Monthly Archives: January 2015

LPO in Brighton

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The Dome, 17 1 15

It may have been a dull winter’s evening but the music spoke of light and energy throughout, with a richly romantic combination of late nineteenth century works.

One the benefits of hearing operatic overtures in the concert hall is the greater clarity it brings to the score and none more so than the Prelude to Humperdinck’s Hansel und Gretel. This is post-Wagnerian writing at its best, with the melodic lines sliding effortlessly around each other to create an enveloping cocoon of sound. Rory Macdonald’s crisp approach and clarity of line meant that the counterpoint was clear throughout and the subtle shifts in mood pointed without being over-extended.

Vassiliadis

Lambis Vassiliadis’ approach to piano playing reminds one of the stories of Liszt with its explosive dynamism and authority. His approach to Chopin’s Second Piano Concerto was virile throughout with the left hand often hammering out the chords to a point where one wondered if the instrument could take the weight. And yet there was nothing unmusical about the performance; it was totally convincing and inspiring. If Rory Macdonald had seemed to be taking a very precise approach to phrasing in the opening section, Lambis Vassiliadis created a continuous gentle tension with his use of rubato and rapid changes of mood. Long passages would build to heady climaxes only to disappear into thin air.

He gave us a lengthy Lisztian encore which was even more dazzling technically and left the piano needing a rub-down and a rest. (I later found that this was Liszt’s Reminiscences of Norma)

The sense of the open air which had been evident in Hansel und Gretel returned with Dvorak’s 8th Symphony. Breathing light and a sense of the joy of life throughout, it allowed us to hear some very fine solo playing along with the warm intensity of the strings. If tempi were on the fast side, the symphony never seemed rushed, rather there was a delight in the ability to spin musical lines with such ease. The splendid trumpet solo which opened the final movement led to a set of variations with real bite and attack, at whose heart was the gentle cello melody which seemed to encapsulate the joy of the whole.

A splendid evening of exceptional music-making.

One observation to add in passing. When I go the Brighton Philharmonic concerts nobody ever applauds between movements and the coughing is kept well under control. Last night there was applause throughout and coughing was often uncomfortably obvious. Does Brighton really have two different audiences for classical concerts?

DVDs & CDs JANUARY 2015

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DVDs

PURCELL: THE FAIRY QUEEN

ENO, NICHOLAS KOK

ARTHAUS 100201

With a new production by Peter Sellars of The Indian Queen due later this year, a reissue of David Poutney’s 1995 production of The Fairy Queen is timely and will make for a fascinating comparison. Poutney delights in the overt theatricality of Purcell’s vision making the whole constantly stimulating and engaging. When one adds to this a cast which includes Yvonne Kenny, Thomas Randle and Richard Van Allan, and the sprightly orchestral approach under Nicholas Kok it can hardly fail.

VERDI: DON CARLOS

ORCHESTRA & CHORUS TEATRO REGIO TORINO, GIANANDREA NOSEDA

OPUSARTE DA 1128 D

I suspect that this production was far more impressive seen live than it is here in close up on DVD. The massive sets impress from a distance but close to reveal that the columns do not touch the ground and, because of their massive bulk, are still on stage for the external scenes which need to breath. The same is also true of the singers. While the voices are sound throughout, there is often little eye contact between characters and rather too many shifty glances towards the pit. This is a pity for simply listening to the score is pleasurable. For once it might have been better to release this as a CD rather than a DVD.

CDs

THE ROMANTIC VIOLIN CONCERTO – 18

PHILIPPE GRAFFIN, ROYAL FLEMISH PHILHARMONIC, MARTYN BRABBINS

HYPERION CDA 68005  65’47

Following this series has been immensely enjoyable if only for the discovery of so many totally overlooked compositions which prove to have real merit.  Jongen is probably best remembered today as a composer of organ music and certainly it is his organ compositions which are most frequently heard.  The violin concerto was written following a visit to Bayreuth in 1899 and while it does not have strong Wagnerian overtones the high romantic is an inevitable reflection of the influence of the composer on the younger man. The other rarity is the Rapsodie in E minor by Sylvio Lazzari, also a Wagnerian and one who picks up the more lyrical, free-flowing impulses of the master. Anther valuable recording.

