St Clements, Hastings Old Town, Saturday 22 June 2019

What better way to spend a hot summer’s evening than in the gentle company of a group of madrigal singers accompanied by archlute and guitar? Hastings Philharmonic Chamber Choir brought a beautifully balanced programme of quietly effective singing covering madrigals from the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century. The first half was given over to works by John Dowland and allowed us to hear two exquisite lute solos from Cedric Meyer. Within the warm acoustic of St Clement’s these were particularly effective and demonstrated once again that amplification is not needed when audiences are this attentive.

Nine of Dowlands settings were presented with a range of voices. Flow my tears  was given by soprano Emily Armour and bass Oscar Smith, while Marcio da Silva was the lead soloist in the highly operatic setting of Up merry mates. Emily Armour returned for a movingly soulful account of In Darkness before the entire chorus brought the first half to a close with Now, oh now.

The second half was spread across eight composers, from whom Morley’s Now is the month of maying was by far the most familiar and John Wilbye’s Adieu, Sweet Amaryllis proved touchingly effective. The evening was rounded off with some rather more extrovert settings including then they all fell to kissing from Farmer’s Fair Phyllis I saw and Mother I will have a husband.

In addition to the lutenist, Marcio da Silva joined in some of the larger choruses, both as singer and accompanying on guitar, giving subtle changes to both texture and dynamic.

Many of these madrigals are extremely complex, often deliberately so, and part of the enjoyment is hearing the singers grapple with the cross-rhythms. That they hardly ever came unstuck was pleasing, but that there was a sense they were at times on a knife-edge was equally exciting.

Salome this weekend, followed by Rossini the week after.

Wednesday 19 June 2019

Classical guitarist Richard Bowen made a welcome return to St Nicolas for a concert of Latin-American guitar music. In his fascinating links he noted that the guitar had continued in popularity in Latin-America even when keyboards of various types had overtaken the instrument elsewhere. Moreover, their approach to composition and performance remained intimate and sensitive where the rest of the world became very more brash and loud.

His choice of pieces eminently reflected this, opening with Josa Cardosa’s Milonga with its gently flowing rhythms and then moving into three linked pieces – Solidao by Antonio Carlos Jobin, with its warm melodic lines; a more extrovert Samablamento by Luis Bonfa and the lovely lilting Vals No3 by Antonio Lauro.

Though none of the music was difficult on the ear, the three preludes by Villa Lobos were certainly more challenging with the classically framed No3, the playfully indulgent No2 and the reflective No4. This latter Richard Bowen regards as spooky but its charm seemed to deny this.

For those of us of a certain age Tico Tico was verey familiar and brought some lovely rubato in the phrasing. The final two Latin American works were the delicately pretty Velos Retrato by Jonas Batista and the Barcarole by Augustine Barrios Mangore.

He concluded with a gently sentimental arrangement of a Catalan folksong Spirit of the Seas, bringing a splendid lunchtime event to a close and leaving very much hoping he will return again soon.

White Rock Theatre, Wednesday 19 June 2019

Ronnie Scott’s is celebrating its 60^th anniversary this year and the All Stars are on tour to tell the story. They came to the White Rock last week for an evening of nostalgia and story-telling, linked with music which spanned the whole of the history of the club.

Saxophonist Alex Garnett not only led the quartet but acted as raconteur, filling in the history between the numbers and introducing us to some of characters who had been instrumental to the success of the club. It was somewhat disconcerting to suddenly see the face of Ginger Baker and hear him in an early recorded interview.

Alex Garnett was joined by Sam Burgess, bass, Chris Higginbottom, drums, and James Pearson, piano for the instrumental numbers, allowing each solo breaks and a chance for Chris to demonstrate his homage to Buddy Rich.

Vocalist, Natalie Williams, was also with them, bringing tributes to Ella Fitzgerald among other items.

