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International Interview Concerts

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The International Interview Concerts came on line for the first time on Sunday 6 December to link up musicians across Europe to play and talk about their experiences and memories of Christmas. The event was hosted by Timothy Chick, who also did a valiant job linking up the various artists as well as interviewing them as the evening proceeded.

Of course, like so many events today, we were not only at the mercy of the legal restrictions but also the available technology. For some of the time this worked well but there were other occasions when the sound quality did not do justice to the professional standing and competence of the players.

The evening opened with violinist Kamila Bydlowska playing versions of  ‘Angels From the Realms of Glory’ & ‘Ding Dong Merrily on High’, with some fine double-stopping on display. This was folloed by the Bukolika Piano Trio (Gabriela Opacka  violin – Joanna Gutowska cello – Anna Szalucka piano) bringing us a suite of arrangements of familiar carols –  ‘The First Noel’, ‘Stille Nacht’, ‘Jingle Bells’and the traditional Polish: ‘Lulajze Jezuniu’ (‘Lullaby Jesus’).

Kamila returned to play the Polish carol ‘Oh Tiny, Tiny Baby’.

As a contrast we now heard from Mexican singer Jorge Carlo Moreno accompanied by Varvara Tarasova at the piano. They opened with the Spanish carol ‘La Virgen Lava Pañales’ followed by a piano solo – Tchaikovsky’s ‘December’ from The Seasons – and ended with ‘The Little Drummer Boy’ sung in Spanish.

Kamila followed this with another Polish carol arranged for violin but the final items fell to pianist  Olga Paliy who brought us Holst’s ‘Chrissemas Day in the Morning’, Debussy’s ‘The Snow is Dancing’, and concluding with a fine arrangement of the ‘Carol of the Bells’.

In between Timothy Clark chatted to the artist about their own experience of Christmas music and particularly of their earliest memories of Christmas. It was fascinating to hear the very personal memories from across continents and the different traditions they keep within their own families.

Let us hope that the technical side can be improved so that the experience is closer to a live event in future as the venture itself was certainly engaging.

 

 

 

 

Handel: Messiah

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Christ Church, St Leonards-on-Sea, Saturday 05 December

HPO Singers, Ensemble OrQuesta Baroque
Helen May soprano
Isabelle Haile soprano
Laura Fleur mezzo-soprano
Nathan Mercieca countertenor
Kieran White tenor
Thomas Kelly tenor
John Holland-Avery baritone
 
Marcio da Silva conductor/baroque guitar

This was the first live concert I have attended for ten months so I think I may be forgiven for shedding several tears when the notes of the “Sinfonia” died away in the atmospheric half light and Kieran White opened with “Comfort ye my people”. It set the tone for the whole evening: a lot of fine singing, respect for some of the most arresting, uplifting music ever written and – given the privations of this strange year – an unusual sense of warm gratitude in both (distanced) performers and audience.

Working with a small group of singers – only four basses – and conducting, with a lot of originality, from his baroque guitar Marcio da Silva found much clarity and precision in the chorus numbers although the necessary spacing created a challenge – the basses were to the right of the orchestra at the front with tenors to the left and sopranos and altos at the back. This placed the band in the middle of the choir and meant that sopranos were a long way from the basses, and the altos from the tenors. Inevitably there were occasional timing glitches but none of them detracted from the overall achievement.  The unaccompanied “Since by man came death” was perfectly, movingly together, however and the understated opening to “Amen” worked really well because it left so much scope for joyful crescendi as it developed all the way to that magical, climactic top A from the sopranos, nine bars before the end.

It was a concert full of ideas too. First there was the use of a tiny Baroque orchestra who played impeccably on original instruments (or replicas)  with Marcio da Silva on guitar and Petra Hajduchova on harpsichord.  I grinned to see Marcia da Silva morph into percussionist and singer during “Hallelujah”, leaving Edmund Taylor to direct from the first desk. Versatility is everything at the moment.  I also liked the idea, in this of all years, of sharing the solo work among seven soloists rather than four: more opportunities for more talented people.