SIR CHARLES VILLIERS STANFORD  -THE COMPLETE ORGAN WORKS 2

DANIEL COOK, organ of Durham Cathedral

PRIORY PRCD 1106   71’37

Whether as a reference work or a recording just to enjoy this is a very good CD. Daniel Cook’s performances on the Durham Willis / Harrison & Harrison are excellent. This volume includes the Fantasia & Fugue in D minor, 6 preludes & postludes Set 1 & Sonata No 3 as well as some shorter works.

THE BRITANNIC ORGAN VOL 9 – Welte’s US organists and Edwin Lemare

ORGAN ROLLS of  Edwin Lemare, Samuel Atkinson Baldwin, Clarence  Eddy & others

OEHMS  OC848  69’01  &  74’57

The Britannic was the sister ship to the Olympic & the Titanic. It was originally intended to have a Welte reproducing organ installed on board. Due to the outbreak of the 1st World War the organ was never installed. It was only during restoration work in 2007 that evidence was found to prove this was the organ originally intended for that ship. It is now housed in the Museum fur Musikautomaten, Seewen, Switzerland. This volume (the first I have heard) is a fascinating record of this instrument and the recording technology of the day which allows us to still experience the playing of these organists in such a live way.  The music consists of lighter & more substantial organ music and transcriptions. There is a wide range of colour and mood, with some brasher registrations contrasting with beautiful flutes and light tuned percussion.

CD1 includes musc by Bossi, Friml, Buck & Saint-Saens. Alongside mostly lighter music is Guilmant’s Sonata in D minor. The music on this CD is recorded by the American organists who recorded for Welte.  CD2 is entirely recorded by the celebrated Edwin Lemare. Alongside further music by Guilmant , Rheinberger and others are movements from Lemare’s own works. It ends with his transcription of Saint-Saens’ Danse macabre. There is an extensive booklet with interesting photographs and information on the organists and composers. Presumably earlier volumes contain more information about the organ itself. A fascinating insight into times passed.

JEAN-PHILLIPE RAMEAU – PIECES DE CLAVECIN  Vol 2

STEVEN DEVINE, harpsichord

RESONUS  RES10140   66’44

This is volume 2 of a 4 CD set of the complete keyboard works of Rameau, released at the end of 2014, the 250th anniversary of the composer’s death. This CD features Book 3 of Rameau’s Pieces de Clavecin. The book consists of 2 Suites –in A minor/ major  and G major/minor.

The music is expertly performed by Steven Devine on a copy by Ian Tucker of a 1636 Ruckers double manual instrument. Volumes 3 & 4 are due for release later this year. As with previous Resonus releases there is a PDF booklet to accompany the recording.

JOURNEY TO ALDEBURGH: YOUNG BRITTEN

CHAMBER DOMAINE, conductor & violin THOMAS KEMP

RESONUS   RES10139  62’42

Having just worked my way through listening to a large Britten CD set I was fascinated by the contents of this CD. It is an interesting programme of world premiere recordings and other rarely heard music written by Britten as a student and at the beginning of the Aldeburgh Festivals.

The music is performed by Chamber Domaine, an ensemble with a growing reputation for the championing of 20th & 21st century repertoire, with its leader and violinist Thomas Kemp. It begins with an arrangement for 12 instruments of his tutor, Frank Bridge’s There is a willow grows aslant a brook. There are also works for solo piano, violin and piano and piano trio as well as the original version of his Sinfonietta, Op 1. If you would like to discover some “new” Britten then this disk is an obvious place to look.

