Monthly Archives: October 2016

ANNIE

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The Hastleons, White Rock Theatre, 19 October 2016

annie

I think I’m gonna like it here. From the first phrases of Natalie Spencer’s opening song, Maybe, I knew that I was in for an evening of quality entertainment. Her assured stage presence and confident singing in the title role made a huge impact and set the scene for the rest of the show.

The feel-good nature of the story, together with good music, including some well-known songs has made Annie a popular musical for many years.

It would be difficult to single out anyone else from the cast other than to name the other three leads, who each gave excellent portrayals of their characters by their commitment and energy in song, word and action: Tracy Sutton (Miss Hannigan), Zola Thomas (Grace Farrell) and Steve Corke (Oliver Warbucks). I would, however, also like to mention the wonderful singing of Alfie Differ (Bert Healy).

The superb casting of the lead roles played a huge part in the success of this production, as did the enormous efforts from the whole cast from the spirited and large company of orphans, the smaller named parts and members of the ensemble appearing in different roles and groupings. There were many large scale ensemble pieces where the choreography and interaction was carried out very effectively and with fun and enthusiasm throughout.

It is always pleasing to see live music forming the backbone of a show. Alex Hohenkerk’s team worked wonderfully well, complimenting the action on stage and never overwhelming the singers.
Director Royah Hamed is to be congratulated, as are all who have contributed to these performances, including those behind the scenes and taking on the more mundane tasks of raising the necessary funds to enable the show to take place.

For 90 years the Hastleons have been involved in creating live dramatic/musical experiences for the pleasure of local audiences. The quality of this production proves what talent and resources there are here in Hastings and St Leonards. The group welcomes new members but just as important are the audiences.  Do look out for the next production, tell your friends and make sure you are there!

Further details are available on the Hastleons website  www.hastleons.co.uk

Stephen Page

 

Brahms in Brighton

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The second concert of the Brighton Philharmonic’s season at Brighton Dome takes place on Sunday 6th November when the orchestra is joined by regular collaborators Brighton Festival Chorus conducted by their Music Director James Morgan, with guest soloists Sarah Tynan (Soprano) and Leigh Melrose (Baritone). They will be performing a programme of music by Brahms – his longest choral work Ein Deutches Requiem (A German Requiem) and by way of contrast, his shortest Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny).

bpo-oct-16-press

Conductor and BFC Music Director James Morgan is looking forward to the concert and has a warning for audience members: “I’m delighted that the Festival Chorus and BPO will once again join forces in such a special programme. Schicksalslied is a miniature masterpiece; this is one concert you don’t want to arrive late for, as the first minute of music is particularly sublime! Then there is the Requiem – such a well-loved piece and a key work of the choral repertoire. We are very much looking forward to it, and to welcoming our soloists Sarah Tynan and Leigh Melrose.”

The concert opens with Schicksalslied, sometimes referred to as the “Little Requiem”, Brahms’ most ambitious choral composition considered to be one of his finest choral works; it took him three years to compose and is based on a poem by Friedrich Hölderlin about man’s sense of alienation within the cosmos.

The seven movements of Brahms’ epic German Requiem were written between 1865 and 1868 following the death of his mother, and in writing them Brahms was also highly influenced by the earlier death of his great friend Robert Schumann following a suicide attempt and incarceration in a mental asylum. The Requiem is based on words from the German Lutheran Bible rather than the more usual Latin text, which Brahms put together himself, wanting it to be a Requiem for the living, not the dead. The central message of the Requiem appears in its first lines “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted” and “Blessed” is also the last word we hear in the final movement.

The Requiem’s first performance in 1868, with Brahms himself conducting, was a huge success and marked a turning point in his career, giving him the confidence to complete many unfinished projects that had tantalised him for years.

Tickets (from £12-37) are available from Brighton Dome Ticket Office in person, by telephone (01273) 709709 and online: www.brightondome.org. There is a 50% discount for students and under 18s and a Family ticket allows up to two children at £1 each when accompanied by a full-price adult ticket holder.