Among the many high spots was Laura Fleur’s smiling “O thou that tellest”. She has a lower register like spiced hot chocolate. The contrast she later brought to the stark agony of “He was despised” was outstanding. I also admired the elegant, measured decoration from countertenor, Nathan Mercieca in “He shall feed his flock” and John Holland-Avery is a very arresting, dramatic singer in “The Trumpet shall sound”. Then there was the “sounding” itself with Louis Barclay’s on natural trumpet – another delightful moment.

Well it isn’t Christmas without hearing a decent Messiah and for a long time it looked as though this was going to be my first Messiah-less Christmas for many decades. So thanks HPO for making this happen, despite all 2020’s problems, and for the stunningly beautiful Christ Church which supports HPO by allowing them to use the premises without charge.

Susan Elkin

 

Hastings Contemporary Gallery Presents Two Spectacular New Exhibitions

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Two hugely anticipated exhibitions

Lakwena Mciver’s Homeplace 

Stephen Chambers’ The Court of Redonda 

will mark the re-opening of Hastings Contemporary after

the UK’s latest national lockdown.

Lakwena Maciver, one of the UK’s most exciting contemporary black artists creates painted prayers and meditations, which respond to and re-appropriate elements of popular culture. Central to her practice are words, used as both images and anchors of meaning.

Exploring the role of the artist as myth-maker, with their use of acid-bright colour and bold typographic text, her paintings act as a means of decolonisation, subtly subverting prevailing mythologies. The approach is instinctive and autodidactic, producing visceral, rhythmic and immersive panel paintings, iconic murals and installations.

Lakwena’s most recent body of work exhibited for the first time at Hastings Contemporary focuses on the interplay between her practices as both artist and mother of two young sons. Responding to feminist author bell hooks’ essay Homeplace (a site of resistance), and in the tradition of African women across the diaspora, Lakwena has been painting the walls of her home to create a space of affirmation, empowerment and resistance upon which will sit her panel paintings.

Challenging both the external and the internalised voice of mass media, Lakwena has created works in the public realm internationally, from installations at Tate Britain, Somerset House, Facebook and the Southbank Centre in London, to a juvenile detention centre in Arkansas, a monastery in Vienna, and the Bowery Wall in New York City.

Lakwena says “What’s this exhibition about? Well it’s about me ‘singing over’ my home, my family, my community. I’m an artist and a mother, and I guess I’m looking at where those two roles cross over. My art is concerned with mythologies; things we hold to be true and I want to tell the truth to my kids. These are words of affirmation, words that will encourage, warn and inspire. I know that they go out into the big wide world and I can’t control what happens out there. They’ll hear things and be influenced by things that I have no control over. But I can ensure that in my home I am sending them clear messages about who they are, their value, their worth, what to do in times of need, where to go to for help, what to set their hearts on, what is important. So that’s what these paintings are about. My intention is to create a safe space for them. As these paintings and images of them travel, literally and virtually, my hope is that they might act as sparks to encourage others to define spaces of safety, and also as signs to point people to places of safety”.

First shown at The Venice Biennale in 2017, Stephen Chambers’ The Court of Redonda depicts a cast of 101 imaginary courtiers inspired by a literary legend that developed around the tiny uninhabited Caribbean island of Redonda. This legend took shape as a fantasy in the mind of Matthew Dowdy Sheill, a merchant trader who claimed the island in 1865 and gave himself the title of King. The title passed down to his son, who decided that it should be given to poets and novelists as a form of literary honour. The celebrated novelist Javier Marías was a recent sovereign and his appointment of courtiers, including film director Pedro Almodóvar and novelists AS Byatt and Ian McEwan, inspired Chambers to create his own imaginary court of Redondans: not just poets, philosophers, artists and writers, but also patients, pharmacists, harlots and “bums”.

Chambers explains: ‘It’s a construct, – an idea that I was intrigued with. I wrote to Javier Marías, and in that correspondence, I suggested that I would paint portraits of the court. The paintings are not portraits from life, and they’re not depictions of real people, -they are invented. I wanted to present a wide range of motley ne’er-do-wells and in a way celebrate their ordinariness. There is that line that I kick around my head which goes ‘the ordinary is more extraordinary than the extraordinary’’.

