Monthly Archives: October 2016

Marvellous Miller – A celebration of Jonathan Miller’s phenomenal contribution to ENO featuring exclusive performances from some of Britain’s best loved operatic stars

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Wednesday 16 November at 7.00pm at the London Coliseum

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Over the last four decades Jonathan Miller’s much-loved productions have been at the heart of ENO’s work. From his insightful The Marriage of Figaro in 1978 to his charming and witty The Elixir of Love in 2010, Jonathan has provided the company with fifteen productions, many of them now staples of our repertoire. Only last season his classic productions ofThe Barber of Seville and The Mikado returned to our stage. In 2015 The Mikado celebrated its 200th show, with over 20,000 people attending this run of performances. In February 2017 his legendary ‘Mafia’ production of Rigoletto will be seen once again at the London Coliseum.

For one night only ENO celebrates this great director’s phenomenal contribution to the Company. Some of the UK’s best loved opera singers will come together to perform excerpts from many of his productions  including The Mikado, Rigoletto,The Barber of Seville, The Elixir of Love, The Marriage of Figaro, La traviata, Tosca and Carmen. The evening also offers a rare chance to enjoy a series of filmed interviews with the man himself.

The all British cast features representatives from some of the productions first performances through to the latest generation of artists to have benefitted from Miller’s experience.  Performances include Bonaventura Bottone performing ‘Wand’ring Minstrel’ (The Mikado), Alan Opie with Germont’s aria ‘The sea and soil of Provence’ ( La traviata), Andrew Shore with ‘To a doctor of my class’ (The Barber of Seville) and Richard Suart with his infamous ‘Little List’ (The Mikado). They are joined by a host of ENO favourites including Peter Auty, Susan Bullock, Graeme Danby, Jean Rigby, Mark Richardson, Sarah Tynan and Roland Wood alongside ENO’s award-winning chorus and orchestra conducted by Peter Robinson and Martin Fitzpatrick.

For almost 40 years audiences at the London Coliseum have been thrilled and delighted, moved and entertained by more than 1,000 performances of Jonathan’s work. This special evening offers an opportunity to relive many of those wonderful moments whilst fundraising for ENO’s world-class work.

Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra

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The Dome, Brighton, 9 October 2016

Introducing the new season, Barry Wordsworth pointed out the very wide range of music which the concerts cover and the equally wide range of conductors as he will not be seen on the podium again until next March for the final event.

Though the range of works we will hear over the year is certainly not in doubt, the choice for the opening concert was more problematic. Liszt’s Les Preludes is a rambling piece, closer to Weber than to Wagner. While the brass did well it was difficult to get to grips with its structure and it was only the occasional blaze of glory which held our attention.

This might have been acceptable if the following concerto, though not necessarily populist, had been more engaging, but Walton’s Viola Concerto is a dark offering. Andriy Viytovych was an adroit soloist, conveying the brooding warmth of the opening movement with ease but remaining serious and focused throughout, conveying a sense of introspection which did little to engage the listener.

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After the interval Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony brought a greater level of enthusiasm and emotional contact. After a very slow opening it soon took fire and there was some exceptionally fine playing from soloists, particularly first horn and bassoon. Barry Wordsworth knows the work well and shapes long passages with ease and a real sense of narrative line. In the final movement the fast pace was wedded to crisp, clean phrasing which led to a genuinely exciting climax.

For their next concert on Sunday 6 November, the orchestra is joined by Brighton Festival Chorus for Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem .

Haydn: The Creation

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Bexhill Choral Society
St Augustine’s, Bexhill, 8 October 2016

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There are few works that convey such a glorious sense of joy as Haydn’s Creation and Bexhill Choral Society’s singing last night certainly lived up to it in the enthusiasm and quality of their performance. In many ways the reduced orchestral forces added an extra clarity to the score, so that the scene painting became even clearer. Haydn’s depiction of the forces of nature, the storms, rivers, tinkling brooks and the panoply of the stars were all there. If anything they were too good and the roaring lion managed to sweep away Ken Roberts score and stand, not that this affected the narrative, such is the professionalism of all concerned.

The chorus proved to be well balanced and able to give full force to Haydn’s moments of greatest enthusiasm. The Heavens are Telling and Awake the Harp had a gutsy intensity in contrast to the gentler moments, though Haydn has little here of real introspection. The text reveals a delight in creation in all its romantic glory, the fall being dismissed in a single sentence before the final chorus unites everyone in happy praise.

