An Anthology of All Things
An Anthology Of All Things is a work for solo soprano, choir and chamber orchestra composed by the British singer-songwriter Johnny Parry and premiered on September 27, 2012 by the Bedford Arts Choir and the Johnny Parry Chamber Orchestra at the Bedford Corn Exchange .
Emergence
The composition of An Anthology Of All Things is based on a community project carried out by Johnny Parry and “Bedford Creative Arts”. Parry's idea was to create something universal, but at the same time unique, and to make music something personal and direct through the participation of the public. Instead of writing the libretto himself, he asked people to make personal statements (donations) on the various topics of the eight sentences via social media , a website set up for this purpose and through personal visits. He received replies from around the world, but most of the text donated came from his hometown of Bedford . Parry composed the libretto from these almost 500 parts of the text, the length of which was quite different. He tried to take most of the statements literally. In the course of stylistic and musical considerations, he also changed individual words or rearranged sentences, but always made sure not to change the original meaning. From the previously incoherent parts of the text, individual sentences with their own story emerged, each of which now has a deeper meaning. Although the main inspiration of the work was the text and people's donations, the relationship between words and music is important for the end result. The music holds the text parts together and connects them to a great arc of tension.
content
The work consists of eight movements (Movements) which deal with universal themes in life such as love, loss, death, childhood, heroes, memorable experiences and significant journeys. The sequence of the movements is based on the musical and content-related fit of the individual movements.
Movement I: Things I Like About Myself
For this sentence Parry asked people to describe qualities that they value in themselves.
Movement II: A Song For Someone
For this sentence, Johnny Parry used parts of the text with proper names from songs and texts by befriended musicians and writers.
Movement III: Childhood Heroes
Most of the lyrics for this sentence were collected from schools and playgroups in Bedford. It is based on descriptions by children in which they describe their heroines, for example Superman, Spiderman or their mother.
Movement IV: 1942
The appeal for text donations of this sentence was addressed to the older generation with the aim of collecting their childhood memories of the year 1942.
Movement V: Park Benches
Parry used the inscriptions on park benches, which he had collected through field research in Bedford, as the lyrics for the fifth movement. The inscriptions are dedications to deceased people.
Movement VI: Romantic Statements
In order to pay tribute to love as a central element of our life, this sentence is about declarations of love. This is where all serious expressions, both funny or kitschy as well as reflective or highly metaphorical, find their place.
Movement VII: Enduring Memories From A Film
This sentence is about certain scenes from films that people remember. However, film titles and characters should not be named. The sentence is not about your own experiences, but about memories that you did not experience yourself in reality.
Movement VIII: Pilgrimage
For this sentence, people should describe an important journey they have made, just mentioning the starting and ending point and the means of transport. Put together, the individual parts of the text make your own, endless journey around the world.
performance
For the premiere, Johnny Parry founded the Bedford Arts Choir, which performs works by local composers and arrangers. The choir consists of professionals and amateurs with different musical backgrounds. This reflects Parry's approach that everyone can sing and be part of the musical community. The performance by the Bedford Arts Choir gives the piece additional authenticity, as donations from choir members are also included in the lyrics. At the premiere, Johnny Parry conducted the work himself. Parry's goal with "An Anthology of All Things" is to connect people from different backgrounds and experiences. The more people are involved, the more importance the work becomes.
The European premiere in a version arranged for a large symphony orchestra will take place on January 29, 2017 in Bremen.
admission
The studio recording took place in 2013 and was financed by crowdfunding. The album was named one of the best albums of 2014 by British newspaper The Guardian's classical music critic Imogen Tilden.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Interview: Johnny Parry M-Magazine website, May 8, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
- ^ A b Engaging the community in An Anthology of All Things Keith, Aylin. In: Ensemble Magazine, pp. 51–53. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
- ↑ An Anthology of All Things - Lyric Donations Booklet, ed. Lost toys records, 2012.
- ↑ Lyrics of the piece website by Johnny Parry. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
- ↑ Video on the making-of of the project Youtube. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
- ↑ Johnny Parry concert project by the orchestra and choir of the University of Bremen. Website of the University Music Bremen. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
- ↑ Video about the crowdfunding of the project. Accessed January 2, 2017.
- ↑ The best Albums of 2014 website of "The Guardian". Retrieved January 2, 2017.