Brighton Unitarian Church, Sunday 3 July, 2016

Brighton Connections this summer brings us closer to a number of Sussex composers and Robert Orledge was the focus of the opening concert.

It opened and closed with more familiar works but the two central pieces owed their existence to Robert Orledge. The first was a completion of Debussy’s Serenade pour violon et piano. This existed originally as a single page manuscript which Robert has formulated into a gently persuasive work which undulates gently from a solo violin line into increasingly more complex harmonies until it returns to its opening solo line. Existing in a world somewhere between Debussy and the present day it is a charming work, ideal for a matinee in summer.

This was followed by his own composition Le Jardin clos et merveilleux, which was receiving its world premiere. It has strong Debussyan overtones and in his introduction the composer admitted it was closely linked to Monet’s garden. As such its warm wanderings were effective but one would need to hear it for a second time to get a good sense of exactly where it was going.

The afternoon had begun with John Ireland’s early Phantasie Trio in A minor  and concluded with Mozart robust Piano Trio in Bb major K502. The Ireland was deeply romantic in its atmosphere and nowhere near as English as one has come to expect of Ireland. The Mozart allowed pianist Jeremy Young to show what he would be like in a Mozart piano concerto as there is a large amount of writing here which is far closer to the concerto than the trio. He played with relaxed grace throughout, and Peter Adams, cello, and Daniel Bhattacharya, violin, set a high standard for the rest of the summer.

The next concert on Sunday 17 July will include works by Handel, Bach, Jack Redman and Mozart.

All Saints, Hove, 1 July 2016

One hundred years on but the memory is as painful as if it was yesterday. Both my grandfathers survived the Somme, though one was gassed – but that was not the end for both were sent on to other fighting simply because they had survived.

My own memories of them could be set alongside the thousands of personal stories which came together in this moving tribute from Brighton Festival Chorus, drawing on letters, diaries and poems from the period as well as music. Using the lives of composers and poets as the link brought us rare pieces which deserve a far wider hearing.

Francis Warren was one of the many who died at The Somme but was a recognised composer from a very early age. His Ave Verum is a warmly embracing setting which flowered beautifully within the acoustic of All Saints. Herbert Howells’ Elegy for viola and strings is equally rarely performed which seems strange given that it would not be out of place alongside The Lark Ascending  or any of the Butterworth English pieces. The darker tones of Nicholas Barr’s viola playing were particularly effective.

Jerusalem may seem a little out of place on such a reflective occasion, but we were reminded that it was written during 1916 while Parry was living close-by. We were encouraged to sing along with the choir which we did with enthusiasm. Elgar’s Give unto the Lord seemed strangely positive and extrovert, though the final plea for peace is very moving. It was good to note that the chorus are recording the work later this year.

The unexpected item was Tarik O’Regan’s And there was a great calm performed by Brighton Festival Youth Choir. The gently lyrical first half gives way to a lively setting of Each shall arise and an affirmative conclusion with words by Thomas Hardy. Though a modern piece it sat easily alongside the Edwardian works which surrounded it and the youthful voices added a level of joy which was infective.

The whole of the second half was given over to Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem. This may, technically, be a collection of earlier pieces but it certainly does not come across that way in performance, with the sections flowing naturally into one another. There are widely contrasted pieces here, ranging from Walt Whitman to Biblical texts, with the heart of the work built around a funeral procession for two veterans. It is a moving and challenging piece, and perfect for this occasion, where it allowed us to enjoy the solo singing from Ellie Laugharne and Sebastian Charlesworth and the discreet accompaniment of the Arcadian Ensemble.

James Morgan conducted and introduced the first half, managing to tread a very discrete path between the seriousness of the occasion and seeming too relaxed or familiar.

Sunday 26 June 2016

At the end of the concert Catherine Rimer admitted that the two works she had played were on her bucket list – and that she had been fearful of approaching them – not that we would have been aware of any trepidation from the playing or the emotional intensity she brought to Bach and Britten.