The Court of Redonda is joined in this exhibition by other series of works by Chambers exploring histories, both real and imagined.

Stephen Chambers RA is one of the UK’s most revered artists, having exhibited widely around the globe, with more than 40 solo presentations including the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 2012 and at the Pera Museum, Istanbul in 2014. Chambers contemporary dance collaborations at The Royal Ballet, London with Ashley Page and Orlando Gough include Sleeping with Audrey (1996), Room of Cooks (1997,1999), and This House will Burn (2001)

Chambers work is held in many international collections including Arts Council England, Deutsche Bank, London, Downing College, Cambridge (at which he was the Kettle’s Yard/Downing College Fellow and later elected an Honorary Fellow), UK Government Art Collection, London, Metropolitan Museum, New York and The Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Liz Gilmore Director of Hastings Contemporary says “Hastings Contemporary Gallery finishes this extraordinary year with two hugely exciting and thought-provoking exhibitions by two internationally significant artists: Lakwena and Stephen Chambers. Responding directly and positively to the challenges of our time Lakwena’s vibrant two-room exhibition will challenge and delight. Chambers’ stunning series of works take the viewer on an imaginative journey where we can reflect and learn on our own world order. Both exhibitions remind us of the vital role artists play as storytellers and mythmakers.

Covid-19 has challenged the resilience of the cultural sector.  The trustees and I are very proud of the prodigious efforts of our small team delivering such meticulous installations at this challenging time. We would like to thank the exhibiting artists Lakwena and Stephen for their incredible openness and agility in responding to the changing brief and for their thoughtful and imaginative use of the gallery spaces. Visitors will be able to enjoy these exhibitions alongside the prophetic exhibition by Sir Quentin Blake ‘We Live in Worrying Times’. None of this would have been possible without the generosity and support of many incredible individuals and organisations who have supported us at this time.”

Hasting Contemporary Team overcame the logistical barriers that the pandemic created for galleries and museums across the world, enhanced by the investment from Hastings Borough Council, ACE and DCMS’ recovery funds. The team presented a series of stunning exhibitions throughout the year, while also trailblazing robotic technology to help combat social isolation and ensure they reached the widest possible audience. The year will culminate with these two dazzling shows opening in December.

Hastings Contemporary is planning a calendar of exciting new projects though out 2021, and will continue to curate world-class exhibitions and shows for all our audiences both on-line via our robot tours and in our much loved gallery, as and when it is allowed to open.

Advent Crown – an upcoming livestream presentation of Christmas music and conversation with overseas guest performers

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The Worthing-based International Interview Concerts (IICs) are well-placed to find out and showcase their discoveries in their ‘Advent Crown’ show on Sunday December 6 at 6pm. It will be a livestreaming on their new YouTube channel, linking to the homes of some of their associated professional musicians from other countries.

Relaxed conversations between their own performances of carols or related music will enable us to share what their own Christmases look and sound like, as well as what they enjoy of the universal features and sounds of the season. And learn what they most look forward to. Viewers can ask questions online, on the day.

These featured Advent Crown guests are from 4 overseas nations – one of them, Mexican, living in a fifth. To maintain the element of surprise, their identities are under wraps until the show.

These 7 musicians will bring their own national carols or pieces, and they’ll perform others of universal familiarity, amounting to music from 9 countries. Of the two best-loved English settings of In The Bleak Midwinter, one is by The Planets’ composer, Gustav Holst. Now, Advent Crown, one guest will unfold something else Christmassy by him few Brits know.

Whatever the chats uncover, at least one startling revelation is guaranteed. One carol will tell us how English-speaking nations have been rather sniffy about what they deemed suitable Christmas carol material. No giveaways now, except that it’s about imagery, and it’s been run by at least one celebrity singer past millions of English-speakers who never knew . . .

