Young Critic Review: PAUL SPICER – Sir Arthur Bliss: Standing Out from the Crowd
In many ways, the life of Arthur Bliss benefits from discussion in the way I saw it- the beautiful venue of St Mary’s, and a speaker to play his music to the awaiting audience- strange, filmic and lovely. Paul Spicer was here to talk about his biography, Sir Arthur Bliss: Standing Out From The Crowd. I hadn’t heard of Bliss (or Spicer’s biography) when I arrived at this talk, but in many ways I am glad this was my introduction to him, as I could hear his music in person, though on the other hand, many of the audience members seemed to be familiar with Bliss’ work.
As someone who knows relatively little about orchestral music, I found Bliss moving and enchanting, and Spicer’s explanations and reflections interesting and accessible. His music seemed to tell a story, and I was pleased to learn that later in his career Bliss did become a notable film composer, in what Spicer called the golden age of British film music. However, Spicer also demonstrated the variety and experimentalism in Bliss’ work, such as including spoken word, or in Storm (from The Tempest) seeking to make the audience themselves part of the storm. This sense of theatricality underpinned all of Bliss’ work, amazingly, considering difficulties such as the loss of his brother in the First World War.
The final piece Spicer discussed was Bliss’ variation of The Lord Is My Shepherd. Spicer had opened his talk by explaining his reasons for writing the biography- when he began he regarded himself as a ‘Bliss agnostic,’ and decided to approach his works with an open mind. In learning from Spicer about an unfamiliar composer, I tried to do the same. Having scored adaptations of HG Well’s works and more, I think Bliss’ music could be enjoyed by anyone, despite the distance of his Edwardian upbringing. Spicer’s talk and biography (which is available to buy) was a great introduction to the life and career of one who claimed he could only be known through his music.
By Isla B