Monthly Archives: August 2012

East Sussex Music Service

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De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill 

Saturday July 28

Brahms is generally regarded as a composer of ‘serious’ music but his Academic Festival Overture from 1880 which opened the evening was the exact reverse. With the brass secion to the fore, it rolled merrily along, largely versions of students’ songs, ending with the traditional Gaudeamus Igitur which most recognise.

Continuing in this joyous vein was Dances of Galanta from the pen of Hungarian composer Zolan Kodaly a homage to his home town.  Kodaly emulated the British folk song expert Cecil Sharpe, in travelling countrywide collecting the words and music of folk songs and national dances.  Some of the former were designed to encourage military recruitment, some were solely for recreation. Welded together, they made an attractive contrast.  The introduction of the czardas, the national dance of Hungary, made an attractive prelude to the outstanding feature of the work, a breath-taking extended section for clarinet, a solo which the audience truly appreciated, expertly played with assurance by the leader of the woodwind section Luke Wiltshire. 

Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony in E flat major, universally acknowledged as his most popular work after Finlandia, reflected his love of nature with instruments representing its various aspects. In the first movement, the woodwind served as the birdsong, the strings the breeze through the trees, with the lower-registered instruments combining in sombre recognition of the vast wildernesses of the composer’s homeland. The second movement opened in bright dance form, but swiftly changed to an almost threatening atmosphere. The last movement began with the strings, then the horns, repeated by the double basses joining in a crescendo of sound ending on a sequence of six impressive chords by the entire orchestra.

Colin Metters founded the Youth Orchestra over three decades ago and has conducted every end-of-the-academic-year occasion ever since.  Surely this must have been the most impressive of all? The audience, including amongst its distinguished guests several professional musicians, certainly thought so.

A considerable number of the players will be going in September to Music Academies or University music courses and we wish them every success in their chosen – and sometimes hazardous – profession. For those heading for more conventional careers, they will assuredly look back on their time with the Music Service with affection and carry with them a lifetime’s joy in music.  MW

RICHARD HAWLEY APPOINTED TOWN HALL & SYMPHONY HALL DIRECTOR OF ARTISTIC PROGRAMMING AND PROJECTS

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Town Hall and Symphony Hall Birmingham (THSH) are delighted to announce the appointment of Richard Hawley as Director of Artistic Programming and Projects. He will take up his new position on 12 November 2012.

On the announcement of Richard’s appointment, Andrew Jowett OBE, Director of Town Hall and Symphony Hall, said: “I am delighted that we have been able to appoint Richard to this key role within THSH. He brings with him a range of experience which will enable us to build upon the tremendous work done by his predecessor Paul Keene and ensure that the programme of concerts and events staged at our two world class halls continues to place Birmingham at the forefront of music making and upholds our vision of connecting people to music. Richard will also be responsible for overseeing our Education and Community policy, an integral element of our future development.”

Richard Hawley said about the appointment: “I am thrilled to be joining Town Hall and Symphony Hall at this exciting time and I am very much looking forward to working with artists and audiences alike to further develop the vital contribution these two wonderful venues make to Birmingham’s cultural life.

Richard was born and educated in Brisbane, Australia, where he held a number of positions in the arts before moving to the UK. His first appointment in the UK was as Orchestra Manager for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, resident at Symphony Hall. Richard then went on to hold the position of Festival Director at the Lichfield Festival. He is a Fellow of the CLORE Leadership Programme and is a resident of Birmingham.

He is currently Director of Arts Administration (Maternity cover) at London’s Southbank Centre.

 

Prom 39: Berlioz, Grande messe des morts

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BBC National Chorus of Wales; Huddersfield Choral Society; London Symphony Chorus; BBC National Orchestra of Wales; Toby Spence, tenor; Thierry Fischer

Reading the programme notes, I realised I was at the first prom performance of Berlioz’ Grande messe des morts under John Pritchard back in 1960. It is no wonder I have an enduring love of the work. At that time we had no television, no gramophone, no telephone and only a small radio. The work left an indelible impression, and coming to it again last night was no less exciting.

