The   TAPLOID	NEW MUSIC - 3 FACES OF MARY REVIEWED - Page 1
The Online Newspage of Orphic Touch-Style Music Monday 9th June 2003

NEW SACRED MOTETS PREMIERE IN OXFORD

Three Faces of Mary, a set of three sacred motets by contemporary composer John Duggan, premiered at Merton College Oxford on Friday 30th May, with a second performance at St Mary Magdalene Church, Woodstock (UK) on Saturday 31st. Dedicated to the memory of the composer's mother, Mary the piece "celebrates the gift of motherhood", using biblical and medieval texts in the Marian tradition of Christianity. The work was commissioned by the East Oxford Community Choir to mark its historic and cultural links with the city of Grenoble, and with the Grenoble-based choir, l'Ensemble Vocal Interlude, who have come to Oxford specially to sing in these performances For his first major solo work, Duggan has produced a substantial piece, for orchestra, 60-voice choir and a contemporary ensemble consisting of Chapman Stick, keyboards, electric bass, percussion and "choice metals"(?).

The performers at Merton College were The East Oxford Community Choir, l'Ensemble Vocal Interlude, The Isis Chamber Orchestra and Restless Blue (Duggan himself on keyboards, plus Dave Bowmer on Stick, Romilly Dobbs, Dave Holmes and Paul Smith). Duggan handles these considerable performing forces deftly. In spite of the inclusion of a contemporary combo this is not a self-conciously modern piece, the electric & electronic instruments blending into the orchestra as if by centuries of tradition, while the harmonic and melodic writing is quite conventional. The use of medieval Latin texts adds to the feeling that this work is old beyond its years. John Duggan has previously played in reggae band "Raindance" and a discreet but insistent reggae backbeat from the percussion through the first movement (Ave Maria Stella) was the only strikingly

contemporary element. The second (Salve Regina) and third (Ave Maria) movements seemed simply timeless. A few transitional passages in the first movement sounded a little ragged to me, but whether these were flaws in the writing, the performance, or simply in my understanding of the intent is difficult to say on a single hearing. The rest of the performance was flawless, with particular credit due to the soloists (Helen Maxey, Marguerite Wallis and Mark Milhofer) in the second movement. Taken as a whole, this is a work of considerable beauty and a very creditable debut for Duggan as an orchestral/choral writer. Dave Bowmer on Stick acquitted himself admirably, and also enjoyed the privilege of ending the piece, concluding the third movement with a few delicate figures on the tenor strings. For most of the performance the Stick was not overly prominent, merging

seamlessly into the orchestral sound, the harpsichord-like tones of the untreated melody strings being particularly suited to the style. Dave's set-up consits of: Grand Stick with the Block active EMG pickups, tuned as a standard 12 string but with the sets uncrossed, resulting in an extended 7 string bass set that incorporates the guitar craft tuning; Bass Pod and volume pedal on the bass side; Boss GT6 multi-effects on the tenor side; and EBOW electronic bow for violin parts. Amplification was Crate Bass Bus 50 watt powered angled bass monitor and stereo D.I. into Dynacord 2600 watt PA with sub-bass cabs. To play the string section parts and swelled keyboard pad sounds, the Stick is switched into mono mode with both sides combined into the GT6. The programme at Oxford also included works by Jean-Philippe Rameau (performed by the Isis Chamber Orchestra), Carlos Guastavino (performed by L'Ensemble Vocal

Interlude), Handel (aria from Eternal Source of Light Divine, exquisitely performed by Helen Maxey and John Stradling, with the Isis Quartet), and Fauré's Requiem, with all the performers except Restless Blue participating. For more information, CD ordering etc., visit www.3-faces-of-mary.co.uk Myron Edwards

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