Catalogue Connection: 21132

Frederick Paul Naftel came to music aged 14, and developed an interest in composition at Manchester University, from which he graduated in 1978, receiving a Fellowship in Composition from Trinity College, London, two years later. As the booklet biography (taken from the composer’s website) reveals, he ‘considers himself to be an “eclectic” composer, able to write in many styles and formats, as befits the occasion’, a quality that has attracted notable advocates, from Edward Downes – who premiered the vibrant Second Orchestral Concerto (1978, rev 1982), quite the finest work I have heard of Naftel’s (a great shame it is not featured) – and composer James MacMillan, who admires the ‘eccentricity and fierce individuality’ of Naftel’s music.

There is little fierce about the works collected on Divine Art’s release, the first devoted to Naftel’s music. The pieces are largely modest in scope and length, the most intense being the Second String Quartet (2020), an involving five-in-one design playing without a break, composed during, and as a reaction to, the onset of the Covid pandemic. That the music holds a particular importance to the composer is evident from his booklet note, in which he devotes more wordage to it than the rest of the programme combined. The Quartet is a good example of Naftel’s ability to construct complex forms out of seemingly innocuous material; would that more of the pieces here did the same.

For me, the standout work is the Folksong Suite (2021), a modest enough sequence of Rondo, Lament and Country Dance, based on six British folk songs including ‘Early one morning’, ‘Loch Lomond’ and ‘John Peel’. But it is the scoring that is so telling, for string orchestra and timpani (Naftel is a percussion player and teacher), giving the suite a bite that the early rhapsody Song of Songs, based on Hebraic melodies without timpani, and Aubade Pastorale (both 1985) sadly lack. There is a vividness to the piano suite Aphoristic Impressions (2023), nicely played by Haley Miles, for whom Naftel is composing a sonata and planning a concerto. I was less taken with the tuba quartet Pascal’s Victim (1999, based on the plainsong ‘Victimae Paschali’ and pastiche Villancico, the guitar soloist of which is uncredited. Performances and sound are good if not exceptional.

Frederick Paul Naftel’s new album showcases his eclectic compositional style through a diverse collection of works. This is his first CD release and it draws on his music composed over the last forty years. 

His works take inspiration from many different sources such as landscapes, nature and historical events. His compositions span various styles and formats, creating distinct moods and atmospheres. His repertoire includes Concerti for Orchestra, Symphonies, chamber music, and vocal works. Notable works include the Double Concerto for Bass Tuba and Contrabass Tuba, the Bass Clarinet Concerto, Aubade Pastorale, and the Sanctus for female voices, strings, and piano. He received an award from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation in 2020 and was runner-up in the King Lear Arts Competition. Naftel is currently working on his Third Symphony, dedicated to Sir James MacMillan, and other orchestral works. His music has been praised for its eccentricity, individuality and distinctive voice in contemporary music.

Aphoristic Impressions, composed in 2023 for American pianist Haley Myles who plays the piece on this CD, captures the essence of various landscapes. In addition to performing core repertoire, she regularly collaborates with contemporary composers and has worked with over fifty composers to-date, proof playing, recording, and performing their works. Her YouTube channel boasts over 100 recordings resulting from these collaborations. This was recorded in Haley Myles’ own home studio.

The piece certainly shows how Naftel uses a wide range of ideas to create his music. It is made up of five short pieces of differing natures. The first movement Approaching Bell evokes images of the underwater church at Dunwich, Suffolk. The listener can clearly hear the piano notes sounding like a bell, becoming louder as it becomes closer, then it chimes and finishes with a softly played gentle melody. The second movement Mini Magma concerns the eruption of an Icelandic geyser; it begins with energetic and frenzied music and then the geyser finally erupts as we hear the music quickly fade away. The next movement, Roo Awakening, is inspired by the indigenous wildlife of the Australian outback and Uluru/Ayers Rock; a quick look at Google informed me that the indigenous wildlife of that area would include lizards, kangaroos, venomous snakes, saltwater crocodiles, dingoes and feral camels. It’s an interesting piece, with fragments of music suggesting the many and perhaps unusual creatures that would be found in that area. The fourth movement, Japanese Garden, is a peaceful night-time portrait of the garden; it has an “eastern” feel suggesting peace and serenity. There are two periods of louder more energetic music as the piece unfolds. The final movement, Whirlpool Rapids, as the name suggests, has taken its inspiration from the gorges on the Niagara River. It begins with a repetitive tune, then the tempo  builds to create a feeling of turbulence which suggests water falling. The whole piece is rather intriguing and imaginative.