Those travelling by car can take advantage of the BPO’s special discounted parking rate of £6 between 1pm & 6pm in the NCP Church Street car park. Just collect a follow-on voucher from the Dome at the concert.

Acclaimed visual artist William Kentridge’s spectacular production of Lulu comes to London

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Opens Wednesday 9 November at 7.00pm at the London Coliseum (5 performances)

lulu

In one of autumn’s most anticipated arts events, eminent South African artist William Kentridge makes his ENO directorial debut with this ‘provocative and visually stunning’ (New York Observer) production of Berg’s modernist 20th century masterpiece.

Kentridge locates his production to the period of the opera’s creation in the late 1920s and 1930s, using his own ink drawings to form part of the set and production design. This production has previously been seen in Amsterdam and New York where it was critically acclaimed.

A married woman, a mistress, a murderess and a prostitute who ends up as one of Jack the Ripper’s victims, Lulu is an enigmatic figure. A symbol of sexual desire and its ideal fulfilment, her trajectory from Viennese middle class respectability to her brutal end in a London garret is both harrowing and revealing.

Kentridge’s creative team comprises his co-director Luc de Wit, designer Sabine Theunissen, costume designer Greta Goiris, lighting designer Urs Schönebaum and video designer Catherine Meyburgh. Former ENO Music Director Mark Wigglesworth conducts.

Brenda Rae makes her ENO and role debut as  Berg’s femme fatale, Lulu. She has been a resident artist at Oper Frankfurt since 2008 and has performed with numerous opera companies including Santa Fe Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, Opéra National de Bordeaux, Théâtre de Champs-Elysées and Glyndebourne.

Acclaimed British mezzo soprano Sarah Connolly returns to ENO as Countess Geschwitz. She last sung with the Company in the title role of David McVicar’s production of Medea, a role that she sang ‘with total technical assurance and radiating baneful charisma’ (Daily Telegraph). Other appearances for ENO include La clemenza di tito (for which she won an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera )Der Rosenkavalier,Agrippina, The Coronation of Poppea, The Rape of Lucretia, Xerxes and I Capuleti e I Montecchi.

Irish-Canadian tenor Michael Colvin makes his role debut as The Painter. He last appeared with ENO as Bob Boles in the revival of David Alden’s critically five star production of Peter Grimes. He has also performed in Madam Butterfly and The Turn of the Screw for the Company.

Eminent bass Willard White is Schigolch. Willard last appeared with ENO as Pope Clement VII in Terry Gilliam’s Benvenuto Cellini in June 2014. Other notable roles for ENO include the title role in Stein Wenge’s production of The Flying Dutchman, Kutuzov in War and Peace and Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

American bass-baritone James Morris takes on the roles of Dr Schön and Jack the Ripper. He last appeared with ENO as The Doctor in Carrie Cracknell’s acclaimed production of Wozzeck in 2013, a role in which he exuded “an air of vocal gravitas and cynical manipulation” (Financial Times).

ENO Harewood Artist Nicky Spence makes his role debut as Dr Schön’s son Alwa. Nicky last appeared with ENO as Steva Buryja in the revival of David Alden’s five star production of Jen?fa in June 2016. Other roles with the Company include David in Richard Jones’s Olivier Award-winning production of The Mastersingers of Nuremberg, Francesco in Terry Gilliam’s production of Benvenuto Cellini and Brian in the world premiere of Nico Muhly’s Two Boys in 2011, a role he also reprised at the Metropolitan Opera in 2013.

The cast also includes David Soar (Animal Tamer/Athlete), Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts (Prince/Manservant/Marquis), Clare Presland (Schoolboy/Dresser/Waiter), Graeme Danby (Theatre Director/Bank Director), Sarah Labiner (15 year old girl), Rebecca de Pont Davies (her mother), Sarah Champion (Female Artist), Geoffrey Dolton (Journalist), Joanna Dudley (Solo Performer) and Andrea Fabi (Solo Performer).

Lulu opens on Wednesday 9 November 2016 at 7.00pm for 5 performances – 9, 14, 17 November at 7.00pm, 12, 19 November at 6pm.