Though the music was of high quality throughout we could possibly have done with a little more of it and rather less talk between. I suspect most of the audience were there as jazz fans rather than stand-up. However it reflects on the quality that it left us wanting more.

Bridge Point, Rye, Saturday 15 June 2019

A new venue for Hastings Philharmonic and one which was probably new to many of the audience. Bridge Point is being gradually developed as an arts centre on the Quay at Rye, refashioning a series of warehouses into very flexible performance and display spaces. It is particularly good for large paintings as the spaces invite a more expansive format, and the 1966 Hastings Embroidery is currently on show after many years hidden away.

Thankfully the unusual shape of the first hall aids the acoustic and though there was some amplification it was not really necessary. Marcio da Silva was joined once more by Mezzo-Soprano Alessandra Fasolo, Boyan Ivanov on clarinet and Stephanie Gurga on piano for an evening of Tangos by the Argentinian master Astor Piazzolla. This was a reworking of the concert they had given early last year in St Mary in the Castle, but the greater intimacy of the venue – even allowing for its height – brought an immediacy and frisson which St Mary’s can never really attain.

Alessandra Fasolo opened with Balada para un Loco setting the tone for the evening – passionate, forthright and demanding attention. Oblivion brought a little relaxation but also an air of melancholy, softened subsequently by the sentimentality of Adios Nonino. The tension lightened in the second half with the softer tones of Chiquilin de Bachin and the jolly Che tango che.

Marcio da Silva had chosen songs by Piazzolla which were often powerful and angst-ridden, with an almost too personal sense of emotional involvement. Los Pajaros Perdidos and Balada para mi muerte were particularly effective in the first half but he found a more reflective, conciliatory tone for El Gordo Triste and Jacinto Cicilana.

The musicians had their own spots during the evening playing more familiar pieces. Of these Libertango is probably the most well-known but they also added the only non-Piazzolla piece in the whole evening.  Jealousy is by the Danish composer Jacob Gade but nonetheless a core item in the tango repertoire and thoroughly suited to the event.

The evening ended with all involved in an overtly over the top Maria de Buenos Aires from Piazzolla’s operetta of the same name and an encore of Libertango in highly improvisatory style to leave us all smiling.

St Mary in the Castle, Saturday 1 June 2019

Mozart’s Magic Flute becomes increasingly difficult to stage as time goes on. Marcio da Silva’s programme note addresses these very real concerns even if his production tends to diplomatically skirt the problems rather than address them. The strong racist elements are simply overlooked with no hint at Monostatos’ origins or the overt connections to slavery. However the misogynistic elements are more deep-seated and therefore too complex to ignore.

Thankfully the musical side is so well presented that it would be easy to simply ignore the context and indulge in the beauty of the singing – and the quality across the evening is never in doubt. But the problems raised never quite go away and much of this is down to the impressive characterisation we are given

Jessica Leao’s Queen of the Night is a good case in point. Magnificently sung, with the top coloratura spun off as if she has been doing it all her life, she comes across as deeply sympathetic. Her daughter has been stolen from her by a man who thinks he knows better, in a world dominated by men. As the leader of the cult Vedat Dalgiran’s Sarastro is dangerously convincing – a benign populist who places his type of rationalism above all other philosophies, and who sings with a calming authority which sweeps all before it. Under the circumstances it is no wonder that Alex Gebhard’s Tamino is taken in and allows himself to go through the rituals without questioning them. Only the outsider, Flavio Lauria’s amiable Papageno seems to begin to see through the charade, concerned for the essentials of life – food and companionship – rather than existential philosophy. He is also the only Papageno I have ever come across able to do his own whistling – a magnificent feat! Helen May’s finely sung Pamina seemed a far stronger character than the text sometimes gives her credit for and her rendition of Ach ich fuhl’s – with her back to the audience – was very effective and moving.

