I commend your primary focus on the music, and your secondary focus on how any programatic concerns are reflected within the music. It’s all about the music.
I haven’t heard the work, nor, having heard other works by the composer, do I wish to, but if I did, the care with which you addressed its makeup would incline me to keep my seat a while longer—a considerable achievement, thank you.
Thank you John, i appreciate the kind words. i wouldn’t necessarily agree that Five Telegrams is “all about the music” as it does contain a visual element, though it can certainly be reviewed in purely musical terms, and in any case, i suspect the work’s future life (if it has one) won’t necessarily involve always being performed with the visual element included.
Tim Brooke
6 years ago
Thanks for your insight. Having seen it on Thursday night in Hyde Park with the film projection onto the outside of the RAH, I think it is important to stress that the music and film were conceived together (according to the programme). There’s no mention of the film at all here, which is rather missing a lot of the point of the piece. I presume you heard it on the radio. The BBC have put together a complete performance drawing on video from Thurs and Fri night, inside and outside. Well worth a watch! https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p06cnyf6/bbc-proms-2018-anna-meredith-five-telegrams-sender-receiver
Thanks for the comment, Tim. Yes, of course i was aware of the visual element of the piece, but i’d argue that focusing only on the musical aspects – you’re right, i listened on the radio – isn’t missing the point at all, unless Anna Meredith believes her music can only ‘work’ when heard in conjunction with the visuals (i can’t imagine that she does). As i said in the article, i was interested in exploring the extent to which the programmatic elements of the piece impacted on the music; it’s entirely possible that the less impressive earlier movements might have made a better impression if i’d seen the visuals too, but would that make the music ‘better’? That’s a rhetorical question to be honest, as a) it applies to all music conceived with a visual element (including all film and TV scores) and b) it’s entirely subjective. i’m certainly going to take a look at the online video when i get a chance, but it was pretty clear from the lengthy preamble discussion on the radio what it consisted of.
Thanks for this. Hope you get a chance to see it. The Redaction section, for instance, has imagery that is gradually stripped away, triggered by woodwind flurries. It doesn’t make the music ‘better’ but, as the piece was co-written from the outset with the film people, it makes a lot more sense when you see the two side by side. Anyway, hope you get a chance to see it!
(FWIW, I’m a big fan, and have been since we first crossed paths at Gaudeamus 15 or so years ago. This one wasn’t by any means my favourite piece of hers, but she’s capable of some incredibly impressive, thoroughly enjoyable, and utterly joyful music (and I don’t mind admitting that seeing and experiencing that joy has moved me to tears more than once, over the years, most notably seeing ‘Hands Free’ for the first time as part of the 20×12 concerts). There are some fantastic tracks on her recent-ish pop album, and ‘The Vapours’, in particular, is incredible (worth seeking out the live version from their Tiny Desk Concert in addition to the music video (which is astonishing) to see just how infectious the smiles and enjoyment are), and ‘Nautilus’ is great, too. (It strikes me, reading not just this review above but also the one from a few years ago for ‘Smatter Hauler’ (which I also apparently enjoyed much more than you did) that it’s important to actually _see_ these pieces performed—it’s a big part of their energy and their playful fun.) Anyhow, she’s very good at what she does. And it’s personal and authentic, which is the best thing I think I could say about anyone’s music.)
Garry Humphreys
6 years ago
It’s a fantastic sound and the lighting effects are stunning, but what has it to do with the ‘all-purpose’ First World War postcards on which it’s meant to be based? A piece d’occasion, and an effective one, but I’ll be surprised if it’s ever heard again. The Edinburgh Festival performance was nothing more than the recording of the Proms performance (except for new lighting to fit the Usher Hall) with a few live people planted in the crowd for some reason I didn’t quite understand. Hope the original performers all got nice big repeat fees – money for old rope, otherwise, eh, Anna?
Another thought: the strangely unbalanced nature of the piece, particularly the voices in the second movement that are never heard again. The expectation surely is that they will reappear in the finale to give the piece some degree of roundness, or sense of completion? Otherwise their earlier appearance is rather pointless … (And the point of the original postcards is the words!)
