Positive Points about Selected Concerts from 2009/10
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Have you tried the new wind / brass
BreveEasy long note practice
software? You can download a free version of this product developed by Roger
Swann from here.
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Roger Swann
has a beautiful 2 bedroom holiday cottage called Swann Cottage in Derbyshire. You can get information about renting it
here.
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11th Sept 2010 - 7:30pm - Countesthorpe Festival Chorus - Giles
Turner
St Thomas' Church, South Wigston, Leicestershire
Roger Swann = horn
Giles Turner's combination of a good ear for intonation, excellent
knowledge of singing technique and boundless enthusiasm for choral works
invariably produces excellent results with whatever forces he is working with.
This concert with the Countesthore Festival Chorus was no exception, the large
choir throwing their all into Bruckner's technically challenging (but musically
satisfying) Mass No. 2 in e minor.
The first half of the concert consisted of a performance of Mozart's
Wind Serenade K205 ("Gran Partita"). Liz Oughton (playing the 1st basset horn
part on the clarinet) produced some delightfully instinctive phrasing to bring
out the quality of this magnificent work.
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St Nicholas Church, Leicester
Roger Swann = horn
This concert, promoted by Leicester City Council as part of their
Castle Park Festival, celebrated Ian Imlay's 50 years as organist at the
church. A remarkable achievement in itself, but made more so by Ian's obvious
continued enthusiasm for the church (both the building and the worshipers),
it's organ and church organs in general. It was a great honour for five members
of the Helix Ensemble to be invited to perform at such an auspicious
occasion.
A very varied programme included Stephen Montague's Thule Ulitma in
which each member of the ensemble plays using just their head joint, reed or
mouthpiece. In typical Stephen Montague fashion the composer creates an
interesting through worked piece of music from this apparently unpromising
starting point. The piece was made all the more enjoyable by being immediately
followed by Ian Imlay's rumbustuous rendition of Eric Coates Dam Busters March
on the organ.
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St Helen's Church, Brant Broughton, Lincs
Part of the Lincolnshire International Chamber Music Festival and as a
result attracting a large and attentive audience, this was a great way to spend
a wet saturday afternoon. The two ladies introduced each item in a pleasingly
informal style belying in every case the quality of the performance that
followed.
Lisa Nelson's decision to play Debussy's Syrinx from the back of the
church was a typically well thought out touch with everone forced to enjoy the
sound hanging in the acoustic without the distraction of the performer's
presence.
The duo quite correctly felt no need to play down to the audience,
choosing to end the programme with "5 Naidades Fantasy Sonata" by William
Allwyn. Eleanor Turner's choice of where to touch each string in order to get
just the correct sound from the harp to suit the moment ensures continued
interest throughout every piece.
As an encore we were treated to "Song without Words" - a recent work by
Rob Buckland
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23rd July 2010 - 7:45pm - Recital I / Into the Little Hill - Franck
Ollu.
The Linbury Theatre, The Royal
Opera House, Covent Garden, London.
Berio's music theatre piece Recital I came across as clever, amusing,
but overall confusing. What exactly is it all about? It did give London
Sinfonietta pianist John Constable a chance to star on the stage as a pianist.
Although this might be arguable a little "type cast" he never the less seemed
completely at ease with the additional requirements of being an actor.
A second chance to hear George Benjamin's Into the Little Hill (see
review 19th Feb 2009)
was definitely worthwhile. The orchestration makes good use of some obscure
instruments (contrabass clarinet etc) and the characteristically faultless
London Sinfonietta brought plenty of life to this macabre tale. Again Claire
Booth and Susan Bickley impressed.
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Royal Albert Hall, London
This was your reviewer's first visit to the Proms this season and the
BBC is to be congratulated on showing sensitivity to the audience experience by
not having the gigantic camera boom that was omni-present last year. TV is a
necessary evil for the Proms but at least this year the cameras were not quite
so visually intrusive.
A row of LED graphic displays at the rear of the stage sent shudders of
dread down the spine, but again the BBC showed wise restraint. No moving images
or changes of colour during the music, just simple abstract shades to set the
mood and perhaps improve views for the cameras.
To the music: The BBC NOW showed what a great orchestra they are in
both of the Russian show pieces. The orchestra (and audience) couldn't help but
warm to the infectious (and bulky) enthusiasm of Alexander Toradze. He coaxed
an unbelievable range of colour from the piano in Prokofiev's Piano Concerto
No. 1
Some really intense string playing kept the tension building in the
Leningrad Symphony by Shostakovich. The exposed picollo writing was handled
with deceptive ease by Eva Stewart.
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18th July 2010 - 7:30pm -
Helix Ensemble - David Greed (MD / violin) - Richard Roddis (Tenor) - Clive
Pollard (piano)
Southwell Minster, Southwell
Roger Swann = horn
The Helix Ensemble is a group very definitely on the ascendance. This
concert attracted a large audience and included some of the groups highest
quality playing, inspired by the persuasive and knowledgeable enthusiasm of
David Greed. Leading from the fiddle he exactly understands Vaughan-Williams'
The Lark Ascending - always avoiding over sentimentality and yet still allowing
the music plenty of space for the lark to fly (rather than dive bomb!).
It's always a joy to hear Richard Roddis sing, on this occasion
sensitively accompanied by Clive Pollard at the piano. Enjoying the benefit of
sun streaming through the west window of the minster made this the perfect
setting for these early English songs.
