Symphony Pro Musica Christmas Concert 1995

Symphony Pro Musica: December 1995 Concert

Sir John Rutter - Gloria

This setting of the Gloria, by England's foremost contemporary composer (of non-stage works), was commissioned and first performed by the "Voices of Mel Olson" in Omaha, Nebraska in 1974, on the occasion of the composer's first visit to the United States. The original version was for brass, organ, percussion and soloists only. The version for full orchestra, which we hear tonight, dates from 1988 when it was first performed in Dallas by the same Lover's Lane church which gave the premiere of his very well known Requiem. The music is perhaps ideally-suited to the great cathedrals and colleges of England, but the sheer beauty of sound can be appreciated in any setting.

The latin text, taken from the "Ordinary of the Mass", has for centuries presented a challenge to composers - but Rutter's feel for the line of a text, whether in Latin or English, enables him to write extremely melodic and performable music, while still retaining a contemporary flavor. Rutter was a student of Sir Ralph Vaughan-Williams and in many ways is his true heir, adopting as he does a rather simplistic style of composition without instrumental gadgetry, chord clusters and the paraphernalia of most contemporary work. His notations are sparse - his instructions to performers are just this: play what is written.

As a base for this Gloria, he uses one of the Gregorian chants associated with that part of the mass. There is a lot of common material in the outer movements, which retain the great flourishes from the brass, while the middle movement is introspective and quiet.