500 tickets for £20 or less are available for each performance. Tickets start from £12. www.eno.org

The Kings Singers @ Pevensey

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St Nicolas Church, Friday 21 October 2016

kings-singers

A concert by the Kings Singers is always something special. Since their foundation by six choral scholars at Kings College, Cambridge in 1965, the group has won international renown for  their  total professionalism and lively musicianship. On October 21st, 2016, the Kings Singers performed in St Nicolas, Pevensey to mark its 800th Anniversary.

The Kings Singers began their programme with serious baroque composition, 19th c. French songs and a modern work written for them by John McCabe. Byrd’s canonical ‘Viri Galilaei’ was sung with brisk lightness of voice. Byrd’s music for the Anglican Church has been sung without interruption since the 16th century, and the evening opened with ‘Sing Joyfully’. This proved to be one of the most popular and durable anthems of the Elizabethan age. The piece presents four verses of Psalm 81 in flawless counterpoint. The opening of “Sing joyfully” arrived with a series of upward leaps sung by the counter tenors, alto, and tenor. For the very last fragment of text, which pronounces God’s “law” for the celebration of festivals, Byrd crafts the most extended counterpoint of the piece, which the King’s singers extended beautifully to the final climax.

In contrast, ‘Sicut Lillium’ by Palestrina was characterised by the solemn richness of harmony and sinuous weaving of melodic strands. The modern monasticism of François Poulenc was demonstrated by  the scrunching harmony and sweet texture  of ‘Four Short Prayers’. His countryman Claude Debussy offered ‘Trois Chansons’, old words in a modern setting, clear, sharp and comprehensive, with one song in particular, effective over a drone bass.

We were treated to Palestrina’s ‘Salve Regina’. Palestrina’s writing represents the culmination of Renaissance polyphony. The King’s Singers performed the piece in its original Latin which conveyed this Gregorian chant magically. Intonation, which is critical, was faultless. Sung after Compline the piece can be traced to the monastic practice of intoning it in chapel and chanting it on the way to sleeping quarters at the end of the day. The performance suited the church’s wonderful acoustics for choral singing beautifully.

William Byrd’s –‘Viri Galilaei’ gave the opportunity for the wonderfully rounded tones of Jonathon Howard’s bass voice to come to the fore as the foundation on which the interweaving upper parts could shine in this sacred motet. This piece being part of a larger Mass could only tease us with a flavour of the whole much longer work. Nevertheless this sumptuous performance will stay long in the memory for its delicacy and reflective calm. We were then treated to another early motet by Palestrina, the ‘Sicut lillium’, written for five voices. Again an appropriately early musical experience from a composer who specialised in writing sacred music and who had an influence on so much the development of church music

We moved on three hundred and fifty years to hear a Francis Poulenc – Quatre petites prières de Saint Francois d’Assise, originally composed for the his grandnephew a Franciscan monk. Largely sung in unison the piece demands great breath control and dynamic precision, both of which were effortlessly presented with development into some delicately delicious choral chords which evoked great spirituality, if not on occasion sombre reflections.

Composed by another Frenchman and a contemporary of Poulenc, we heard next Claude Debussy’s ‘Trois chansons de Charles d’Orléans’. The first two songs were performed with full voices before the lively opening of the third song which had some typical ‘clashing chords’ all delivered with authority and confidence. This was a marvellous performance of Debussy’s only choral piece. A rarity well- performed.

Bringing us up to the c21st the King’s Singer’s performed a piece commissioned by the BBC for its first performance by the King’s Singers in the 2002 BBC Proms, forming part of “The Oriana Collection” to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Opening with long glissando voices before the lower voices bring discordancy to proceedings. This is a very unusual composition which had everyone on the edge of their seats as the vocal interweaving knitted a rich texture of sounds on which the first half finished.

