To Notice Such Things
Encyclopedia
To Notice Such Things is a six-movement suite for solo flute, piano and string orchestra, composed by Jon Lord
in memory of his close friend the late Sir John Mortimer, CBE, QC. The music emanates from that which Lord composed for the stage show, Mortimer’s Miscellany, which he also occasionally accompanied. To Notice Such Things is the last line of the Thomas Hardy poem “Afterwards”, which ended the show.
Jon says of the piece, "I wanted to give the flute the job of "speaking" for John throughout the Suite; his laughter and his sighs, his wistfulness and occasional mild cantankerousness, his playfulness, and also the anguish and then the acceptance of his final days." The flute solo in the recording of To Notice Such Things, is performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s principal flautist Cormac Henry, who throughout the work engages in dexterous musical dialogue with Lord’s solo piano.
Jon Lord performed three movements from To Notice Such Things at Mortimer’s memorial service at Southwark Cathedral in November 2009, in front of an audience that included the Duchess of Cornwall, members of the Mortimer family, Lord Mandelson, Lord Kinnock, Jeremy Paxman, Alan Rickman, Peter O’Toole, Sir Tom Stoppard and Jeremy Irons, whose noble reading of “Afterwards” closes the recording of To Notice Such Things.
To Notice Such Things has been performed live a few times, most notably on June 16, 2010 at Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Clark Rundell.
2. At Court (5:33)
3. Turville Heath (3:01)
4. Stick Dance (4:45)
5. Winter of a Dormouse (5:33)
6. Afterwards (3:56)
7. Evening Song (8:16)
8. For Example (9:12)
9. Air on a Blue String (6:33)
10. “Afterwards” by Thomas Hardy
Tracks 1-6: To Notice Such Things - In memoriam of Sir John Mortimer, CBE, QC (1923–2009)
Track 7: Original vocal version appears on Jon Lord's Pictured Within album
Track 8: Dedicated to Øyvind Gimse and The Trondheim Soloists
Track 9: Dedicated to Matthew Barley
Track 10: Read by Jeremy Irons
w/Jon Lord, piano
Total time: 54:25
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
, Clark Rundell (conductor), Cormac Henry (flute on tracks 1-6), Jon Lord (piano), Thelma Handy (leader).
Recorded 30 September – 1 October 2009, The Friary, Liverpool. Producer: John Fraser. Engineer: Phil Hobbs.
Release date: 29 March 2010. Avie Records AV 2190
Jon Lord
Jonathan Douglas "Jon" Lord is an English composer, pianist and Hammond organ player.Jon Lord, also known as 'Hammond Lord', is a classically trained piano player. He is recognised for his Hammond organ blues-rock sound and for his pioneering work in fusing rock and classical or baroque forms...
in memory of his close friend the late Sir John Mortimer, CBE, QC. The music emanates from that which Lord composed for the stage show, Mortimer’s Miscellany, which he also occasionally accompanied. To Notice Such Things is the last line of the Thomas Hardy poem “Afterwards”, which ended the show.
Jon says of the piece, "I wanted to give the flute the job of "speaking" for John throughout the Suite; his laughter and his sighs, his wistfulness and occasional mild cantankerousness, his playfulness, and also the anguish and then the acceptance of his final days." The flute solo in the recording of To Notice Such Things, is performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s principal flautist Cormac Henry, who throughout the work engages in dexterous musical dialogue with Lord’s solo piano.
Jon Lord performed three movements from To Notice Such Things at Mortimer’s memorial service at Southwark Cathedral in November 2009, in front of an audience that included the Duchess of Cornwall, members of the Mortimer family, Lord Mandelson, Lord Kinnock, Jeremy Paxman, Alan Rickman, Peter O’Toole, Sir Tom Stoppard and Jeremy Irons, whose noble reading of “Afterwards” closes the recording of To Notice Such Things.
To Notice Such Things has been performed live a few times, most notably on June 16, 2010 at Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Clark Rundell.
Recordings
1. As I Walked Out One Evening (4:15)2. At Court (5:33)
3. Turville Heath (3:01)
4. Stick Dance (4:45)
5. Winter of a Dormouse (5:33)
6. Afterwards (3:56)
7. Evening Song (8:16)
8. For Example (9:12)
9. Air on a Blue String (6:33)
10. “Afterwards” by Thomas Hardy
Tracks 1-6: To Notice Such Things - In memoriam of Sir John Mortimer, CBE, QC (1923–2009)
Track 7: Original vocal version appears on Jon Lord's Pictured Within album
Track 8: Dedicated to Øyvind Gimse and The Trondheim Soloists
Track 9: Dedicated to Matthew Barley
Track 10: Read by Jeremy Irons
Jeremy Irons
Jeremy John Irons is an English actor. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969, and has since appeared in many London theatre productions including The Winter's Tale, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the...
w/Jon Lord, piano
Total time: 54:25
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society is a society based in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, that organises concerts and other events mainly in the field of classical music. The society is the second oldest of its type in the United Kingdom and its orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic...
, Clark Rundell (conductor), Cormac Henry (flute on tracks 1-6), Jon Lord (piano), Thelma Handy (leader).
Recorded 30 September – 1 October 2009, The Friary, Liverpool. Producer: John Fraser. Engineer: Phil Hobbs.
Release date: 29 March 2010. Avie Records AV 2190