FurnaceConcertNote

Christopher Painter (b.1962)
The Furnace of Colours
1 Bright petal, dragonfoil , springing from the hot grass
2 Brand lit in foliage, in the heart of summer
3 Who half asleep, or waking, does not hear it
The poet Vernon Watkins (1906-67) is better remembered today as one of Dylan Thomas’s closest
associates and a member of the “Swansea group”. Yet he is also regarded as one of the greatest
Welsh poets in English, whose work is essentially metaphysical in nature. Kathleen Raine described
him as, “the greatest lyric poet of my generation,” and Dylan Thomas wrote that he was, “the only
other poet except me whose poetry I really like today.” To Philip Larkin, his poetry, 'was a vocation,
at once difficult as sainthood and easy as breathing.” Watkins’s work has been long admired by
Christopher Painter and these three orchestral songs set three poems from a set entitled Dragonfoil
and the Furnace of Colours, drawn from his Music of Colours (from the collection Affinities of 1962).
Christopher Painter’s work includes a substantial number of large-scale orchestral and chamber
works. Much of his music takes nature in its many guises as a starting point, often using it as a
metaphor for the human condition. His Third Symphony, Fire in Snow, premiered in Mexico last
June, deals frankly and powerfully with the emotional trajectory experienced by the composer
following the death of his mentor and friend, the composer Alun Hoddinott in 2008. Christopher
Painter was born in Port Talbot, South Wales, and studied with Hoddinott at Cardiff University.
Indeed, Alun Hoddinott was a great admirer of Watkins’s work and, during his schooldays, often
waited outside the bank where Watkins worked, in order to discuss poetry during their walk home.
The score of The Furnace of Colours, commissioned by BBC Radio 3, is prefaced with the words, “In
memory of my mentor and great friend Alun Hoddinott and dedicated to all the past, present and
future members of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales - a true furnace of colours.”
The music falls into three predominantly slow songs, described by the composer as, “calm and
reflective, conjuring up the feeling of lazy hot summer days when everything shimmers.” The vocal
lines float above a wash of orchestral colour and pointillistic textures, reflecting the mood of the
poetry through the use of diatonic music that eschews harsh dissonance. The three Watkins poems
explore a metaphysical landscape drenched in the summer colours, textures and sounds of nature,
celebrating both their vibrancy and transience.
Peter Reynolds
Programme Note for BBC NOW Concert - March 9th