The second half delivered a totally different side of the King’s Singers’ repertoire with a selection of arrangements by Gordon Lightfoot of Flanders and Swan songs all delivered with the panache and wit for which the ensemble is renowned. Flanders and Swan, Spike Milligan, a Greek version of ‘Old MacDonald’ (with effective vocal sound effects), and African spirituals were all performed with wit and verve. ‘A transport of delight’, re-arranged by Gordon Langford, was a triumph of witty horsepower (97, to be precise) and tingling bells: the clever ditty lost none of its fun and sparkle in a version for six unaccompanied singers.  A packed audience chuckled mightily before feeling a touch of melancholy at the doomed romance between a well- bred Honeysuckle and rampant Bindweed.

A surprise encore paid tribute to Percy Granger who holidayed for many years close to the church. Percy Grainger is now mainly remembered for ‘Country Gardens’. His 1918 arrangement of this English Morris Dance is still well-known and the King’s Singers rendition completed a memorable evening’s entertainment in a church celebrating its 800th anniversary, in unquestionable style.

There doesn’t seem to be anything that the Kings Singers can’t sing, moreover, with their hallmark perfect pitch, exact intervals and precise enunciation. The audience loved them and refused to let them go without encores, programme signing and drawing raffle tickets. They’re wonderful musicians, talented performers and gave all present a memorable evening.

 

 

Oxford Lieder Festival 2016

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Friday 21 October

The festival may only run for two weeks but seems to mount more events each year. I was there for a single day and managed to get to six separate events ranging from lieder to Bach Cantatas, and taking in lectures on the way.

The lunchtime recital at Holywell Music room was given by Andre Schuen with an all Schubert programme. Accompanied by Daniel Heide, he opened in operatic style with Auf der Bruck and Der Wanderer an den Mond but produced a fine introspection for Nachstuck and Lied eines Schiffers an die Dioskurn. After many songs with serious if not depressive content he finished happily with Willkommen und Abschied.  He is certainly a young singer whose career we will follow with interest.

The afternoon was given over to three items all linked to the Festival’s theme – The Schumann Project. As well as many concerts given over entirely to Schumann’s lieder, Bach Revived considered the importance of Mendelssohn, Schumann and Sterndale Bennett to the revival of Bach’s music in the early to mid-nineteenth century. Dr Hannah French lectured in the Western Library on the importance of all three composers to the revolutionary change in attitude in the first part of the century, when the concept of J S Bach moved from the antiquarian musicologist, assuming the composer was of little interest and impossible to perform, to the present situation where he is treated in an almost godlike way.

Mendelssohn’s performance of the St Matthew Passion on 11 March 1829 is seen as the turning point. By modern standards this was not a complete performance and nor did is use anything like the instrumentation we have come to expect today. However it gave audiences, and musicians, a clear understanding of the magnificent potential of the work and from then on interest gathered exponentially. Mendelssohn was closely aided by the singer Edvard Devrient – who noted that it had taken an actor and a Jew to reinstate the greatest of Christian works!

The atrium of the Weston Library is not an obvious place for a recital but the Festival aims to present a number of sessions free to encourage a wider audience. Thus after the lecture we heard soprano Turiya Haudenhuyse sing songs by Bach and Schumann, ranging from an entrancing Bist du bei mir from Bach to the bleak setting of Zwielicht by Schumann. The link to the lecture came in the form of arrangements that the composers had made of Bach to make him more acceptable to the contemporary audience. So Schumann had added a piano part to Bach’s solo Violin Sonata No2, and Mendelssohn a similar piano part for the Violin Partita No3. These were finely played by violinist, Jonathan Stone with Sholto Kynoch at the piano. Working against a confused background of clinking teacups from the cafeteria and people coming and going, it still managed to be remarkably effective.

Back in the lecture theatre Richard Wigmore, who had provided many of the lieder translations, spoke about the influence of Bach on Schumann’s song settings.

Little time to recuperate before the early evening instrumental recital in the Holywell Music Room. The Phoenix Piano Trio comprises the violin and piano soloists we had heard immediately before, together with cellist Christian Elliott. They gave us Niels Gade’s Novelletten and Mendelssohn’s second Piano Trio. The Gade is a deeply romantic work, often jolly and extrovert in its scoring with a gentle lyrical Larghetto.  The Mendelssohn was on a different emotional level, sturm und drang from the outset though it comes to a joyous conclusion, using a brief chorale which never overpowers the more enthusiastic lyricism.

