‘What did we come from? How did it begin?’ asks a young voice before the orchestra explodes with an expansive brass and timpani section, pulling back to make way for shimmering percussion as the chorus lists astronomical objects: Nebula… Blazar… Supernova. The 13 movements of A Brief History of Creation chart the various stages of the earth's history, from single organisms (represented by that singular voice at the start) to trees, dinosaurs and, finally, man. Composer Jonathan Dove found his inspiration while ensconced in an installation by artist James Turrell. ‘I wanted to know what the artwork would sound like – and how the story might continue,’ Dove recalls. The work was commissioned by the Hallé Children's Choir, who perform with the Hallé and conductor Mark Elder on the premiere recording of the work, recently released via NMC Recordings.
The text, written by Alasdair Middleton, focuses on the scientific aspects of how life began, (‘A million little changes, over a million years’). ‘Children ask “where did we come from” from a young age,’ says Dove. ‘And of course they love dinosaurs, so I felt it was an appropriate subject.’ Wanting to be sure he wasn't offending any religious or political sensibilities, Dove checked in with his commissioners, who were pleased to give him free rein on the project.
It's safe to assume that the enterprising Hallé Children's Choir knew exactly what they were getting into collaborating with Dove, a composer who is increasingly revered for his music for young people and community groups. ‘Although my childhood is now a dim and distant memory, I do still remember what I found dramatic back then,’ Dove says, agreeing with my assertion that he takes the Roald Dahl approach in not sanitising his work for young audiences. ‘It doesn't need to be watered down: when we were working on the Hackney Chronicles [a community opera commissioned by HMDT Music and first performed in 2001 at Lauriston Primary School, Hackney] we gave a group of pupils the choice between a story similar to the little match girl and one about body snatchers – unanimously they chose the body snatchers.’
Wide reach
© Robert Workman - Dancers and Chorus of Opera North
Dove's work appeals to young people both on and off stage, although he wrote for children as performers before creating works for them as audience members – notably The Adventures of Pinocchio with Opera North in 2007. His early large-scale stage works were community operas for Glyndebourne, which featured children's choirs as part of the orchestration. ‘I've always had the sound of children's voices in my head,’ reflects Dove, ‘I think has had a real bearing on my work.’ For the community operas, Dove held workshops where many of the songs were co-written. ‘I liked that process of coming up with ideas together that I would then develop and weave into a larger work.’
Like much of Dove's output, A Brief History of Creation is highly melodic, with an emphasis on colourful timbre and contrasting textures. Although there is no clichéd word painting, there is a sympathetic, often humorous approach to word play, with thoughtful vocal lines. ‘I find that even young children can handle independent parts,’ says Dove. ‘Conversely, something like singing in thirds can be challenging; you can get around that by using rounds.’ The influence of Benjamin Britten is also clear, although Dove favours a broader tonal palette: ‘I generally write for children in the theatrical context, like hearing groups of children in the playground; ordinary kids, rather than a cathedral choir, although I have also written for the latter group. With the Hallé Children's Choir it's was a blend of both; they have a theatrical vivacity, and dramatic story telling is part of what they do.’
© Robert Workman - Victoria Simmonds as Pinocchio, Fflur Wyn as The Blue Fairy
The London-based composer is speaking from Germany, where his comic opera Marx in London has just premiered at Theater Bonn. It runs there until 14 February, when it will be shared with Scottish Opera. The work pinpoints Karl Marx's life in Kentish Town, depicting his efforts to complete Das Kapital against various relationship woes. It's not easy operatic fodder, but Dove has managed a witty spin. ‘I felt quite early on that my idiom lent itself to magic and comedy,’ he says.
But Dove is just as comfortable with the non-comic, too: the rhythmic Gaia Theory in 2014 – paired with A Brief History of Creation on the current release, performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra – was inspired by a trip that Dove took to the Arctic as part of the Cape Farewell project, organised to allow artists to witness climate change first hand. Dove describes the experience as a wake-up call, fitting in line with his ongoing development to ‘embrace darker themes’. Gaia Theory draws on the idea described by scientist James Lovelock that Earth behaves as a self-regulating organism, which provided Dove with the catalyst for the music's dance form.
As well as the Scottish premiere of Marx in London, Dove has got a community project in the pipeline that sees the composer working with refugees in Bristol. It is these stage works, along with his writing both with and for young singers that fires Dove's creative purpose: ‘classical music is unique in art in that new work is not always a significant part of what's offered to audiences in general. Most people read new books and see new films. The old masters remain popular in galleries, but then you expect to see work by living artists too. It's not always true in classical music. It's important to introduce newcomers to the excitement of music. If children sing on stage, then they may well sit in the stalls, too.’
Top works for children
- Monster in the Maze (2015)
- for actor, soli, adult, youth and children's choruses and orchestra
- A Brief History of Creation (2016)
- For children's voices and orchestra
- The Pied Piper (2012)
- Narrator, clarinet, recorders, children's voices, piano
- The Adventures of Pinocchio (2007)
- An opera in two acts
- Hear Our Voice (2006)
- For soprano, young people's voices and chamber orchestra
- The Enchanted Pig (2006)
- A musical tale
- The Hackney Chronicles (2001)
- For children (soloists, chorus) and piano
Scores and performance information available from Edition Peters.