HAYDN: SONATAS AND CONCERTOS

ANNE-MARIE MCDERMOTT, ODENSE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, SCOTT YOO

BRIDGE 9438A/B  70’15; 70’09

Five sonatas and the piano concertos in D major and G major (H XVIII 11 & 4) make this a bargain collection of fine works and equally fine playing. The cadenza in the final concerto was especially composed for Anne-Marie McDermott by Charles Wuorinen and creates a pleasing link between the original composition and the performance today on modern instruments.

SP/BH

Award winning director Mike Leigh makes his operatic debut with the Gilbert and Sullivan classic, The Pirates of Penzance

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Opens Saturday 9 May at 7.30pm at London Coliseum (14 performances)

Broadcast live in cinemas across UK and Ireland, and selected cinemas worldwide, as part of ENO Screen on Tuesday 19 May at 7.30pm

Acclaimed film and theatre director and Gilbert and Sullivan aficionado Mike Leigh makes his operatic directorial debut at ENO with a new production of The Pirates of Penzance, Gilbert and Sullivan’s popular farcical comedy. Featuring swashbuckling pirates, flat footed policemen, razor-sharp satire and memorable melodies, this sparkling new production promises to be the theatrical and musical event of 2015.

ENO’s international reputation for working with exciting directors from across a wide range of artistic disciplines has offered a fresh perspective and unique approach to our productions. Film and theatre director Mike Leigh is the latest artistic talent to apply his skills to the world of opera. Previous directors ENO has worked with include Terry Gilliam, Anthony Minghella, Benedict Andrews, Rufus Norris, Carrie Cracknell and Fiona Shaw.

ENO has a long history of performing Gilbert & Sullivan with Iolanthe, The Gondoliers, Patience, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado having all been part of the Company repertoire. ENO’s “bright and sharp” (The Guardian) production of The Mikado has become a true audience favourite having been revived 13 times in 28 years.

Leigh is a lifelong fan of the quintessentially English musical duo. He wrote and directed the 1999 BAFTA winning film Topsy Turvy(starring Jim Broadbent as W.S. Gilbert and Allan Corduner as Sullivan) which explored their turbulent relationship leading up to the premiere of The Mikado. He is President of both the Sir Arthur Sullivan Society and the W.S. Gilbert Society and has contributed to The Cambridge Companion to Gilbert and Sullivan. Fresh from success with the film Mr Turner, starring Timothy Spall as the artist J.M.W.Turner, Leigh has had a long and successful career which began in the theatre in the 1960’s as both a playwright and director. His plays include Bleak Moments, Abigail’s Party, Ecstasy, and most recently, Grief at the National Theatre.

Olivier award-winning designer Alison Chitty has previously collaborated with Mike Leigh on Life is Sweet, Naked and Secrets and Lies.  She will design the set and costumes. Lighting is by Paul Pyant with choreography by Francesca Jaynes.

British baritone Andrew Shore is renowned for his character roles and is a superb singer and actor. He makes his role debut as Major-General Stanley. He has performed numerous roles for ENO, most recently the twin cameos of Benoit and Alcindoro in La bohème, and will appear as Beckmesser in The Mastersingers of Nuremberg in February 2015.

British tenor Robert Murray takes on the role of Frederic the pirate apprentice. His previous roles for ENO include Nanki-Poo in The Mikado, Tamino in The Magic Flute, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and Idamante in Idomeneo.

BPO: Brahms & Beethoven

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The Dome, Brighton, 11 January 2015

Andrew Gourlay brought bite and enthusiasm to his reading of both the Brahms’ Piano Concerto and Beethoven’s 7th Symphony. The symphony was conceived as a single arch, opening with controlled crescendi before launching into the gentle dance of the first theme. There was nothing deadly about the slow movement, its rhythms seeming closer to the scherzo of the 5th rather than the funeral march of the 3rd. The third movement romped along with a rather soupy Trio from the horns before we were almost literally blown away with the speed of the finale. It was a compelling approach which was obviously to the taste of the audience.