Within the confines of the temple Oguzhan Engin’s Monostatos is something of a loose cannon. His bungled attempts at seduction never put him off and even at the very end he is intent on trying to seduce the Queen of the Night if he can’t have her daughter.

The orchestral ensemble was well balanced with particular respect for Neylson Crepalde who not only sang the Speaker with considerable aplomb on the first night, but also played both the side drum and Papageno’s bells, while on the second night conducting the performance!

Marcio da Silva’s conducting of the opening night was tight and forceful, driving his singers even where some might have wanted to indulge the musical line rather more.  The only minor quibble must be with the every-present dry-ice machine which constantly clicked into action across the line of the music and occasionally made the singers invisible within its clouds.

St Nicolas, Pevensey Saturday 25 May 2019

Polyphony made a welcome return to St Nicolas, with a joyous mix of music for a summer evening. After a Jubilant opening which set the tone of clarity and engagement they reflected the churches proximity to the sea with the gently lilting The Roll of the Sea and an upbeat arrangement of La Mer. This was sung in French and the ensemble showed their linguistic skills soon after with the Mexican favourite Cielito Lindo. In between we were on safe ground with a heart-warming arrangement of Flying Free and a near barber-shop rendition of Misty.

The first half ended with a move away from the secular to reflect the church setting with John Rutter’s lovely A Clare Blessing and Libby Cozens solo singing of You’ll never walk alone.

The second half opened in similar vein with Barbara Burgess singing Wishing from Phantom of the Opera, before we were swept away by grandmothers, in the quirky A Bonnie Wee Lassie and Grandmother’s Feather Bed. A complete change of mood took us through two spirituals – Deep River and Walk Dem Bones – to a section of Baroque music. The Lacrymosa from Mozart’s Requiem was given in a highly convincing arrangement for the five female voices followed by Handel’s lascia ch’io pianga from Rinaldo and Gluck’s  Torna O Bella from Orpheo. We returned to the present for the sentimental but none the less effective In Our Children’s Eyes to conclude the evening, but the ensemble were persuaded to add a tonic sol-fa Gallop to bring a smile to all faces as we left.

Throughout, the five female voices, under their conductor Sue Barrett, had maintained a constant flow of texture and tone, combining a cappella sections with more spirited accompaniment from Jenny Beckwith, but maintaining at all times a level of engagement and musicality which left us wanting more.

Their next scheduled performance is not until December but you can keep in touch through their website www.sovereignpolyphony.com

Renaissance Theatre Company, St Mary-in-the-Castle, Hastings 16^th-18^th May 2019

A Stephen Sondheim musical is not your average choice if you are an amateur theatre group, but then Renaissance Theatre Company is not your average amateur theatre group! Begun as a positive response to two very tragic situations, Renaissance soon established a reputation for staging quality performances of a range of musicals. Over ten years it has also managed to raise an incredible £33,000 for St Michael’s Hospice & the Shazzie Sparkle Trust (raising funds for the Brain & Spine Foundation). Whilst this fundraising is most admirable and one of the driving motivations behind the company I will now focus on the quality of the performance itself.

From the outset the audience were drawn in to “attend the tale of Sweeney Todd” as the grim but entrancing story unfolded before our eyes and ears, brought to life by an energetic and dedicated cast. Many of the cast have taken leading roles in the past to great acclaim. One of these is Steve Corke who was scarily believable as Sweeney. Whether singing solo, in duet or serenading his “friends” (his shaving blades and chair), speaking, shouting or bounding around the stage he gave of his all! Equally committed and characterful was Kim Sutton as Mrs Lovett, the pie-maker. There were some hilarious interactions with Todd and very physical comedy in the pie-shop as well as great singing and some marvellously manipulative dialogue. The chemistry between the two main characters was superb, seen to great effect in the two songs, Priest and By the sea.

