British conductor and arranger Peter Manning can boast a fascinating career, collaborating with celebrated ensembles around the world from the BBC Symphony Orchestra to The Dallas Opera. In Baroque & Beyond: Water Music, Auckland Philharmonia audiences will hear Manning’s arrangement of Time Past, Time Present, Time Future by Michael Tippet.
Time Past, Time Present, Time Future consists of the slow movements from Tippett’s String Quartets Nos.1, 2 and 3 arranged for string orchestra. What draws you to Tippett’s string quartets?
Peter Manning Michael’s quartets spanned his whole creative output. They each have very different textures, rhythms, pace, speed and emotional content. In so many ways Nos.1, 2 and 3 created — like Beethoven's quartets from his three great periods — the raw material for some of Tippets creative design and some of his inspiration. I spent much time with him discussing Beethoven, as Beethoven was one of his favourite composers. There are some great parallels here in the importance of structure, style and balance in Michael’s work which owes itself directly to Ludwig van Beethoven.
Tippett’s music often looks backward to earlier styles — Baroque, Renaissance — while still sounding unmistakably modern. How did you approach translating that blend into a string orchestra setting?
PM I was deeply moved by his love of baroque rhythm, baroque acapella music, Elizabethan music and the rhythm of earlier poetry. Tippet also embraced all that was original in chord and rhythm structures from English plainchant, including the music of Tallis, Byrd, through to the works of Purcell and beyond. This really formed a vast shape of sound to work from for me in extending the form for string orchestra as an arranger.
Were there any technical challenges in expanding a string quartet’s intimate language for a fuller ensemble?
PM The main consideration was translating the flow of the music and its pulse for the larger group. As a direct result of that I chose the lyric movements of the quartets as they both embody the central musical/architectural shape and offer the ability to widen the language of the musical performance.
The biggest challenge is really to understand what not to include in the doubling of parts and indeed the sound colour, such as when adding the bass to the cello and other lines. Similarly when utilising the higher range of the viola there is the question of how that matches with all the parts and is then combined with the lower violin writing.
What do you hope a modern audience, perhaps unfamiliar with Tippett, will take away from hearing this piece performed today?
PM I believe that Michael is truly one of the great composers in his ability to create a musical dialogue with living audiences of today and his translation of sound and epoch embraces everything from Elizabethan and Baroque to modern dances. His music really shows the liveliness of our vital lives as well as employing the most moving, joyous and lyrical aria form in his writing.
For audiences that enjoyed this work, can you suggest another piece of Tippett’s they might enjoy, and why?
PM I would suggest the Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli. Primarily as it is also for string orchestra and features string soloists from within the orchestra, which is always great! And which embodies both old and new music in one magnificent whole of the most virtuosic, soulful and stunning music. It is also a perfect length at 20 minutes.
Baroque & Beyond
Water Music
7.30pm, Thursday 12 June
Holy Trinity Cathedral