Some purists might complain about Thierry Fischer’s decision to place the ‘off-stage’ bands behind the orchestra but the gain in aural impact is immense. This was not just true of the glory of Tuba mirum but later passages which draw on the extra brass and percussion. I had not realised that even in the final bars of the work the off-stage timps are still rolling.

The choral forces, particularly the men, were a match for this brass onslaught, but time and again it was the delicacy both of the individual solo players and the choral sections which impressed. The a cappella setting of Quaerens me became all the more effective in contrast to the majestic weight of Rex tremendae, which was taken at a furious pace.

The Offertorium was presented as a gentle sorbet between the pain of Lacrimosa and the sweetness of the Sanctus. Surprisingly, the only problem came from Toby Spence. His accomplished and lyrical tenor should be ideal for the work, and he has sung it a number of times before. However, from the start, it was obvious he was having difficulty and while some notes rang cleanly, others were foggy or ill-focussed. He got through without any series break in the voice but it was clear he was not at his best.  

The massive forces were not without the occasional slip but Thierry Fischer showed a clear command of the score and carried it forward with aplomb. It will be worth catching again on the iplayer to reconsider the impact of the total forces on air. BH

Prom 37: The Apostles

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Halle Orchestra, Choir and Youth Choir; Sir Mark Elder

The Apostles has never been as popular as Elgar’s other major choral works but when one hears a performance as finely judged as this was it is difficult to understand why this has been so. The choral writing is as secure as any passages in The Kingdom or Gerontius and the characterisation is secure. Moreover, Elgar’s ability to move the narrative seamlessly between epic episodes is handled with utter security. On one level the work is a reworking of the passion story, but Elgar insists that we follow evens through the emotional experience of the Apostles themselves rather than as an outsider looking on at the passion. This is essential to an understanding of the work, as the composer wants us to feel, not simply to follow.

Mark Elder has a fine grasp on the structure of the oratorio and creates paragraphs of Wagnerian length, refusing to let individual moments of beauty break the continuity. And there were many moments of great beauty. Alice Coote is a very sympathetic Mary Magdalene and Rebecca Evans a warmly human Mary and Gabriel.

Jacques Imbrailo gives us a Jesus who is musically one with the Apostles, his voice blending effortlessly with those of David Kempster’s Peter and Paul Groves’ John. The one male voice which stood out from the rest was Clive Bayley’s imposing Judas. Even in the earlier choral writing the dark cynicism came through with great clarity.

Mark Elder followed Elgar’s later custom of forming a small male chorus to represent the other nine Apostles. While musically interesting it also draws attention to the fact that that are dramatically irrelevant to the story when compared to the named Apostles.

Choral and orchestral forces moved with dignity and power throughout, and the important organ part was in the sensitive hands of Darius Battiwalla. As an organist himself, Elgar knew only too well how the organ can add far more than extra power at key moments.

The programme notes that Mark Elder is giving Gerontius with the LPO later this year. It will be worth catching. BH

God’s Composer

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The Sixteen; Harry Christophers

Simon Russell Beale

CORO DVD6        60’

This DVD marks the 400th anniversary of the death of Tomas Luis de Victoria, often known as God’s Own Composer, in 1611. Introduced by Simon Russell Beale, it includes interviews with Harry Christophers who directs all the music from the Church of San Antonio de los Alemanes, Madrid. Christophers has an enormous regard for Victoria and speaks about individual works, and the composer himself, with passion and great enthusiasm.

The opulence of the baroque church acts as a suitable setting for the grandeur and spiritual intensity of the music performed within it.

Surprisingly, it is not possible simply to listen to the music by itself, and there are times when even the mellifluousness of Simon Russell Beale becomes intrusive and one just wants to hear the music.

This does not however deflect from the impact of the music itself which constantly enraptures the ear with its sublime intensity. BH

Debussy: String Quartet; Ravel: String Quartet

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Eroica Quartet

RESONUS RES10107        54’57”

This is a familiar combination but none the less welcome. The use of gut strings throughout, though again hardly a unique occurrence, does give an extra warmth and sensitivity to the playing.

