Gerald Barry (b. 1952)

[aligreto]

aligreto, I just want to say thank you for your Barry diary. It's very helpful and a companion to my Barry explorations now. Reading with appreciation!

Thank you kindly but I am more appreciative of the fact that you are listening to Barry's music.
I hope that you are enjoying it.

[bhodges]

aligreto, I just want to say thank you for your Barry diary. It's very helpful and a companion to my Barry explorations now. Reading with appreciation!

Yes, another thank you! As a Fassbinder fan, I'm perhaps most interested in that opera, but his non-operatic works look quite interesting, too. And forgot to mention, my very first encounter with him was The Triumph of Beauty and Deceit, which I was fortunate to see live in a concert version a few years ago. Its giddy, rapid pace was quite exhilarating.

--Bruce

[aligreto]

Yes, another thank you! As a Fassbinder fan, I'm perhaps most interested in that opera, but his non-operatic works look quite interesting, too. And forgot to mention, my very first encounter with him was The Triumph of Beauty and Deceit, which I was fortunate to see live in a concert version a few years ago. Its giddy, rapid pace was quite exhilarating.

--Bruce

Great to see more love for Barry's music!
I initially listened to his non operatic work, orchestral and chamber, and only "discovered" his operas later.
He is a composer who is constantly on the edge, pushing back barriers and being continuously very inventive.
His music is certainly not for the faint of heart but, as you say, his "giddy, rapid pace was quite exhilarating".
I find that he is constantly challenging but never boring.

[aligreto]

Barry: The Triumph of Beauty and Deceit






This opera, in two acts, was originally composed by Barry in 1991 for TV. The libretto is by Meredith Oakes and is based on the libretto for Handel's Italian oratorio The Triumph of Time and Truth. It was filmed for TV by Channel 4 [UK] and first broadcast in 1995. It was given its stage premiere at the Aldeburgh Festival [UK] in 2002.

What of the plot? Well, there is none, so to speak. What we are dealing with here is a series of interactions between the personifications of the concepts of Pleasure, Truth, Beauty, Deceit and Time.

The orchestral musical score is written in Barry's unique and distinctive style and musical language. I like the lean and spare scoring throughout as well as the variety of its wonderfully varied  sonorities.
The vocal scoring is much more accommodating on the ear when compared with Barry's later operas. I wonder if that is because it is performed by an all male cast with not a single shrieking soprano in sight? It does not have the degree or the level of staccato in the vocal lines in evidence in those later operas.
This music can be equally as riotous and as cacophonous but equally as exciting compared with any other that Barry has composed. I think that it is a terrific work.



The following notes are written by Barry himself in the booklet:

The dramatic framework of The Triumph of Beauty and Deceit is taken from Handel's The Triumph of Time and Truth. The work revolves around questions of ageing, vanity, illusion, fear, wit, ecstasy, regret, and yearning. The climax is one of dramatic ambivalence and musical certainty.

Synopsis:

Act I: Beauty longs for immortality and is offered it by Pleasure. Time and Truth remind Beauty that it is the nature of time to pass and all else is folly. Deceit tells Beauty that flight will conquer time. Pleasure and Time each try to win Beauty by a display of power. Pleasure speaks of the delights of love and the wonders of the world, Time of the desolation and devastation of love. Deceit presses Pleasure's case; Beauty resists and Deceit collapses.

Act II: Beauty believes Deceit destroyed, but Truth exposes his trickery. Truth offers Beauty an objective view but Beauty hesitates. All vie for Beauty. He flees. He is alone with Pleasure and Pleasure sleeps. Time and Truth show Beauty his decay but this image is shattered by Deceit. Time and Truth withdraw and Pleasure wakes.


It can be heard in full on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4bgzqv1RlyZVNlql7qCF6t

[Papy Oli]

[aligreto]

I am still missing two that I know of that I have not yet heard, Olivier.
I will gladly let you know when I have tracked them down   

[aligreto]

Barry: Barry Meets Beethoven [Hillier]





Beethoven is an "opera" by Gerald Barry and its libretto for the voice of Beethoven [in Beethoven and its companion piece Schott & Sons, Mainz] is based on the letters of Beethoven. There are four other works on the CD, along with the two mentioned, which were all written at different times and for different commissions.

Beethoven: The opening section, Beethoven, was written in 2007 and is based on the famous heartfelt address to Beethoven's "immortal beloved". I really like the musical sound world. I like the musical language. The scoring is wonderfully inventive and imaginative and the instrumental textures and sonorities come shining through. The vocal element, here a bass, are quite accessible and amenable which is not always the case with Barry's vocals, for me. One gets the impression that Barry is very sympathetic to Beethoven's plight and circumstances. There is, of course, plenty of drama and tension along with the sympathetic and oftentimes tender emotions in this music. I find this to be a wonderful piece of music. Never does anything descend into sentimentality.


Oh Lord, how vain: This is a short unaccompanied Choral work. It was written in 1995. Its form is based on repetition of a tune by the different pitch of voices in the choir. Its opening verse is sung by an ethereal sounding solo soprano singing the tune. The next verse is sung by the choral sopranos with accompaniment by the altos and then by the basses. The following verse is sung by the tenors accompanied by the basses. The final verse is sung by the entire choir. The musical language of the work is interesting and I find it to be appealing. Barry being Barry, however, nothing is straightforward. The incongruity here is that in between each verse we have Irish whistling choruses by various sections of the choir!


The Coming of Winter: This is a short work for an a cappella choir written in 1997. I find it to be both intriguing and engaging. Here, once again, Barry pulls off something quite different. The structure is built around a very simple, repeated and metronomic phrase, automaton-like. This phrase is then repeated. Both phrases are then repeated twice but this time in reverse. Then, to quote the booklet, "the singers go on the rampage". After this verbal "rampage" we have a final, very simple passage where the choir sings a simple tune with metronomic precision. It is reminiscent of the plip plop of melting water dripping from ice.


First Sorrow: First Sorrow is Barry's Fourth String Quartet. It was written in 2006-2007. The opening slow movement in particular is an exquisite piece of writing. It is simply constructed but, I think, haunting music, particularly the passage played by the viola and cello. This is further enhanced when the viola is joined in unison by the first and second violins. The music in the next passage is extremely, but wonderfully, stark and lean. In the next passage the music explodes into an exciting and jubilant phase and it is well driven. The music stops suddenly. The musicians then sing and accompany themselves singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". Incredulously it is very effective.

Long Time: This is a relatively short work and it is scored for an acapella choir. It was written in 2012. It is basically a technical exercise in the scale of C major, both ascending and descending. It makes for pleasant and engaging listening nonetheless and I do enjoy it.


Schott & Sons, Mainz:
This is a work for a solo bass voice and mixed choir. The libretto for this work is based on the letters from Beethoven to his publishers, Schott & Sons, Mainz regarding some of his very well known works, occasionally in great detail. The writing for the vocal line is relatively straightforward for Barry, even though the vocal range required from the vocalist is quite extensive. The structure is largely based on descending scales. This is very well delivered by Richardson. The vocal scoring throughout is wonderfully inventive for both the soloist and the choir and it can also be very exciting in places. It is economically scored but the musical textures sound wonderfully alive and very atmospheric. The music has great inherent elements of drive, energy and excitement and in these passages they are very well driven by Hillier.