Stinsford church, near Dorchester in Dorset in the south-west of England, just a short distance from Thomas Hardy’s birthplace at Upper Bockhampton, and the place where his heart is buried, provided the perfect setting for A Beautiful Thread, a new words and music concert concept from the ever-inventive Orchestra of the Swan (OOTS). Produced to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the publication of Hardy’s novel Far From the Madding Crowd, A Beautiful Thread (a quote from that novel) weaves the words of Thomas Hardy – as dramatic as any of his novels – from his and others’ memoirs, his letters, poetry and prose – with atmospheric music composed or arranged by Guernsey-born violinist David Le Page, leader and artistic director of OOTS, and performed by a small ensemble of musicians from the orchestra. A few days previously, the ensemble performed A Beautiful Thread amidst the ancient stones of Stonehenge, scene of Tess’s arrest for murder in Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles.
Actor Anton Lesser (Game of Thrones, Wolf Hall, Endeavour) and young actress Lucia Bonbright (who could have walked straight out of one of Hardy’s novels with a surname like ‘Bonbright’!) read the words, including excerpts from Far From the Madding Crowd, Tess of the d’Urbervilles, and Jude the Obscure, bringing Hardy’s life, work and world vividly to life.
I confess I’ve not read much of Hardy’s prose writing, but I’ve really enjoyed film versions of some of his novels. And perhaps the move to Dorset (in 2018) and a greater sense of connection to the places and landscapes he knew, loved and included in his novels, piqued my interest in his writing, especially when hearing it read out loud by Anton Lesser. Indeed, there is a wonderful cadence to his writing, almost musical, and hearing his words spoken in the heart of “Hardy County” (as the Dorset Tourist Board likes to portray it!) was particularly special.
David Le Page writes haunting, atmospheric music. There are drones and loops, shimmering, wistful melodies, often with a folk inflection, hints of birdsong or the wind rustling the trees on ‘Egdon Heath’ (the primary setting for Hardy’s novel The Return of the Native). His arrangements of traditional folk melodies and carols (Apple Tree Wassail, See Amid the Winter’s Snow) are earthy, textural, foot-tappingly rhythmic, with careful attention paid to individual instruments (Diane Clark on flute/piccolo, Miloš Milivojević on accordion, and Glenda Allaway on harp, to name but a few of these fine musicians).
David Le Page
But perhaps the most arresting aspect of this heartfelt, poignant, witty and fascinating performance was the way the music was so subtly interposed between the words, weaving in and out, sometimes softly, sometimes more robustly, but always sensitively paced, complementing, illustrating and enhancing the words. The overall effect was of a continuous narrative of Hardy’s life and work. A fine tribute to Thomas Hardy, his words, his world – and to Dorset.
Anton Lesser says: ‘Words and Music is a kind of unique genre, neither pure reading, nor acting, but with an immediacy that comes from the huge emotional impact the music has upon the words, and vice versa, and the interplay we as actors enjoy with the musicians on-stage. Quite simply, it’s the most enjoyable thing I’ve ever done!’
Stinsford Church
A Beautiful Thread is currently on tour in the UK – find out more here.
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