Brahms’ first Piano Concerto proved somewhat more problematic. Tempi were again on the fast side, with a fine sense of tension between the more strident passages and Brahms’ more indulgent moments. However, not until the final movement did the soloist, Martin Roscoe, seem to be fully at ease with the orchestra. Though there had been nothing to fault with his own approach, in the opening movement his playing had seemed somewhat distant from the intensity of the orchestra. Thankfully he suddenly came alive in the finale which was full of fire and virility.

 

ENO Director-in-Residence Peter Sellars directs Purcell’s unfinished opera The Indian Queen

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P Sellars

Opening Thursday 26 February 2015, 7.00pm at London Coliseum (8 performances)

Peter Sellars returns to English National Opera following his critically-acclaimed production of John Adams’s The Gospel According To The Other Mary to direct Purcell’s The Indian Queen.

A co-production with Perm State Opera and Teatro Real, Madrid, The Indian Queen has opened to great critical acclaim with audiences in Russia and Spain, “…one of the best theatrical operas in recent years” (El Pais). Sellars takes Purcell’s rich score and incorporates some of the composer’s most ravishing sacred and secular pieces, adding vibrant set designs from Chicano graffiti artist Gronk and choreography by Christopher Williams.

Woven throughout the production is spoken text taken from Rosario Aguilar’s novel The Lost Chronicles of Terra Firma, which recounts the initial confrontation between Europeans and the Mayans of the New World through a personal account from a female perspective. The result is a spectacle of music, theatre, dance, literature and visual art.

The Other Mary and The Indian Queen have a shared theme of retelling history recorded by men through the eyes of women – bringing out the humanity of the work and giving a voice to individuals who, over time, have been erased from history.

Opera and theatre director and winner of 2014 Polar Music Prize (often called the ‘Nobel Prize for Music’), Peter Sellars is one of the most innovative and powerful forces in the performing arts in the world. A visionary artist, Sellars is known for engaging with social and political issues through art. Sellars is Professor of World Arts and Cultures at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles), where he teaches Art as Social Action and Art as Moral Action. The Indian Queen marks the culmination of Peter Sellars’ five-month residency at ENO.

Chicano painter, printmaker and performance artist Glugio Nicandro (known as ‘Gronk’) has designed the set for this production. Best known for his murals, Gronk’s abstract and vibrant set design comprises large, colourful panels that take inspiration from ancient Mayan art.

Baroque specialist Laurence Cummings leads an exceptional cast and the ENO chorus to conduct The Indian Queen. Cummings is Artistic Director of London Handel Festival and Internationale Händel-Festpiele Göttingen. Cummings returns to ENO following his production of Radamisto in 2010 of which The Independent on Sunday remarked, “Lawrence Cummings whips the orchestra into a frenzy of dancing semiquavers and sexily-swung French trills”.

Completing the creative team is costume designer Dunya Ramicova and lighting designer James F. Ingalls.

Young American soprano Julia Bullock makes her ENO debut taking the role of Teculihuatzin, a role she sang at Teatro Real, Madrid in 2013 to great critical acclaim – “The star of this Indian Queen was American soprano Julia Bullock” (Opera News). Winner of the 2014 Naumburg International Vocal Competition, Bullock is currently in her final year of the artist diploma programme at The Juilliard School, New York.

Taking the role of Don Pedro de Alvardo, the Spaniard who falls in love with and eventually rejects Teculihuatzin, is American tenor Noah Stewart. Bachtrack said of Stewart and Bullock’s partnership in the original 2013 Madrid production, “a [performance]…that bursts with chemistry, sensuality and sexuality.”

Stewart is the first black artist to reach Number 1 in the UK Classical Music Charts (a position he reached with his 2012 debut solo album Noah). This role marks Stewart’s ENO debut. During April 2015, Stewart will embark on a seven date UK solo concert tour.