The main evening recital was given by soprano Julianne Banse. She apologised at the start for the cold she had developed and it was clear this was not an excuse. Though it did not curtail the performance it was obvious at times she was genuinely suffering and her breathing was often restricted. This did not prevent her from giving us a well focused and highly sensitive reading of Schumann’s Frauenliebe und-leben and the five Gedichte der konigin Maria Stuart.  The evening had opened with five songs by Mendelssohn, concluding with a humorous reading of Andres Maienlied ‘Hexenlied’ and seven by Brahms, of which Die Mainacht impressed.  She was accompanied throughout by Marcelo Amaral whose postludes in the Schumann were moving and always apt.

Most of the audience then moved down the road to New College Chapel where the Oxford Bach Soloists gave a late night performance of three Bach Cantatas. The last of these, BWV55, featured tenor James Gilchrist whose passionate rendition brought the day to a fitting close. Earlier we had heard countertenor Alexander Chance in radiant form for BWV 89 & 115. Here was another young singer who we will follow with interest. Between the cantatas Robert Quinney had shuttled between the chamber organ in the orchestra to the organ gallery to perform two of Schumann’s Fugues on BACH. After so much intimate music in Holywell it was exhilarating to be exposed to the power of the New College organ.

All of this in one day – and one day out of sixteen.

If you have not been, then next year’s Festival runs from 13-18 October and will focus on The Last of the Romantics – Mahler and fin-de-siecle Vienna. www.oxfordlieder.co.uk

Martyn Brabbins to take up position as Music Director of English National Opera from 21 October 2016

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English National Opera (ENO) has announced that British conductor Martyn Brabbins will become Music Director of the Company with immediate effect.

m-brabbins

An inspirational force in British music, Martyn Brabbins has had a busy opera career since his early days at the Kirov and more recently at La Scala, the BayerischeStaatsoper, and regularly in Lyon, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Antwerp.  He is a popular figure at the BBC Proms and with most of the leading British orchestras, and regularly conducts top international orchestras, returning to the Royal Concertgebouw, Tokyo Metropolitan and Deutsche Sinfonieorchester Berlin this season.  Known for his advocacy of British composers, he has conducted hundreds of world premieres across the globe. He has recorded over 120 CDs to date, including prize-winning discs of operas by Korngold, Birtwistle and Harvey. He was Associate Principal Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra 1994-2005, Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic 2009-2015, Chief Conductor of the Nagoya Philharmonic 2012-2016, and Artistic Director of the Cheltenham International Festival of Music 2005-2007, and has this season taken up a new position as Visiting Professor at the Royal College of Music.

Brabbins’s performances of The Pilgrim’s Progress at ENO (2012) were conducted with “wonderful breadth and assurance” (The Guardian) and The Times praised his “exemplary musical direction”. His acclaimed performances of Tristan and Isoldewith Grange Park Opera (2016) caused The Observer to describe him as “a musician’s musician, he can turn his hand with ease and perception to anything.”

The appointment runs until August 2020, and  Brabbins will plan the 18/19 and 19/20 seasons together with ENO’s Artistic Director, Daniel Kramer. We are delighted that Brabbins will already be able to conduct one opera production (title to be announced) in 2017/8.

Speaking of his appointment to ENO from 21 October 2016, Martyn Brabbins said:

“With an orchestra and chorus of such exceptional calibre, and a musical legacy nurtured by the finest British conductors, from Reginald Goodall through to Mark Wigglesworth, I feel incredibly honoured to have been invited to join ENO and to become a part of this treasured British musical company.  It is quite an act to follow, and in a tough financial climate, but I am determined that ENO will continue to produce stimulating operatic performances of the highest musical quality at the London Coliseum.  I look forward to working with Daniel, Cressida, and with my dedicated and hugely knowledgeable colleagues in every department at ENO to achieve this.”

