Daily Archives: 12 May, 2012

BF: English Chamber Choir

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 St Bartholomew’s, Brighton, 11 May

A world premiere, and the revival of a baroque work the audience are unlikely to have encountered elsewhere, would seem to be essential fare for a Festival. If the result was not quite as exciting as it looked on paper it was no fault of Ivan Moody whose new piece, Sub tuum praesidium, proved to be both challenging and aurally exciting.

The composer draws on three different versions of the hymn to the Virgin, setting them in Latin, Slavonic and Greek. Though the work is through composed and moves easily between the sections there are obvious differences, with the Latin text used to create vast sonorities where the Slavonic section alternates between massive block paragraphs and more ethereal dynamics. There are certainly some ravishing sounds here and it will be interesting to encounter the work in a different acoustic. Where St Bartholomew’s vast spaces allow sound to roll around and for echoes to enfold the listener, this is often to the detriment of the immediacy of the musical line and the clarity of diction.

While Ivan Moody’s work relished the challenge of the building, much of Antonio Teixeira’s Te Deum was lost within its space. The Portuguese composer was born in 1707 and the Te Deum was probably first performed in 1734. However, those used to the conventions of Northern European Baroque may have found the work perplexing in its mixture of styles within a rigid framework. The setting alternates verses of florid embellishment with plainsong, but while there is much individual writing that pleases, the structure is enforced throughout so that there is no sense of narrative line or of dramatic development. The listener quickly realises that each verse will be worked on as if it stood alone, rather than being a stepping stone within a whole. As such the scoring, while effectively performed, dulled as time went on.

This was a pity. There was much to enjoy in the singing of the English Chamber Choir under Guy Protheroe and the soloists of the English Players fought gamely with the acoustic. The two tromebe di caccia sounded splendid, though there was no specific reason textually for their involvement.

It is always good to hear new works, and to be reminded that some older works have been forgotten for good reasons.  BH

ENO wins the RPS Award for Opera and Music Theatre for Eugene Onegin

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With this RPS Award English National Opera has won all available opera awards for its work in 2011

The RPS Award for Opera and Music, donated by the Incorporated Society of Musicians, comes after ENO recently received both Olivier Awards for Opera: Outstanding Achievement in Opera for the breadth and diversity of ENO’s artistic programme and Best New Opera Production for Castor and Pollux, and the South Bank Sky Arts Award for The Damnation of Faust.

Toby Spence, who sang Lensky in ENO’s Eugene Onegin won the Singer Award. Two of the other nominated singers performed in ENO productions in 2011: Roderick Williams for his role of Pollux in Castor and Pollux and Michelle Breedt for her role as Liese in The Passenger.

ENO’s production of Eugene Onegin was a great audience and critical success. Directed by Deborah Warner, the production, conducted by ENO Music Director Edward Gardner starred Toby Spence, Amanda Echalaz as Tatyana and Audun Iversen as Onegin.

ENO’s Artistic Director John Berry said, “The RPS Awards are truly special because it is the music profession who have selected the Awards shortlist. This co-production with the Metropolitan Opera was a highlight during an exciting year for ENO and the chemistry between director Deborah Warner and conductor Edward Gardner produced a Eugene Onegin which showcased the whole Company at its very best.”

The RPS Music Awards are given for the finest music making and are decided by independent panels comprised of members of the profession. Since 1989 the awards have recognised not only the calibre of today’s classical musicians but also those who push creative boundaries to produce work which excites and engages audiences. The 13 individual awards honour performers, composers, programmers, communicators as well as inspirational education and outreach work.

The awards, for outstanding achievement in 2011, were presented at the Dorchester Hotel by BBC Radio 3’s Katie Derham and Petroc Trelawny. Tenor John Mark Ainsley presented the silver lyre trophies, and Gareth Malone gave the evening’s keynote speech, talking of the public’s perception of classical music and the importance of participation.