Naftel’s String Quartet No.2, composed during the initial Coronavirus pandemic, reflects the era’s tumultuous nature. In the CD liner he says” Once again, my String Quartet No.2 was composed during a very difficult time and pays homage to several friends and relations.” Unlike his first quartet, this single-movement piece is divided into five sections including an epilogue. On this CD it’s played by the Northern Film Orchestra String Quartet. It’s certainly a work of contrasts. The music oscillates between tranquil static passages and furious, violent sections, marked by intervals of a major 7th and minor 2^nd.

The first movement is marked “lento tranquillo ma teso”; the music is certainly tranquil being slow, gentle almost eerie in feeling; however, towards the end it starts to become more frenzied, as if to prepare us for the second movement marked “allegro feroce” – a description that fits this movement well with its ferocious style, throwing the music around between the instruments creating a tense mood. As with the first movement it prepares the listener well for the next movement by becoming less frenzied and more reflective at the end. The third movement is designated “adagio sostenuto”; it’s slow, tuneful and soothing, reminiscent of plainsong. The fourth movement marked “allegro furioso” unmistakenly is that; the music is furious and unrelenting, as if running to escape something; finally, towards the end, the pace does relent, once again to prepare us for the fifth and final movement designated “Epilogue: poco piu mosso” featuring recorded cello pizzicato, which starts with a relentless beat; a melody on the cello which is then taken up by the violins and has a sad, mournful feeling to it.

The Folksong Suite for String Orchestra and Timpani draws on six English and Scottish folksongs, including John Peel, Early One Morning, Ca’the Yowes, Loch Lomond, Dashing Away With The Smoothing Iron, and Lincolnshire Poacher. The orchestra on the recording is the Northern Film Orchestra conducted by Melvyn Tay. The first movement is a Rondo; it’s a jaunty piece and, just like through the whole of the suite, the use of timpani gives it an unusual dynamic; there’s a short section in the middle where we can hear interplay between the drums and the low strings of the orchestra. Throughout we can hear the flavour of the folk songs used, towards the end the music quietens and slows as if to prepare us for the next movement which is marked lament. It begins with an ominous beat, the music becomes softer, but we can hear a lovely rendition of Loch Lomond and the music slowly fades away at the end. The final movement, entitled Country Dance,is brisk and the orchestra is certainly dashing away with the smoothing iron. It’s a lively, well played piece.

Pascal’s Victim for Tuba Quartet, composed for the North West-based Tubalaté who play it on this recording, features three movements and is a play on words based on the Gregorian Chant Victamae Paschali. The piece has three short movements, each of which uniquely fragments the theme. The first movement begins with a rapid decrescendo leading to changes in dynamics for the rest of the movement. In the slow second movement, where a short melodic motive is varied by gently shifting harmonies, we can hear a more peaceful melody particularly with the warm tones that brass instruments can bring; the last part of the movement creates a “spooky” mysterious feeling. The third movement is more like the first with contrasting almost competing music played by the different instruments. This was recorded in the studio belonging to the late Roy Newsome.

Song of Songs: Rhapsody for String Orchestra and Harp is played by the Campion Orchestra who are made up of session musicians and led by violinist Jim Davies, conducted on this occasion by the composer and arranger Nick Ingman. Ingman has an interesting CV, composing as he did the theme tune to the sitcom Keeping Up Appearances and working with many famous names such as Elton John, Oasis, Annie Lennox and Eric Clapton et al. The quality of musicianship and recording is excellent and it makes for a charming piece. The composer describes it as “an ethnic flavoured rhapsody based on Hebraic chants and original material, featuring melodies like “Yigdal” and “Hatikvah.” This piece evokes imagery suited for films set in Biblical times or perhaps documentaries about the Middle East.” I would certainly agree with him; it starts slow with an “eastern” feeling, reminiscent of a film score. The middle section becomes livelier but retains a mystic atmosphere; the music then adopts a slower pace for a short while before speeding up again, creating a great atmospheric flavour; finally, it slows down again and finishes with a lovely flourish on the harp. It’s a very enjoyable piece.

