WorldView Episode 52: Ruth Watson Henderson & William Mathias
Welcome to the fifty-second episode of WorldView, rounding out one year of broadcasts! This has been an incredible experience, and I can’t wait to continue producing the show in the months ahead. Episode fifty-two features five new composers, two of whom I’d like to include in today’s post: Ruth Watson Henderson and William Mathias.
Ruth Louise Watson Henderson was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1932. She studied piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music and the Mannes College of Music, and made her debut as a concert pianist in 1952. From 1968 to 1979, Henderson held her most well-known role as accompanist of the Festival Singers of Canada, a group known for collaborations with composer Igor Stravinsky. After the choir’s dissolution in 1979, Henderson published a variety of choral and instrumental works. The composer currently resides in Toronto, and continues to publish compositions. In this episode, trumpeter Ian Pearson performs Henderson’s “Trumpet Voluntary” with organist Ted Gentry.
Rounding out this episode is a work by Welsh composer William Mathias, who was born in Carmarthenshire, Wales, in 1934. Like Henderson, Mathias began playing piano at a very young age; he completed his first composition at age five. Mathias was awarded a fellowship in 1965 to his alma mater, the Royal Academy of Music in London. Many of the composer’s works were written in the ‘Anglican choral tradition’, including the work “Let the people praise Thee, O God”, which was featured at the wedding of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. Mathias also founded the North Wales International Music Festival, which he directed until his death in 1992. This episode concludes with Mathias’s “Requiescat, Op. 79”, performed by Grant Llewellyn and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, with oboist David Cowley. The work was written in 1977.
WorldView Episode Fifty-Two Playlist:
Olli MUSTONEN, “Cello Sonata”, {Steven Isserlis (cl), Olli Mustonen (pf)} - BIS
Ruth Watson HENDERSON, “Trumpet Voluntary”, {Ian Pearson (trp), Ted Gentry (org)} - Americus
Nancy GALBRAITH, “Sonata for Bassoon and Piano”, {Christin Schillinger (bsn), Jed Moss (pf)} - MSR Classics
Sergio ASSAD, “Aquarelle”, {David Russell (gtr)} - Telarc
William MATHIAS, “Requiescat, Op. 79”, {BBC Symphony Orchestra, Grant Llewellyn, David Cowley (ob)} - Nimbus Records
WorldView is a classical music radio show featuring composers from everywhere in the world - except Western Europe. Tune in to hear works by lesser-known artists such as Nancy Dalberg and Isang Yun, and widen your knowledge of classical music. Hinke Younger hosts each week’s episode of WorldView on Mondays at 9AM and 6PM (with a rebroadcast Saturdays at 2PM) on Charlottesvilleclassical.org.