Watts Chapel is named after the Arts and Crafts memorial chapel built by Mary Watts in commemoration of her husband, the artist GF Watts. The chapel is situated close to my home in Surrey, England, and offers passers-by the opportunity for reflection and quiet contemplation.
My piece draws on the music of Gustav Mahler written around the time the chapel was built – specifically, fragments of the 3rd and 9th Symphonies, and the song Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen (I am lost to the world), from Rückert-Lieder. The Mahler references concern remembrance and the transience of mortality. My music is slow and spacious; it attempts to evoke the peaceful atmosphere of Watts Chapel.
Watts Chapel was commissioned by Michael Partington
Watts Chapel is a moving and emotive piece that refers to various themes from Gustav Mahler. It has a scordatura of 3rd to F# and 6th to D. The Mahler themes are easily spotted, and include the opening pair of chords, from Mahler 9’s opening movement, together with a longer section at bar 21. Further quotes include the 3rd Symphony’s fourth movement a little further on. This makes for a pleasant and very interesting six minutes.
-Chris Dumigan (Classical Guitar Magazine)
