St George’s Cathedral was strung with microphones for the first of four concerts throughout the year which will be broadcast on ABC Classic FM. It’s a testimony to director Joseph Nolan and the Cathedral Consort’s national reputation as a world class choir grounded in the crisp purity of the English choral tradition. The 21-piece Consort performed a program of choral classics spanning the 16th to 21st centuries with Faure’s Requiem as the centrepiece. The pews were reversed so the ensemble could perform from the Narthex on Friday night in close proximity to Stewart Smith in the organ loft.
Two 16th century works opened the program: Victoria’s Alma Redemptoris Mater with its intervals of open fourths and fifths so perfectly tuned the harmonics prickled my skin, and the dense polyphonic energy of Gibbons’ O Clap Your Hands. Nolan conducted with pulsing energy although the section entries were not as precisely in unison as usual.
Smith’s striking organ chords gave a Gothic darkness to the opening of Faure’s Requiem and the work was rich with dramatic poise, notably the velveteen smoothness of the Amen concluding the Offertorium and the swell of sound to illuminate ‘et lux perpetua luceat eis’ in the Agnus Dei.
But the work wasn’t the musical centrepiece I was expecting. I missed the warmth of the orchestral accompaniment; the organ registrations were brittle, phrases clipped short and the rippling accompaniment to Sanctus (famously scored for harp and violin) felt too fast and mechanical. The soloists were tentative: baritone Andrew Foote warmed into the baritone role in his second solo and Edward Micro’s treble was pure and rounded but on the edge of cracking.
Instead William Walton’s The Twelve emerged as the highlight of the program. The biting harmonies and dramatic word painting of Walton’s anthem and mini cantata were sung with vigour and unity. Foote delivered a splendidly declamatory solo and Smith exploded into brillante organ arpeggios. The Consort sung with immaculate diction and rhythmic precision and the ensemble soloists were excellent, particularly the beautifully delivered soprano duo.
The spotlight on individual Consort singers was also the highlight of Charpentier’s Te Deum, providing a rare chance to hear the different timbres within this well-blended ensemble. The organ sat more organically in this arrangement. In fact the entire second half of the program was pristine, concluding with a setting of Ubi Caritas by Perry Joyce (a tenor from the Consort) which was a warmly mellow contrast to Handel’s Zadok the Priest where the choir sang with enormous volume underpinned by Smith’s virtuosic organ semiquavers.
Tune in to ABC Classic FM to hear the broadcast of this concert on Friday 12th May at midday.
This review first published in Limelight Magazine May 2017.
He hosts stars like Piers Lane, collects fast cars and pianos has performed with most ensembles around town. He also runs his own medical services company and is on the board of most of Perth's musical organisations. Meet Mark Coughlan, one of Perth's most sociable and business-savvy musicians.
What music gets your heart racing?
I love a huge range of music
but there is a special place in my heart for the great piano concertos
especially when played by a pianist with a strong, bold musical personality and
a great sense of structure and a commanding tonal presence. Brahms 1 or 2,
Chopin 2, Beethoven 5 and Rachmaninov 3 are at the top of a long list.
What calms you down?
Music, of course, can also create intense feelings of peace and reflection
and I love spending time at the piano with great, introspective works like the
finale of Beethoven’s last piano sonata Op111, or the slow movements of Ravel’s
concerto or Beethoven’s Emperor. Outside of music, it is important for me to
spend time either among the trees of Kings Park or at the beach, jogging,
resting, meditating, with my dogs at my side.
You have a soft spot for the piano. What is
the appeal of the ivories?
According to my parents, I fell in love with a little piano in a toy
shop when I was barely two, so I always felt that the piano chose me rather
than the other way around. My auntie had a beautiful Ronisch grand piano and,
even in my earliest memories, I was always entranced by this elegant instrument
and I used to love hearing her play. I can’t remember a time when the piano
didn’t hold a fascination for me. Before I started lessons I used to stand at
the front fence and listen to my neighbour practising the piano.
Mark Coughlan with Pei-Yin Hsu in Paris.
After establishing your career as a concert
pianist you spent eight years as Head of Music at UWA. Then you ventured into
business in the medical sector, perhaps inspired by your partner Dr Pei-Yin Hsu,
and also worked as a music critic for The Australian. What is your
job description now?
