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Sylvia”
werd geschreven door Thijs van Leer en uitgebracht in 1972 op Focus 3, het derde album van
Nederlandse rockband Focus.
Het
nummer werd een grote hit in Engeland en Amerika en uiteraard in
Nederland.
Luc
Jakobs vertaalde het nummer in een enerverende zetting voor gemengd koor.
Thijs
van Leer: “Aangenaam verrast door het speelse arrangement van mijn compositie "Sylvia" door
arrangeur Luc Jakobs…”
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Programme notes for
Christmas Cantata –
“The Word was Made Flesh”
This Cantata was originally written in 1975
for a commission by the
Birmingham Festival Choral Society,
conductor Jeremy Patterson.
It was first performed by them in December 1975 in St. Martin’s in the Bull Ring, Birmingham, in
the United Kingdom.
It has subsequently been revised in 2010.
A review of the first performance, given by David Hart in the Birmingham Post,
is as follows:
‘The musical style is clear and direct and the choral writing has rhythmic vitality and ingenuity
to give it a sense of purpose.
Mr Dedman uses choral speaking, shouts and handclaps in an effective, ungratuitous way,
too.
His keen ear for texture is most apparent in the fascinating accompaniment which is scored for the
unlikely combination of
recorder and flute, percussion and organ.
The sounds produced are dramatic, colourful, quite sensuous in an eastern sort of way and
immediately attractive.’
It is written for SATB choir with a soprano soloist from the choir, a male speaker with flute,
doubling treble recorder, percussion and organ. The words are of the traditional Christmas
story taken from the
Jerusalem Bible, original version.
The instrumental parts act less as
an accompaniment, rather to supply added drama to the story and
instrumental colour. The Cantata is in seven movements:
an instrumental Prelude depicting a vision of the beginning of time; ‘The Word’;
‘The Annunciation’; ‘The Virginal Conception
of Christ’; ‘Magnificat’; ‘The Birth of Jesus
and Visit of the Shepherds’
and an ‘Epilogue’.
Malcolm Dedman
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Programme notes for
Healing the Planet
This is a Cantata for amateur choir (SATB), soprano, tenor and bass soloists, trumpet, organ and
percussion. It is in four movements and last just over 20 minutes
and was written in 2010, with finishing touches made in 2011.
My purpose for writing this Cantata was to look at the questions about the environment, climate
change, etc. from
a spiritual perspective. I wrote most of the words as well as quoting from the writings of the
Persian mystic ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Abbás Effendi and His grandson, Shoghi Effendi.
The four movements are:
1.
State of Crisis
, a dialogue between the soprano and chorus highlighting the problems that mankind is causing the
planet and recognising that it must be healed.
2.
Change of Heart
opens with quotes from Shoghi Effendi, sung by the tenor soloist, that show how we need to reframe
our conceptions, in particular, not to segregate the human heart from the environment. The chorus
reacts and discusses the quotes.
3.
Spiritual Revelation
opens with a quote from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, sung by the bass soloist, showing how the human heart should
change. Again the chorus reacts to this and the soprano tries to bring understanding to the minds
of the people.
4.
Vision of the Future
is a setting of a quote from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá about how He sees the future for the planet, once mankind
has understood and acted. Choir and soloists join in a united voice.
The work as a whole is very dramatic and presents the conflict between human behaviour and
both scientific and religious teachings. The three instruments are not mere
accompaniments,
but add much colour and drama
to the text settings.
Malcolm Dedman
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