In Conversation with composer Julian Anderson

23 Jun 2010

JULIAN ANDERSON IN CONVERSATION WITH JAMES O’DONNELL

James O’Donnell, Organist and Master of the Choristers interviews composer Julian Anderson about his new work, Bell Mass which receives its first performance at Westminster Abbey on Tuesday 29 June at 5.00pm followed by a concert performance on Friday 2 July. The new work has been commissioned by the Dean & Chapter of Westminster to mark the 450th anniversary of the Abbey's Collegiate Charter.

1. This is your first commission for Westminster Abbey. How does it feel to be following in the footsteps of Purcell, Blow, Handel, and the many other illustrious composers who all wrote music for the Abbey?

I am delighted to have been commissioned by the Dean & Chapter to compose for this special anniversary. I have known James O’Donnell for a long time and used to worship in the Abbey when I was a pupil at Westminster School. Indeed, one of my main memories is of the loud Abbey bells ringing during classes.

2. What was been the particular inspiration for this work?

I was inspired by the space and height of the building and have tried to capture these aspects in the sound of the piece, and also in the sections when individual singers chant at different speeds lending a kaleidoscopic effect. I was also inspired by the Abbey bells, which suggested to me fresh forms of melody and a new kind of melodic writing – a new simplicity and stillness.

3. When did you start composing and what influenced your development?

I started composing at the age of eleven. I was bored to death with playing football and tried to avoid it, so I would fill the two hours by making up music in my head and then writing it down. The major influences on my musical development include the composer Olivier Messiaen, Gregorian chant, the Blues, and of course the sound of bells.

4. What is the hardest thing about being a composer?

Deciding what comes next in the music at any point; plotting the course of a piece of music. Why does this come next and not that? Why are you going where you’re going? What do you do with the sounds? Repeat or not? Doing “just anything” isn’t interesting.

5. What is your favourite place in Westminster Abbey?

I love the 15th-century altarpiece by Bicci di Lorenzo in the Lady Chapel. It is one of the finest examples of its type and I love its beautiful medieval imagery.

6. How do you feel when your music is played in a place like Westminster Abbey?

I like the fact that it’s a space “set aside” for something special in life – not for making money or for other ephemeral pursuits. It means a lot for my music to be performed there. In a way it belongs there; much music is spiritual and it’s good for it to be performed in a spiritual place.

I would also like to add that in my opinion the Abbey Choir is one of the best in the world and I’m delighted to be to be working with James O’Donnell, Organist & Master of the Choristers.

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