The Ravel is marked by high levels of contrast, particularly the sense of attack in the final movement set against the gentle pizzicato of the second movement. The booklet has a very useful article on the background to the work, which includes the impact of the composer himself on early recording of the work. The influence is reflect in this recording but recognises that there were times when even the composer was unsure about dynamics and tempi. Both are convincing within the context of this new disc.

The Debussy is equally appealing and I particularly enjoyed the rather languorous approach to the Andantino.

That neither work was successful when first performed may seem strange to modern ears but this recording gives us some insight into the way they sounded when originally placed before the public. BH

Mendelssohn: Octet (1825 version)

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Eroica Quartet

RESONUS RES10101        36’15”

It may seem surprising that, for such a familiar work, this is the first time that the 1825 version has been recorded. Mendelssohn’s fair copy is dated 15 October 1825, when he was only sixteen,  but was not published until 1832 by which time the composer had made substantial changes, including deleting some of the most radical scoring. Though in once sense a more polished work, the revised score is also less challenging than its original.

As such it is well worth hearing, if only to compare with the more familiar version. However this is no academic recording. The playing is as fresh as the score implies, with brisk tempi and an open excitement to the playing in the extensive first movement.

The scherzo shows the most revision with a cut towards the end which excises the repeat of the first subject. While driving the music forward this effectively unbalances the movement but the composer obviously felt this was worth risking. Listeners can judge for themselves but I am glad to have both versions available. The following movements are close to those with which we are familiar in the revision.

Playing and recording throughout are of a very high quality, with the ensemble able to move with ease from a relaxed intimacy to near orchestral authority.

For those who have loved the work for years this is an essential addition. BH

Fourth London Festival of American Music

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From 22 to 27 October 2012 at The Warehouse, London

Enterprising and highly spirited contemporary music specialist Odaline de la Martinez and her ensemble Lontano present the Fourth London Festival of American Music at The Warehouse, Waterloo, from 22 to 27 October. The centrepiece of this year’s programme is the UK premiere of Pulitzer prize-winning composer John Harbison’s opera Full Moon in March.

Since its initiation in 2006 the festival has become a biennial fixture in celebration of contemporary American music. The 2012 festival includes works by cardinal figures such as Yehudi Wyner, Bright Sheng, and Milton Babbitt, and by Guggenheim Fellowship winners Shih Hui Chen and Arthur Levering. Lontano will also be performing world premieres of works by emerging composers William Dougherty, Carlos Carrillo and Daniel Thomas David, as well as a new work by Arlene Sierra specially commissioned for the ensemble.

Three evenings of the festival are given to the first UK performance of Full Moon in March (24, 26, 27 October), a 1976 opera by John Harbison, a composer of “sure compositional technique and musical sophistication” (New York Times), and one of America’s finest living composers. Harbison came to world-wide attention with his 1999 opera The Great Gatsby (based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald), commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera. The opera was well received by critics, who saw it as a work that would last into posterity: “the score’s craft and accessibility are strong advocates for an opera that should win an audience in time”, writes Peter G. Davis (New York Magazine). Drawn by the promise that the man who sings most eloquently of his passion will win the queen’s hand in marriage, a swineherd approaches the throne… Two attendants describe the events that unf old. The libretto is a play by Irish poet W. B. Yeats, who envisaged the work set to music. “Compelling… fluid vocal writing… Harbison has devised a score that bubbles in fits and spasms in the pit, while moving smoothly onstage”, writes Richard Pontzious (San Fransisco Examiner). Harbison himself intended the work to form the second half of a concert, and the first half of each evening will include a range of composers of different generations, genders and geographies.