I recently tried to have some new business cards printed that reflected
all of my current activities and there was so much information on them it
looked ridiculous so I gave up on the idea! My simplest job description would
be musician and company director. I am a director of seven entities, six of
which are in the arts or community sectors and one is my medical services
company. In addition to these roles, I work as a pianist, artistic director,
occasional conductor, music critic and as a teacher and mentor to young
musicians. I am Chairman of the Government House Foundation and have been
artistic director of the Music on the Terrace series since we started it 10
years ago. I am very proud of what we have achieved with this project and the strong
support we have established. I am also excited by my role as Chairman of Lost and Found Opera which we started a couple of years ago. We had no money of
course, just a vision and some talented people, but we raised funds, put on
terrific shows and have built a strong reputation for this new enterprise. We
have just heard that the Department of Culture and Arts is giving us some core
funding for the next three years which is extremely rewarding and exciting and
will allow us to take the company to the next level. I have been on the board
of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra for six years and this has been an
extremely satisfying and rewarding experience. The orchestra has developed into
a genuinely world-class ensemble in the last couple of years and its concerts
often reach the highest international standard.
You mention your role at the Government House
Foundation. What is the story of the Government House Ballroom – I believe it
was designed by Percy Grainger’s father?
The Ballroom is one of Western Australia’s great gems. It was built in
1899 under the supervision of John Grainger (Percy’s father) who was State
Government Architect at the time. The room has a stunning acoustic and a warm,
welcoming vibe. It is a great privilege to be involved there, to program and
perform a wide array of concerts and to also create opportunities for young
musicians to perform in this very special space. We have so few spaces like
this in Perth, it needs to be treasured and nurtured for future generations.
There seems to be a loyal audience for the Music on the Terrace series as it has survived the economic downturn where many
others haven’t. What is the appeal to audiences?
It’s always hard to explain why some concerts do well and others don’t
but for Music on the Terrace we have concentrated on creating a sense of
community with our subscribers and supporters. We have a governing committee
who volunteer their time to be ushers and to pour drinks at interval (free
drinks!) and this helps people connect with each other.The programs feature a lot of young
musicians, rising stars, as well as established artists and the occasional
international star. We like to create a strong interaction between the
performers and the audience and hopefully this makes a difference.
What is on the program for 2016?
In 2016 we are once again presenting
some exciting collaborations, including with the National Academy of Music in
Melbourne, with UWA and WAAPA. Our Rising Stars program is very important to us
and will include a stronger educational element next year. Our extremely
popular cabaret show, Music of the Night, will also return due to popular
demand. The full program will be released in January.
You have inherited the directorship of the Vienna Pops New Years Eve
concert from John Christmass. This concert sells out the entire Concert Hall every
year. What is it about light classics and New Years Eve that has such
stupendous appeal?
John Christmass did an
outstanding job in establishing and leading this important event for 25 years.
When they asked me to take over from him three years ago I was delighted to do
so. There are wonderful traditions in the northern hemisphere for New Year’s
concerts, the most famous one being the Vienna Philharmonic’s. In Australia,
New Year falls during our summer holidays, the concert season has finished and
many people are travelling or chilling out at the beach so we tend to celebrate
differently. I think the success of our Vienna Pops event is that it connects
with the European tradition of celebrating New Years with a musical gala but we
program it in a more eclectic and popular way that appeals to the broadest
range of people. Certainly we present some of the best-loved Viennese works,
including the Blue Danube and other Strauss favourites, but we also include
popular pieces from opera, operetta and concerto repertoire. I think the secret
to any concert is to have performances of the highest quality. Our orchestra is
always excellent and we feature the best soloists we can find, most of whom are
from WA! We also include every year a talented young performer. This year it
will be an 18 year old local pianist who has just spent several months studying
overseas. We also have two of the best singers you will ever hear, Fiona
Campbell and Ali Bodycoat. Ali is one of Australia’s great jazz divas and she
is going to recreate a little Viennese cabaret scene for us this year to
stretch the musical boundaries a little more than usual. Fiona is, of course,
an outstanding opera singer and will sing a range of pieces including a little
bit from the Sound of Music! The other great thing about this event is that we
raise money for the Perth Rotary Club’s charities so it’s not just about having
fun and enjoying the beautiful music, there is a community benefit too.
You are a recent addition to the WA Symphony Orchestra board
of directors. Give us a clue what the meetings are like when high profile
business people come together and discuss the arts.