The concert ended with the world premier of Clive Pollard's Southwell
Suite conducted with obvious pleasure by the composer. Written as an expression
of love for all aspects of the Southwell community, it contains much skilful
orchestration combined with some delightful airs. The piece received a
deservedly warm reception.
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4th July 2010 - 7:00pm -
Mnozil Brass
King Henry VIII School, Coventry
Regular readers of this column will know that vocabulary is not your
reviewers srong point. Language seems completely inadequate to describe the
quality on every plane achieved by these seven consumate musicians and
entertainers. This group is a "MUST SEE" for any and every brass player in the
world. They seem to break every rule about the limits of brass playing without
any sign of effort.
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3rd July 2010 - 7:30pm -
The Knighton Chamber
Orchestra - Paul Jenkins - Nicola Bingham (sop) - Harvey Nightingale (bar)
- The Bardi Horn Section
Enderby Parish Church, Enderby, Leics
Roger Swann = horn (in Schumann Konzertstuke)
A repeat of yesterday evening's concert but this time with the benefit
of taking place in Enderby Parish Church. This building (click here for history)
has an excellent acoustic (the carpeted floor providing just the right amount
of softening of the sound), was just the right temperature (Leicester
University really need to be able to control the temperature of the Fraser
Noble Hall better - it really was too warm yesterday!) and has very good
lighting (other church lighting designers please take note!). The chairs are
comfortable for audience and players alike.
All of these factors resulted in the Mahler song cycle proving much
more successful. Words were audible and the nuances added by both Nicola
Bingham and Harvey Nighting Gale came across well. There was plenty of good
orchestral horn playing on show too (KCO horn section lead by Sarah
Tyler).
All four of the horns (photograph below: Julian Haslam, Roz Saunders,
Roger Swann, Mark Penny) enjoyed the Schumann considerably more than
yesterday...
( Photograph: Anton Rosenfeld )
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2nd July 2010 - 7:30pm -
The Knighton Chamber
Orchestra - Paul Jenkins - Nicola Bingham (sop) - Harvey Nightingale (bar)
- The Bardi Horn Section
Fraser Noble Hall, Leicester
Roger Swann = horn (in Schumann Konzertstuke)
Paul Jenkins had the novel idea of getting young Samuel Howes to play
the side drum in Mahler's song from Des Knaben Wunderhorn in which the drummer
soon to face the gallows remembers the times in his past. In combination with
Harvey Nightingales poignant singing this was an effective moment.
It's always fun to have a chance to play the Schumann Konzertstuke,
particularly with the technically assured high playing of Mark Penny on the top
part and the equally sound foundation of Julian Haslam at the bottom.
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Church of St James the Greater, Leicester
Roger Swann = horn
The Charnwood Orchestra were in an ambitious mood when they elected to
programme Bruckner's majestic final symphony, his ninth. This work presents
challenges to all departments - not least the audience in St James the Greater,
a venue that prides itself in the discomforture caused by the seating.
All departments rose to these challenges magnificently. Nic Fallowfield
wisely chose tempos that were practical (and also took into account the
cavernous accoustic of the church) and gave clear leads throughout, encouraging
the orchestra to play at its best.
The Charnwood Orchestra horn/wagner tuba section - Left to right back
row: Anton Rosenfeld, Nigel Moore, Frank Procter. Left to right front row:
Martin Gilding, Tim Newton, Simon Marshall (principal), Roger Swann, Roz
Saunders, Julian Haslam.
( Photograph: John Wakefield )
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25th June 2010 - 7:45pm - "Operashots"
The Linbury Theatre, The Royal
Opera House, Covent Garden, London.
Marketed as "Operashots", this was an evening of three halves: A RING A
LAMP A THING Music: Orlando Gough, ENTANGLEMENT Music: Nitin Sawhney and
INGERLAND Music: Jocelyn Pook.
Melanie Pappenheim took on the solitary role in A Ring A Lamp A Thing
with both technical and emotional assurance and with (justified) complete
confidence in the man behind the electronic processing of her voice: Andrew
McDonnell.
Very appropriately (with England about to face Germany in the first
knockout game of the World Cup on Sunday) Ingerland proved an excellent blend
of humour and comment on the world's obsession with football. Drawing on some
carefully selected video comments (a lady describing her religious devotion to
Arsenal being notably acute) as well as some clever theatrical effects, the
audience were chuckling out loud on many occassions. The aside involving the
footballer's wives relationships with their (and their collegues) bodies and
the press was also alarmingly accurate.
Note <added Sunday 27th June 2010> England went on to lose 4-1 to
Germany on the Sunday.....
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20th June 2010 - 8:00pm - COMA East Midlands - Kieran
O'Riordan
The Gladstone, Carrington, Nottingham
Roger Swann = horn
COMA East Midlands were pleased to make a contribution to the Sherwood
Arts Week, particularly in the Gladstone Public House which is one of those
increasingly rare venues; a marvellous traditional pub (a good range of beers
kept to a high standard).
Matt le Mare's "My Ears are Going Ten to the Dozen" continues to
improve with each performance, perhaps as the ensemble becomes familiar with
the works structure.
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19th June 2010 - 7:30pm - University of Leicester Sinfonia - Michael
Sackin - Mariko Terashi (piano)
Fraser Nobel Hall, Leicester
Roger Swann = horn
Tackling Beethoven's magnificent Eroica Symphony is always a daunting
challenge. The success of this performance was greatly aided by the secure
violin playing of leader Elizabeth Murphy - taking on this role for the first
time. It will be great for the orchestra if she continues with us next season.
