There Came a Wind like a Bugle: Chamber Music by Nigel Butterley

Chamber works spanning some thirty years by Nigel Butterley, one of Australia’s finest composers, for soloists, song and choir.

Nigel Butterley piano
Ian Shanahan recorder
Diana Blom harpsichord
Gerald English tenor
Ian Munro piano
Geoffrey Collins flute
David Pereira cello
David Miller piano
The Contemporary Singers choir
Antony Walker musical director
Stephanie McCallum piano
The Song Company choir
Roland Peelman artistic director

Nigel Butterley composer

Included is the famous short work for recorder and harpsichord The White-throated Warbler, here in its first recording on CD. Veteran tenor Gerald English is featured in two short song cycles.

Butterley is well known for his choral writing. This disc includes the early The True Samaritan, sung by the Contemporary Singers under Antony Walker, and the title work There Came a Wind like a Bugle, sung by the Song Company under Roland Peelman.

Artist

Nigel Butterley

Nigel Butterley (1935–2022) was an Australian composer and pianist. His catalogue ranges from radiophonic and choral scores to chamber, vocal and orchestral works, and as a pianist he was closely identified with contemporary music and the prepared piano.

Tracks

The White-throated Warbler Nigel Butterley 2:28

Child in Nature Nigel Butterley

1. The Child 1:40
2. The Bird 2:17
3. Brown Jack 1:59
4. The Cricket 1:38
5. Spider’s Web :47
6. The Wind and the Song 1:48
7. A Dark Glow About Me 2:38
Arioso Nigel Butterley 1:24
Comment on a Popular Song Nigel Butterley 1:12
Il Gubbo Nigel Butterley 1:45
The Wind Stirs Gently Nigel Butterley 4:53

Frogs Nigel Butterley

i. :49
ii. :59
iii. :53
Evanston Song Nigel Butterley 4:35

The True Samaritan Nigel Butterley

Morning Fanfare 3:57
The True Samaritan 2:10
My Wishes 1:44
Surrexit Dominus 4:45
Of Wood Nigel Butterley 8:47
Uttering Joyous Leaves Nigel Butterley 4:56

There Came a Wind like a Bugle Nigel Butterley

i. 3:24
ii. 2:17
iii. 1:45
iv. 2:33
v. 7:21
vi. 2:43

Performers

Nigel Butterley · piano · tracks 2–8
Ian Shanahan · recorder · track 1
Diana Blom · harpsichord · track 1
Gerald English · tenor · tracks 2–8, 13–15
Ian Munro · piano · tracks 9–11, 13–15
Geoffrey Collins · flute · tracks 12 and 16
David Pereira · cello · tracks 12 and 21
David Miller · piano · track 16
The Contemporary Singers · choir · tracks 17–20
Antony Walker · musical director · tracks 17–20
Stephanie McCallum · piano · track 22
The Song Company · choir · tracks 23–28
Roland Peelman · artistic director · tracks 23–28

Contributors

Liner Notes

Elliott Gyger

Elliott Gyger was born in Sydney, and has been writing music since about the age of ten. His compositional and research interests include the creation of a purely musical sense of drama and narrative, and the multilayered interplay of music and text.

Photography

Michael Brouet

Artwork [Cover]

Suzie Marston

Where to listen

There Came a Wind like a Bugle: Chamber Music by Nigel Butterley is available for streaming through Apple Music. It can also be purchased through the iTunes Music Store.

There Came a Wind like a Bugle: Chamber Music by Nigel Butterley is available as a CD. It can be purchased online through Buywell Music or the Australian Music Centre which both offer online ordering.