Brighton Unitarian Church, 20 July 2014

If there was an air of the Pump Room in Bath on this very sultry afternoon please take the comment as a compliment. The string quartet drawn from the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra opened with a delightful arrangement of Schubert’s Marche Militaire promptly followed by an even more winning rendition of Tchaikovsky’s Andante Cantabile from the first string quartet. If not quite as familiar to Classic FM listeners as the slow movement from the Borodin quartet, it had a richness of expression without any undue emotion which was totally convincing.

The afternoon concluded with Mozart’s Oboe Quartet, where the strings were joined by Alun Darbyshire who proved that he was more than a match for Mozart’s fearsome writing. A triumph all round.

Between these we heard Peter Copley’s String Quartet No2, which had been composed for the Stanford Quartet in 2009. There were hints both in the introduction and from the composer that we might find this challenging. It is certainly a very serious composition, but Peter Copley was quite right to suggest that even difficult music can be fun. This certainly is, and for all the complexity of the writing, it is easy to assimilate on a first hearing – dare I say that is not always the case with new music!

The opening Molto vivace has a strong sense of purpose and direction, its regular triple stabbing chords punctuating the musical line and marking out the structure for our journey. At other times the line dances and leads like the Pied Piper. The Adagio is a genuine cantabile, the melody moving easily from one instrument to another. The movement has warmth and an integrity which is close to its Haydnesque roots. Following the idea of having fun, the scherzo starts as if it is going to be a folk song but this rapidly fragments, only to reappear and reform itself as the music progresses. There is a quintessential Englishness to this movement without any hint of pastiche or reference to twentieth century masters. The final Presto is a hell-for-leather skittering which can only bring a smile to any listener, its furious pace easily within the technical grasp of the quartet. The crunch with any new work is the question – would I like to hear this again? Yes, very much so, and it deserves recording as soon as somebody can be persuaded to do so. Let us hope there will be occasions to hear other works by Peter Copley.

Sir Andrew Davis, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Chorus, the BBC National Chorus of Wales

Elgar’s The Kingdom

On possibly the hottest day of the year the new season was launched in quintessentially English style with Elgar’s The Kingdom. If the forces and soloists were familiar, there was a new sense of joy and often of gentleness to this reading which was captivating throughout. Frequently looking back to The Apostles, there was a sense of conviction which comes from a depth of faith and certainty, not from passion and extrovert enthusiasm. The prelude brought a gentle hesitation which blossomed into the opening scene at the heart of which was Peter’s blessed it, and brake, and gave it to us, the phrase held lovingly, almost timelessly. This same sense continued into the scene for the two Marys on the morn of Pentecost where the hints of Flower Maidens are turned into the more refined worship of the temple. There were times when the combined BBC Symphony Chorus, the BBC National Chorus of Wales came into dynamic full flood, effective in the outpouring of He, who walketh upon the wings of the wind, and controlled crescendo of There shall be a fountain opened.

The soloists were well contrasted. Catherine Wyn-Rogers may be a familiar Mary Magdalene but over the years she has made the part her own and there is still no better voice for the part. Erin Wall brought radiance to Mary’s The sun goeth down and highlighted the many subtle shifts of mood. Christopher Purves sounded slightly husky as Peter but the voice did not let him down. Andrew Staples brought a heady, Wagnerian authority to John, easily riding the full orchestra.

As this review indicates, Sir Andrew Davis knows this work from years of conducting it, yet still brings a sense of freshness and excitement as if he were conducting it for the first time.

If the rest of the season is as good as this we are in for a vintage year.

Sir Andrew Davis conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Chorus, the BBC National Chorus of Wales and soloists in Elgar’s The Kingdom

All Saints Church, Hove, 12 July 2014

Gentle music for a summer evening. A full church, and thankfully not too warm, gathered to hear the European premiere of Malcolm Hawkins’ Martha and Lazarus.  The setting for baritone solo, chorus and small orchestra draws on the gospel story of the raising of Lazarus but leans heavily towards Caravaggio’s painting of the same which highlights the relationship between Lazarus and Martha rather than the focus on Jesus. As such the text highlights Martha’s loss rather than the impact of Lazarus’ resurrection. The final Alleluia is surprisingly muted and Jesus’ call to Lazarus does not speak of conviction or absolute faith. The musical language is melodically unchallenging throughout and there is rarely any sense of heightened emotion given the weight of the narrative. Carefully crafted, the work never quite thrills in the way the story does on the page.

Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending may be one of the most popular compositions of all time but it never fails to lift the spirits. Benjamin Baker’s warm solo violin was as much a part of the rural landscape as of the ethereal. Its musical line seemed to keep returning to us to draw us ever further aloft, yet never escaping the beauty of the landscape below. His solo encircled the folk tunes to purify, possibly even sanctify them, uniting heaven and earth in the simplicity of a single line.

After the interval Durufle’s Requiem sat very comfortably in the rich acoustic and the organ sounded suitably French in its undulating weight from the start. There is a joyous conviction about this setting which was well caught by chorus and orchestra, the occasional moments of doubt rapidly cast aside by the assurance of salvation. The lovely antiphonal setting of the Christe eleison radiates hope and certainty that mercy will follow. The Agnus Dei  unfolds like the petals of the flower, with a soft, almost voiceless whisper of sempiternam.

Paul Reeves’ brief solos in the Durufle seemed happier than those in the Hawkins, and his assured baritone carried easily in the church. The Orpheus Sinfonia impressed throughout, and Joseph Cullen gave us considered and apt registration for the organ solos in the Durufle. James Morgan balanced his forces well in what can be a difficult acoustic, ensuring that the text carried and solo instruments spoke with clarity.

Unitarian Church Brighton, Sunday 6 July 2014

Four concerts on Sunday afternoons with works by Mozart in each one, and more recent compositions by local composers, sounds like a good plan for the summer to bridge the days between the end of last season and the start of the new in October.

On this first occasion the string quartet brought together violinists Daniel Bhattacharya and Roland Roberts, viola Bruce White and cellist Peter Adams. They opened with a delightful reading of Mozart’s Divertimento in D major. The acoustic in the church is very close and at first the impact seemed almost too loud – like being in the front room of a hi-fi enthusiast who likes the volume too high – but this soon settled and clarity of texture returned. They found a lightness in the opening Allegro, particularly in the quieter passages, and a fine cantabile in the Andante which danced with subtle joy. The short, bright Presto brought the work to a warm climax and it was obvious the players were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

The afternoon ended with the arrangement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No12 in A for piano and string quartet, ideal for the small venue. The Bluthner piano has a wonderfully warm tone and was perfectly balanced with the quartet, Jeremy Young being the sensitive pianist. If anything it was difficult to image so intimate a work played by larger forces, so successful is this arrangement. The playful final Allegretto brought the afternoon to a warmly received climax.

Between these two works we were to have heard two works by Ian Morgan–Williams. In the event Several Endings was not ready for performance so we heard only Five or Six Corridors. The work is scored for piano trio. Despite the introduction by the composer it was very difficult to follow the narrative of the thirteen brief pieces and one quickly became lost among the corridors themselves. Towards the middle of the set there is a slow, lyrical section led by the solo cello which builds to heavy, chunky chords on the piano, only to die away as quickly as it arrived. Near the end another lyrical outpouring for the cello – almost a folk melody – is equally impressive. Unfortunately much of the rest of the set seemed discordant and unfocussed, the intense intimacy of the writing being momentarily arresting but not adding to our overall understanding of the piece.

The next concert on 20 July brings works by Mozart, Schubert and Tchaikovsky, plus Peter Copley’s 2^nd string quartet. Details on www.brightonphil.org.uk