ENO: The Pearl Fishers

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London Coliseum, 19 October 2016

pearl-fishers

This is the second revival of Penny Woolcock’s production and it maintains the same balance of strengths and weaknesses as have been apparent on both previous occasions. The new soloists are strongly cast and the men are particularly impressive. Jacques Imbrailo as Zurga and Robert McPherson as Nadir impress in the act one duet, which is also well lit. Robert McPherson makes a great deal of his act one aria, floating the top line with ease.

Claudia Boyle may settle into Leila as the run develops but, while the voice is focused, much of her acting seems exaggerated. This worked well last year in Pirates but needs more subtlety for Bizet. James Creswell is a solid Naurabad and often quite sinister in his presence. Roland Boer handles the score with romantic aplomb from the pit, moving the narrative forward while allowing the soloists to enjoy their individual set pieces.

The chorus are in fine form but the production does not help. As I noted at the last revival, the set severely restricts the chorus movement so that the opening scene is both static and additionally is poorly lit. After the impressive diving scene at the start this is a real let-down, and visually the production does not pick up again until Leila appears on her tower and the sea comes in.

An musically worthy evening but I wish somebody had nudged the production values.

 

DVDs / CDs October 2016

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Britten; The Rape of Lucretia
Glyndebourne Festival Opera
OPUS ARTE OA 1219 D

Britten’s opera was given its premiere at Glyndebourne seventy years ago and this new staging is a tribute to its continuing impact as a great work, as well as to the intimacy and sensitivity of the staging. The modern setting works well and Allen Clayton and Kate Royal are particularly effective as the Chorus who form the link between ourselves and the action. Christine Rice is a vulnerable Lucretia in Fiona Shaw’s intelligent production.

 

Glinka: Ruslan and Lyudmila
Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra and Chorus, Vladimir Jurowski
BELAIR BAC 120

For a work so familiar from its overture it is surprising that it is so rarely staged. This fine new recording, in an evocative and visually impressive production by Dmitri Tcherniakov, goes some way to explain why it might be such a rarity. It is very long. What is more, the score often repeats itself, with soloists given an extra verse or two where fewer may have been more effective. The production is well sung under Vladimir Jurowski and the Wagnerian parallels are enhanced by the staging. Worth following up.

 

Cav & Pag
Royal Opera House, Antonio Pappano
OPUS ARTE OA 1210 D

I really enjoyed this production by Damiano Michieletto. He links the two works together without forcing the narrative lines. In both operas the intermezzi are used to bring us characters from the other opera, most effectively in Pag where we see Santuzza and Mamma Lucia reconciled and turning positively to the birth of the baby. It serves to link the people of the village without forcing them into a single story. Aleksandrs Antonenko is strongly cast as both Turiddu and Canio, but there are no weaknesses in a highly compelling staging, driven from the pit by Antonio Pappano at his most romantic.

 

Antoine-Esprit Blanchard: Magnificat a la Chapelle Royale
Les Passions, Jean-Marc Andrieu
LIGIA Lidi 0202313-16

Jean-Marc Andrieu has been working on the scores of Antoine-Esprit Blanchard for thirty years now and this is the latest of his re-discoveries. Three motets are recorded here – Magnificat, De Profundis and In exitu Israel. In 1738 Blanchard was made music master to the Chapelle Royale, having been born in central France in 1696, and got to Paris by a highly circuitous route. Two of the motets are recorded here for the first time and are given with the professional skill and excitement we have come to expect from the group who brought us such thrilling recordings of Jean Gilles. There is a detailed booklet together with the CD and the full text of the motets.

More details of Les Passions and CD purchase available from www.les-passions.fr

Chopin Mazurkas
Pavel Kolenikov, piano
HYPERION CDA 68137

Pavel Kolenikov was one of the BBC New Generation Artists 2014-16 and this recording adds to the many fine performances he has already given. Elegance is not a word often used of performers today but it certainly suits his approach to Chopin, which has a delicacy, an intimacy which reflects the domestic potential of the works as well as their more obvious place in the concert hall. Let us hope we will hear a lot more from him both on stage and in the recording studio.