Another bonus came with Dana Morgan (flute), who's accurate rhythm in
the scherzo helped keep the ensemble playing together. Her delicate solo in the
finale was the musical highlight of the event.
Perhaps the most positive aspect of the evening was seeing the
conductor's daughter, Rachel Sackin, in the audience,enjoying the music. Rachel
has suffered a prolonged period of ill health and it was inspriring to see her
back in action with the lively sparkle of old, in her eyes. Your reviewer is
certain that he speaks on behalf of the whole of the Sinfonia when wishing her
recovery to continue and that she may have good health for the years to come.
"Keep smiling, Rachel".
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14th June 2010 - 8:00pm - Othello - Stamford Shakespeare Company
Rutland Theatre, Tolethorpe Hall, Rutland
All of the main characters were excellent in this somewhat daunting
play. One almost felt like booing and hissing Lago (Terry Kenny) as he plotted
and schemed the downfall of Othello. The experience of visiting a Stamford
Shakespeare Company production is always a pleasure, helped by a pleasant
pre-concert picnic in the grounds of Tolethorpe Hall.
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5th June 2010 - 6:30pm - The EAACI 2010 Congress (opening ceremony)
The Bardi Symphony Orchestra - The
London Philharmonic Choir - Claus Efland - Neville Creed
ExCel Exhibition and Conference Centre, London
Roger Swann = horn
It was a great honour for the Bardi Symphony Orchestra to join forces
with the London Philharmonic Choir to provide the musical content for the
European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2010 Congress Opening
Ceremony. The choir sang four acapela folksongs, representative of the four
countries comprising Great Britain, with Neville Creed drawing an excellent
dynamic range and clear diction from this experienced group of voices.
After performing a couple of concert favourites our own, the Bardi
Symphony Orchestra then provided the accompaniment for the rousing climax of
Jerusalem and Pomp and Circumstance March number 1. It was characteristic of
Claus Efland to not let the musical performance slip into the "run of the mill"
catagory, asking for subtle voice changes from the choir and variations in
style from the orchestral players.
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1st June 2010 - 8:30pm -
The Leicester Symphony
Orchestra - Petits Chanteurs de Strasbourg, Maitrise de l'Opera national du
Rhin - Roland Melia
Eglise Saint Paul, Strasbourg, France
Roger Swann = horn
The second of the two concerts by the Leicester Symphony Orchestra
under Roland Melia in and around Strasbourg was an altogether grand affair. The
cavenous interiour of the church of St Paul was a daunting challenge during the
afternoon rehearsal but the orchestra, to their credit, came to terms with it
with great speed. Suprisingly the orchestral sound from the audience pews was
crisp and clear (one might say "revealing").
This concert also attracted a significant sized audience. Roland Melia
wisely chose a gentle speed for the scherzo of Dvorak's New World symphony so
the crisp and sensitive playing from members of the woodwind was not lost in
the echo of the building. The slow movement string duet between Catherine Cole
(leader, violin) and Pat Dobson was played gently without too much sentiment
(and first class intonation).
The LSO horn section (overseas division) in Strasbourg - Left to right:
Nigel Moore (principal), Martin Gilding, Roger Swann, David Hull.
( Photograph: David Calow - CalowCraddock Ltd
david@calow2craddock.co.uk Tel: 07825 537647 )
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30th May 2010 - 5:00pm -
The Leicester Symphony
Orchestra - Petits Chanteurs de Strasbourg, Maitrise de l'Opera national du
Rhin - Roland Melia
Abbatiale de Marmoutier, France
Roger Swann = horn
The first of two concerts by the Leicester Symphony Orchestra under
Roland Melia in and around Strasbourg. The combined choirs of the Petits
Chanteurs de Strasbourg and the Maitrise de l'Opera national du Rhin turned out
to be a strong force with a good sense of pitch. Their musical director
Philippe Utard had done a great job in preparing them for excerpts from Faure's
requiem and Faure's Cantiqe de Jean Rachine (op 11).
This sunday afternoon concert in the attractive village abbey was well
attended with the audience showing their appreciation with generous
applause.
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8th May 2010 - 7:30pm - The Bardi
Symphony Orchestra - Claus Efland - Thomas Bowes (violin)
de Montfort Hall, Leicester
Roger Swann = horn
Claus Efland had very thoroughly (and enthusiastically) prepared his
interpretation of Arnold Bax's Tintagel. His accurate observation that the
score contains more subito piano markings than he has ever seen was not wasted
on the orchestra. This richly orchestrated piece contains many Elgarian
"swirls", hints of Wagner as well as patches of "green field" pastoral
pastiche. But the salt and spray of the sea is the omnipresent component and
the Bardi orchestra excelled in communicating this to the orchestra.
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6th May 2010 - 7:00pm - Elegy for Young Lovers -
English National Opera
Hans Werner Henze's chamber opera of 1961 was brought to life in a
superb production directed by Fiona Shaw (Lighting by Peter Mumford and
effective video by Lynette Wallworth). The intimacy of the Young Vic added to
the intensity of the evening. It is great being so close to opera singers who
without exception were both singing and acting to the highest quality.
