CHILDHOOD MEMORIES……..

Five Impressions of a Holiday Op. 7 - Trio for Flute, Cello, Piano

by Sir Eugene Goossens

Many years ago when I was a young student, I would occasionally page turn for the pianist in my teacher’s (former NZSO Principal Flute, Richard Giese) trio. Within the programme of standard repertoire for flute, cello and piano – works by Haydn, Martinu, Weber and Gaubert – was a collection of short movements entitled “Five Impressions of a Holiday” by Sir Eugene Goossens. The memory of these short cameos lingered and I was very delighted when, years later, I came across a copy and was able to perform them

Goossens, in his day, was probably more celebrated as a conductor, being principal guest conductor for the Cincinnati orchestra and then the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. He was also Director of the NSW Conservatorium for a number of years and was instrumental in promoting the building of the Sydney Opera House and in determining the site for its construction. As a composer he was well known for his oboe concerto (written for his famous brother, Leon Goossens), for his opera “Judith” ( in which Joan Sutherland had a leading role, launching her most illustrious career), and for some early chamber music pieces. The “Five Impressions of a Holiday” written in 1914, were first performed at War Emergency Concerts and have been described as a fusion of Romantic and Impressionist styles.

To perform this work, players will need a well developed technique – the cello part is often quite high, piano chords require a good stretch, especially in the fourth movement (“The Village Church”) where the rich 9th chords resemble the tolling of bells - difficult for a small hand. The flute part demands very good rhythmic control (movement 2, “By the Rivers”, is quite complex in this respect), also a wide dynamic range and flexible upper register.

The ensemble challenges, for both young and more experienced players, are considerable but very rewarding. The first and second movements (“In the Hills”, and “By the Rivers”) use a lot of rubato, both marked by the composer as animato or rallentando as well as interpreted by the performer as nuance, flexibility and often little breaths in the music when a change of mood is hinted at. The groupings of irregular rhythms – little flourishes in the flute part for example of quintuplets or triplets – should be woven naturally into the melodic line with little inflections and a sense of fluidity in execution.

Tuning between the flute and cello is another challenge, especially in the fourth and fifth movements “The Village Church” and “At the Fair”, where the two have sweeping melodies in octaves, high in the register for both cello and flute. Similar passages are found in “The Water Wheel”, the third movement. This makes for some very patient, but satisfying practice!

“The Water Wheel” is perhaps the most straightforward of the five movements since, despite its speed (Allegro con moto) it has a steady pulse set up in the piano part on which the sprightly, staccato melody rests. Light staccato (a challenge for the flute to achieve cleanly on middle Eb quavers to start and low Db’s to end!), tightly crushed acciacciaturas, plenty of forward momentum in the semiquavers make this an exciting and very effective movement.

Movement four, “The Village Church” is more restful, with long chant-like melodies flowing over the repeating quaver chords in the piano. Again, tuning is probably one of the major challenges in this movement, as well as bowing and breath control for the long phrases.

The final movement, ”At the Fair” is an exciting one, combining swirling chromatic passages with arpeggio figures tossed between the instruments and an effervescent triplet rhythm conjures up all the sense of anticipation and excitement that the fairground might bring to a young child. This movement brings the work to a colourful close.

If you are able to perform the entire opus, about 15 minutes in all, there is indeed a sense of having journeyed through a rich variety of moods and musical landscapes, imbued with the sense of enthusiasm and delight of a child, which one imagines was Goossens‘ inspiration for the trio. From my experience of performing this work, the music is as satisfying for an audience as it is for the performers. I definitely recommend it for advanced secondary students, tertiary students or adult ensembles.

The music is/was published by Chester edition, J.W.C. 203. But is also available through http://www.musicdownloadau.com.

Ingrid Culliford spent many years in London as a free- lance flautist and teacher, and was professor of flute at Trinity College of Music and the Junior Royal Academy of Music. She currently tutors in flute at Waikato University and the NZ School of Music, adjudicates at many festivals and competitions, is an examiner for the NZMEB and a Senior Examiner for the International Baccalaureate Organisation.