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Musical Opinion
Orchestra of the Swan, Three Choirs Festival
7 August 2006

Julian Philips - Masque for Caliban premiere

An afternoon concert on August 7 out at Wyastone Leys, near Monmouth, from the Orchestra of the Swan featured the première of Julian Philips' Masque for Caliban, a substantial 22-minute work in several connected movements which revisits Shakespeare's The Tempest in the words of the Barbadian poet Kamau Brathwaite.
 
Caliban rails against the invasion of the old order by new forces from across the seas, and baritone David Stout gave an emotionally gripping account of the taxing, searching solo part. Theatrical in concept (the dishevelled Caliban begins with wordless lamentation at the back of the orchestra, moves front-stage and eventually resumes his lamenting at the back of the auditorium), the piece demands total commitment of communication from the soloist - which it received - as well as from its compact kaleidoscope of players, attentively well-marshalled under the enthusiastic and well-prepared David Curtis.

Christopher Morley