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I commend your primary focus on the music, and your secondary focus on how any programatic concerns are reflected within the music. It’s all about the music.
I haven’t heard the work, nor, having heard other works by the composer, do I wish to, but if I did, the care with which you addressed its makeup would incline me to keep my seat a while longer—a considerable achievement, thank you.
Thank you John, i appreciate the kind words. i wouldn’t necessarily agree that Five Telegrams is “all about the music” as it does contain a visual element, though it can certainly be reviewed in purely musical terms, and in any case, i suspect the work’s future life (if it has one) won’t necessarily involve always being performed with the visual element included.
Thanks for your insight. Having seen it on Thursday night in Hyde Park with the film projection onto the outside of the RAH, I think it is important to stress that the music and film were conceived together (according to the programme). There’s no mention of the film at all here, which is rather missing a lot of the point of the piece. I presume you heard it on the radio. The BBC have put together a complete performance drawing on video from Thurs and Fri night, inside and outside. Well worth a watch!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p06cnyf6/bbc-proms-2018-anna-meredith-five-telegrams-sender-receiver
Thanks for the comment, Tim. Yes, of course i was aware of the visual element of the piece, but i’d argue that focusing only on the musical aspects – you’re right, i listened on the radio – isn’t missing the point at all, unless Anna Meredith believes her music can only ‘work’ when heard in conjunction with the visuals (i can’t imagine that she does). As i said in the article, i was interested in exploring the extent to which the programmatic elements of the piece impacted on the music; it’s entirely possible that the less impressive earlier movements might have made a better impression if i’d seen the visuals too, but would that make the music ‘better’? That’s a rhetorical question to be honest, as a) it applies to all music conceived with a visual element (including all film and TV scores) and b) it’s entirely subjective. i’m certainly going to take a look at the online video when i get a chance, but it was pretty clear from the lengthy preamble discussion on the radio what it consisted of.
Thanks for this. Hope you get a chance to see it. The Redaction section, for instance, has imagery that is gradually stripped away, triggered by woodwind flurries. It doesn’t make the music ‘better’ but, as the piece was co-written from the outset with the film people, it makes a lot more sense when you see the two side by side. Anyway, hope you get a chance to see it!
(FWIW, I’m a big fan, and have been since we first crossed paths at Gaudeamus 15 or so years ago. This one wasn’t by any means my favourite piece of hers, but she’s capable of some incredibly impressive, thoroughly enjoyable, and utterly joyful music (and I don’t mind admitting that seeing and experiencing that joy has moved me to tears more than once, over the years, most notably seeing ‘Hands Free’ for the first time as part of the 20×12 concerts). There are some fantastic tracks on her recent-ish pop album, and ‘The Vapours’, in particular, is incredible (worth seeking out the live version from their Tiny Desk Concert in addition to the music video (which is astonishing) to see just how infectious the smiles and enjoyment are), and ‘Nautilus’ is great, too. (It strikes me, reading not just this review above but also the one from a few years ago for ‘Smatter Hauler’ (which I also apparently enjoyed much more than you did) that it’s important to actually _see_ these pieces performed—it’s a big part of their energy and their playful fun.) Anyhow, she’s very good at what she does. And it’s personal and authentic, which is the best thing I think I could say about anyone’s music.)
It’s a fantastic sound and the lighting effects are stunning, but what has it to do with the ‘all-purpose’ First World War postcards on which it’s meant to be based? A piece d’occasion, and an effective one, but I’ll be surprised if it’s ever heard again. The Edinburgh Festival performance was nothing more than the recording of the Proms performance (except for new lighting to fit the Usher Hall) with a few live people planted in the crowd for some reason I didn’t quite understand. Hope the original performers all got nice big repeat fees – money for old rope, otherwise, eh, Anna?
Another thought: the strangely unbalanced nature of the piece, particularly the voices in the second movement that are never heard again. The expectation surely is that they will reappear in the finale to give the piece some degree of roundness, or sense of completion? Otherwise their earlier appearance is rather pointless … (And the point of the original postcards is the words!)