In non pandemic-tormented times, these IICs guest musicians earn their living on classical instruments or their voice, but they are all-round musical people. Here they will be presenting Christmas music they have jumped at the chance to perform, and are relishing it. So expect some familiar Christmas music in new clothing.

The International Interview Concerts are running a 12-point countdown to Advent Crown on their Facebook page, with engaging text, pictures and music links.

There is a ‘gofundme’ page for voluntary contributing towards the Advent Crown’s performing musicians and the charity’s continued work in schools and public. You will find it at –

https://uk.gofundme.com/f/sekzmg-international-interview-concerts

CDs/DVDs November 2020 (2)

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Wagner: Lohengrin
Staatsoper Stuttgart, Cornelius Meister
BELAIR BAC 475

Recent productions of Lohengrin have tended to be either dull and traditional or wildly over the top. This is thankfully the exception. Arpad Schilling’s finely nuanced approach is utterly convincing and yet unlike anything one is likely to have encountered before. He ditches the super-natural. Lohengrin simply appears at the right time out of the chorus rather than magically arriving by swan. The chorus, all highly individualised, are closer to the Bartered Bride than the regimented forces we have become used to from Bayreuth. It adds a whole new level to the work. Telramund – a nasty older man in Martin Gantner’s interpretation – is clearly disliked by the crowd and they need a hero to take him on. ‘Lohengrin’ is pushed forward to do the job. Does he actually believe what he is saying or is it all an illusion? In the final Grail narration it is as if he feels compelled to tell them but is unsure he believes it himself. It is gripping and convincing throughout – even if the unexpected ending stretches us somewhat out of our comfort zone.

To all of this can be added some of the finest, and often most lyrical, singing I have heard in a long time. Michael Konig is a splendid Lohengrin, as far removed from the conventional hero as one could imagine yet warmly convincing. Goran Jurik’s Heinrich is a somewhat jumped up local politician who keeps bringing God into the conversation, much to the annoyance of the chorus. Simone Schneider is a reluctant, almost other-worldly Elsa, quite unlike the quick witted Ortrud of Okka von der Damerau.

Above all, Cornelius Meister’s gentle coaxing of the orchestra is masterful, creating some of the most lush and romantic sounds I can recall for some time.

This may challenge your pre-conceptions but I can’t recommend it too highly.

Casta Diva
Vanessa Benelli Mosell, piano
DECCA 4855290

Piano arrangements of familiar opera pieces were popular with 19th century composers, none more so than Liszt who has four separate arrangements here. Alongside these sit lesser known but engaging versions drawn from Rossini, Bellini and even Puccini. The most unexpected is surely from Busoni. His Turandots Frauengemach is based on Greensleeves!  Vanessa Benelli Mosell brings a lightness of touch to her genuine virtuosity which is consistently pleasing.

Christoph Graupner: Bassoon Cantatas
Sergio Azzolini, bassoon, Kirchheimer BachConsort, Florian Heyerick
CPO 555 353-2

There are rarities and then there is the totally unexpected. The bassoon rarely gets into the limelight (I should know – I played bassoon while at school) but here it is the guiding light behind six beautifully crafted cantatas. Without making it into a solo instrument, Graupner gently draws attention to the many strengths of the instrument and the lyrical beauty of its musical lines when it is allowed to show them. A rarity – but one worth exploring.

Beethoven transformed Vol 2
Boxwood & Brass
RESONUS RES 10270

These are hugely enjoyable and the arrangements work remarkably well. The music for Egmont is skilfully reworked so that the incidental pieces fit comfortably into the end of the overture itself. If the anonymous arrangement of the Pathetique is not quite as good, the rendition of the Seventh Symphony certainly is, with the dance rhythms and sense of joy evident throughout.

Brahms: chamber music
Frank Gemmill, horn, Danile Grimwood, piano, Marquise Gilmore, violin
BIS 2478

The CD opens with a transcription of the Scherzo in C minor, followed by an arrangement of the cello sonata Op38 for horn and piano. Only the final E flat major trio is actually for the three instruments, but realistically the arrangements are so well crafted that one would not know unless one had a sound knowledge of the originals. Warmly convincing throughout.