Aubade Pastorale for Strings also played by the Campion Orchestra and conducted by Nick Ingram sounds as if it is based on English Folk Songs, but it isn’t; it is all original Naftel music who says that his major influences are Vaughan Williams and Shostakovich. Of this piece he says, “Aubade Pastorale for String Orchestra is a short tone poem depicting a hazy day in the English countryside, using original themes inspired by the English Pastoral School, particularly Ralph Vaughan Williams”. It is a beautiful slow piece, evocative of a rural scene and at times reminds me of FS Kelly’s Elegy in “Memoriam Brooke”. The quality of the musicianship and recording are also excellent.

Villancico for Guitar and Small Orchestra is a pastiche whichbridges the music of the Spanish Renaissance and Joaquin Rodrigo in a charming and lyrical Rondo form. It’s refreshing, the interplay between the guitar and the wind section is delightful and the whole piece is kept going at a brisk, but not too brisk, pace by the whole orchestra. 

This is a completely fascinating CD; the music is entertaining and skilfully composed in varied styles. I am really pleased that I have had the opportunity to get to know it better.

Born in Manchester in 1956, Frederick Paul Naftel draws his inspiration as a composer from sources as diverse as nature and historical events. His compositions are just as diverse in terms of styles and formats, moods and atmospheres. His remarkable works include the Aubade Pastorale, which can be heard here. What is striking about his music is the unmistakable contemporary voice that reveals itself in its eccentricity and individuality.

The Aphoristic Impressions look at impressions of very different landscapes. Aubade Pastorale for strings is a short tone poem describing a gloomy day in the English countryside. The Folksong Suite for string orchestra and timpani is based on English and Scottish folk songs. The Song of Songs is a rhapsody for string orchestra and harp based on Hebrew chants and original material. It evokes images suitable for biblical films or documentaries about the Middle East.

Pascal’s Victim for tuba quartet is based on the Gregorian chant Victamae Paschali.

The String Quartet No. 2, a result of the corona pandemic, reflects the difficult times. In this work in five sections with an epilogue in one movement, the music oscillates between calm and violent sections. Villancico for guitar and small orchestra playfully bridges the gap between the Spanish Renaissance and Joaquin Rodrigo.

The various performers give the music an individual character with their committed interpretations. Only the performance of the Folksong Suite by the Northern Film Orchestra leaves an unpleasant impression with a less sensitive and also unclean arrangement, but this cannot be blamed on the charming piece. Otherwise, however, the musicians demonstrate a variable but not arbitrary composer whose works are endowed with a pleasant character.

British composer Frederick Paul Naftel (b. 1956) is one of those independent artists whose music is played occasionally but remains outside the mainstream. As my readers know, there are several fine composers who fill that bill, including America’s John Carollo, but Naftel is luckier than most because he has an academic background (Manchester University, 1978 & Trinity College of Music, 1980) and thus has more contacts within the academic music community willing and able to play and record his pieces. This was my first exposure to him.

Pascal’s Victim, written for a tuba quartet(!), immediately strikes the ear as rhythmically energetic as well as using unusual underlying chord positions which constantly puts the harmony in flux. One cannot really call it atonal or bitonal, but with no root notes to the chords it just moves around, particularly in the first movement; the second movement begins, and revisits, C major, but again there are moments when the harmony shifts and continues to do so. I would thus put Naftel in the category of an individualistic loner, one who follows no particular modern trend in composition but who clearly enjoys music that at least tends towards tonality. Rhythmically, he is also his own man, not only in the first movement but also in the third, where the rhythm tends towards 4/4 but is not at all consistently in that time signature; his rhythmic accents keep the rhythm moving around, although it is always strong. And let me tell you, the group Tubalaté consists of some truly extraordinary virtuosi: this music is NOT easy to play, and in addition to their pyrotechnics they maintain an extraordinarily well-focused tone, both individually and as a quartet.

