Monthly Archives: August 2012

All Saints Organ Concerts, Hastings: 5 Timothy Wakerell

Posted on by

 

If I admit this was a programme of two halves all will become clear later. Tim Wakerell opened with a very impressive reading of Bach’s Fantasia and Fugue in C minor BWV537. The gradual and seamless build in registration, particularly in his use of the pedal, was entirely convincing as were his articulation and phrasing. The Sonata by CPE Bach which followed was charming though rather light-weight when compared either to his father’s work or the richer tonality of Schumann’s Op58 No3. It really was a case of a chamber work needing a chamber organ.

Tim Wakerell’s use of tone colour was again in evidence in a fluid rendition of Franck’s Prelude, Fugue and Variatio, before W T Best’s transcription of the overture to Mendelssohn’s St Paul. This literally did pull out all the stops and made a noble – and noisy – end to the first half.

So far – so very good.

The second half opened with a Passacaille from Aubertin’s First Sonata from Two Pieces for Organ. Its slow transitions and ponderous writing were not easy to follow and it was unclear when it had actually finished, passing through a number of potential concluding notes before actually stopping. It was one occasion when having the screen was a real advantage as we could see when the organist had actually stopped. It might have made more sense in the context of the whole work but seemed uneasily placed within this programme. Karg-Elert’s charming Valse Mignonne was given rather heavy-handed registration which clashed with the delicacy of the writing.

The concert ended with Max Reger’s Fantasie on Wachet aufOp52. I am glad to say that many around me obviously enjoyed this and were enthusiastic about both the work and the playing. There was certainly little to fault in the performance, the regular use of choir with swell being particularly impressive, but by this stage in the evening it all seemed rather too heavy and unfocussed. Thankfully the second part of the Fantasie is fugal, and therefore easier to follow, which helped.

There was no encore, which may have been understandable in the circumstances, but we could have done with a lollipop to send us on our way – or am I just too plebeian? BH

Next Week – Stephen Disley – 7.30pm All Saints Church, Hastings

Prom 30: The Angry Planet

Posted on by

 

It is not often that we get the chance to hear 550 a cappella voices, so that even for the Proms this was something of a rare occasion. The BBC Singers and Bach Choir were joined by Children’s Choirs from London Boroughs, the National Youth Choir and the Great Baddow High School Signing Choir for performances of Flame by Ben Parry and the world premiere of Bob Chilcott’s The Angry Planet.

Flame is a setting of a poem by Garth Bardsley which takes up the Buddhist idea of a flame multiplying as it divides rather than growing weaker. The setting opens in almost plainchant mode and as the flame grows so does the intensity of the writing and the range of voices and vocal lines involved. The climax at so to light the world reminded me of the 40 part motet in its uplifting and swirling voices. It is a glorious outpouring and one which should be taken up by choral societies of any substance.

Bob Chilcott’s The Angry Planet tries, and for most of the time succeeds, in combining a wide range of styles to suit the wide range of available voices. The four sections follow similar patterns, opening with the denser and more complex writing for adult voices and then moving to a more approachable style with easy and highly memorable melodic lines. This structure is mirrored in the text by Charles Bennett which works in the opposite direction. The adults tend to have the more overt and obvious lines while the children’s text is frequently cryptic and puzzling.

The impact is impressive, and the text clear throughout. Gentle rocking rhythms support ideas of the sea and of destruction by water. The third movement includes a finely written solo for soprano – sung with ease and purity by Laurie Ashworth – and an effective use of the Latin requiem text as parts of the choir intone the list of recently extinct animals.

David Hill’s handling of the large forces was excellent throughout and both works conveyed a high level of professionalism from all involved.

Unfortunately this was more than can be said for the audience. A prom with children’s voices is not necessarily a children’s prom, and this one certainly wasn’t. Nobody appeared to have told the families in the audience. I had two babies close to me who vied with each other to see who could cause the most interruption and parents seemed to be allowed to wander in and out of the hall at will. It was all too obvious which families were related to those on stage as they chatted and passed food during the ‘adult’ sections of the score and only made any effort to listen when their children were singing. This might be acceptable for a school nativity but it is surely not so for an advertised Prom concert? I needed to listen to the recording on the radio of the third section once I returned, as most of the soprano solo was drowned out by crying from where I was sitting. We need young audiences, but we need young educated audiences, and this does not seem to me to be a good way to do it. BH

 

 

 

First International Composers Festival of classical music to take place in Hastings

Posted on by

On 24th and 25th of August, beautiful St Mary’s in the Castle on Hastings seafront will be host to the very first International Composers Festival. Conceived as a celebration of accessible and soulful classical music, the festival will feature a varied programme of concerts and talks. This unique event aims to bring together local and international composers and musicians to offer the public a fresh experience of contemporary classical music .

The festival will launch on Friday 24th August with an evening concert by the London Gala. Orchestra directed by Stephen Ellery and performing new works by Nigel Hess, Simon Proctor, Patrick Hawes, Nobuya Monta, Kevin Riley and Polo Piatti.

The 25th August features talks, discussions, networking opportunities and open rehearsals. A highlight will be the keynote speech “on Being a Composer” by the festival’s patron, renowned British composer Nigel Hess followed by a Question and Answer session.

