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The Nevill Feast: Rouse's Banquet for Boston Pops

(July 2003)

Chefs sometimes speak of orchestrating a fine meal, but Christopher Rouse has turned the tables in his latest piece, The Nevill Feast. The tasty eight-minute concert opener was first served to a delighted audience on May 7, as Keith Lockhart conducted the opening concert of the Boston Pops's 2003 season.

Says Rouse, "During the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods, it was not uncommon in England to find the scheduling of elaborate feasts in honor of a notable event. Guests numbered in the hundreds or even thousands, and often the intent was to demonstrate how many fighting men a given family could muster in the event that an army had to be raised.

"George Nevill was elevated to the archbishopric of York in 1465, and the feast held that year in his honor has come down to us as one of the most sumptuous and enormous of all such feasts. A substantial variety of birds were served, including gannets, gulls, sparrows, peacocks, and larks. Other items offered included six wild bulls, one hundred thirteen oxen, one thousand sheep, and thirteen porpoises. Also on hand were two thousand each of chickens, geese, and pigs. Over two thousand guests reportedly attended, and the feast lasted for several days." Rouse notes that the piece is built on a chord progression frequently heard in rock music.

Wrote Richard Dyer of The Boston Globe, "Rouse's piece has both a period and a distinctly contemporary flavor; it begins quietly but builds into a rousing juggernaut. What is fascinating about it is how off-kilter he keeps it by juggling the rhythms as the crescendo builds until it all comes together; the whole thing is fun, brilliantly orchestrated, and more than slightly unsettling. Lockhart and the orchestra appeared to enjoy the aerobic workout."

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