But if you think you have Naftel pegged from Pascal’s Victim, wait until you hear the extraordinary piano suite Aphoristic Impressions. Here, Naftel pushes the piano soloist into some absolutely incredible rhythmic passages in a bitonal setting, and American pianist Haley Myles, for whom it was written, is absolutely extraordinary as well in terms of both technique and an almost manic energy. Myles’ academic background is solid but extremely unusual for an American, having attended the Mozarteum in Austria, the Imola Piano Academy in Italy and the Trinity Laban Conservatory in England, along with some lessons from Paul Badura-Skoda, Cyprien Katsaris and Enrico Pace among others. But where she received her training isn’t half as important as what she does with it, and let me tell you, this one DYNAMIC performer!

In fact, the consistent intensity of every performance on this CD complements the music so well that one is convinced that Naftel is one of those rarities, a British composer with a fiery disposition. Even in the soft opening of his String Quartet No. 2, written in five sections played without a break, there is an underlying tension—again, partly due to the incredible commitment of the performers—consistent with everything else on this album. It’s hard to describe this movement except to say that there is an almost consistent drone by viola and cello on a low F while the two violins play slow but tense melodic figures over it. Eventually these figures begin sliding upward, like a cat awakening from a nightmare, as the volume slowly increases; the cello and viola then play individual fast, edgy figures as the violins hold the chord and the volume slowly increases. Naftel is clearly in his own little world as a composer; I really can’t think of any other living composer whose music his resembles. And yes, that’s a good thing! Naftel informs us that this piece was conceived during the Coronavirus pandemic, but in his case he did not create a drippy, maudlin piece, but one bristling with nervous energy even in its quiet passages. Hard to describe but east for the ear to grasp, this quartet contains sadness and regret as well as his willingness to fight through those emotions and emerge stronger as a result of them. As he put it in the liner notes,

The intervals of the major 7th and minor 2nd are a strong feature of the music, which contrasts intensely static passages, which are nevertheless uneasily tranquil, with furious and violent sections, often marked triple forte in certain passages.

Interestingly, Naftel also informs us that the final section includes a pre-recorded cello playing pizzicato pedal underneath the violins and viola playing a series of overlapping tonal triads. As I say, he really is in his own little world, and his music keeps you on the edge of your seat.

This is followed by his Song of Songs, a rhapsody for string orchestra and harp based on several Hebraic chants and melodies. Thus the music is more tonal albeit based on minor keys and modes consistent with such tunes, yet he still manages to maintain that tension which characterizes all of his work. The recorded sound on this piece, however, is a bit too distant and riddled with reverb, not a fault of the players but of the engineer. Once again, the level of the performance, both in terms of technique and emotional commitment, is exceptional. Although Naftel pretty much maintains a tonal bias in this piece, that doesn’t mean that it remains static, and as is his wont, there are strong, energetic passages interspersed with the lyrical. The Aubade, a brief “pastorale for strings,” is meant to describe a day in the English countryside. This is the most consistently tonal and melodic piece so far on this CD. Naftel calls this a tribute to the pastoral style of British music, particularly Vaughan Williams who is his favorite composer.

The short Folksong Suite was based on six British and Scottish folksongs. Again there is a stronger sense of tonality than in his opening pieces, but here the strong rhythmic attacks and intense emotion return. There is a cello theme that sounds more British than Spanish to me, but it fits in wonderfully well. In the “Lament” we hear Loch Lomond, for instance. The third section of this suite, “Country Dance,” returns us to the emotionally powerful feeling of the earlier pieces on this disc without returning us to the ambiguous tonality.

Villancico was influenced by Spanish music ranging from the Renaissance to that of Rodrigo, so tonality is again the key, but here Naftel seems to be having fun. Once again, the orchestra is recorded in an over-reverberant sound space, which makes it sound like a recording taken from 1960s television—I really do wish that the engineer, unidentified but apparently associated with the Pebble Mill Studios in Edgbaston, would either retune his ears or let someone else set up the microphone placement.

I don’t know if it was good programming to place all of the edgier music at the beginning of the CD and all the tonal pieces at the end, but I can see how at least some of Naftel’s music gets performed publicly since it fits into the British mold. Nonetheless, he is a very interesting and individualistic figure, one worth checking out.