The three soloists may be very familiar to us but were nevertheless rightly in angelic voice. Sophie Pullen’s voice seems even more radiant now than on earlier occasions and the top of the voice carried easily over the combined forces around her. Peter Grevatt brought a keen sense of humour to the narrative, descending playfully with the sinuous worm. Gary Marriott’s arch-angel was heroic and warm throughout.

Solo instrumentalists were note-worthy with some lovely bassoon passages very evident, and the woodwind for the birds. Robert Aldwinckle’s improvisations at the harpsichord added an immediacy to the recitatives, as did the occasional ornamentation from the soloists.

This was the third Creation I have heard this year and by far the most enjoyable.

The Christmas Concert at St Augustine’s is on Saturday 10 December but if you can’t wait until then there is a Come & Join Us for a Hallelujah Morning on 5 November at Springfield Road Methodist.

Details www.bexhillchoral.org.uk

 

Stephen Page

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Hastings Unitarian Meeting Place
Saturday 8 October 2016

S Page

It’s Hastings Week and the final recital of this year’s series brought a record turn out to the Unitarian Meeting Place for Stephen Page’s concert. There wasn’t a seat left empty – including all the spares normally kept in the gallery.

He opened with an arrangement of Suppe’s Overture Poet and Peasant and then moved into four pieces by Bach – though none of them J S Bach. The first was a Prelude and Fugue in Eb by J Christoph Bach, followed by J M Bach’s Dies sind die heil’gen zehn Gebot. The composers were J S Bach’s uncles but there is no connection between the genius of JS and the tongue-in-cheek PDQ, who’s Prelude and Fugue in C minor includes references to Roll out the barrel and Beethoven’s 5th!

On a more serious note Richard Jones Toccata in D minor has a solid feel to it and brought wide registration. Jean Langlais Priere may have been written for harmonium but sits very comfortably on the Snetzler – the oboe snarling gently out of tune.

We have heard a lot of Handel from this instrument over the years but it is always a pleasure to do so and so three short movements from the Fireworks Music were very welcome.

Boellmann is so well known for the Suite Gothique that is was refreshing to hear some of his other music – in this case three pieces from Six Characteristic Pieces of which the Offertoire is particularly effective.

Robin Milford is not a familiar name but his two dances are gently compelling, bringing a moment of calm before the end.

It is not often the encore comes before the final work, but in this case Stephen squeezed in The Teddy Bears’ Picnic before going out in a blaze of glory with Walford Davies’ RAF March Past.

It is always a pleasure to hear Stephen play and the large and enthusiastic audience were obviously keen to hear him again as soon as possible.

 

 

PULL OUT ALL THE STOPS

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Jane Parker-Smith, organ
Royal Festival Hall, 3 October 2016

The 2016/17 season of this international organ series started with a bang in this recital by the renowned concert organist who is based in London. The programme notes included a quote from Gramophone magazine which describes her approach as “musically assertive organ-playing” and her championing of “big, gutsy, colourful” repertoire.  There is no doubting that Jane Parker-Smith is a fine organist with a tremendous command of the instrument but my problem with this evening was the amount of music which was overly loud, percussive and fast.

Beginning with Marcel Lanquetuit’s Toccata in D the first sounds from the organ were insistent and “in your face”! Guillou’s transcription of Lizst’s Orpheus followed, with some good orchestral registration but at times it felt like some of the accompaniment was running away with itself. Andreas Willscher’s Toccata alla Rumba brought some rhythmic contrast but was in many ways a return to the sound world of the opening piece. The most substantial work in the first half was Healey Willan’s Introduction, Passacaglia & Fugue in Eb minor. This was the nearest we came to baroque / classical structures and was well played with some lovely registration and overall a more measured approach. The beginning of the Passacaglia was beautifully constructed with well defined lines.

The second half consisted of just one work, Vierne’s Symphonie No 2 in E minor. This was a well-executed performance with a lot more contrast in registration and some sublime passages in the Chorale as well as the delightfully playful Scherzo as well as some more evidence of the might of this organ and organist.

An interesting evening which I am sure appealed to many in the audience. I enjoy organ music of varying styles and was impressed by much of the programme as individual items. For an entertaining evening and a showcase for this remarkable instrument I personally would have appreciated a more balanced diet.