Inviolata
Jacob Heringman, lute and vihuela
INVENTA INV 1004

I had not come across a vihuela before. It is a 15th century Spanish instrument, shaped like a guitar but strung like a lute. Realistically, unless you were a real aficionado I doubt you would know the difference simply by listening, but this is a very pleasing release. All the short works are Marian motets by Josquin des Prez arranged by Jacob Heringman for lute and vihuela. They work remarkably well and nothing in their quietly contemplative way seems forced or out of order. A lovely disc to meditate to.

A Bag of Bagatelles: Beethoven and Birtwistle
Nicolas Hodges, piano
CONCEPT WERGO WER 6810 2

This is a fascinating combination though I can see not necessarily to everyone’s taste. Nicolas Hodges has chosen three works by Beethoven that stretch the formats they inhabit. The Op77 Fantasy can seem shapeless and indeterminate, but put alongside the fluidity of Birtwistle’s Variations from the Golden Mountain it seems a mirror of good design. The final two pieces are gently tongue in cheek. Beethoven’s brief Allegretto woo 61 leads us into Birtwistle’s Dance of the Metro-gnome – a piece for children which requires a strict metronome beat throughout and presumably a very enlightened piano teacher!

Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty
Ballet Company and Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala, Milan, Felix Korobov
CMAJOR 756104

This is so comfortably traditional it is almost a kitsch cliché. The sets and costumes by Franca Squarciapino are sumptuous and so detailed they work well in close up. The choreography is a revival of Rudolf Nureyev’s production first seen in 1966, which we saw at the ROH at the time. It now has strong Marmite qualities. As a set of dances it works well and the solo dancers impress, but don’t look for subtlety of character or narrative. This is a Christmas entertainment – just sit back and enjoy.

 

 

GARSINGTON OPERA’S THE TURN OF THE SCREW WINS RPS AWARD

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GARSINGTON OPERA’S THE TURN OF THE SCREW WINS RPS AWARD

Garsington Opera’s 2019 production of Britten’s opera The Turn of the Screw has won the Opera and Music Theatre section of the 2020 Royal Philharmonic Society Awards.

The jury’s citation read: ‘This spine-tingling, stylish production was a class act. It was perfectly conceived for its setting as twilight fell, and showcased a gratifyingly inclusive cast and crew, all delivering at the very highest level.’

The award was open to all opera activities taking place in the 2019 season in the UK and the winner was chosen by a panel of specialists. The cast reacts to the news of the award in this video here: https://youtu.be/R4MnvK_AelE

Douglas Boyd, Garsington Opera’s Artistic Director, said: “All of us at Garsington Opera are so proud of this production, and we’re over the moon that we’ve won this award. In this year when we must celebrate the performing arts more than ever, we’d like to dedicate this award to everyone who works in the amazing world of opera. We’re all winners.” A highlight of the 2019 Season, this production of Britten’s masterpiece was acclaimed by 5-star reviews in the press and a hugely enthusiastic audience response.

It featured a starry British cast and was enhanced by stand-out debut performances by the children playing Miles and Flora – among the most challenging juvenile roles in the whole operatic canon. Cast and creative team:

Prologue/Quint Ed Lyon,
Governess Sophie Bevan
Flora Adrianna Forbes-Dorant / Elen Willmer,
Miles Leo Jemison
Mrs Grose Kathleen Wilkinson,
Miss Jessel Katherine Broderick
Conductor Richard Farnes,
Director Louisa Muller
Designer Christopher Oram,
Lighting Designer Malcolm Rippeth
Garsington Opera Orchestra

A filmed version of a live performance was shown on BBC iPlayer in the summer and can be seen on our YouTube channel until 19 December. Click here to watch the opera Garsington Opera is also delighted to announce that Louisa Muller’s award-winning production will be revived in 2022 (cast and full creative team to be announced).

Brighton Dome to Livestream Classical Concert in Lockdown

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This Sunday 22 November, Brighton Dome will broadcast its first live performance from its Concert Hall during lockdown. Government restrictions mean that audiences are unable to attend socially distanced events in the venue but artists and staff can still work behind closed doors to bring the concert online.