Tyler Sargent’s Anthony and Ruby Edwards’ Johanna also made a very sweet, innocent young couple as well as demonstrating their lovely singing voices singly and together. Maxine Roach brought great empathy to her role as the Beggar Woman – at times seemingly deranged, and at others showing great insight, again with great singing when required. Pirelli was brought to life with great panache and humour by David Baxter and brought some fun interaction with the audience and other members of the cast.

Charlie Mepham was very lovable as Toby, a character that has to display a number of facets of personality as the story develops. He showed great presence as well as handling a difficult song very effectively.

Reggie Regelous’ Judge Turpin was suitably haughty and, at times, creepy, and like his Beadle, Mick Woodhams, a character that commanded attention at each return. Mick also gave a humorous but surprisingly tender rendition of songs as he “played” the harmonium.

A number of scenes demanded huge effort from the diverse chorus. They were at all times totally committed, in character, and adding small details of movement and interaction which add so much to any performance. Sondheim’s music demands some tricky technical performances and chorus members often have to behave more like soloists as they sing countermelodies at odds with other characters around them. It was particularly pleasing to see a range of ages included in the chorus.

Another hallmark of a Renaissance production is the superb backstage and preparatory work. Led by Andy Gill (Musical Director/Trumpet) the small but very capable band delivered top class performances throughout. Again, this music is not easy and demands so much from singers and instrumentalists. A daunting prospect for an amateur group, perhaps, but no problems in delivery here!

A very effective set had been constructed incorporating the ominous and ever-present oven door (revealing its full horror only at the end of the show!) The barber’s chair was fully operational with the ability to quickly despatch its freshly dead occupants to the cellar and the effects of blood on the neck as each victim met his end was suitably grisly. Sound and lighting was well balanced and enhanced the action.

I thoroughly enjoyed my evening and would like to congratulate director, Mark Evans, Andy Gill and all those involved on stage and off for a first class production. Much has been made lately about the resurgence in talented artistes  coming to Hastings to perform but we must not lose sight of the tremendous wealth of talent resident here in our local area, building on the amateur traditions that have been so much a part of Hastings & St Leonards for so long.

Do please look out for future productions by this company and do all you can to support our local talented performers and the very worthwhile causes they, in turn, support.

Stephen Page

Opus Theatre, Saturday 18 May 2019

It is not often an international artist comes from a Carnegie Hall series to play in Hastings but such was certainly the case last weekend when cellist Nina Kotova came to the Opus Theatre for an intimate concert with Artist in Residence, pianist Oliver Poole. The house was very comfortably full for an evening of indulgent romanticism, spiced occasionally with less familiar works to keep us on our toes.

They opened with Schubert’s Impromptu No3 where the cello’s warm, sensitive phrasing which was to become the hallmark of the evening. Cassado’s arrangement of Frescobaldi’s Toccata in D major followed, highlighting the sensuous cantabile lines from the cello while allowing Oliver to underpin the bass line while quietly singing along to it.

Tchaikovsky’s Andante Cantabile was the first really familiar piece which, like Massenet’s Meditation from Thais in the second half, raised a sigh of gentle recognition from the audience with the opening bars. Rachmaninov’s writing for the duo allowed Oliver to indulge his love of romantic pyrotechnics while the cello line floats wistfully above it. The first half ended with an arrangement of two songs from Porgy and Bess bringing a wonderful sense of a gently sparring relationship between cello and piano.

I have long regarded the chaconne or passacaglia as potentially the finest form in music, and Vitali’s Ciaconna demonstrated this with acute and timely ease. There is a sense of eternity to the form so that even as each section develops there is never any indication of time or narrative. The piece only ended when the musicians slowed to show us we were coming to a stop – the music itself could have gone on for ever.

The rest of the programme was given over to pieces of more immediate emotional impact. Cassado’s Dance of the Green Dragon has some interesting oriental touches while Pollo Piatti’s beautifully soulful Lullaby for a Clown has an inherent yearning which is very moving.