The next concert in the series, an all Bach-programme, is given by Robert Quinney on 3rd February.

Stephen Page

ENO: Tosca

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London Coliseum, 3 October 2016

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Catherine Malfitano’s Tosca takes no prisoners. This is opera at its most visceral and, certainly in this revival, full-blooded and exciting. Some may dismiss the approach as old-fashioned, but what a delight it is to be able to sit through a whole evening without having to justify what is being presented to us, or make allowances for occasional weak casting.

The brooding sets by Frank Philipp Schlossman are just on the edge of naturalism, leading us gradually across the three acts to a world that is literally on the edge. When Tosca allows herself to fall backwards into the void it is as if she is being taken up rather than jumping to her death. A magnificent end to an evening which is full of thoughtful and moving moments.

American soprano, Keri Alkema was making her ENO debut in the title role and she will be welcome back at any time. Her Tosca is credible and sung with a careless abandon quite in keeping with the production. Vissi d’arte was rightly applauded though she maintained a sense of continuity even here.

Gwyn Hughes Jones is an heroic tenor, who throws off the top lines with aplomb and, having the stamina for Wagner, was in bright voice right to the end. E lucevan le stelle was assisted, not that it needed it, by the reflective nature of the set, the voice filling the auditorium with glorious power.

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Craig Colcough, a fine Kurvenal in ENO’s recent Tristan, brings us an unusual Scarpia. This is a man who is so confident of his own power he is eternally relaxed and frequently jokey – the real threat lying with the unspeaking henchmen who surround him. His death comes as a shock to him – he can’t believe that it has come at the hands of a woman.

All the smaller parts are well characterised and I particularly enjoyed the idea of the Sacristan’s little helper.

Oleg Caetani allows the score its full force, though the introduction to act three showed unexpected sensitivity. The orchestra has lost none of its momentum over the summer and this promises to be, musically, an excellent season.

Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra’s new season at Brighton Dome starts this Sunday

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There is an autumnal chill in the air in the mornings and the nights are closing in, but whilst for some this heralds the onset of the winter months, the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra and its regular audience are looking forward to their new season of Sunday afternoon concerts at Brighton Dome.

An array of guest soloists and conductors join the orchestra this season to play popular works by Tchaikovsky, Dvorák, Mendelssohn and Elgar as well as less well-known gems by Scriabin, Korngold, Walton and Greig. Particular highlights this side of Christmas include Sunday 6th November where the orchestra is joined by the Brighton Festival Chorus for a performance of Brahms’ Ein Deutches Requiem, and Sunday 4th December when a “Best of British Film Scores” concert promises an afternoon of wonderful classic film music. Then to liven up the festive season the orchestra presents its traditional New Year’s Eve Viennese Gala with a plethora of foot-tapping marches, polkas and waltzes from the prolific Strauss family and lots of sparkly top notes from guest soprano Rebecca Bottone (who featured in the BBC series David Starkey’s Music and Monarchy).

The season opens on Sunday 9th October with Conductor Laureate Barry Wordsworth at the helm with a programme that includes Sir William Walton’s Viola Concerto with Andriy Vytovych and Tchaikovsky’s monumental Symphony No.5.

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Tickets for all concerts range from £12-£37 with a 50% discount for students and under 18s, available from Brighton Dome Ticket Office (01273) 709709 or www.brightondome.org

For those considering coming by car, discounted parking is available for all BPO concerts at just £6 for up to five hours (from 1pm-6pm) in NCP Church Street Car Park, just a couple of minutes’ walk from Brighton Dome.

For full details of the whole season see: www.brightonphil.org.uk

Noteworthy Voices

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Wilmington Parish Church, 1 October 2016

noteworthy-voices

Plagiarism may be a problem for musicians today but was normal practise for most musicians throughout history. Handel borrowed widely, including much recycling of his own works. To put together a programme based on these musical connections is therefore both apt and – as it proved to be – highly enjoyable.

The evening opened with works by Morley and Bennett, with their Victorian re-workings. Morley’s Sing we and chant it has a gentle lilt to its line and admirable clarity for the text, which is somewhat lost in the richer harmony brought to it by Robert Pearsall. However his setting of Lay a garland is a strongly evocative piece which harks back wistfully even as it involves us in its melancholy.

The first half ended with four of Parry’s Songs of Farewell. Beautiful works, they are still too rarely heard even in this centenary year. The singers brought a rapt attention to detail and fine internal balance throughout.