The performance is produced with Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) and Strings Attached to encourage audiences to enjoy classical chamber music. The concert will feature award-winning musicians – the renowned pianist and recently appointed BPO Music Director, Joanna MacGregor CBE and the Gildas Quartet who make their Brighton Dome debut to play sumptuous music by Schubert and Haydn. Joanna will join the Quartet to perform Shostakovich’ dazzling, satirical and moving Piano Quintet.

Andrew Comben, Chief Executive, Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival said:

“We would love to have a live audience joining us for what promises to be a stunning performance in our Concert Hall but being able to bring it to music lovers live at home means we can reach out to even more people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to attend. Offering the performance at an affordable price also means that we can provide a live classical experience that is accessible and will hopefully appeal to viewers who may not be regular classical music fans.”

Joanna MacGregor has performed in more than 80 countries with the world’s leading orchestras and eminent conductors, and is a regular broadcaster on TV and radio, making numerous appearances at the BBC Proms. She is known for her influential role as Head of Piano at the Royal Academy of Music and was appointed Principal Conductor and Music Director of BPO, only the fourth person to hold the post in almost 100 years of the Orchestra’s history.

The Gildas Quartet have been praised for their ‘energy, verve and refreshing approach’, performing to critical acclaim at Bridgewater Hall, Southbank Centre, Wigmore Hall, and on BBC Radio 3. Their bold and explorative approach to performance has been recognised by prizes, including the International Franz Schubert and Modern Music Competition in Graz as well as the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition.

Latest TV Brighton will be filming the concert and live streaming on TicketCo TV.

Tickets cost £5 per household with the option to watch again for a month following, available to book from brightondome.org.

South Downs Summer Music: Benyounes Quartet

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The South Downs Summer Music Festival may have had to be cancelled like so many other events this summer but St Andrew’s Church in Alfriston welcomed a live concert with a reduced, socially distanced, audience in September. The concert was recorded live and was broadcast on their new website on Sunday 8th November.

It was given by the Benyounes Quartet, who were joined by Rebecca Jones viola, Reinoud Ford cello in Brahms Sextet no.2 in G major op.36.

The concert opened with Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in E flat major op.12. Though the key might suggest a sunny work, the first movement has a lot of darker moments in the scoring, and many times of genuine reflection. The second movement brings a bright cantabile-like melody with a central section straight out of the Dream. The final movement brings energy and a lively rhythmic bounce. The acoustic in St Andrew’s certainly helped the balance and warmth of the strings.

The Brahms may be a more overtly romantic work but it also showed some Mendelssohnian lightness and fluidity, particularly in the final movement.

The opening movement has the weight of a string orchestra, with particularly strong writing for the first cello. The scherzo has a fierce dance at its heart before the meandering lines of the slow movement.

This was a finely balanced event – just a pity not more people were able to enjoy it live. Hopefully next year we will be back to normal.


CDs DVDs November 2020 (1)

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Andre Messager: Fortunio
Choeur les Elements, Orchestre des Champs-Elysees, Louis Langree
NAXOS NBD0119V

Another rarity and Messager is hardly well known let alone his comic operas. While this has some lovely music in it, the story line is very slight and possibly a little too risky today. That said, it is well sung and the narrative moves at a good pace.

JAMES MACMILLAN ORGAN WORKS
STEPHEN FARR, Rieger organ of St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh
RESONUS RES10266 56’50

To begin this selection here is a collection of wonderful performances of a range of solo organ works by James MacMillan. Many moods and colours are evoked in this programme and it makes for very enjoyable listening. The works included here date from 1983 until last year and include three pieces written as wedding gifts. Opening with the rhythmic

Kenga e Krushqve, based on an Albanian wedding song and closing with the vibrant Toccata there are further jubilant moments alongside more reflective passages in this well balanced disc.