Around twenty members of the ENO orchestra (including Brendan Thomas
(horn) playing some quite exposed passages with great security (some nasty
handstopped notes)) were directed by Stefan Blunier. There were some moments of
perfect timing between the on stage acting and Henze's music which further
illustrated Fiona Shaw's direction skill.
Plastic glasses meant you could take your interval drink into the
auditorium - always a positive feature!
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28th April 2010 - 7:30pm - Sinfonia
Viva - Andre de Ridder
The Curve Theatre (Studio), Leicester
Presenting a challenging programme (viewed from a technical
perspective) in the revealing accoustic of the The Curve's Studio theatre,
Sinfonia Viva under the direction of Andre de Ridder came through with flying
colours.
Philip Glass's Symphony No 3 includes much writing for individual
string players as well as some lengthy passages of fast complex time
signatures. Anna Meredith's "Songs for the M8" showed her knowledge of string
writing including many glissandos and ending with an extended range of hushed
harmonics. The concert ended with the string orchestra version of Beethoven's
Grosse Fuge (Op 133).
The audience enjoyed the quality of playing in all these pieces.
Sinfonia Viva are to be congratulated on bringing such an interesting set of
works to life in Leicester.
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24th April 2010 - 7:30pm - Houghton Music Club Spring Concert
Village Hall, Houghton on the Hill
Roger Swann = horn (COMA - East Midlands)
Lance Atter and the Houghton Orchestra opened this enjoyable evening
with Mozart's Magic Flute Overture. Drawing out the opening chords to (or
beyond?) the limit increased the anticipation of the allegro section. This was
the last concert for their talented and hard working leader, Fiona Chamberlain.
Her dedication to the group is going to be sorely missed.
The Houghton Singers continue to flourish under the direction of
Octagenarian Helen Nobel. The two spirituals arranged by Alan Simmons were the
highlights this evening (a genuinely solid sound in "Go Down Moses was
recognised by all the audience). Their new livery of violet scarves with
matching handkerchiefs for the gents further increased their
professionalism.
A sub group of COMA East Midlands had the honour of a guest appearance.
A re-arrangement of Paul Burnell's "The Weird Sisters" went reasonably
smoothly.
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22nd April 2010 - 7:30pm - We Need a Man & A Bird in the Bush -
Latimer Players Drama Society
The Memorial Hall, Thurcaston
Although not strictly a concert this evening was a classic in village
community spirit and as such deserves commendation through these pages. As well
as two short plays the evening included an excellent supper, served by the
actresses involved in the first half ! This is just the type of event that
makes village life meaningful. Certainly the table your reviewer joined were
generous to a fault in their praise of the performances and their encouragement
to the thespians.
The less than subtle sound effects perhaps added to the occassion. Both
plays had their genuinely amusing moments. The waring couple of Bernard (Roger
Banister) and Kate (Lianne Clamp) in Ron Nicol's "A Bird in the Bush" were
scarily close to many real life couples !
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St Martin's Church, Stamford, Lincs
A disappointingly small audience enjoyed these three superb artists
play a very varied programme, culminating in the Debusy Sonata of 1915.
The Elegiac Trio of Arnold Bax included some very atmospheric viola
playing, but Philip Dukes playing of J S Bach's Cello Suite No 1 (BWV 1007) on
the viola was perhaps the most impressive item of the evening, largely due to
the mastery of this composer seeming (not for the first time) so far ahead of
the other composers represented.
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27th Mar 2010 - 7:30pm - The Bardi
Symphony Orchestra - Claus Efland - Warren Mailley-Smith (piano)
de Montfort Hall, Leicester
Roger Swann = horn
Warren Mailley-Smith certainly played with just the right delicacy and
fluency to suit Chopin's 2nd Piano Concerto
It's good to be able to credit Geoff Downs, an unsung hero of the Bardi
Orchestra who has been leading the double basses for a good number of seasons
now. His playing of the renonwn solo that opens the slow movement of Mahler's
1st Symphony set the ironic (almost sardonic) mood rather well.
Here's a photo of the Bardi horn section standing up to play the
fanfare at the end of the finale of Mahler 1, taken (discretely) from the
auditorium during the concert. Contrary to appearances Mark Penny (principal
horn) was not using Christine Taylor (clarinet) as a bumper ! Players from left
to right, back to front are Martin Gilding, Sarah Tyler, Nigel Moore, Roz
Saunders, Roger Swann, Julian Haslam and Mark Penny.
Photo: Richard Davis
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22nd March 2010 - 7:30pm - COMA East Midlands - Kieran
O'Riordan
Edin's Bistro, Broad Street, Nottingham
Roger Swann = horn
COMA East Midlands were invited to perform by the Nottingham branch of
Cafe
Scientifque. All pieces performed were well received by the open minded
audience.
The highlight of the evening was the joint improvisation after the
interval, with all members of Cafe Scientifique throwing themselves
enthusiastically into a piece based on their own suggestion: "Hellfire
Club".
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The Coliseum, London.
Mark Wigglesworth conducted an orchestra on good form, swirling up in
moments of great orchestral passion to moving effect.
From seats in the upper circle all the diction was superb. Credit must
be divided equally between the quality singing (Susan Bickley - Kabanicha,
Patricia Racette - Katya Kabanova) and the light orchestral accompaniment
Janacek employs for most of the work.