Arvo Part’s Spiegel in Spiegel seemed an ideal point of reflection, the gentle lines passed seamlessly between the soloists, before Piazzola’s Le Grand Tango brought a fiery conclusion.

Olive Poole is known to us all for his improvisatory skills and while the Piazzola score is fully written out it has a grandiose improvisatory quality, to say nothing of extrovert dash and excitement, which obviously suited his temperament and urged Nina’s splendidly fiery cello line to match his.

An encore was essential and we were brought gently down to earth again with the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria.  This was the last of the current World Series at the Opus, but the autumn will bring new events and new artists. With this international standard we will look forward with real enthusiasm.

St Augustine’s, Bexhill, Saturday 11 May 2019

A beautiful spring evening after a day of showers seemed the perfect setting for an concert of modern English choral music, wistfully melancholic and gently lyrical.

Bexhill Choral Society opened with John Rutter’s The Sprig of Thyme, the pun on time being quite deliberate as most of the folk song arrangements will be virtually unknown to anyone under fifty as they have long since dropped out of the school curriculum. The theme of unrequited or abandoned love united the eleven songs, which included a sensitively unaccompanied Willow Song for the choir and a finely honed solo of The Sprig of Thyme from soprano Lucy Ashton. Peter Grevatt’s splendidly edgy rendition of The Miller of Dee hinted at the sense of isolation and depression which lies behind the bluff exterior. Rutter’s orchestration reflects Finzi and Vaughan Williams, and is richly romantic.

This romantic edge continued in Kenneth Roberts own setting of According to Thy Word – the Prayer Book text of the Nunc Dimittis. Stylistically the short work ranges convincingly in style from a Ravel-like pastoral mood to a Caribbean enthusiasm. Where the Rutter had been reflectively melancholic, this was happily positive and often extrovert in its warmth.

After the interval we heard Rutter’s Requiem which uses some sections of the traditional mass alongside other Biblical texts. As expected, Rutter can’t avoid the extensively lyrical and the tension of the opening Requiem Aeternam quickly gives way to a gently memorable melody. Lucy Ashton filled out the lines of the Pie Jesu with ease before the jolly bells of the Sanctus and the surprisingly stark setting of the Agnus Dei. The very long lines of the concluding Lux Aeterna proved to be no problem for the choir which had risen to the dynamic challenges of all three works with ease.

The chamber orchestra gave strong support, and it was good to hear Alex Rider in the important harp parts throughout.

The next concert is in October when they will bring us Beethoven’s Mass in C and Mendelssohn’s Hear My Prayer.

Fairlight Hall, Saturday 4 May 2019

Fumiya Koido, winner of this year’s Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition, made a fleeting visit at the weekend but was here just long enough to squeeze in a morning concert in the recital room at Fairlight Hall.

He opened with Bach’s BWV849 from the Well-Tempered Clavier giving it a romanticised gloss which hinted at the riches to come even if it might not have been to more puritan tastes. Brahms’ Variations on an original theme Op21 suited him far better and he brought great fluidity and sensitivity to his phrasing, and the sudden moments of power and authority. There was a surprising lightness of touch in the opening of Beethoven’s Sonata No 31 with a hauntingly beautiful central Adagio before the crisper tones of the Fuga.

After the interval, and a chance to take in the stunning views from the terrace, he returned to Brahms with the Four Pieces Op119. Here he brought us fine diversity of texture and energy, with moments of superb calm and reflection. The final Rhapsody was probably the most familiar work in the recital and very well received.

The performance ended with works by Scriabin which are obviously close to his heart. The Sonata No2 Op19 was again beautifully shaped, the overarching structure of the opening Andante crystal clear before the onslaught on the final Presto. Scriabin’s Vers la flamme is a more complex piece and a strange choice for the end of the concert and was starkly in contrast to the softly drifting encore though even that caught us all unawares as it launched into an unexpectedly enthusiastic conclusion.

A pleasing morning and let us hope we hear from him again soon.