Leading British soprano Lucy Crowe sings the role of Doña Isabel. Crowe last appeared at ENO in the 2013 revival of The Barber of Seville, where she sang the role of Rosina in a performance described as “glorious” by The Observer.

Making his ENO debut, South Korean countertenor Vince Yi takes the role of Hunahpú. A former participant of San Francisco Opera’s prestigious Merola Programme, Yi has sung the roles of Idamante in Mozart’s Idomeneo and the lead in Handel’s Giulio Cesare as part of his time at San Francisco Opera.

American countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo plays the part of Ixbalanqué. Costanzo has recently sung the role of Prince Orlofsky inDie Fledermaus at The Metropolitan Opera, New York and made his European debut playing the role of Eustazio in Glyndebourne’s production of Rinaldo.

Completing the cast is British tenor Thomas Walker, playing the role of Don Pedrarias Dávila, and South African baritone Luthando Qave, playing the role of Sacerdote Maya.

The Indian Queen opens at the London Coliseum on 26 February 2015 for 8 performances – 26 February, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12 March at 7.00pm, 28 February at 6.00pm and 14 March at 3.00pm

Pre-performance talk: Monday 2 March, 5-5.45pm, £5/£2.50 concs

ENO Music Director Edward Gardner leads the ENO Orchestra and Chorus and an exceptional cast in Wagner’s comic masterpiece

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Opening Saturday 7th February 2015, 3pm at the London Coliseum (8 performances)

meistersinger

ENO Music Director Edward Gardner will lead the “world-class” ENO Orchestra and Chorus (WhatsOnStage) alongside an outstanding cast in Wagner’s comic masterpiece The Mastersingers of Nuremberg. Known for championing British and British trained talent, ENO will field a predominantly British cast led by one of ENO’s major discoveries of recent years, Iain Paterson, making his role debut as Hans Sachs.

Originally created for Welsh National Opera in 2010, Richard Jones’s spectacular staging of Mastersingers comes to London for the first time. Jones provides a “clear and brilliant” (The Arts Desk) retelling of Wagner’s drama about the 16th-century guild of amateur poets and musicians called The Mastersingers. The tensions between creativity and conformity are played out in a society obsessed with rules and regulations.

This production originated at Welsh National Opera where Richard Jones’s “questingly intelligent staging” (Daily Telegraph) was enthusiastically received. The Mastersingers of Nuremberg forms part of a series of works that Richard Jones will direct as part of an ongoing collaboration with ENO. His recent productions for the company include Rodelinda and The Girl of the Golden West, both of which received an outstanding critical and audience response. Richard Jones has been made a CBE for Services to Music in the recent New Year Honours List.

Leading Wagnerian bass-baritone and former ENO Company Principal Iain Paterson will sing his first Hans Sachs. This will be his second Wagnerian role debut this season, following on from his “impassioned and magnificent” (WhatsOnStage) success as Kurwenal in Christof Loy’s production of Tristan und Isolde at the Royal Opera House.

Brilliant singing-actor Andrew Shore, whose ENO triumphs range from Donizetti to Britten, makes his stage role debut as Beckmesser. He was most recently seen at ENO in the twin cameos of Benoit and Alcindoro for La bohème, and will return to the London Coliseum in May as Major-General Stanley in Mike Leigh’s new production of The Pirates of Penzance.

British soprano Rachel Nicholls, an exceptional and experienced Wagnerian, sings the role of Eva. She sang her first Brünnhilde inGötterdämmerung for the 2012 Longborough Festival, returning for three complete Ring Cycles in 2013, and was described by The Guardian as “The most impressive British Brünnhilde for years”. Her performances as Senta in Scottish Opera’s 2013 production of The Flying Dutchman were described as “powerful” (The Times) and “spellbinding” (The Scotsman).

Welsh tenor and ENO favourite Gwyn Hughes Jones, who “just gets better and better with every appearance” (theartsdesk.com) will sing the role of Walter.