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14th March 2010 - 7:30pm - Derby Bach Choir - Richard Roddis -
Claire Seaton (soprano), Rachel Payne (contralto), David Stout (baritone)
The Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham
Roger Swann = horn
A very varied programme included a chance to hear the rarely performed
luscious setting of the Stabat Mater Dolorosa by Karol Szymanowski. Richard
Roddis and the Derby Bach Choir deserve recognition for taking on this work,
full of the shimmering harmonies that are so distinctive of the composer.
For audience members hungry for a less subtle form of pleasure the
concert concluded with the exciting (and loud) Te Deum by William Walton.
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de Montfort Hall, Leicester
The government's "Wider Opportunities" scheme has it's critics but the
team at Leicester-Shire (sic) Arts have embraced the postive aspects of the
scheme to the full and created the "Wider Opportunities Junior Band" to give
young people on the scheme a chance to make music together. The large number of
players taking to the stage immediately indicated the success of this idea. Jo
Conquest conducted her own work written for the new ensemble "Ode to Youth".
This included a good main tune and an attractive middle "bridge" section. It
was ideal for the occasion. The lumbering and grunting "Cave Man Gets a
Haircut" by Dan Adams, conducted by Patrick White was most amusing.
Adding variety to the event were the Junior Steel Pan ensemble - as
always completely secure and well rehearsed by Pat Munroe and a group of four
from Crown Hills College who perfored some impressive Dhol Drumming and Bhangra
Dance under the direction of Indi Singh Soor.
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The Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham
Roger Swann = horn
Your reviewer was flattered to be invited to play as a guest horn with
the prestigious Nottingham Philharmonic in the attractive Royal Concert Hall in
Nottingham. The programme, popular with both the audience and the horn section,
featured an operatic excerpts second half with Wagner's "Good Friday Music"
from Parsifal followed by Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier suite. These gave
the excellent string section of the orchestra a chance to shine with some
lovely silky tone, particularly in the Strauss. Guest leader Clare Bhabra
played the violin solo with delicacy and charm but without losing the dance
feel.
This was preceeded by the Grieg Piano Concerto with the young Romanian
pianist, Alexandra Dariescu using a wide array of pianistic colour to keep the
audience hanging on her every phrase. She certainly managed some tender
pianissimo playing.
The orchestra also has an excellent first clarintet in Heather
Gordon-Redfearn.
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28th Feb 2010 - 7:00pm - Youth Find a Voice 2010 - Tom Williams - Rita
Cullis (Soprano)
de Montfort Hall, Leicester
Roger Swann = horn
An interesting event spearheaded by the Leicestershire Chorale and
their inspiring vocal coach and MD, Tom Williams. Nine different school choirs
joined forces to sing Poulenc's Gloria as a grand finale.
During the first half five of the school choirs were given a chance to
sing a short spot. All the students impressed. A wide variety of repertoire was
presented with different choir directors finding different ways to keep the
audiences attention.
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27th Feb 2010 - 7:15pm - Derby Grammar School and Derby High School
Combined Concert
Derby Cathedral, Derby
Roger Swann = horn
Opening the concert with Britten's "Rejoice in the Lamb" set the high
standard for the remainder of the evening. Nic Robinson's skill full conduction
ensured rhythmic precision from the choir and good dynamic range. Peter Gould
made the Derby Cathedral organ sound magnificent and the "year 8" treble,
George Stevenson demonstrated total assurance in his solo, avoiding any hint of
"shrillness" in tone whilst singing with perfect intonation.
The two flautist's Lucy Smith and Eleanor Robinson played Cimarosa's
double flute concerto with ease. The musical rapport between the two players
made their performance all the more enjoyable.
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25th Feb 2010 - 7:15pm - Flying High 2010 - Derby East Scout and Guide
Gang Show
Derby Theatre, Derby
A very colourful evening's entertainment with lots of well known (old!)
pop tunes and plenty of really awful jokes. What it lacked in sophistication
(at times quite a lot!) it made up for in shear panache.
All the various sketches had merit. Your reviewer particularly enjoyed
the choreography in "Busy Workers" and the vivid costumes and rhyming lyrics in
"Aladdin" (which also featured confident solo singing from the young soloists
as Aladdin and the fairy).
Derby Theatre strikes the visitor as a friendly busy arts centre. How
Leicester must be wishing they had a theatre of this size (complete with
welcoming bar) instead of the cold and oversized creation that is the
Curve...
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20th Feb 2010 - 7:30pm - University of Leicester Sinfonia - Michael
Sackin - Jonathon Wakefield (flute)
Fraser Noble Hall, Leicester
Roger Swann = horn
Choosing a programme of Mozart and Haydn, Michael Sackin played to the
strengths of his own expertise and that of the players. The inclusion of
Haydn's Symphony No. 39 in G min. guaranteed plenty of excitement for the
audience, particularly in the energetic outer movements.
The most successful part of the concert was the slow movement in
Mozart's "Prague" Symphony. The 'cello's and basses playing with some long
lyrical phrasing which firmly underpinned the rest of the string section
sound.
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13th Feb 2010 - 7:30pm -
The Leicester Symphony
Orchestra - Gerry Cornelius - Charles Owen (piano)
de Montfort Hall, Leicester
Interesting to see Charles Owen choosing the de Montfort Hall Steinway
piano to play Brams Piano Concert No. 2. Although an older instrument than the
main de Montfort Hall piano it does have a crisper brighter sound. As a result
the clarity of Charles Owen's playing came over the orchestral accompaniment
very well.
