St Mary in the Castle, Hastings, 29 June 2019

The brief Biblical account of Salome has given rise to a wealth of artistic endeavours, the most recent of which comes from Edifice Dance Theatre in cooperation with Hastings Philharmonic. This is very much a step into the unexplored for them but, in the event, a compellingly worthwhile undertaking. The performance lasts about an hour and focusses on three highly contrasted individuals, each of whom is precisely characterised. We first meet Carmine De Amicis as Jokanaan (John the Baptist) a tortured individual who seems to be aware of his eventual death from the start as his movements regularly return to his neck and head. His focus is assuredly on the ascetic and removed from human contact. In total contrast Fabio Dolce’s Herod is a sickly smooth operator, as likely to seduce John as he is to try his luck with Salome. In the end his outlandish behaviour destroys both of them.

Harriet Waghorn’s Salome is a complex individual, at first defending herself from Herod’s advances but then allowing them once she knows she can twist him to her own ends.

The most compelling choreography comes in the final scene once John has been murdered by Herod. Salome dances with the dead Baptist in a stunning, if at times off-putting, duo where he is clearly lifeless yet she is able to twist and turn his body to meet her own sensuous needs. It is moving, yet disturbing at the same time.

Phillip O’Meara’s score is constantly apt to the narrative. Much of it is pre-recorded but moves in and out of the stage area, drawing in the three live musicians with consummate ease. The use of gentle pastiche for Herod and the nudging use of the Dance of the Seven Veils from Strauss’ opera is particularly telling. When Salome hears John from the cistern we hear a slow, deep male voice intoning – though the words are indistinct. For the party scene the musicians are required not only to play but to dance along with the soloists.

This is a work which grew on me as it progressed. If it took a little time to get into its stride, once it had done so it was genuinely gripping.

As it was well supported let us hope we will in future see more of the same.

St Clements, Hastings Old Town, Saturday 22 June 2019

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

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

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

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

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

Salome this weekend, followed by Rossini the week after.

Wednesday 19 June 2019

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

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

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

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

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

White Rock Theatre, Wednesday 19 June 2019

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

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

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

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

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

Bridge Point, Rye, Saturday 15 June 2019

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

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

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

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

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

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