Countertenor
Iestyn Davies is joined by the early music ensemble Arcangelo, directed by
Jonathan Cohen, for a showcase recording of solo alto Cantatas by J S Bach
(1685-1750). These cantatas are the
perfect vehicle to demonstrate Davies’ pure, even tone and Arcangelo’s range,
from subtle continuo to full ensemble, always maintaining chamber intimacy. The first cantata on the disc, BWV170 ‘Vergnügte
Ruh’, beliebte Seelenlust’, opens with a beautifully warm aria, with long notes
expertly sustained by Davies underpinned by a slow descending bassline and a
intertwining oboe line. Davies’ recitatives are suitably dramatic, within an
overall contained aesthetic, with great attention given to the text. The
closing aria here has an energetic pace, with some impressive organ
playing. Cantata BWV54, ‘Widerstehe doch
der Sünde’ is shorter, with just two arias and a central recitative, but the
building repeated chords and suspensions of the opening aria is a highlight of
the disc, with Davies delivering an even line over the pulsing
accompaniment. The descending chromatic
line of the second aria takes Davies into a lower register, yet there is no
audible ‘gear change’, and the overall effect is as smooth as the instruments
on the same fugue theme. Sandwiched
between the alto cantatas, Arcangelo give lively performances of Sinfonias from
two other cantatas, BWV52 and 174. Here,
Bach reworked movements from his Brandenburg Concertos – with BWV52, he adds
hunting horns, oboes and bassoon to the third Concerto’s opening movement,
whereas BWV174 comes from the first Concerto.
Arcangelo are spirited and energetic, and these provide a welcome lift
amidst the more contemplative mood of the solo cantatas. The final Cantata, BWV82, ‘Ich habe genug’,
was originally for bass, and then Bach rewrote it for soprano, with a flute
replacing the solo oboe, before producing a version for alto. Here, the combination of warm oboe tones from
Katharina Spreckelsen with the smooth, steady line of Davies in the opening
aria is incredibly moving, and the central lullaby with its lilting
accompaniment is equally touching. An
impressive and highly moving recording.
Violinist
Tasmin Little joins pianist Piers Lane for their second volume of British Violin Sonatas. The meat of the disc is John Ireland’s (1879-1962) wonderful Sonata No. 1. With it’s
turbulent opening movement, a beautifully song-like central Romance, and a
folksy Rondo to finish, this is a striking work, despite being less popular
than Ireland’s Sonata No. 2 which followed some seven years later. Little is lyrical and sensitive in the
touching Romance, and Lane rises to the challenges of Ireland’s weighty writing
for the piano in the first movement, without allowing it to overpower the
violin. Sir Arthur Bliss’ (1891-1975) early single movement Sonata is by contrast rather over dramatic and a little over-emphatic. It
was part of a fuller Sonata that he was working on when his brother Kennard was
killed in the First World War, and he abandoned the work, never completing
it. The Sonata by Frank Bridge
(1879-1941) that opens the disc is another incomplete work, with the second
movement completed by Paul Hindmarsh.
The opening is surprisingly brash for Bridge, but it settles down into a
more recognisable style, with intriguingly unusual harmonies, and in the second
movement, a galloping central scherzo surrounded by a beautifully subdued and
lyrical slow section, and a subtle coda (composed by Hindmarsh, but drawing on
ideas from the first movement, as Bridge would surely have done himself). A Romance
and Pastorale from Ralph Vaughan
Williams (1872-1958), both with wandering modal themes, and more than a
hint of The Lark Ascending in the Romance, are beautifully performed here, with
Little in particular enjoying Vaughan Williams’ meandering, rising lines for
the violin. The disc ends with a brief
piece by William Lloyd Webber
(1914-1982) (father of Andrew & Julian), ‘The Gardens at Eastwell’, his final composition. It is a pleasant enough miniature, with a
captivating tune, but rather inconsequential when compared with the other works
on the disc. The highlight of the disc
is their compelling performance of the Ireland, but overall this is a
stimulating survey of some lesser-known yet striking British chamber
works.
Various. 2016. British Violin Sonatas, Volume Two. Tasmin Little, Piers Lane. Compact Disc. Chandos CHAN 10899.
I
recently reconnected with an old school friend, pianist Adrian Lord, discovering he has just
released a recording of his own Twelve
Romances for Piano, entitled Journey. As the name would suggest, this is a very
personal set of solo piano pieces, some inspired by significant places, such as
childhood holidays in the Peak District, and travels in Scotland. The album was recorded in the stunning
setting of a studio at Crear in Western Scotland, overlooking the Paps of
Jura. This is a highly enjoyable and
atmospheric short set of miniatures, with a common thread of rhythmic momentum
and interest over simple harmonic progressions.