Visitors will get a unique insight into the craft of creating classical music and have the opportunity to observe and question composers and musicians at work. The festival’s creator and artistic director, Anglo-Argentine composer Polo Piatti, now resident in Hastings, explains: “We are aiming to make contemporary classical music fully accessible by giving the public access to the creative process and by showcasing music that speaks to emotion, beauty and soul as opposed to the mainstream trend in classical music which has been to intellectualise it. We are especially pleased to have such a wonderful mix of well known and upcoming artists and that we are able to give a platform local and international talent here in Hastings. With the fantastic venue of St Mary’s in the Castle, we think this will be a truly special event.” The festival is aimed at ardent classical music lovers as well as those who may have shied away from it in the past. By providing a chance to experience it in an open and interactive context, the organisers especially hope to encourage young people to discover what contemporary classical music has to offer.

On Saturday, the festival will close with an evening concert with a performance by Hastings Philharmonic Choir as well as selected guest musicians and singers conducted by Stephen Ellery. A farewell party to celebrate what promises to be an exciting new part of the Hastings and south coast cultural scene will follow.

Tickets and more information about the festival and participants are available now via the website: www.composersfestival.com. There are day passes or a full festival pass, concessions for seniors and students and children under the age of 12 go free.

About International Composers Festival

Contact

Diana Wallis, Festival Director c/o Grosvenor Artist Management 98 High Street, Hastings, East Sussex TN34 3ES

Email: diana@composersfestival.com Tel: 07939 111 606 Polo Piatti, Artistic Director

polo@composersfestival.com Tel: 07725 163 929 www.composersfestival.com

 

 

Brighton Summer Schubertiade: 3

Posted on by

The Heath Quartet with Philip Higham, cello

St Andrew’s Church, Alfriston, 4 August 2012

The evening sunlight drifted through the west window onto the Heath Quartet just as they opened with Haydn’s Quartet Op 33 No4. It seemed apt, the warmth of the acoustic and the joy of the scoring mirrored in the softened glow of the nave.

This programme had a very different feel to it from that given at the start of the series in Brighton, which had been altogether more introspective. Even Gyorgy Kurtag’s 12 Microludes were easier to assimilate that the previous Moments Musicaux.

For the Haydn, the close proximity of the audience meant that the Largo could be played with the utmost delicacy and finesse, with no loss of impact. The Finale was strenuous without being over assertive.

Quite how the set of atonal pieces by Kurtag relate to specific semitones in the B to C scale was impossible to assess simply listening to the works, but they have a sense of integrity and power which the quartet conveyed with ease. The first and fourth pieces are almost non-existent dynamically in contrast to the outbursts of power and energy, however brief, in the sixth. Towards the end there is a very effective solo line for the viola, and before this there was a movement with some familiar Kurtag scittering energy.

After the interval we heard a sublime performance of a sublime work, Schubert’s String Quintet in C. This was perfect both for the culmination of the brief series and for a fine evening. If the trio section of the Scherzo seemed unexpectedly melancholic it was only because of the enthusiasm and joy which was to be found in the rest of the work.

These concerts were part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad but there are more events at St Andrew’s across the rest of the summer and they continue throughout the year. BH

All Saints, Hastings, Organ Series 4 Nigel Ogden

Posted on by

One of the joys of a series of concerts given by different performers on the same organ is the variety of styles and techniques each employs. Many of the large and appreciative audience would have known that Nigel Ogden would bring a very different approach to the other performances of the series. They were not to be disappointed.

The evening began in (almost) conventional organ recital mode with 2 familiar marches by Walton. True to form, though, Nigel presented them in what is sometimes now referred to as a mash-up beginning and ending with parts of Crown Imperial, with some of Orb & Sceptre in between. He next paired Bach’s Toccata in D minor with Alec Templeton’s Bach goes to town, demonstrating how easily he is able to move from one style to another. After a selection from German’s Merrie England Massenet’s Meditation from Thais allowed for a change of mood and a beautiful pared back registration complete with tremulant. A medley of music from Luigini’s Ballet Egyptian preceded an unashamed advertisement with a selection of music featured on 2 currently available CDs!

The second half opened in martial mood with a selection by Sousa. After this came a well thought-out arrangement of James Horner’s music from the film Titanic. It began with a most haunting introduction, leading into the well-known song My heart will go on through a dramatic sequence and ending with a subdued hymn tune Nearer my God to Thee.  Nigel really seemed at home in this and the rest of the programme as by now he had moved into full theatre organ mode.

A selection from Lehar’s The Merry Widow commemorated the diamond jubilee of the MGM film of the show. Following on from this was a highly inventive Gershwin medley that included a fair amount of swing as well as a late night jazz interpretation of Summertime. Nigel’s technical skills and awareness of the potential of this organ’s rich palette were to the fore as he ‘thumbed down’ (accompanying a solo line with the rest of his fingers on the same hand) and produced some beautifully reverberating timbres, at times reminiscent of a Compton melotone unit.

Further medleys of well known classics and songs from several decades (including most unexpectedly, Postman Pat) were all played with style, bringing the programme to an end.

Two encores followed. First there was a brilliantly cheeky set of short variations in different styles on When the Saints go marching in, ending with the melody in the pedals with a Widor Toccata-like accompaniment above.  Show me the way to go home brought this excellent concert to a (final) close. Once again  the organist Entertained. SP