Celtic Airs
Barry Douglas, piano with ensemble
CHANDOS CHAN 10934

This might not appear to be an obvious ‘classical’ choice but it is a fascinating cross over. Barry Douglas is joined by Irish flute and penny-whistle, Scottish harp and Shetland fiddle, for a collection of Celtic music. Some of it is played straight and other items are used as the basis for improvisation and embellishment . it is easy on the ear but also reflects a high level of professionalism.

 

Haydn: Sun Quartets
Chiaroscuro Quartet
BIS 2158

I enjoyed Tom Service’s notes in which he is effectively doing himself out of job – arguing that we should not read the notes but simply listen to the music. And one can see what he means for these are delightful renditions of delightful music. Just enjoy!

 

Fritz Wunderlich; Festive Arias
SWR 19026CD

For those of us old enough to remember Fritz Wunderlich this is a wonderful disc of the singer at his best. While the Bach and Schutz items are familiar, it is the recording of ten pieces from Handel’s Messiah which are of particular interest as they are sung in German, which is interestingly challenging for those of us who know it so well in English. The recordings were made between 1955-59 though they do not sound their age.

 

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas
Steven Osborne
HYPERION CDA 68073

The three sonatas included here are the Hammerklavier Op106, the Op101 in A major and Op90 in E minor. For some reason, that is not quite clear, they are presented in reverse order to that in which they were written, even when the liner notes point out how well they work if played as a set of three in correct order! None of this affects the quality of the playing which has both subtlety and clarity of texture throughout. This is the third Beethoven disc from Steven Osborne and we can surely hope for more.

 

J S Bach: Goldberg Variations
Angela Hewitt, piano
HYPERION CDA 68146

This is clearly marked 2015 recording to distinguish it from Angela Hewitt’s first recording in 2000. The work itself, as she tells us in an extended article in the accompanying notes, is an essential part of her musical life and has been with her at key moments. She is particularly concerned at its intimacy and potential to make the most impact where the audience is smallest. Better still, the version we hear is a single take, not a patch-work of edits. That reality shines through in a remarkable performance which gets to the heart of the work, communicating with ease, and with a flow that seems effortless.

BH

THE YOUNG J.S. BACH
Andrew Arthur, Carsen Lund organ, Trinity Hall, Cambridge
PRIORY PRCD 1176 (2CDs) 155’31

This welcome release presents the ‘Neumeister chorales’ in lovely performances to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the inauguration of this organ. Providing added variety this well-structured 2 CD release places a number of other contrasting works to punctuate the collection.

THE COMPLETE ORGAN WORKS OF THOMAS TERTIUS NOBLE  Volume 2
John Scott Whiteley, organ of York Minster
PRIORY PRCD 1129
The second volume of this project includes a number of hymn preludes based on well-known tunes (Melcombe, Dominus regit me, Stracathro, Walsall, Picardy) as well as the Sonata in A and Introduction & Fugue in F minor. The CD opens with Toccata & Fugue in F minor. John Scott Whiteley obviously has a great affinity with this music and uses his experience of this organ to the full.

 

MALCOLM WILLIAMSON ORGAN MUSIC
Tom Winpenny, organ, St John the Evangelist, Duncan Terrace, London
NAXOS 8.571375-76 (2 CDs)  99’22

The music of Malcolm Williamson is ripe for rediscovery as this collection of some of his organ works from the late 1950s to the mid ‘70s shows. This is not a complete survey, with several of the more well-known titles missing. However, what is included is lovingly brought back to life by Tom Winpenny, who is developing his reputation as an advocate of twentieth century repertoire.  Shorter pieces include Epitaths for Edith Sitwell and Elegy-JFK. More lengthy works are the fascinating Peace Pieces, Little Carols of the Saints and Mass of a Medieval Saint. A wonderful release.

 

FITZWILLIAM VIRGINAL BOOK EXCERPTS
Ton Koopman, cembalo/ harpsichord
CAPRICCIO ENCORE C8002
This is an enjoyable collection of a selection of pieces from the Fitzwilliam book. It could serve as an excellent introduction to the delights of the keyboard repertoire of this era or purely as an entertaining listening experience. The recordings are some years old but Ton Koopman’s mastery of the keyboard shines through.

