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

Kino Teatr, St Leonards-on-sea, 4 June 2016

Sophie Pullen’s delightful operatic evening was entitled Mozart in Russia but could as easily have been called Wanderings in Opera-land. It seemed to assume we were all opera buffs – well, some of us are – and that we would recognise arias not only without introduction but also without translation or programme notes.

She made it easy enough for us at the start. A bright confrontation between Suzanna and Marcellina in Mozart’s Via resti servita and Suzanna’s gently seductive Deh vieni, were easily recognisable but the following duet for Lisa and Polina from Tchaikovsky’s Pique Dame was less familiar though beautifully sung. Olga’s act one aria from Eugene Onegin suited Amanda Martikainen liveliness and sense of humour but the leap into the Barcarolle from Les Contes d’Hoffmann seemed to lead us in an entirely different direction.

If most of the opening arias had been based on intimate characterisation we were back on firmer ground with Donizetti’s All afflitto e dolce il pianto from Roberto Devereux. This is a wonderful work which is performed all too rarely and this lovely aria gave a brief hint of its real strengths.

The first half came to a close with Mira o Norma, which would be familiar to most, and another tribute to the fine duet work from both singers.

The second half gave up all pretence of logic and simply brought us a clutch of pieces, splendidly performed. Bernstein’s Candide is fiercely difficult to sing but they made light work of Little Women and the old Lady’s aria Easily Assimilated.  I had hoped Sophie was going to sing Glitter and Be Gay – some other time perhaps? She did however give us two arias by Massenet, one from Manon and the other from Werther – neither of which I could trace easily, but both were easy on the ear. Amanda gave us a conversational rendition of the Seguidilla from Carmen, and the evening closed with the Flower Duet from Lakme, which presumably everybody knows if only from TV ads! The encore proved lively but incomprehensible.

Helen Ridout had provided the accompaniment from the piano throughout and was allowed to show her more personal style in fine performances of Debussy’s L’Isle Joyeuse and Ginastera’s  Danzas Argentinas I and II, the latter adding a little spikiness to an otherwise romantic programme.

The Kino Teatr is a fine building, remarkably comfortable and welcoming. It is a pity the acoustic is hard and could show up the tiniest flaws in any voice. Thankfully this was not a problem for Sophie Pullen and Amanda Martikainen, whose ample voices often over-powered the space but never uncomfortably so. It would be good to hear it for a lieder recital. Anybody offering?

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, 2 June 2016

Tzu-Yin Huang is a formidable and engaging young pianist, whose approach to Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto brought clarity and excitement to what can too easily be a romantic wallow. The slow, powerful, slightly ominous opening demonstrated the authority she can command and the weight of sound she can rouse from the Del La Warr’s piano. She seems to have an instinctive ability to unite clarity of phrasing with innate passion, thus attacking the ear and mind at the same time. It was enthralling and I am only sorry I did not catch her winning performance at the Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition.

The evening had opened with a finely articulated reading of Smetana’s Overture to The Bartered Bride. The acoustic is always a problem in the De La Warr Pavilion but seemed somewhat better on this occasion, though there is still a real disparity between first and second violins where the first are outside and the second within the proscenium. The brass and wind seemed to carry better but this may simply have been the choice of works which were better suited to the building.

Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony is a favourite of Brian Wright’s and he brings a loving attention to detail as well as letting rip where needed. The second movement had an intense melancholy which verged on depression, with the horn solo seemingly in another world, far removed from those of us in the hall. The fury of the final movement seemed at times to tip over into madness and this was totally convincing – there is, after all, not a long way between this manic-depressive state and the desolation of the end of the Sixth Symphony.

A wonderful evening – thoroughly enjoyed by a packed house. I know these events are very expensive to mount but surely Bexhill could run to them a little more often?

Brighton Festival Chorus, CBSO,

The Dome, Brighton, 22 May 2016

Without any doubt the heroes of this performance were Brighton Festival Chorus. Singing from memory, they brought a bite and clarity to the score which is rare these days. The snarl and rasp of the demons, the purity of the angels, the hushed whispers of the family around the bed – all were perfectly characterised with dynamic range and beauty of line to enhance the impact of the text. That of course was the other real benefit of singing without the score. The chorus sang straight at us and voices were not reflected from the pages in their hands, doubling the impact and clarity.

Edward Gardner took the opening sections at a slow pace yet maintained the intensity of Elgar’s writing. This allowed the narrative to unfold in a natural way and encouraged a sense of meditation throughout. Robert Murray was somewhat strident as Gerontius in the first half, his Firmly I believe having something of a swagger to its delivery, but he was more reflective in the second half and his approach to the throne was impressive. Alice Coote is now a familiar Angel but none the less welcome. The relative intimacy of the Dome allowed her to spin off some very delicate hushed lines to great effect, but also made the exultant Alleluias thrilling.

Matthew Rose made the most of Go Forth and the chorus supported him with enthusiasm. He was equally impressive in the more demanding emotion of the Angel of the Agony, a section which Edward Gardner crafted with great skill.

The CBSO know this score well but always sounds fresh to it. A wonderful evening and a full house.