Student violinist Kangmin Kim reflects on contrasting works by Holst and Dodgson, performed at the opening concert of the Barnes Music Festival.
Two composers from Barnes, yet two strikingly contrasting approaches to writing for strings.
O
n the opening night of the Barnes Music Festival 2025 (15th March), the theme of music and literature was explored through a programme made up of music by Dodgson, Britten, Mozart and Holst. Performed by the Academy of St Martin’s in the Fields, the concert opened with a contemporary and abstract showcase of Stephen Dodgson’s Essay No. 7, contrasted with the final work – an energetic performance of Holst’s St Paul’s Suite.
Dodgson’s piece was characterised by a sense of mystery through the atmospheric nature of the unusual dissonance through complex, modern harmonies that felt like an abstract artist painting a canvas. The star of the show was the lower strings, particularly the double basses, with their gentle and mellow sound that helped to set a magical scene. This offered a careful, gentle layering for the upper strings as they smoothly painted over the peaceful sound created by the lower strings through long, angular and legato phrases, together evoking the impression of a stunning natural landscape, as if Dodgson was exploring the fleeting glimpses of beauty through sound. However, this sense of peace was juxtaposed with slightly faster fragmented passages from the violins and violas that did not hold a tonal centre – a key feature of the piece. Minor second tremolos in the violins intensified this modernist character, creating tension and a sense of instability with their harsh, dissonant texture. The ascending bassline countered a descending treble line, while the use of pizzicato by the lower then upper strings helped to create musical dialogue, highlighting how Dodgson’s work is more explorative – a literal musical counterpart to a written essay. These contrasting harmonic, textural and melodic ideas helped to showcase this Essay as an abstract artwork that is more explorative in nature without a set structure. Its gentle flow mimics a tapestry full of unique ideas that are layered upon one another like paintbrushes.
In contrast, Holst’s St Paul’s Suite was characterised by lively, folk-inspired melodies invoking the English countryside with a clear tonal centre and melodic phrases throughout all four movements. Written in 1913 for the string orchestra of St Paul’s Girls’ School (where Holst was music director), St Paul’s Suite can be seen as an educational piece, thanks to its accessible harmonic language. Conversely, Dodgson’s Essay No. 7 resembles an explorative literary essay, more abstract and unpredictable in nature. The suite is defined by four folk-dance movements: Jig, Ostinato, Intermezzo and Finale – all of them containing their own distinct and catchy melody passed around all the parts.
Barnes composers Stephen Dodgson and Gustav Holst
The clear phrases and defined structure of Holst’s suite made it more accessible and easy to follow. Dodgson’s Essay offered an element of unpredictability, allowing for a more imaginative and personal interpretation. Furthermore, a more concrete image of the beauty of the English countryside was evoked – a feeling of nostalgia – through the peaceful nature of the Holst Ostinato and Intermezzo movements yet this was juxtaposed with the energetic and joyful Jig and Finale, which evoked a celebratory spirit. Though Dodgson evoked similar natural images, these were less explicit in his melodies as they were less obvious, creating more abstract imagery. This was further enhanced by his slow tempo compared to the energetic tempo set to some of the movements in Holst’s suite. There was a resulting free-flowing feel to the Essay while the separate different tempos for each movement in the suite suggested different natural imageries: the movements ranged from the fast-moving, swung rhythms of the Jig and Finale to the soft, carefree ostinatos played by the second violins in the Ostinato. The third movement’s mysterious atmosphere was further enhanced by the delicate pizzicato, creating a sense of intrigue and subtle tension. In contrast to the English countryside evoked in the other movements, the Intermezzo uses the double harmonic scale to create an exotic, Eastern-European folk flavour. This tutti, subito forte melody added a burst of excitement and drama – a recurring theme throughout the suite. This catchy, playful motif became a signature element, making this suite instantly recognisable.
Both of these pieces were performed by the Academy of St Martin’s in the Fields but they managed to convey the unique nature of both pieces through their performance. Both shared a similar energy in storytelling through the use of dynamics which helped to create a very expressive performance. This was particularly noticeable in Dodgson’s Essay where the sudden – and gradual – changes from piano to forte and vice versa allowed for dramatic changes in tone – helping to create unique abstract images. But similar dynamic changes in Holst’s suite also added a sense of drama and excitement, particularly in ascending crescendo sequences, which helped to build up to climatic moments of the suite (like in the Jig with the ascending triplet passage which felt almost atonal). The ASMF brought out the repeating melodies in all four movements in the Holst suite, whether it was played in the upper strings or lower strings. The orchestra constantly worked together to ensure that the melodies always sung out. This made the distinctive motifs very memorable and engraved it into the minds of both the audience and performers for the rest of the week. Dodgson’s motifs also stayed with the listener but it felt more as if the individual parts worked together to create layers of the story. The motifs were smoothly passed on while constantly making new points and ideas throughout the essay.
The overall performance was defined by the energy of the ASMF while effectively creating unique atmospheres, particularly in the essay-like nature of Dodgson’s Essay No. 7. Distinctive melodies and motifs helped to create layers of imagery, reflective of an abstract artwork with the strings being the carefree brushes gliding over the canvas. Holst’s St Paul’s Suite was characterised by its melodies which acted as earworms – invoking imagery of the English countryside. Both pieces reflected the theme of Literature, whether it be through its essay-like structure (Dodgson) or its educational purpose (Holst), both pieces are very contrasting yet explore the brilliance of two Barnes composers writing for strings.
