Classical Notes: Timothy Ridout

'Ridout’s taut, passionate playing drew out every note, yet his crying solo, as if from a distance, at the opening of the finale was achingly impressive'.

Mendelssohn:

'The enhanced acoustic and their enthusiasm raised the volume to extremes in places, but the sheer exuberance and obvious pleasure evident in their performance had the entire hall rapt'.

'Mari Eriksmoen communicated her Grieg with operatic drama and a bright yet powerful tone throughout'.

'Eirik Grøtvedt was the real vocal revelation, however. He showed incredible bravery when producing a tremulous, fragile pianissimo at the top of his range...yet he also had huge power when needed'.

Timothy Ridout & Leif Ove Andsnes
© Liv Øvland

Leif Ove Andnes:

'In his quiet, gentle way, he demonstrated a sense of the visionary leadership that has clearly built something very special in this beautiful part of Norway'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

James Baillieu & Mari Eriksmoen
© Liv Øvland

Grieg, Edvard (1843-1907): 19 Norske Folkeviser, Op. 66 No. 1, 'Kulok'

Mendelssohn, Felix (1809-1847): Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49

Tveitt, Geirr (1908-1981): Hestemennan (Horsemen)

Marskveld (March evening)

Bera ei sorg (Carrying grief), Op. 246 No. 9

Vaage, Knut (b.1961): Bumerang

Grieg, Edvard: Tolv Melodier (Vinjesangene), Op. 33 Nos. 6-12

Eit Syn (A Vision)

Gamle Mor (The Old Mother)

Det Første (The first thing)

Ved Rundarne (At Rondane)

Et Vennestykke (A Piece on Friendship)

Trudom (Faith)

Fyremål (The Goal)

Mendelssohn, Felix: Six Duets Op. 63, No. 1, Ich wollt' meine Leib' ergösse sich

Die Hochzeit des Capacho, Op. 10, So kehrest du wieder

Grieg, Edvard: Seks Digte, Op. 4

Die Waise (The Orphan)

Morgen Thau (Morning Dew)

Abschied (Farewell)

Jägerlied (Hunting Song)

Das alte Lied (The Old Story)

Wo sind sie hin? (Where have they gone?)

Members of Opus13
© Liv Øvland

Gade, Niels (1817-1890): 4 Fantasiestücke, Op. 43 No. 3

Schumann, Robert (1810-1856): Violin Sonata No. 1 in A minor, Op. 105

Mendelssohn, Felix: String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13

Vaage, Knut: From 20 Views at Opus 54

Grieg, Edvard: Haugtussa, Op. 67

Det syng (The Enticement)

Veslemøy (Veslemøy)

Blaabærli (Blueberry Slope)

Møte (The Tryst)

Elsk (Love)

Killingdans (Kidlings' Dance)

Vond Dag (Hurtful Day)

Ved Gjætle-Bekken (At the Brook)

Lyric Pieces, Op. 54 No. 6, Bell Ringing

Vaage, Knut: Skråblikk på Haugtussa (Oblique Glance at Haugtussa)

Grieg, Edvard: Intermezzo for cello and piano in A minor, EG115

Vaughan Williams, Ralph (1872-1958): Six Studies in English Folk Song

Grieg, Edvard: from Barnlige Sange, Op. 61

3. Lok (Farmyard)

6. De norske fjelde (The Norwegian Mountains)

2. Sang til juletraet (The Christmas Tree)

5. Kveldssang for Blakken (Goodnight song for Dobbin)

Schumann, Robert: Märchenbilder, Op. 113

Opus13
© Liv Øvland

Grieg, Edvard: Andantino serioso, Op. 28 No.4

Andante con moto, EG116

Tolv Melodier (Vinjesangene), Op. 33 No. 5, Langs ei Aa (Beside the Stream)

