CATHEDRAL: ANOTHER SUCCESS FOR BRILLIANT TEAM
By Terry Quinn
Author of Richard Wagner – the Lighter Side; Amadeus Press 2013
Sue Heaser and Peter Creswell have done it again. When I heard the cleverly arranged church bells in the piano introduction to Cathedral at Wortham Church, I knew that we were in for another treat from this talented partnership. For my money, this was better than their previous creations, Cobbold's Tales or The Midsummer Hare.
Cathedral is the dramatic story of widespread desecration in the 1640's when Parliamentary troops were sent to destroy paintings, sculptures, stained glass and other religious art works. They wreaked destruction on things of beauty in buildings ranging from grand cathedrals to modest parish churches. Much of the desecration in Suffolk was the work of William Dowsing and his men and the scars from their rampage are still visible today in many local churches.
The story written by Sue Heaser features Joshua, a talented stonemason, who carves a magnificent stone angel for Norwich cathedral. Once completed, it is installed over the tomb of the benefactor's wife but its fate becomes inevitable when the destroyers reach Norfolk. Sue's moving words, beautifully read by the narrator, Mike Breen, include an emotional sequence when five year old Clemency, granddaughter of the sculptor, tries to protect Joshua's angel with fateful consequences.
Peter Creswell's brilliant music was a perfect fit as the early joy gave way to sadness about the tragic events that brought destruction to the cathedral. The accomplished pianist at the Wortham performance was Richard Donmall and I hope that his faultless performance might have inspired the young people in the audience to work hard on their music lessons.
The programme identifies the musical vignettes that accompanied the developing narrative with themes like those covering joyous market scenes, the peregrine falcons, maypole dancing and the sombre 'Ordinance Knell' that we hear when sentence is passed on things of beauty. Leitmotifs from these sequences reappear frequently and despite the desecration at the heart of the story, the overall impact was uplifting.
Cathedral is performed in just under an hour and should be performed in many more parish churches in East Anglia. The senseless destruction of ancient structures in the Middle East today should remind us that not quite 400 years ago, something ominously similar happened here.
Cathedral was conceived and written by Sue Heaser. The music was composed by Peter Creswell. The narrator was Mike Breen and the pianist was Richard Donmall. The musical drama was performed in Wortham Church on May 30, 2015.
By Terry Quinn
Author of Richard Wagner – the Lighter Side; Amadeus Press 2013
Sue Heaser and Peter Creswell have done it again. When I heard the cleverly arranged church bells in the piano introduction to Cathedral at Wortham Church, I knew that we were in for another treat from this talented partnership. For my money, this was better than their previous creations, Cobbold's Tales or The Midsummer Hare.
Cathedral is the dramatic story of widespread desecration in the 1640's when Parliamentary troops were sent to destroy paintings, sculptures, stained glass and other religious art works. They wreaked destruction on things of beauty in buildings ranging from grand cathedrals to modest parish churches. Much of the desecration in Suffolk was the work of William Dowsing and his men and the scars from their rampage are still visible today in many local churches.
The story written by Sue Heaser features Joshua, a talented stonemason, who carves a magnificent stone angel for Norwich cathedral. Once completed, it is installed over the tomb of the benefactor's wife but its fate becomes inevitable when the destroyers reach Norfolk. Sue's moving words, beautifully read by the narrator, Mike Breen, include an emotional sequence when five year old Clemency, granddaughter of the sculptor, tries to protect Joshua's angel with fateful consequences.
Peter Creswell's brilliant music was a perfect fit as the early joy gave way to sadness about the tragic events that brought destruction to the cathedral. The accomplished pianist at the Wortham performance was Richard Donmall and I hope that his faultless performance might have inspired the young people in the audience to work hard on their music lessons.
The programme identifies the musical vignettes that accompanied the developing narrative with themes like those covering joyous market scenes, the peregrine falcons, maypole dancing and the sombre 'Ordinance Knell' that we hear when sentence is passed on things of beauty. Leitmotifs from these sequences reappear frequently and despite the desecration at the heart of the story, the overall impact was uplifting.
Cathedral is performed in just under an hour and should be performed in many more parish churches in East Anglia. The senseless destruction of ancient structures in the Middle East today should remind us that not quite 400 years ago, something ominously similar happened here.
Cathedral was conceived and written by Sue Heaser. The music was composed by Peter Creswell. The narrator was Mike Breen and the pianist was Richard Donmall. The musical drama was performed in Wortham Church on May 30, 2015.