Other highlights of the festival include the opening nights The British Connection, a concert featuring music by composers who live or have lived in the UK, includinga new work by American born UK resident Arlene Sierra called Meditation on Violence,commissioned by Lontano. On the 23 October, the Fidelio Piano Trio take to the stage, performing Piano Trios by Harbison and Wuorinen, and New York City Ballet’s composer in residence Bright Sheng’s Four Movements. On 25 October, Soprano Nadine Mortimer-Smith sings a programme of vocal music, accompanied by pianist Tomasz Lis, including a selection of Gershwin songs, and Samuel Barber’s poetic Knoxville: Summer of 1915

THE LUDLOW ENGLISH SONG WEEKEND 2013

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YOUNG COMPOSERS’ COMPETITION

Young composers are invited to take part in a competition to have their music performed at one of Britain’s major English song weekends – The Ludlow English Song Weekend 30 May to 2 June 2013 – and to work with one of the country’s leading composers, Julian Philips.

As well as having their work performed during the festival, winners of the competition will receive prize money of £500 (category A) and £250 (category B). The six finalists will be invited to take part in a workshop with Julian Philips during the Ludlow English Song Weekend.

Entry to the competition is in two age groups:

19-23 (born on or after 1 January 1987)

16-18 (born 1 January 1992 to 31 December 1994)

Entries are required by 7 January 2013. Further details and entry form from www.ludlow-english-song-weekend.org.uk

The judging panel is Julian Philips (Head of Composition, Guildhall School of Music and Drama and recently Composer in Residence and composer of community opera Knight Crew at Glyndebourne), Paul Spicer (one of Britain’ most distinguished and respected choral conductors and composers and Chairman Finzi Friends), Martin Bussey (a noted musician and educationist combining the roles of composer, singer and conductor at places that include Chetham’s School of Music & Manchester University).

The 2013 Ludlow English Song Weekend will be the fifth triennial festival, and, under the direction of artistic director Iain Burnside, is organized by the Finzi Friends who know and care passionately about the genre. As well as recitals by outstanding artists and up and coming talent, there are talks, workshops, masterclasses, and the competition for young composers is a particular high spot. Events take place in the elegant Assembly Rooms in this beautiful border town, so much at the heart of the epic poem-cycle A Shropshire Lad by AE Housman, which has inspired many composers and poets.

Günter Wand Conducting Chair for Semyon Bychkov

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The BBC Symphony Orchestra today announced that Semyon Bychkov – who conducts the Orchestra at the BBC Proms this Wednesday, August 8th – will join their roster of conductors with a position created especially for him by the Orchestra. The title of the Günter Wand Conducting Chair was chosen in recognition of the affection and respect that the Orchestra held for the conductor who was appointed their Principal Guest Conductor exactly 30 years ago, and is mirrored in the relationship they enjoy with Bychkov.

Semyon Bychkov said: “I am deeply honoured by the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s gesture. The relationship it had with Günter Wand resulted in many memorable achievements, which live in the minds of those who witnessed them. To be asked to join in this tradition holds a very special meaning to me.”

The Günter Wand Conducting Chair recognises the mutual wish of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Semyon Bychkov to collaborate on significant projects, and reflects the warmth of their relationship since they first collaborated at the BBC Proms five years ago. Of their magnificent performance of Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 2, the Guardian commented: “Bychkov’s outstanding interpretation rose above the excitement and heady nostalgia of the piece to uncover underlying tragic nobility. With the BBC musicians playing for him like angels, this was one of the highlights of the season so far.”

Bychkov has subsequently conducted the Orchestra on numerous occasions, both as part of the BBC SO’s Barbican season and, as a guest at the BBC Proms, bringing memorable performances of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 11, Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 and Verdi’s Requiem, as well as many other works. This year’s BBC Prom opens with a performance of Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 followed by the UK premiere of Richard Dubugnon’s Battlefield Concerto, with its dedicatees Katia and Marielle Labèque as soloists. Following the interval, Bychkov conducts a performance of Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben, a composer with whom he is particularly associated – his first recording with WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln was Ein Heldenleben coupled with Metamorphosen (2003) and he made his Covent Garden debut with Elektra (2005).