WASO is an outstanding arts
company and being a director is a great privilege. We have a great mix of
skills and experience on the board, from corporate, Government, private
enterprise and the arts. Of course the role of any company board is to ensure
the organisation is well run, is financially viable and has a good business
strategy. With an arts company, the board must also ensure that the
organisation is serving its community as well as possible and will continue to
exist for at least the next 100 years! Of course we spend a lot of time
discussing financial matters, raising funds and ensuring that the company is in
good shape but one of the most exciting recent developments is the way all
board members have become so engaged in the quest for artistic excellence and
the vital importance of this aspiration to the orchestra’s reputation and well
being.
Where did you learn the skills that have enabled you to straddle business
and the world of music performance?
I was very fortunate during my
years as Head of the UWA School of Music that I served on a number of boards,
including Musica Viva Australia and also as Chairman of the Australian Music
Examinations Board. Through these activities and in my role managing the
school’s budgets, I gained quite a bit of experience in financial management
which was a great help for my step into private enterprise. Once I left UWA, I
undertook further training through private courses and then just jumped in. One
important lesson I learnt was that it’s sometimes best to learn on the job and
if I always waited until I was totally prepared, I might never do anything new!
I believe you and Pei Yin share your Shenton Park home with Davis and Molly?
Yes we have two beautiful
German shorthaired pointers, Davis and Molly, aged 6 and 3 respectively. They
bring us love, laughter and companionship every day as well as ensuring that we
get lots of exercise! We also have a number of cars and pianos, two of my
weaknesses!
I’m going to throw in a tricky one – life highlight so far??
I find it difficult to identify
a single highlight as I tend to view my life in chapters. My student days at
UWA, then my time studying in London, the period when I was working for UWA, and
my current phase as a board member and freelance musician. Each chapter has had
wonderful highlights as well as lots of challenges. I
have met and worked with extraordinary people and had the privilege to bring
the gift of music to so many people. I am also very grateful to have had the
opportunity to help and encourage the next generation of musicians to find
their own life path.
Do you have a soft spot for anything else in
life or is it all about the music?
Oh no, not at all! I have a huge soft spot for many things in life
including excellent wine, fast cars, grand pianos, visual arts, travel, healthy
living, dogs, personal development and mentoring the next generation.
Thank you Mark Coughlan for being a part of the Celebrity Soft Spot series. For more information on the New Years Eve concert go here. The Government House Ballroom Music on the Terrace series will be launched here in January.
How indulgent to listen to two hours of Handel – and no it
wasn’t Messiah. It was a rare performance of Handel’s oratorio Judas Maccabaeus,
the final concert in the music series at St George’s Cathedral. As the spine-tingling
yearning intensity of Baroque counterpoint filled the Cathedral I wondered where
else you could go to hear this music in Perth or in Australia for that matter?
Judas Maccabaeus, composed 1747, is rarely performed despite
the fact in Handel’s day it was one of his most popular oratorios. The oratorio
is based on the apocryphal biblical account of one of Israel’s greatest
military heroes. Joseph Nolan conducted the Cathedral Consort and Paul Wright
was concertmaster of The Musician’s Table in a performance which unfolded with
dramatic clarity and faultless pacing.
Sydney-based tenor Richard Butler sang the role of Judas
with heroic aggression which occasionally compromised his pitch and tone. Baritone
Andrew Foote gave an imposing, accurate and gleaming account of Judas’ brother
Simon. Soprano soloist Sara Macliver sang the Israelite Woman with crystalline
sound and needle-sharp melismatic runs while mezzo soprano Fiona Campbell sang
the Israelite Man with creamy sustained warmth.
Handel’s stunning four-part choral writing provided opportunity
to appreciate the unique soundworld Nolan has built with the Consort. The
basses in particular were impressive for their nimbleness and resplendent tone
while the clarion youthfulness of the sopranos was well-contrasted with the
syrupy warmth of the altos and the restrained ardour of the tenors.
The highlight, as is often the case for me, was Fiona
Campbell’s lament Ah wretched, wretched Israel, where her lingering phrases duetted
sweetly with Noeleen Wright’s cello to create heart-wrenching pathos.
There were plenty of other moments too: Macliver’s
shimmering cadenza in So Shall the lute; or Stewart Smith’s organ chords straining
through the orchestral texture and creating shivering harmonic tension. And of
course the famous See, the conqu’ring hero comes with the glorious sound of
treble chorus and brass given such buoyancy by Nolan and his team.
The St George’s Cathedral Consort gave an unsettling performance of Brahms’ German Requiem on Friday night; mostly I think it was intentional.
Brahms completed the Requiem in 1868 after the death of his mother. He constructed the text from the German bible rather than the Catholic mass and the minor tonality, fugal writing and densely chromatic harmonies give the work a luxurious Romantic bleakness. Conductor Joseph Nolan brought to this a restless intensity with quick tempos and only brief pauses between movements.