Norwegian Dances, Op. 35 Nos. 2-3

Holberg Suite, Op. 40, Sarabande & Rigaudon

Debussy, Claude (1862-1918): Syrinx

Ravel, Maurice (1875-1937): Introduction & Allegro

Clarke, Rebecca (1886-1979): Sonata for Viola and Piano

Ravel, Maurice: 3 Poèmes de Stéphane Mallar mé

Piano Trio

Grieg, Edvard: Fem Digte af John Paulsen, Op. 26

1. Et Håb (Hope)

2. Jeg reiste en deilig Sommerkvæld (I walked one balmy summer eve)

3. De Ærgjerrige (You whispered that you loved me)

4. Med en Primula veris (The first primrose)

5. På Skogstien (Autumn thoughts)

Sex Digte af Ibsens, Op. 25

1. Spillemænd (Fiddlers)

2. En Svane (A Swan)

3. Stambogsrim (Album Lines)

4. Med en Vandlilje (With a Waterlily)

5. Borte! (Departed!)

6. En Fuglevise (A Birdsong)

String Quartet in G minor, Op. 27

Rosendal Chamber Music Festival 2025
© Nick Boston

Vierne, Louis (1870-1937): Piano Quintet, Op. 42
Nordheim, Arne (1931-2010): from Three Unexpected Songs, No.2 Ore, fermate il solo

Marini, Biagio (1594-1663): Balletto secondo, Op. 22 No. 2

Vaage, Knut: Tilstandar, 'Opp av jorda' (Spring)

Silvestrov, Valentin (b.1937): Bagatelle Op. 1 No. 2

Marais, Marin (1656-1728): Suite VII en sol majeur du Troisième Livre de pièces de viole, Prelude No. 93

Suite VI en sol majeur du Cinquième Livre de pièces de viole, Chaconne No. 83

Suite VII en sol majeur du Troisième Livre de pièces de viole, Sarabande No. 99

Suite VII en sol majeur du Troisième Livre de pièces de viole, La Guitare No. 107

Leclair, Jean-Marie (1697-1964): from Deuxième récréation de musique, Op. 8, No. 6 Chaconne

Vaage, Knut: Tilstandar, 'Hauste inn' (Autumn)

Shostakovich, Dmitri (1906-1975): Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 147

Scarlatti, Alessandro (1660-1725): Sinfonia di concerto grosso, No. 8 in G major

Grieg, Edvard: Romancer (ældre og nyere), Op. 39

1. Fra Monte Pincio (From Monte Pincio)

3. I Liden højt deroppe (Upon a grassy hillside)

4. Millon Roser (Among roses)

6 Digte af Holger Drachmann, Op. 49, No. 6 Forårsregn (Spring Showers)

Rosendal Chamber Music Festival 2025
© Nick Boston

Tveitt, Geirr: Femti Folkatonar frao Hardanger for klaver, Op. 150
25. The call of the dairy maid

39. Visiting Saturday in the mountains

10. What beer!

11. God's goodness and God's greatness

Duparc, Henri (1848-1933): Phidylé

Cinq mélodies, Op. 2 No. 1. Soupir

La vague et la cloche

Vaage, Knut: Tilstandar, 'kom lindereid kom' (Summer)

Mendelssohn, Felix: String Octet in E flat major, Op. 20

Vivaldi, Antonio (1678-1741):

Trio Sonata No. 12 in D minor, RV 63 'La Folia'

Andriessen, Louis (1939-2021): Workers Union

Wednesday, 21 August 2024

Energy and showmanship in Minasi and Ensemble Resonanz's Mozart at the Proms

Clara-Jumi Kang (violin)

Timothy Ridout (viola)

Ensemble Resonanz

Riccardo Minasi (conductor)

BBC Prom 41

7.30pm, Wednesday 20 August 2024

Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★★

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791):

Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), K492, Overture

Sinfonia concertante in E flat major, K364

Encore:

Duo for violin and viola in G major, K423, Adagio

Don Giovanni, K527, Overture

Symphony No. 41 in C major, K551, ‘Jupiter’

Encore:

Symphony No. 35 in D major, K385, ‘Haffner’, Presto

Le nozze di Figaro Overture:

'Le nozze di Figaro’s overture set the tone, with immediate energy, bright tone and tight ensemble, Minasi shaping the surging lines, and a pulsing build to the climax'.