The result is often very effective and engaging. There are clear references to family roots in
the Lancashire mills, with spinning rhythms in ‘Blaize’ and ‘Revolutions’,
and a similar sense of perpetual motion in the hypnotic opening ‘Prelude’. The pieces are united by their use of
repetition and arpeggiated patterns, yet variety is achieved in imaginative use
of dynamics, such as in the fiery sections of ‘Wildfire’, and the moving concluding ‘Time to Remember’, written in memory of his recently deceased
mother. Adrian performs this personal
collection with conviction, and the quasi-improvisatory nature of his
compositions makes for very engaging listen.
(Edited versions of these reviews first appeared in GScene, February 2017)
Purcell:
Dido and Aeneas; Chacony in G minor; Hear My Prayer; Suite in G major
The Baroque Collective
Alison Bury, leader
The Baroque Collective Singers
John Hancorn, director
Catrin Woodruff, Dido
Jennifer Clark, Belinda
Andrew Robinson, Aeneas
Helen Dewhurst, Second Woman
Liz Webb, Sorceress
Liz Kelly, First Witch
Katie Hawks, Second Witch
Janet Ormerod, Spirit
Tony Jay, Sailor
The Baroque Collective and the Baroque Collective Singers present a concert performance of Purcell’s most famous work and probably the world’s favourite opera in English. Dido and Aeneas tells the story of the love between the Trojan hero Aeneas and the Carthaginian queen Dido, and of her subsequent suicide when he leaves to fulfil his destiny as founder of Rome. There is music of ravishing beauty, including Dido's famous lament 'When I am laid in earth', an evil Sorceress, a jolly sailor, and wonderful choruses for the Baroque Collective Singers. The first half of the concert features the Baroque Collective performing Purcell's Chacony in G minor and Suite in G major, and the Baroque Collective Singers performing Purcell's 'Hear My Prayer'.
Sunday 19 February 2017, 6.30pm
St Michael's Church, 158 High St, Lewes BN7 1XU
Tickets: £15 & £10 (Under 16s free) on the door or from Lewes Tourist Information Centre, 187 High St, Lewes, BN7 2DE.
Online tickets here.
Details on Facebook here.
Countertenor
Iestyn Davies is joined by the early music ensemble Arcangelo, directed by
Jonathan Cohen, for a showcase recording of solo alto Cantatas by J S Bach
(1685-1750). These cantatas are the
perfect vehicle to demonstrate Davies’ pure, even tone and Arcangelo’s range,
from subtle continuo to full ensemble, always maintaining chamber intimacy. The first cantata on the disc, BWV170 ‘Vergnügte
Ruh’, beliebte Seelenlust’, opens with a beautifully warm aria, with long notes
expertly sustained by Davies underpinned by a slow descending bassline and a
intertwining oboe line. Davies’ recitatives are suitably dramatic, within an
overall contained aesthetic, with great attention given to the text. The
closing aria here has an energetic pace, with some impressive organ
playing. Cantata BWV54, ‘Widerstehe doch
der Sünde’ is shorter, with just two arias and a central recitative, but the
building repeated chords and suspensions of the opening aria is a highlight of
the disc, with Davies delivering an even line over the pulsing
accompaniment. The descending chromatic
line of the second aria takes Davies into a lower register, yet there is no
audible ‘gear change’, and the overall effect is as smooth as the instruments
on the same fugue theme. Sandwiched
between the alto cantatas, Arcangelo give lively performances of Sinfonias from
two other cantatas, BWV52 and 174. Here,
Bach reworked movements from his Brandenburg Concertos – with BWV52, he adds
hunting horns, oboes and bassoon to the third Concerto’s opening movement,
whereas BWV174 comes from the first Concerto.
Arcangelo are spirited and energetic, and these provide a welcome lift
amidst the more contemplative mood of the solo cantatas. The final Cantata, BWV82, ‘Ich habe genug’,
was originally for bass, and then Bach rewrote it for soprano, with a flute
replacing the solo oboe, before producing a version for alto. Here, the combination of warm oboe tones from
Katharina Spreckelsen with the smooth, steady line of Davies in the opening
aria is incredibly moving, and the central lullaby with its lilting
accompaniment is equally touching. An
impressive and highly moving recording.