 

ALPHA & O: MUSIC FOR ADVENT & CHRISTMAS
CHOIRS OF ST CATHERINE’S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE, Edward Wickham, Director
RESONUS RES10268 54’29

A lovely fresh sequence of seasonal music is presented here with real clarity by the chapel choir and girls choir of St Catherine’s. The blend of contemporary settings with plainchant gives a great sense of balance and also of the continuing tradition of devotional choral music. There are a number of premiere recordings included. Full texts and translations are to be found in the accompanying booklet.

 

DUARTE LOBO MASSES, RESPONSORIES & MOTETS
CUPERTINOS, Luis Toscano, Director
HYPERION CDA68306 70’16

Duarte Lobo  (c1565-1646) is regarded as one of the finest composers from the ‘Golden Age” of Portuguese polyphony. Although obviously rooted in a particular time and place, this music also possesses something of a timeless universality. Here are beautiful renditions of motets and a premier recording of Christmas Responsories alongside the two main works Missa Sancta Maria and Missa Elisabeth Zachariae. Extensive notes and texts are provided in this excellent production.

 

CHARLES-MARIE WIDOR ORGAN SYMPHONIES 3
CHRISTIAN VON BLOHN, organ of St Joseph’s Church, Sankt Ingbert, Germany
NAXOS 8.574206 79’34

Naxos’ extensive Organ Encyclopedia series continues to expand with volume 3 of Widor’s organ symphonies played by Christian von Blohn on this recently restored late romantic instrument. The decision to record here not using a Cavaille-Coll instrument is a welcome one as surely this music should be allowed to travel further afield. These two substantial works both push Widor’s writing in new directions. They are Symphony No 7 in A minor, Op 42 No 3 & the ever popular Symphonie Gothique, Op 70.

 

 

FAZIL SAY COMPLETE VIOLIN WORKS
FRIEDEMANN EICHORN, Violin. FAZIL SAY, Piano. AYKUT KOSELERLI, Percussion
DEUTSCHE RADIO PHILHARMONIE SAARBRUCKEN KAISERSLAUTEN
CHRISTOPH ESCHENBACH, Conductor
NAXOS 8.574085. 70’30

This CD contains some very exciting sounds. All of the music here was new to me and I was very impressed by the whole programme. The two most substantial pieces here are the Sonata for violin & piano No2 “Mount Ida”, a very recent work, from 2019, and Violin Concerto “1001 nights in the Harem” from 2007. The composer, who often draws on his Turkish roots, produces some very pleasing music which combines tradition with modernity, retaining melody and a sense of progression but still with much that surprises.

 

BRIAN GIEBLER – A LAD’S LOVE
BRIAN GIEBLER, Tenor  STEVEN MCGHEE, Piano
BRIDGE 9542  70’43

This CD really moves me. It is the debut album from an American singer who has taken on many musical theatre roles to great acclaim. Here he shows how at home and accomplished he is with a very different repertoire. A Lad’s Love takes its title from a song by John Ireland included here. The songs, many from the first half of the 20th Century, explore various aspects of love – young, unrequited, forbidden…and the horror and devastation of war and loss. There is so much here that needs to be heard and understood. Giebler’s sensitive delivery, together with supportive accompaniment from Steven McGhee and the contributions of the other musicians make for a very impressive listening experience. The whole production is superb.

 

Anton Rubinstein: String Quartets Op 47 No 1&3
Reinhold Quartet
CPO 777 709-2

These are lovely pieces, deeply felt but not over worked and here given highly committed performances by the Reinhold Quartet.

Humperdinck: Music for the Stage
Malmo Opera Chorus and Orchestra, Dario Salvi
NAXOS 8.574177

Though a great lover of Hansel and Gretel I was not prepared for just how good these incidental scores really are. It shows that Humperdinck was far more than a one work wonder and is surely overlooked among the large number of turn of the century composers who were able to turn out such highly melodic scores. The one real rarity here is the suite arranged from Das Wunder – the first full-colour silent film, made in 1912. A real find.