 

STILL, O HIMMEL – Christmas Carols by Joseph Haas & his contemporaries
Muncher Frauenchor & Munchen Madchenchor
directed by Katrin Wende-Ehmer, organist Norbert Duchtei
TYZart CHROMART CLASSICS TXA15070  77’00

This recording of German Christmas carols by the Munich Ladies’ & Girls’ choirs gives an insight into music that was largely unknown to me. The first part of the CD consists of extracts from Haas’ Christmas oratorio, Christnacht, which draws on Bavarian and Tyrolean folk melodies. Alongside this are carols by Rheinberger and Reger, as well as less familiar names including Erna Woll and Christian Lahusen. A welcome alternative for the Christmas season.

 

DICH MARIA HEUT ZU PREISEN – The most beautiful compositions in praise of the Virgin Mary by South German and Italian masters of the 18th & 19th centuries
MECHTHILD KEINDL, soprano, ANNE DUFRESNE, oboe, NORBERT DUCHTEL, organ
TYZart CHROMART CLASSICS TXA15069  71’00

Works by Rheinberger, Reger, Konigsperger and others form an interesting and varied programme.

SP

 

 

Maidstone Symphony Orchestra

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Mote Hall, Maidstone, 15 October 2016

The weather may have taken a turn for the worse but there was no doubting the enthusiasm of Maidstone Symphony Orchestra who seemed to have retained all the warmth and joy of the summer, in an evening full of romantic extravagance.

Brian Wright opened with a thrilling reading of Dvorak’s Carnival Overture, the delicacy of the harp fending off the brashness of the brass and the thwack of the tambourine. Shostakovich’s Second Piano Concerto followed with Alexander Panfilov its vibrant soloist. He brought a highly percussive approach to the work which was both exciting and convincing, though he has all the subtlety for the familiar Andante slow movement. The fire he brought to his reading was mirrored in the Rachmaninov Prelude which he gave as an encore. We would happily have asked for more but that would not have been fair on him after the exertions of the concert.

alexander-panfilov

Berlioz’ Symphonie Fantastique is equally familiar and gained in authority as it progressed. There was sound dynamic contrast in the first two movements, with the two harps particularly impressive, but it was from the third movement that it really began to impress. From the offstage oboe to the sinister drum rolls at the end it was beautifully phrased in long, lingering paragraphs.

I don’t normally mention soloists by name but the two tympanists, William Burgess and George Barton, really stood out in the final movements. The March to the Scaffold had an intensity and power which came to fruition in the finale movement, where textures were crystal clear even in the density of Berlioz’ orchestration.

If the orchestra can maintain this level of musicality for the rest of the season we are in for a fantastic year. Tell your friends – there are still seats available!

The next concert which includes familiar works by Elgar, Bruch and Schumann is on Saturday 3 December.  mso.ticketsource.co.uk  friends@mso.org.uk

Robin Hood

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robin-hoodBarbican Hall, 14 October 2016

Neil Brand has been honing the art of improvisation for silent films for many years (as those of us in Hastings will recall from many fine evening at St Mary in the Castle). He has also had a desire to write a score for Douglas Fairbanks’ 1922 Robin Hood. Happily the two have come together in the magnificent unveiling of a renewed print of the film and a full score for the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Timothy Brock.

The film was always over the top, with Fairbanks’ outlaw closer to Peter Pan than Mel Gibson – think Men in Tights rather than Prince of Thieves – and from the moment he leaps into the forest it is a joy until the final tongue-in-cheek scenes where the king is banging on the bridal chamber door.

Neil Brand’s score mirrors this enthusiasm with aplomb, its rich romantic passages offset by some nastier scenes drawn from Vaughan Williams at his most introspective. Unlike Carl Davis’ scores for Ben Hur or Napoleon there are no obvious big themes to delineate the characters, rather there is a more subtle atmospheric background which gives us an emotional underpinning to the action and allows characters to develop musically as the film progresses.

As the BBC was involved we can only hope that we will see (and hear) the score again with presumably the potential for a DVD.