She opened with the fifth of Bach’s six suites for solo cello. This is probably the least performed of the set though there is little reason for this given the magnificence of the writing throughout. She was playing on a baroque instrument of c1750 which was both tuned down, compared with standard orchestral tuning today, and has a flattened top string. Both of these made the work darker and warmer to the modern ear.

This warmth was very obvious in the opening Prelude which fed over into the grace and easy phrasing of the Allemande. If the Courante was slightly more extrovert, we returned to introspection with the mournful not to say melancholic strains of the Sarrabande. The two Gavottes had a lightness and gently fluidity which led into the Gigue which, if not totally joyful, is certainly moving in that direction. 

The second work proved far more challenging. Britten wrote the three cello sonatas for Rostropovich and they are technically demanding as well as asking a lot of the audience. After a brief but complex snatch of melody which is not fully developed we move into a whimsical Fugue, which seems to model itself on Bach, before a long keening Lament which has real lyricism and overt emotion. The song melody returns again briefly before an edgy pizzicato Serenade and a strident March. Both of these prove more demanding than the opening movements but more is to come for the Bourdon is dense and serious, requiring the soloist to create unconventional tones before we return to a Moto perpetuo  which flows into a final brief recapitulation of the song. It is not an easy work, and for many this would be their first hearing. It may have been better to have played the pieces the other way round.

None of  these concerns should however reflect on the quality of Catherine Rimer’s performance of either works, which was moving and often very beautiful. This was not her first visit to St Nicholas and let us very much hope it will not be the last.

Canterbury Cathedral, 18 June 2016

Yes, it’s Verdi’s greatest opera. The passionate intensity, the astonishingly colourful orchestration (the piccolo cutting across the bass drum, for instance), the frequent use of unexpected minor keys and haunting rhythms, and the dramatic use of quartets and reprises all remind us that opera was Verdi’s day job.

And this powerful, popular work was in pretty good hands under Richard Cooke in a packed Cathedral. After a slightly shaky start – that sotto voce opening is notoriously difficult to do from cold especially in a venue with such a time lag – it settled into its stride as soon as it reached the firmer ground of Te decet hymnus.

Highlights included a Dies Irae perfomed as dramatically as I’ve ever heard it – enough to terrify even the staunchest unbeliever with every detail, especially in the woodwind, carefully allowed to push through the texture in the tenser passages. In Tuba mirum, the trumpets were temporarily placed prominently on either side of the choir – the effect being very persuasive. The choir was in fine collective voice and it was a delight to see the relatively new CCS Youth Choir, some of them very young, singing among the adults.

Sam Furness brought unusual sweetness as tenor soloist, especially in the Ingemiso tanquam and Offertorio and mezzo Katie Bray found plenty of claret-like richness especially in the lower notes of Lux Aeterna. Slightly (but only slightly) less successful was Michael Pearce as bass, although his Mors stupedit had real impact. Soprano Judith Howarth had her moments but occasionally seemed to be strained and her opening of Libera me was disappointingly lacking in tremulousness.

Of course the RPO is a fine orchestra and their presence raised the bar even above the standard which Canterbury Choral Society routinely achieves. Particularly impressive was the way Cooke ensured that their strength never overpowered the choir (who are assisted by very steep and high raking so that they were positioned well above the orchestra). Moreover he brought out many parts which usually go unnoticed. The Agnus dei moved me to tears, as it usually does, and that was heighted by hearing a string passage tucked into the texture which I’d never before heard stressed like that.

Cooke is very used to working in the Cathedral and to dealing with its poor acoustic. Magnificent building as it is, a concert hall it is not. Cooke waited longer than usual on every pause to let the sound die away completely, and there was a wonderful unrehearsed moment at the end when just as the final note was played the Cathedral clock struck nine as if it was joining in. Cooke kept his baton raised until that sound had died away too.

Susan Elkin