Robert Saxton - Scenes from the Epic of Gilgamesh

Robert SAXTON (b.1953)

Scenes from The Epic of Gilgamesh (2023)

The Resurrection of the Soldiers (2021)

English Symphony Orchestra

English String Orchestra 

Kenneth Woods

Recorded 7 April 2021 and 7 March 2023 at Waystone Concert Hall

The Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest written literary text in Middle Eastern/Western cultural history, predates the Hebrew Bible. The epic relates the story of King Gilgamesh, partly divine, partly human, who may have existed historically circa 2800 BC. From immature youth and a belief in his mmortality, he eventually comes to accept the power and reality of Death. There are five movements/scenes: The first, Prologue, echoes the anxious state of the city of Uruk, which is suffering under the despotic rule of the young King Gilgamesh. The gods, in order to restore a sense of balance, create his counterpart, the wild man Enkidu, who is lured away and tamed by a temple prostitute. The pitch centres of this scene spell out the musical letters of Gilgamesh which also underly the entire work. The Journey to the Forest of Cedar depicts the effortful trek made by Enkidu and Gilgamesh in search of glory. They venture to the Forest of Cedar to cut down one of the largest trees to make a great door for the Temple of Enlil, the divine ruler of the Cosmos. They kill the forest guardian, Humbaba, who is protected by seven auras. From Dawn to Dusk, a fast movement, illustrates Gilgamesh's race against the sun. He arrives just before sunset and finds himself in a garden of jewels. Gilgamesh sings a Lament on the Death of Enkidu which leads into the final scene. Apotheosis. Gilgamesh visits Ut Napishti (precursor of Noah in Genesis) who has survived the Flood and been granted immortality by the gods. Gilgamesh fails the final task set by Ut-Napishti to test his suitability for eternal life, returning to Uruk to build his lasting monument, the city walls. The Resurrection of the Soldiers for string orchestra was commissioned by George Vass, to whom it is dedicated, and the English Symphony Orchestra, for the 2016 Presteigne Festival, with funds generously donated by the John S Cohen Foundation and the Arts Council of England. The title derives from the final panel of Stanley Spencer's Sandham Chapel visionary series of paintings which were the result of Spencer's experiences in the British army in World War One and depicts soldiers emerging from their graves on the last day. The piece is in three continuous parts: a slow, sustained introduction which is, in essence, a descent from the note E by means of a prolation canon, but which ascends to a rather intense climactic point before falling and giving way to a very active fugue which, after arriving at an anguished, sustained climax, is succeeded by a closing slow movement consisting of a rising melodic line which permeates the entire texture heterophonically, leading to the closing E major triad. The work thus traces a cyclical path as it progress towards a sense of resurrection, re-birth and hope.

Robert Saxton

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Review

Robert Saxton, who has had such important mentors as Britten and Berio, Elisabeth Lutyens and Robin Holloway, is a composer with a splendid career and author of a clearly defined body of work. The two works included in this album – admirably recorded – present Saxton's creative side, in which he explores various aspects of the transcendent: Scenes from "The Epic of Gilgamesh" and The Resurrection of the Soldiers. Gilgamesh embarked on a long and dangerous journey to discover the secret of eternal life. It is well known that The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest literary text in the cultural history of the Middle East and the West, predating the Hebrew Bible. The epic tells the story of King Gilgamesh ―part divine, part human―, who may have lived around 2800 BC. This text, possibly one of the most important in the history of humanity, has interested the English composer Robert Saxton, who used it to compose his piece. The performance was given by the English Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kenneth Woods; premiered Scenes from "The Epic of Gilgamesh" in Oxford in March 2023. The score, often tonal, is delicate, with intimate melodies coloured by the instrumental subtlety of the magnificent English Symphony Orchestra. Kenneth Woods treasures Saxton's harmonic richness and makes his music flow with exceptional clarity. The Resurrection of the Soldiers, a work co-commissioned by George Vass for the 2016 Presteigne Festival and the English Symphony Orchestra with Kenneth Woods, is a work for chamber orchestra based on Stanley Spencer's visionary series of Sandham Chapel paintings. These pieces of art were the result of Spencer's experiences in the British army during World War I and depict soldiers coming out of their graves on their last day. The distressing climate created by Saxton is admirable, a melodic line that permeates the entire texture heterophonically and leads to the final triad of E major. Kenneth Woods, with the English String Orchestra, conducts an impeccable version of this piece of great intensity and emotional depth. We can say without hesitation that Woods is an undisputed reference as an orchestral conductor in the English music scene. He carried out a brilliant task of recovering English composers with great communicative power.

Carme Miró (Sonogram Magazine)