BOOK REVIEW: PERFORMED POETICS

BOOK Performed Poetics JOHN KENNY: SONGS FROM A BOOK OF HERNE BY KASIA KUCHNICKA On Sunday, 13 March Songs from a Book of Herne, composed by John Kenny, received its UK première at the Great Hall of King’s College, London. This song cycle in five movements for soprano voice and alto trombone duo with chamber ensemble was performed by the Scot Free Ensemble, directed by John Kenny himself. The settings of four poems from Eric Mottram’s A Book of Herne originated as a dance theatre project with choreographer Rosina Bonsu. Commissioned by The Chamber Group of Scotland, with assistance from the Scottish Arts Council and completed in Salzburg in August 1995, it was originally broadcast on Radio 3, premiered in Germany, and is on Kenny’s album Amaterasu, but it has never been performed live in the UK – until now! Kenny met Eric Mottram at the London home of John and Mary Whiting back in January 1995 to discuss a potential collaboration. At the end of a stimulating meeting Eric gave John a copy of A Book of Herne. Sadly, Eric died suddenly a few days later but John, inspired by the book, decided to set four poems from this collection as a tribute to Mottram, and to dedicate it to the Whitings. The instrumentation, mainly inspired by Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, is a perfect combination that carried the rhythmical qualities of the words from the poems with the lyrical vocalise of instruments and voice. The music corresponds to the sound quality of the language, and strong emotional suggestiveness of the imagery in the poems. The voice and alto trombone interchange much to reveal the poetic images. They begin as a duo in the first movement Antlers broken and proceed to share a primary role of theme development in the second movement Herne Oak. While the voice becomes a wordless melisma and the trombonist becomes the spoken voice in movement three, From the Exeter Book, in movement four, Herne the Hunter, they explore interchangeability that leads to a wordless epilogue in the last movement. The lack of words is a symbol of the composer’s missed chance on working on that movement with the poet – an unspoken loss … BOOK COVER: SONGS FROM A BOOK OF HERNEREVIEWMottram has hugely influenced the way Kenny perceives the creative process, and changed the way he appraises the art. It has become more about the honest reactions and trusting your instinct rather than agonising over the literal meaning of art. He used this technique when writing the script for the Songs from a Book of Herne, which culminated in a fantastic piece of illustrative music that sparks the imagination of listeners, and transports the audience from the Greek theatre, through forests and rough seas, to the Italian opera, all the way to the street bands of New Orleans. At times this moody and airy musical affair cleverly imitates the sounds hidden in the poems and playfully carries the meaning of the words. Beautifully performed and interpreted by the ensemble: Soprano voice – Adaya Malka-Peled; Alto trombone – John Kenny; Clarinet/ bass clarinet – Cara Doyle; Violin – Emily White; Cello – Adrian Brendel; Piano – Ben Jason Smith, it was very well received by the audience on the night. It’s quite astonishing that such an important piece of music has only just been published, by Warwick Music to coincide with this performance, but here is to hoping that more works written by important British trombonists/composers, such as John Kenny, will find their way onto the printing press soon. ◆ 23