American bass James Creswell, an “impressive” Sarastro (The Stage) in Simon McBurney’s ENO production of The Magic Flute will sing the role of Pogner. He will be joined by ENO Harewood Artist Nicky Spence as David and former ENO Young Singer Madeleine Shaw as Magdalene. Completing the cast is baritone David Stout as Kothner. He recently performed at the London Coliseum in the title role of Fiona Shaw’s The Marriage of Figaro.

2014/15 will be Edward Gardner’s final season as ENO Music Director. Described as a “natural and exciting Wagnerian” by The Guardian, Gardner was nominated for an Olivier Award for his 2012 performances of The Flying Dutchman. His performances of Otelloopened the ENO 2014/15 season in September, with the Daily Telegraph writing that “Edward Gardner’s conducting of his splendid orchestra was incandescent in its magnificence”. Gardner will return in June to conduct his final production as Music Director, The Queen of Spades.

The creative team is completed by set designer Paul Steinberg, costume designer Buki Shiff, lighting designer Mimi Jordan Sherin and choreographer Lucy Burge.

The Mastersingers of Nuremberg opens at the London Coliseum on Saturday 7th February for 8 performances – Feb 7, 14, 21 & Mar 7 at 3pm, Feb 18, 25 & Mar 3, 10 at 5pm

Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra’s 90th

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bpo002

 

Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra’s 90th season continues on Sunday 11th January at 2.45pm at Brighton Dome with pianist Martin Roscoe and conductor Andrew Gourlay presenting a programme that features two giants of the orchestral repertoire – Brahms’ Piano Concerto No.1 and Beethoven’s Symphony No.7.

Pre-concert interview with Martin Roscoe and Andrew Gourlay in the Education Room, Brighton Museum at 1.45pm: tickets £3.50  NB: Limited availability for pre-concert interview due to venue – book early!

Tickets for concert & interview are available from Brighton Dome Ticket Office in person, by telephone (01273) 709709 & online at: www.brightondome.org

Details for this and future concerts are available on our webpage at: www.brightonphil.org.uk

New Year’s Eve with the BPO

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Stephen Bell

It would not seem like New Year without the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra’s annual gala at The Dome, and this year was no exception. Stephen Bell guided us from the podium through a rich collation of familiar Strauss pieces, along with just a soupcon of unusual works, and arias from soprano Susana Gaspar.

Suppe’s Overture Poet and Peasant started quietly with a finely crafted cello solo from Peter Adams, but soon rose to more extrovert enthusiasm which became the hallmark of the afternoon. Strauss Polkas dominated the shorter items, with Josef’s Ohne Sorgen, Johann’s Tritsch-Tratsch, Champagne and Pizzicato Polkas. For more substantial works we heard Roses from the South, Enjoy Your Life, the overture to Die Fledermaus and inevitably The Blue Danube.

Josef Strauss’ delightfully delicate Die Libelle- the dragonfly, was a particular highlight of the first half and in the second Peter Adams was again the soloist for the first Romance for cello and orchestra by Johann junior. This provided a gentle interlude between more substantial items but still reflected the enjoyment of life in late nineteenth century Vienna.

Susana Gaspar

Susana Gaspar brought us operatic favourites in the first half, with an incisive Quando m’en vo and a plaintively seductive O mio babbino caro. Turning to operetta in the second we heard Adele’s Laughing Song from Die Fledermaus and Lehar’s enchanting Meine Lippen from Giuditta. It is difficult to realise that Lehar’s last operetta was written in 1934, almost a century after the first Strauss waltzes, and at the same time that Schoenberg was moving to America.

The final vocal item on the programme was a rarity – Heia! Heia! In den Bergen from Kalman’s Gypsy Princess and proved to be a barnstorming number before the Blue Danube.

Needless to say encores were demanded and we came closer to home with I could have dance all night from My Fair Lady before the Radetsky March sent us off to celebrate the New Year in fine style.