The choir has a prominent role in the Requiem, involved in every movement with brief appearances from a soprano (Sara Macliver singing with amber warmth) and baritone (a lyrical Andrew Foote). The Consort was augmented to 26 singers plus 17 trebles and produced an exciting, sometimes strident sound. The ensemble’s trademark dramatic contrast ranged from hushed mourning to a spitting accusatory “Death where is thy sting?” The sense of ensemble wasn’t always coherent but the trade-off was an impassioned resonant intensity.
Brahms’s piano duet arrangement was used to accompany the singers and while it lacks the lushness of Brahms’ orchestration the assiduous Mark Coughlan and Caroline Badnall played with thunderous volume at times. Nolan maintained the momentum even in the final movement so that the closing bars had a sense of resignation rather than peace.
The Rhapsody for alto and male choir delivered far more balm. Brahms’ favourite voice was the alto and Fiona Campbell demonstrated why with her rich depth and capacity for soaring radiance. With smooth leaps and controlled power she shaped an arresting opening and pleading middle section. As the tonality changed to major the male choir added their glowing harmonies for a comforting finale. Coughlan accompanied attentively from piano although he could have been more prominent to match Campbell’s volume.
It was a fortuitous day for Perth when Joseph Nolan arrived from the UK to take up the role of Organist and Master of Choristers at St George's Cathedral. He established the Cathedral Consort as one of Australia's most elite singing groups and musicians from around Australia have been enticed to perform at his critically acclaimed concert series. Now settled in Inglewood as an Australian permanent resident Nolan continues to expand the cathedral's music program and maintain his overseas touring and recording career.
What
music gets your heart racing?
Poly choral works by any great renaissance composer when sung supremely
well.
What
calms you down?
Jonathan Agnew or Henry Blofield
on Test Match Special.
Why
the organ?
As a young man, the sheer power was the thrill of course! Like most very
young musicians I began life on the piano, but as the organ came so easily to
me it was not a hard decision to switch.
What
motivated you to move from playing for the Queen on the Buckingham Palace
Ballroom organ to sunny Perth at St George’s Cathedral in 2008?
Nolan at the organ of St James Palace London
The silver tongue of the former Dean of Perth, Dr John Shepherd. He
promised me, and delivered, fantastic moral and financial support whilst
expecting great things of me in return. I am delighted that our very new Dean, the Very Reverend Richard
Pengelley, is already proving to be a great supporter of the music here.
Having said that, it was an enormous wrench and a real risk to move here
in terms of my career. I was advised against it at every turn in the UK and
during my first year in Perth I certainly found myself questioning the wisdom
of such a big move. However, something magical happened on Easter Day in 2009 when I chose a
very demanding and controversial mass setting by Naji Hakim. It went
spectacularly well and from that moment I realised my dream of building
something from the ground up that could become of genuine international
standard was possible.
I would add that I was fortunate to move here with a lot of contacts
around the USA and Europe and I invest a lot of time maintaining these contacts
via email/Skype. Travelling abroad to perform and record is really important to
keep your focus and a sense of perspective of what’s going on in the wider
world.
August is going to be a Brahms
extravaganza in Perth with WASO presenting four concerts of Brahms’ concertos
and symphonies and the Cathedral musicians presenting Brahms’ Requiem on August
14th. Have you conducted this before? Where does this work fit in Brahms’
output?
I think it is wonderful that
this is all happening in Perth and the timing is indeed most fortuitous. I have not conducted the
Requiem before, and I always find conducting something for the first time truly
exhilarating. The Requiem is extremely
profound and powerful, providing a complete picture of Brahms‘ compositional
techniques, as well as his inner beliefs. Brahms’ was quoted saying he would be
happy with the Requiem being called a ”human requiem”.
You are also performing Brahms’
rarely heard Alto Rhapsody with Fiona Campbell. How did this idea come about?
The Alto Rhapsody is seemingly
very seldom performed, even internationally. It’s an incredible piece of music
and we have the best mezzo in Australia, Fiona Campbell, residing here in Perth
to perform it.
What is your job description at
the Cathedral?
My role is a very varied one
and no day is the same.I am required to
be able to play the organ to an international standard, train both the
Cathedral Choir and Consort to the highest standards, choose a great deal of
attractive music for the year and devise a fiscally sound but very innovative
season for the Cathedral Consort Series.With meetings, emails (dealing
with around seventy people now involved in the department) and fundraising for
the Concert Series, preparation time for international concert and recording
tours has to be carefully organised.