Sinfonia Concertante:

'Clara-Jumi Kang and Timothy Ridout’s tones were beautifully matched throughout, a real sign of a duo that perform together frequently. ... They gave us sweetly singing lines in the opening movement, then mellow longing in the aching slow movement, and the finale was sprightly and playful, with their final runs up to the top precise and full of joy'.

Don Giovanni Overture:

'The overture to Don Giovanni upped the energy levels after the interval, delivering instant drama, with tightly surging scales and falling woodwind figures, and Minasi injecting energy into quick tempos'.

Jupiter Symphony:

'Perhaps not one for a definitive recording, but entertaining as a live experience'.

'From the pianissimo beginning, Minasi then took off at a cracking pace, and this was a tour de force of energetic drive from beginning to end'.

Read my full review here.

Monday, 9 May 2022

CD Reviews - May 2022

Following on from their two volumes of Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quartets, the Doric String Quartet are now joined by Timothy Ridout (viola) for a disc of his String Quintets. Mendelssohn wrote just two of these, going with the viola added to string quartet combination, favoured by Mozart and Brahms, as opposed to adding a cello, which Boccherini and Schubert did. Mendelssohn’s String Quintet No. 1, composed when he was 17, came hot on the heels of the successful premiere of his glorious Octet. Ever the reviser, it was another five years before he published both. Its opening movement has a leisured warmth, with only brief hints of darker moods in its development, before it gently dances to a quiet ending. The Intermezzo, with its singing melodic idea is sensitive and elegiac. Intensity builds over warm lower strings, with the rhythmic pace of the throbbing repeated figure increasing. It never feels totally settled, despite its calm ending. We’re in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ territory in the Scherzo, with skittering fairy music led off by the first viola. The players here give this precision and clarity, yet avoid it becoming too dry, and there is some dramatic scraping from the cello, not holding back from a harshly biting timbre. Yet once again, the movement disappears into nothing. Whilst not quite reaching the heights of exuberance of the Octet, the finale is full of joyful energy, set up by its lively triplet upbeat. Alex Redington on first violin shines in the rippling runs, and sings over the rumbling lower instruments. Energy levels ramp up and up, leading to the joyous conclusion. The String Quintet No. 2 came some 18 or so years later, with much of the same sense of energy but perhaps less of the unfettered joyfulness of his youthful works. The opening movement has an athletic first violin part over a tremolo accompaniment. The whirling triplet rhythms mean there is always a sense of movement, and these drive on, becoming more insistent, building to a full-on emphatic conclusion. In the dancing, lilting staccato of the second movement, once again the players here avoid it becoming to picky, maintaining a sense of the melodic material and the dance in an masterclass of control. But it is the intense pathos of the slow movement – essentially a funeral march – that is most striking about this work. From a darkly pianissimo opening, cello scales rise and a slow relentless march emerges. There are drum-like battering effects, and heartfelt laments from the violins. A nostalgic A major melody provides some temporary relief, but it is short-lived, and the agitation of the march increases. Yet Mendelssohn can’t leave us totally in the dark, as the movement suddenly turns at the end to a triumphant D major, before subsiding into a gentle, calm end. The finale, perhaps a little incongruously after the deep intensity of the previous movement, bursts forth with a jolly, energetic theme. This theme provides most of the material here, and its contrapuntal development perhaps loses a little direction at times, but Mendelssohn eventually pulls everything to a suitably emphatic close. Throughout these fascinating and underperformed works, the Doric String Quartet and Ridout are alive to the Mendessohnian flashes of joy and energy, yet they are also alert to the finer detail. They know when to provide warmth, but also when to give edge to their sound too. Highly recommended.