After the interval we were back to Gregorian chant to set the bass line for compositions by Conte and Durufle. Again the textual clarity impressed as did the sudden familiarity of Durufle’s Tantum Ergo.

Debussy’s Trois Chansons de Charles d’Orleans are unusual for the composer, being his only unaccompanied choral works. We heard two of them, a warmly indulgent Dieu! Qu’il la fait bon regarder! and the more tongue-in-cheek attack on the weather in Yver, vous n’estes qu’un villain.

Noteworthy Voices  left the finest piece to the end. Even the glories of early music could not compete with the beauty of Eric Whitacre’s This Marriage. A gentle tribute to the strengths of long-lasting married love its very simplicity is an essential part of its character. Against the pomp and bling of so many weddings, this is a piece which should surely become a staple item for any musician approaching marriage. It was a joy to hear.

Ansy Boothroyd conducted with an easy grace and briefly introduced the items, often letting them speak for themselves. Within the close context of Wilmington’s 12th century church, on a site which has drawn worshippers for thousands of years, this was a highly satisfying evening on both musical and spiritual levels.

Noteworthy Voices’ next concert will be in January 2017 – details on www.noteworthyvoicews.co.uk

Brighton Festival Chorus! Open Rehearsal

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James Morgan – conductor

Tuesday, October 11th 2016, 7.00pm

Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Falmer

Want to sing with some of the best UK and international orchestras and soloists, and in some of the world’s greatest venues? Join Brighton Festival Chorus (bfc) for our annual open rehearsal on Tuesday October 11th at 7pm in the Medical School, University of Sussex. An exciting season lies ahead, including completing a recording with the BBC Concert Orchestra and performing in the Royal Albert Hall in a fundraising concert for Parkinson’s UK, bringing together amazing musicians and comedians for a night of music and laughter. Two concerts are lined up so far in the Brighton Dome Concert Hall, including our traditional Christmas concert in December. On November 6th 2016 bfc will join the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra for a performance of Brahm’s Requiem and Schicksalslied. James Morgan, Music Director of bfc commented “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.” Sing your heart out with bfc in a rehearsal of Brahms’ Requiem on Tuesday October 11th and meet our friendly members for a drink afterwards.

Sir Neville Marriner CH, CBE, Founder and Life President of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields has died

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Sir Neville Marriner CH, CBE 15 April 1924 – 2 October 2016

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The Academy of St Martin in the Fields is deeply saddened to announce the death of Sir Neville Marriner, Founder and Life President of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

Sir Neville Marriner passed away peacefully in the night on 2 October.

Born on 15 April 1924 in Lincoln, Sir Neville Marriner studied at the Royal College of Music and the Paris Conservatoire. He began his career as a violinist, playing first in a string quartet and trio, then in the London Symphony Orchestra. It was during this period that he founded the Academy, with the aim of forming a top-class chamber ensemble from London’s finest players. Beginning as a group of friends who gathered to rehearse in Sir Neville’s front room, the Academy gave its first performance in its namesake church in 1959. The Academy now enjoys one of the largest discographies of any chamber orchestra worldwide, and its partnership with Sir Neville Marriner is the most recorded of any orchestra and conductor.

Honoured three times for his services to music in this country – most recently being made a Companion of Honour by Her Majesty The Queen in June 2015 – Sir Neville Marriner has also been awarded honours in France, Germany and Sweden.

As a player, Sir Neville Marriner had observed some of the greatest conductors at close quarters. He worked as an extra under Toscanini and Furtwängler, with Joseph Krips, George Szell, Stokowski and mentor Pierre Monteux. Sir Neville began his conducting career in 1969, after his studies in America with Maestro Monteux. There he founded the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, at the same time as developing and extending the size and repertoire of the Academy. In 1979 he became Music Director and Principal Conductor of both the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Südwest Deutsche Radio Orchestra in Stuttgart, positions he held until the late 1980s. Subsequently he has continued to work with orchestras round the globe in Vienna, Berlin, Paris, Milan, Athens, New York, Boston, San Francisco and Tokyo. In 2011 Sir Neville was appointed Honorary Conductor of the newly formed I, Culture Orchestra which brings together the most talented young musicians from Eastern Europe. Sir Neville was Music Director of the Academy from its formation in1958 to 2011 when he became Life President and handed the baton of Music Director to violinist Joshua Bell.