Where did you learn
the skills that have enabled you to straddle the politics of the church and the
professional music world?
The only significant road humps I have
encountered have been outside the realm of church politics. In those cases, all
I can say is if you encounter a toxic work environment, you resign - and quickly.
No artist can afford either to be tainted or drained of energy because of less
than ideal circumstances.
JS Bach wrote in his bible margin “At
a reverent performance of music, God is always at hand with his gracious
presence.” What do you believe is the role of music when you perform in church
services and concerts? Or another way of putting it, what do you hope listeners
will experience?
There is no doubt in my mind
that when sacred works of genius (i.e. Bach, Palestrina, Mozart etc) are
performed to a very high standard even a hardened non believer feels
something or is elevated at least spiritually. I have lost count of the times
my body has tingled being involved with music in a sacred space, it’s so very
different a sensation to the excitement of the Concert Hall or the Opera House.
The Concert Series (and
Cathedral Consort), which I founded in 2009, has provided for those people who
might not normally want to come into the Cathedral to experience great choral
music in a spiritual place. Concert newcomers often email or write to me
describing with wonder that they had experienced ‘something transcendent’ or a
‘new spiritual experience’.
Crucial to this experience is
both the quality of music and the performance and personally, I believe God
deserves the very best. If we are ‘elitist’ then I am proud of it. Elite sport
is worn as a badge of honour within Australia and it bewilders me when this
charge is occasionally leveled at the music here and other cathedrals with
very high quality music programmes.
Lully Lulla (Leighton) St George's Cathedral Consort
You
have a soft spot for the organ works of Widor (you recorded his complete organ
works for Signum Records).
Bach and Widor (and maybe Messiaen) are really the only composers that
are associated with the organ in terms of world recognition. I first heard
Widor’s ubiquitous Toccata from Symphony No 5 when I was 15. I was immensely fortunate, due to the generosity of the Countess of
Munster Musical Trust and Hattori Foundation, to study gratis with Marie Claire
Alain in Paris for two years, so naturally the French repertoire has always
called to me. With Widor, I do feel a particularly close affinity to his music,
and I am pleased that the critics obviously agree with my decision to record
all his organ music. Widor, unlike any other, had a feel for the organic whole
of the organ and how it works, whilst writing music that could appeal to
everyone. The organ and its music all too often fails in this regard, having a
negative image of being a funeral or church instrument, often played poorly.
In your concerts I often marvel
at the precise diction and pitch you draw from your singers. How do you shape a
choir to this kind of level?
I will not pretend it has been
easy. It takes a long time to build a choirs’ sound and it requires total
professional discipline from everyone involved. This starts from the
preparation of the music by a singer before the rehearsal and their being ready
to start ten minutes before the call time. Without a doubt, instilling this
culture here in the first two years proved my biggest challenge and I knew
without these elements the right results could not be found.
Happily, the professional and
singing culture at the Cathedral is now absolutely fantastic and the music
making is relaxed but very focused and disciplined.Of course you have to choose
the right team and that’s a huge part of getting ‘the sound’.From there I almost treat the choir as if
they are an organ, constantly drawing on blending the sounds and using certain
timbres at the right times.
A fundamental aspect and
character of my organ playing is based on absolute rhythmic discipline or
appropriate amounts of elasticity. These two elements are very important parts
of my technique with the choir. Mutual trust plays a part and this might sound
obvious, but that the choir and conductor look at each other. So many, on
either side, don’t! If you don’t look at each other, it sounds and looks dull! You
would be surprised how often this occurs though.
Finally, and most importantly,
it all comes down to the ears and instinctive musicianship of the conductor.
Degrees and diplomas in choral conducting are perhaps all well and good, but if
you don’t have great ears, the ability to communicate and fix the problem
quickly and then motivate your singers to the highest standards, no degree on
earth or conducting tuition can help you.
The beat and gestures that
matter are important too, but the real secret is the mutual preparation, mutual
respect and the eyes of all concerned communicating what can’t be said.
A Spotless Rose (Howells) St George's Cathedral Consort
Do
you have a soft spot for anything else in life or is it all about the music?
I do enjoy fine dining and big, powerful red wines!Watching Wimbledon obsessively and in
particular Federer (imagine he was a musician-he would be the epitome of
musical expression and control). Above all else, I value time with my son,
Alexander. He has made me realise what life is really all about.