The concert ended with Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 "Pathetique". There
was much excellent tromone and tuba sectional work here. Gerry Cornelius took
great care to encourage the key lines to come through the orchestral sound.
Percussion (Joe Whelan (timps), Peter Weston and Ariel Zviezo) were excellent -
both in rhythmic accuracy and dynamic control.
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11th Feb 2010 - 7:00pm - The Gambler
Prokofiev's opera (using his own libretto, based on a Dostoevsky
novella of the same name) proved to be driven by the plot more than by the
characters (unusual for opera).
Clever use of artificial perspective in the sets and the omni-present
slow moving character were two examples of the effective stage direction
(Richard Jones) which drew you in to the story as it developed.
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6th Feb 2010 - 7:30pm - The Bardi
Symphony Orchestra - Claus Efland - Javier Negrin (piano)
de Montfort Hall, Leicester
Roger Swann = horn
Good to welcome back Javier Negrin (he played the Grieg Piano Concerto
with the Bardi Orchestra in June 2007) to play another audience favourite,
Tchaikovsky's 1st Piano Concerto. Taking full advantage of opportunities for
rubato throughout and taking the finale at a great rate of knots this proved a
lively interpretation in all senses of the word!
The artistic climax of the concert came with Carl Nielsen's Symphony
No. 4 "The Inextinguishable". It's a great privilege to work with Claus Efland
on his fellow Dane's great music. The contrasts between the stark tension of
parts of this work and the operetta like lightness of other sections
(especially fine wind section playing here) takes a bit of getting used to.
Claus Efland has complete empathy with these style changes and sells the work
to both the orchestral players and the audience with utter conviction.
The couple of short but crucially exposed brass choral passages showed
the Bardi heavy brass at their sensitive best.
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16th Jan 2010 - 7:30pm -
Helix Ensemble - Richard Davis - Jo Conquest (flute)
St Andrews Church, Countesthorpe
Roger Swann = horn
The Helix Ensembles first visit to St Andrews Church proved a near sell
out. Wearing slick, all black, outfits (no stuffy dinner jackets here !) the
immediate message to the audience was that they were in for an effervescent
feast of music.
Musical Director Richard Davis inspired the ensemble with his flowing
tempo changes ("Mendelessohn's Hebrides Overture should make you feel
sea-sick") and care over orchestral colour and intonation.
The Helix Ensemble enjoy programming new compositions along side
established repertoire. The concert included the first performance of Ivor
Hodgson's "Song and Dance". Skilfully orchestrated, the lyrical "Song"
(including some attractive legato bassoon playing) was followed by a very
lively "Dance".
Another Helix Ensemble tradition is to draw soloists from within the
ensemble. In this case the accomplished Jo Conquest played Malcolm Arnold's
second flute concerto. Taking advantage of Richard Davis' intimate knowledge of
the work (he is principal flautist with the BBC Philharmonic) Ms Conquest
perfectly captured the wispy nature of Malcolm Arnold's finale as well as
proving completely at ease with the technical challenges of the first two
faster movements.
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8th Jan 2010 - 7:30pm - Peter Pan
Julian Ronnie wrote the music and the lyrics for this family friendly
show. The lyrics included some rather clever rhymes that raised some wry smiles
from the audience!
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9th Dec 2009 - 7:30pm -
The Knighton Chamber
Orchestra - Paul Jenkins - Andrew Bound ('cello) - Samantha Ward
(piano)
Fraser Noble Hall, Leicester
Roger Swann = horn
Great to hear Andrew Bound in action as a 'cellist so soon after his
rewarding efforts with a baton (see concert of 6/12/09 immediately below).
Gentle musical rubato throughout Saint Saens' tuneful 1st Concerto made this a
captivating performance.
This was followed by a chance to hear the rarely heard 1st piano
concert of Mendelssohn. Samantha Ward gave a very energetic performance.
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de Montfort Hall, Leicester
A wonderful evening and a wonderful show case for the Leicester-Shire
Arts In Education service - so vital to the quality of life of Leicester
society.
Christine Taylor (who's baton technique is developing with the passage
of time) conducted the Intermediate Orchestra. Theri string sound was more than
creditable, particularly in Richard Meyer's simplified version of Smetana's The
Moldau.
The Training Orchestra (conducted by Tony Morgan) followed, sounding
energetic but tidy in Shubert's Rosamunde overture. The trumpets clearly
enjoyed the last chord of Bruce Chase's arrangement of Send In the Clowns
!
The rhythmic accuracy and fluency of the Symphonic Wind Band was
obvious from the first bars of "Rush" by Samuel R. Hazo. The horns sounded
great in Catskills (second movement of East Coast Pictures by Nigel Hess). The
band members obviously enjoyed working with director Alan Holford.
The Leicestershire Schools Symphony Orchestra took the stage for the
second half. Andrew Bound led them through two technical challenges from the
standard repetoire, both impressively negotiated with panache before members of
the Symphonic Wind Band and the Training Orchestra joined in for a very loud,
exciting, rendition of the Finale from Saint-Saens Organ Symphony.
