It’s spirited, lively, and
at times reminiscent of the music of Michael Nyman. Kerenza
Peacock plays with great panache and verve.”
Classic FM
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find myself delightfully surprised by some unexpected music ...
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