 

Gershwin: Concerto in F
Kevin Cole, piano, National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic, David Alan Miller
NAXOS 8.559875

This is an eclectic collection of twentieth century American music centred on Gershwin’s piano concerto. John Harbinson’s Remembering Gatsby  is a foxtrot for orchestra evoking 1920s dance bands, while Walter Piston’s Symphony No5 draws on twelve-tone techniques while maintaining a sense of joy and optimism.

 

Twentieth Century Foxtrots – 2
Gottlieb Wallisch, piano
GRAND PIANO

Twenty nine items by sixteen composers and a wonderful range of foxtrots, not all of which you could easily dance to but all of which are certainly worth the time to listen attentively. A lovely disc.

 

 

Brighton Early Music Festival – week two

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The second week of Brighton Early Music Festival proved to be even more exciting than the first. I have to admit that, until I saw the programme, I had never heard of a Trumpet Marine, and would quite have misunderstood the term without considerable research. Friday night’s introduction from the Society of Strange and Ancient Instruments was a revelation. The photographs go a long way to show the instrument which is neither trumpet nor marine, yet sounds remarkably like a trumpet both in its upper and lower ranges. Regularly used in the middle-ages and still found in performance in the seventeenth century – there was a concert at the Fleece Tavern in 1674 for four Trumpets Marine – it was used as a substitute for the trumpet particularly by nuns who regarded the actual trumpet as too military but wanted an instrument with the same weight and authority – which it certainly does. We heard a number of different pieces, some of which fell strangely on the ear as the tonality was not modern, but two arrangements of Irish tunes were particularly pleasing.

Saturday afternoon brought James Duncan from the Sussex Wildlife Trust together with recorder virtuoso Piers Adams to consider the way birdsong has affected composers. Wandering in the Sussex woodlands they sought out live bird song and Piers played melodies which reflected nature and also ditties written for tame birds to imitate. Unfortunately the sound was totally out of sync during the broadcast which at times made it difficult to follow.

I was looking forward to Saturday evening and catching up with Joglaresa again. We had seen them live about two years ago and been very impressed. Seeing them again was certainly not a disappointment as their delight and enthusiasm are infectious. Moreover, I suspect that having to do the performance via the web gave them a freedom they would not have in a conventional theatre. The use of animation, often tongue in cheek and frequently naughty, was captivating and the music making was always up-beat and engaging. There is no sense of historical recreation here even though what we are hearing is totally accurate and precise to its period.

By total contrast Sunday afternoon brought us Sweet Ayres of Arcadia with Gwendolen Martin soprano, and Din Ghani, lute & baroque guitar. They were performing in Wilton Hall, the home of Mary Herbert, sister to Sir Philip Sidney. The quiet intimacy of the Jacobean room was absolutely right for the song settings which included Robert Johnson’s Have you seen but a white lily grow and William Lawes Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.

Given the range and quality of what we had experienced across the six days the final event should not have surprised but it did. The Four Faces of Gaia was the longest event of the Festival and brought together musicians from across the world, opening with a breath-taking rendition of Tallis’ Spem in Allium with all forty singers on screen in front of us. Glorious! From here we moved to Africa and music for voice and kora, lovingly performed by Sura Susso, followed immediately by North Indian Classical dance with kathak dancer Jaymini Sahai, sitar and vocalist Debipriya Sircar and table player Sanju Sahai. These performances were filmed in Brighton Unitarian Church and I doubt if the dancing would have been as effective with an audience taking up most of the space. The sense of joy and freedom, to say nothing of the amazing ability to convey the narrative and emotion of the Salutation to Mother Earth, was amazing.

We heard songs from Azerbaijan and from the Seraphic Jewish tradition before appearing to return almost to Tallis with a performance from The Lacock Scholars and The English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble directed by Deborah Roberts in the vast acoustic of St Bartholomew’s, Brighton.

The Epilogue was equally unexpected. We had heard Jeremy Avis a number of times during the Festival and his composition The Whispering Dome brought together not only the African and Indian musicians but also the BREMF community choir and the strong ecological theme which had underpinned most of the events this year.

Of course we all miss live music – but if we have to experience a festival on line I can think of no better way of doing so than this. Congratulations to all at BREMF for what they have achieved this year under such difficult circumstances.