Several BMS members and friends have enjoyed the July private screening of the John McCabe film tribute which was produced by former BMS chairman, Wendy Hiscocks.
Comments have included:
“It is beautifully and thoughtfully put together, informative and also very moving – congratulations! I shall certainly watch it again (more than once) before midnight on Saturday!” Andrew Mayes (BMS member)
“I just finished watching your film tribute to John, and I loved it. It was so interesting, and full of nuggets of information that I never knew about John and his work. The anecdotes from his friends, and Monica of course, were so full of warmth and humanity I could’ve watched for hours, but to hear the music again and, even more, to hear John’s voice once again filled me with emotion. I want to see Edward and Arthur again!…As Monica says at one point, no one really dies until they are forgotten, and your film and John’s music will ensure that that never happens,” David Bintley (choreographer)
“I cannot tell you what a wonderful job you have done with this film. You are amazing, and I am so grateful. You pulled all that disparate material together so beautifully. It is near genius, doing this as your very first attempt at film-making. I was almost in tears at the end,” Monica McCabe
“Many congrats. Splendid format – can think of loads of other topics for the treatment!” Lewis Foreman (BMS member, author, entrepreneur)
“I’ve enjoyed the tribute… I’ve been meaning for some time to obtain a copy of his Elegy, an organ work dating from 1965. Stimulated by what I saw and heard, I’ve done something I’ve never done before. I’ve ordered a copy using eBay,’ Relf Clark (organist, reviewer)
“A very thoughtful and touching video which captures something of the spirit of John McCabe’s music and aspects of his life very effectively. I was personally moved to see the interviews with my former composition professor, George Odam from what is now Bath Spa University. George was a great friend of John’s and this led to a staging of his brilliant opera, ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ which I had the pleasure of co-conducting. I remember John’s humility about the music and his perceptive yet constantly supportive comments. However, in the video I was rather amused to hear John’s rather dismissive mention of writing opera!” Nicholas Keyworth (composer and director of Revolution Arts)