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5th Dec 2009 - 7:30pm - University of Leicester Sinfonia - Michael
Sackin - Alison Eales (clarinet) - University of Leicester Choral Society -
Arndrew Goff
Fraser Noble Hall, Leicester
Roger Swann = horn
This pleasingly incongruous programme started with Michael Sackin
conducting the University of Leicester Sinfonia in Malcolm Arnold's jazzy
Clarinet Concerto No. 2. Soloist Alison Eales kept the tempos moving and
presented a wide of range mood contrasts in the first movement cadenza (written
by Paul Adrian Rooke). The orchestra managed to achieve the hazy shimmering
that is a characteristic of much of Malcolm Arnold's slow movement
writing.
The last movement of CPE Bach's Symphony in D maj W.183 had a well
judged jaunty feel to it.
Christmas social commitments meant that your reviewer was unable to
stay to enjoy the second half performance of Haydn's Nelson Mass.
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2nd Dec 2009 - 7:45pm - James Bowman (Counter tenor) - Dorothy Linell
(Lute)
St Catharine's Church, Houghton on the Hill, Leics
Somewhat away from the more usual fare presented by Houghton Music
Club, this evening had the legendary James Bowman singing in the intimate
surrounds of St Catharine's church. A simple concert of a singer and
accompianist was made enchanting by James Bowman singing from an armed chair in
candlelit surrounds. His care with every phrase beginning and ending was
awsome, as was his control of long notes, often with a discrete dynamic
decrescendo but always with purity of sound and rock steady holding of pitch.
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1st Dec 2009 - 7:00pm - The Tsarina's Slippers
A chocolate box production of Tchaikovsky's little known opera provided
a "thinking man's" Christmas entertainment. If not exactly crammed full of
Tchaikovsky's most memorable tunes the work has much charm, a happy ending and
a truely funny slapstick farce scene in which each of Solokha's lovers (many)
have to hide in sacks. All the more amusing as three of the lovers were played
by seriously large russian singers !
The lighting and the simple but effective sets were actually the key
elements to the evening's success.
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The Friary School Theatre, Litchfield, Staffs.
A team effort from students of the Friary School including a large
chorus made up of members from year 7 through to year 12 yielded a very
colourful and energetic result. Some very efficient and well organised
backstage operations avoided scene changes causing the production to drag.
Good singing from all the main characters, perhaps Laua Giggons as
Laurey Williams deserving a special mention. The characterisation of Ado Annie
Carnes by Hannah Wyss was also most enjoyable.
Tight rhythmical backing from the (student) orchestra (particularly the
five piece brass section) added to the professionalism of the event.
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12th Nov 2009 - 7:00pm - The Wizard of Oz - Main Street Theatre
Company
Great Glen Village Hall, Great Glen, Leics.
A wonderful evening of village entertainment. Ok, so it's not perhaps
up to West End standards but it was still a lot of fun. The Main Street Theatre
Company adopt a cabaret style seating arrangement for their audience which
immediately sets a relaxed tone for the evening. Table 9, just in front of your
reviewer enjoyed singing along with the entract and scene change music
(senstively provided throughout by Richard Palmer (drums) and Keith Folwell
(keyboard)).
Sophie Weston was word perfect as Dorothy (a fine achievement for the
"first night"). Barry Barnes was an excellent Lion (especially enjoyable lyric
where "Prowess" is made to rhyme with "Mouse"). The dynamic Janet Lord brought
life and zest to the Scarecrow (she did a particularly slinky slide off the
pole at the start of her role).
It was good to see plenty of teenage presence in the audience too.
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31st Oct 2009 - 7:00pm - Keswick Halloween Lantern Procession with
Music
Keswick, Cumbria
Starting from the Moot Hall square in Keswick a procession of lanterns
and associated witches and other haloween type creatures progressed to the
shores of Derwent Water where the gathered crowds were treated to some pagan
shouting and three xylophone players trying some interesting musical ideas
against the backdrop of the great outdoors filled with milling people -
resulting in close to inaudible results.
A little more pagan shouting was followed by three sopranos appearing
on the pier, singing. To some extent these, too, were swamped by the space and
the ambient noise but the little singing that did make it to the lake shore
sounded of pleasingly high quality - in tune and in some cases soaring up good
and high.
The event ended with serveral flame fired lantern type hot air balloons
wafting skyward and drifting (still burning away) towards Keswick town
centre.
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Town Hall, Loughborough, Leics
This is the musical equivalent to Tristan und Isolde (see immediately
below) in the sense that if you had a weakness in either of the two title roles
you would be sunk before you started. Fortunately Greasepaint were able to
present Shane Perry as Mack Sennett and Alix Ashurst as Mabel Normand who were
both excellent in both voice and character.
The band under the skillful baton of MD James Stevens were very tight
but were allowed to enjoy swing moments to the full.
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17th Oct 2009 - 5:00pm - Tristan und Isolde
Wagner's master piece is always a show piece for the orchestra who (as
usual) responded to the challenges of the score with consumate ease.
Nina Stemme was totally at ease with the demands of Isolde and Sophie
Koch was a very fine Branagane.
The production by Christof Loy seemed to distract from, rather than
contribute to, the success of the evening with too little regard paid to
Wagner's libretto such that at times it really did seem nonsensical. But if you
shut your eyes and just enjoyed the sound........
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11th Oct 2009 - 7:30pm - The Bardi
Symphony Orchestra - The
Leicestershire Chorale - Claus Efland - Juliet Fraser (soprano), Jonathan
Saunders (baritone), Tom Williams (counter tenor)
de Montfort Hall, Leicester
Roger Swann = horn
The opening concert of the Bardi 2009/2010 season saw the orchestra
uniting with The Leicestershire Chorale for an exciting performance of Carl
Orff's Carmina Burana.
