Clarion Call Music for Septet and Octet Berkeley Ensemble

• Michael Berkeley (1948): Clarion Call and Gallop (2013) (World premiere recording)
• 1Clarion Call and Gallop06:43
• Howard Ferguson (1908-1999): Octet, Op. 4 (1933)
• 2Moderato05:35
• 3Allegro scherzoso03:53
• 4Andantino05:15
• 5Allegro feroce06:02
• John Casken (1949): Blue Medusa (2000/2007) (World premiere recording)
• 6Blue Medusa10:10
• Charles Wood (1866-1926): Septet (1889) (World premiere recording)
• 7Allegro moderato12:11
• 8Andante08:21
• 9Scherzo06:06
• 10With vigour12:09
• Total Runtime01:16:25

Info for Clarion Call Music for Septet and Octet

Making their recording debut with Resonus Classics, the Berkeley Ensemble present septets and octets inspired by Beethoven's Septet and Schubert's Octet. Taking its name from two British composers of the last one hundred years, father and son Sir Lennox and Michael Berkeley, the group was formed in 2008 by members of London's young professional orchestra, the Southbank Sinfonia in order to perform little-known as well as more established chamber music.

Included in the album is a newly-commissioned work for Septet by Michael Berkeley composed specially for the ensemble, the energetic and characterful Clarion Call and Gallop. Also in the programme is John Casken's Blue Medusa for Octet, the stunning but rarely-heard Octet by Howard Ferguson and the world premiere recording of Charles Wood's 1889 Septet.

“That damned thing! I wish it were burned” Beethoven said of his popular Septet; yet the popularity that so irked its composer ensured a steady stream of later works written for the same instrumental forces. Two such pieces, by British composers Charles Wood and Michael Berkeley, are performed on Clarion Call by the Berkeley Ensemble, in addition to works by Howard Ferguson and John Casken that add, like Schubert before them, another violin to Beethoven’s ensemble.

Wood’s regard for the music of Beethoven was well known amongst his colleagues during his studies at the Royal College of Music, so much so that the college principal drew on his knowledge during his own research. Wood’s Septet dates from 1899, and receives its premiere recording on the disc. To date, the piece has only received a handful of modern amateur performances since its premiere. The group’s viola player, Dan Shilladay described the journey to drawing out the work’s intricacies: „Without other performances or recordings to draw on, the rehearsal process is slower compared to better-known works. However, it can be more satisfying as we’re free to make decisions without precedents – it’s a lot like walking on fresh snow.“

Howard Ferguson’s Octet, composed in 1933, was originally intended as a clarinet quintet, but following the advice of his former teacher R.O. Morris, Ferguson re-scored his work for the same forces as Schubert’s Octet, thus guaranteeing it a life as companion to the frequently-performed masterwork. Ferguson’s success prompted his friend and fellow composer Gerald Finzi later to comment; “I think it’s more likely that the Schubert Octet will be stuck-in to be played with yours than the other way round”. John Casken’s Blue Medusa is also scored for the performing group of Schubert’s Octet. In relation to its predecessor, however, the piece turns the instrumentation inside out, featuring a solo part for bassoon, one of Schubert’s most retiring participants. The disc’s opener, Michael Berkeley’s Clarion Call and Gallop was written especially for the group, and was premiered by them in 2013. Berkeley said of composing for the ensemble: „The Berkeley Ensemble are proving a valuable addition to the musical life of this country. By combining skill and an irrepressible enthusiasm for new and rarely played British music, the ensemble’s programmes refresh and inform. Writing for them is a joy since you know the music will come off the page with love and verve.“

Throughout the album, the ghost of Beethoven hovers in the form of the seemly arbitrary, yet endlessly adaptable grouping of clarinet, bassoon, horn and strings. The famous revolutionary would no doubt have approved of the huge palate of colours and effects wrought from his ensemble by this ingenious collection of composers and performers.

The Berkeley Ensemble:
Kathryn Riley, violin
Sophie Mather, violin
Dan Shilladay, viola
Gemma Wareham, cello
Lachlan Radford, double bass
John Slack, clarinet
Andrew Watson, bassoon
Paul Cott, horn

Recorded in the Church of on 24-27 July 2013
Produced, engineered and edited by Adam Binks

The Berkeley Ensemble
takes its name from two British composers of the last hundred years, father and son Sir Lennox and Michael Berkeley. It was formed in 2008 by members of Southbank Sinfonia, Britain’s young professional orchestra, with the aim of exploring the wealth of little-known twentieth- and twenty-first century British chamber music alongside more established repertoire. It now enjoys a busy concert schedule performing throughout the UK and abroad, and is also much in demand for its inspiring work in education.

Finalists in the 2009 Royal Over-Seas League competition and selected by Making Music for the Concert Promoters’ Network in 2010 and 2013, the ensemble has performed with leading musicians including Sir Thomas Allen, Richard Sisson and Gabriel Prokofiev. The group is an enthusiastic champion of new music and has worked with composers John Casken and Robin Holloway. It was proud to premier its first commission, Michael Berkeley’s Clarion Call and Gallop, in 2013.

The ensemble is rapidly building a reputation for innovative and thought-provoking programming, aided by its flexible configuration and regular collaboration with leading young guest artists. Equally at home on the summer festival circuit as in the concert hall, the group has performed at the Latitude and Greenbelt festivals. In 2012 the opening concert of Stealing, Borrowing, Remembering, its series exploring the links between composers Igor Stravinsky and Lennox Berkeley, was awarded a four-star review in The Independent.

Taking its music to new audiences, most importantly through education, is central to the ensemble’s activities. Its work in this area includes self-directed projects in addition to collaborations with Southbank Sinfonia, Merton Music Foundation and Pan Concerts for Children. The ensemble regularly coaches students in chamber performance at the University of York, is ensemble-in-residence at Queen Elizabeth School in Cumbria and runs an annual residential chamber music course in Somerset.

Booklet for Clarion Call Music for Septet and Octet