Mendelssohn, F. The String Quintets. Doric String Quartet, Timothy Ridout. Compact Disc. Chandos CHAN 20218.

Arc I is the first of a series of three recordings by American pianist Orion Weiss. This first album features three works from the years 1911-1913. Weiss describes the trajectory of the series as like an inverted rainbow, and this first volume’s ‘steps here head downhill, beginning from hope and proceeding down to despair’. We’ll have to wait for the next disc to see things reach their lowest before renewal and rebirth are promised in the final volume. So here we begin with Enrique Granados’ (1867-1916) Goyescas, Op. 11, a Romantic masterpiece of invention. From the warmly expressive, watery cascades of the opening movement ‘Los reuiebros’ (Flattery), through to the macabre, stuttering dance of the final ‘Epilogo: Serenata del espectro’ (Epilogue: Serenade of the Ghost), this monumental and atmospheric suite is full of Granados’ extravagantly ornamented and improvisatory virtuosity. Weiss is commanding in the frenzied, passionate outbursts in ‘El Amor y la Muerte – Balada’ (Love and death – Ballade), but equally delicate in the nightingale’s song of the fifth movement. There’s a skip in his step in the moments of courting in the opening movement, and he ends the suite with ominous tolling bells before disappearing with a final mercurial wisp. Leoš Janáček’s (1854-1928) In the Mists follows – a shorter suite, and more introspective than the Granados. There are typical Janáček chromatic twists and turns in the melodies, and his motif of death, the falling minor third, features large. Weiss captures particularly well the claustrophobic, suppressed passion of the final movement, which breaks out with melismatic, singing outbursts and increasing intensity, before defeat in its dark sombre conclusion. Weiss ends with Alexander Scriabin’s (1871-1915) Piano Sonata No. 9, Op. 68, ‘Black Mass’. Full of ‘satanic’ tri-tones and chromaticism, begins hopeful but descends into darkness and despair, and Weiss makes the low rumblings and persistent trilling effects feel chillingly ominous. There is a real sense of the second, more hopeful melodic idea insistently writhing as if trying to escape, before being ultimately subsumed into a frightening march. This is an impressive display from Weiss, and sadly speaks to current anxieties and a sense of despair. Arc II promises to take us to the lowest point of grief and loss, but hopefully Arc II will bring us some hope for the future – much needed at present.

Various. 2022. Arc I - Granados, Janáček, Scriabin. Compact Disc. First Hand Records FHR127.

(Edited versions of these reviews first appeared in Scene, May 2022)

Thursday, 31 May 2018

Effortlessly high-class Schubert and Brahms from Grosvenor and friends

Credit: Sophia Adams

Benjamin Grosvenor (piano)
Hyeyoon Park (violin)
Timothy Ridout (viola)
Kian Soltani (cello)
Leon Bosch (double bass)

Tuesday 29 May

Queen Elizabeth Hall, London

★★★★

Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25

Bartók: Rhapsody No. 1 for violin and piano, Sz.87

Schubert: Piano Trio in E flat major, D897 (Notturno)

Schubert: Piano Quintet in A major, D667 (Trout)

Brahms:

'Ridout and Soltani took evident pleasure in their lyrical duet, and Grosvenor dashed off his brief cadenza with a flourish, before an exhilarating race to the finish'.

Bartók:

'A strongly assured performance ... Park’s performance was virtuosically impressive, but inward-looking'.

Schubert Notturno:

'A wonderfully warm performance full of late summer evening languor tinged with sadness and loss'.

Schubert Trout:

'By the finale, that sense of joy and fun was all-pervading, yet detail was not forgotten'.

Grosvenor 'is to be heartily congratulated for bringing together such a wonderfully effortless evening of high-class music making'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Classical Notes

Wednesday, 20 August 2025

A spectacular swansong for the Rosendal Chamber Music Festival