Although not the largest choir in Leicestershire impressive fortissimo
levels were achieved by the voices in all the necessary places ! A good sized
audience clearly enjoyed the fine playing from all sections of the orchestra
(including a percussion section on fine form).
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10th Oct 2009 - 8:00pm - Methera
Hungarton Village Hall, Hungarton, Leics
Full marks to Hungarton's James Patterson for persuading the unique
string quartet Methera to visit Hungarton. Playing in the centre of the hall
with the audience arranged "cabaret" style at tables all around, lit by
candlelight and "bring your own wine" this was always going to be an enjoyable
evening. But within four bars of the first piece it was clear we were in the
presence of unique ensemble of the highest class.
Sitting facing inwards at the four corners of a tight square,
Emma Reid (violin), John Dipper (violin),
Miranda Rutter (viola) and Lucy Deakin( 'cello) played for an hour without the
incumberance of sheet music, studiously watching each other's moves like hawks.
The result was a torrent of jigs, reels and other "traditional" tunes played
with perfect ensemble, excellent intonation and (more importantly) an
enthusiasm and love of the music that was most infectious.
The word "traditional" must be used with some caution as a good
proportion of the material presented had been composed by individual members of
the group.
This would be a perfect group for young string players to go to see,
perfectly illustrating the variety (and quality) of string playing that can be
achieved - and the joy that creating such music can bring.
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5th Oct 2009 - 7:45pm - Letters of a Love Betrayed
The Linbury Theatre, The Royal
Opera House, Covent Garden, London.
Music Theatre Wales brought this work by Eleanor Alberga (Libretto:
Donald Sturrock) to the London Stage with an excellent orchestra conducted by
Michael Rafferty. The orchestration had the double-bass player doubling on a
wine glass and the two brass players playing a kind of thumb harp.
The singers were good too with much of the text easily audible (one of
the many advantages of enjoying opera in a more intimate auditorium). Mary
Plazas htook the main role of Manlia Torres.
Rather a pleasant change to have an opera with a happy (if a little
contrived) ending.
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4th Oct 2009 - 7:30pm - SCAW
St Barnabas Cathedrall Hall, Nottingham
SCAW (Antony Clare, piano and Sarah Watts (bass Clarinet) attracted an
audience of around forty for their Sunday evening concert (part of the Octagon
Concert Series).
The concert started with the formally structured Sonata Op 41 of Othamr
Schoeck complete with an aggressive fuge and speedy Rondo.
Antony Clare frequently programmes music which requires (and gets) a
contained performance for great effect, as was the case with Somei Satoh's
Incarnation II for solo piano. The shimmerings (mostly gentle but not always
so) reminded one of heat distorting the views on a hot summers day. Very
effective. At first glance it sounded easy to play but one suspects that
maintaining this effect for the duration of the work was probably quite a
technical challenge.
Sarah Watts' slightly cheeky approach to Harrison Birtwistle resulted
in a piece for bass clarinet, solo clapping part (Antony Clare) with an
audience participation clapping part too. Rather fun to be involved with but by
no means silly !
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27th Sep 2009 - 7:30pm - St Martin's Sinfonia - Nan Ingrams - Christine
Taylor (clarinet)
Stamford Arts Centre, Stamford, Lincs
Roger Swann = horn
It's great that Nan Ingrams has the courage to put on classical
concerts entirely at her own initiative for the benefit of the people of
Stamford. Good too that she avoids the use of formal evening wear with the band
(and audience?) feeling much more comfortable in an informal attire.
Musically perhaps the most successful item was Mozart's Overture to the
Marriage of Figaro which achieved a spiky feeling of frission and pace.
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27th Sep 2009 - 11:00am - Jenifer Pike (violin) & Martin Roscoe
(piano)
DeMontfort Hall (lounge bar), Leicester
What a good time to have a chamber music concert - particularly with
the option of a glass of sherry or port in the interval. An attentive audience
of well over one hundred indicates that your reviewer is not alone with these
sentiments.
Jenifer Pike entertained with a couple of the ususal fiddle show cases
but the highlights of the concert were her turbulent charged interpretation of
Schumann's Sonata No 1 in A min Op 105 together with her performance of
"Praesagium" composed by her father,
Jeremy Pike, in
2002.
This later piece had a powerful brooding ominous mood throughout.
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23rd Sep 2009 - 7:30pm - COMA East Midlands - Kieran O'Riordan
West Derbyshire United Reform Church, Wirksworth, Derbyshire
Roger Swann = horn
It was flattering for COMA East Midlands to be invited back by the
Wirksworth Festival, following our appearance here two years ago.
Performing many of the pieces from our July 2009 concert meant that
comparisons to that event were inevitable. Clare Stewart had very slightly
revised her Window Wiper Lullaby and novice composers would be wise to note how
her small changes made the piece work significantly better.
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22nd Sept 2009 - 7:30pm - Le Grand Macabre -
English National Opera
The Coliseum, London.
The stage was filled with the form of a naked women very cleverly lit
so as to dramatically change in form. With such a fascinating technical
demonstration on display you were somewhat distracted from Ligeti's marvelous
score and the fine playing and singing going on throughout. Andrew Watts
(Prince Go-Go) and Susanna Andersson (Gepopo - Chief of the Secret Police) were
both particularly impressive on their respective high singing parts.
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