Passionately committed Brahms from Janine Jansen and friends at Wigmore Hall

Janine Jansen
© Lukas Beck

Janine Jansen (violin)

Timothy Ridout (viola)

Daniel Blendulf (cello)

Denis Kozhukhin (piano)

7.30pm, Thursday 21 December 2023

Wigmore Hall, London

★★★★★

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Violin Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 100

                                                    Viola Sonata No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 120 No. 2

                                                    Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 60

Violin Sonata:

'Jansen and Kozhukhin contrasted well the intimate, almost prayerful opening with playful bounce in the offbeat rhythms that followed'.

'Beautiful pianissimo playing from Jansen always retained a warmth of contact, never airy or breathy in tone'.

Jansen, Ridout, Kozhukhin & Blendulf
© Nick Boston

Viola Sonata:

'Ridout has a quietly commanding presence, and right from the opening singing melody, he showed that he had the lyricism to convey Brahms’ long lines, but it was the ebb and flow of joint proceedings with Kozhukhin that drove this opening movement forward'. 

Piano Quartet:

'Right from Kozhukhin’s thundering opening to the Third Piano Quartet, and the dark string response, it was clear this would be a totally committed performance from all four musicians'.

'All four galloped through the strange rhythms of the second movement, with its gloriously startling major conclusion, then Blendulf stepped into the limelight with a beautifully lyrical opening to the Andante, Kozhukhin providing a gentle pulse'. 

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Bye bye, Miss Hope Springs, Hello Ty Jeffries!

Ty Jeffries

Despite Ty Jeffries having performed as his alter ego, Miss Hope Springs for many years now, I have to confess to coming somewhat late to the party. Ty performed a lunchtime concert in Brighton in 2022 as himself, his first in fact, and it was there that I came across his hauntingly beautiful piano music, as well as some of his poignantly witty songs. Of course, I then had to see the larger than life legend that is Miss Hope Springs, and just in the nick of time, as it turns out. After nearly 30 years performing as Miss Hope, Ty has decided to shed the costume and perform as himself, putting his beloved character into cryogenic suspension for one hundred years. He has numerous recitals planned coming up next year, including one at the Wigmore Hall in London, and with two previously recorded albums of his piano music, he hopes to record more. 

So how to describe his piano music? Well, think jazz and 1920s cabaret mixed in with the sadness and expressionism of Satie and Debussy. Throw in some sixties film music, hints of Brel and Michel Legrand, and you’re getting the idea. But having written so many songs for Miss Hope and others, his melody writing shines through, and there is always a strong lyricism running through. Many pieces conjure up instant atmosphere and a sense of place just from their titles – Waltz Buenos Aires, Dusk in the Luxembourg Gardens, St Petersburg, for example. Ty says that they are not intentionally directly descriptive of places, more a mood – as Rodin said, ‘the work of art is already within the block of marble’ – and for Ty, the pieces come out more or less fully formed as a result. In fact several tracks on his albums were improvised on the spot, and that improvisatory feel runs through. Yet one readily projects full back stories onto some – Miss Dickinson is not at Home 

is a case in point, with its nursery rhyme-like melody full of achingly nostalgic and mysterious sadness. A hint of Satie-esque Gymnopedie is given a lilt in Yekatarinberg, and St Petersburg, with its fin de Siècle waltz has a flavour of Satie’s Gnossiennes, whereas Brazilian Waltz evokes Chopin, but also Cuban pianist composer, Cevantes. But none of these references imply pastiche or imitation – there is a distinctive style that is Ty’s, and it is probably that nostalgic, filmic lyricism that is the common thread. The sounds of waves and seagulls bookend the Last Summer at Terijoki album, from its opening, lapping La Mer to the closing rippling, almost minimalist figures of And the Tide Comes in Like Glass. 

 

Miss Hope Springs

Ty tells me he began playing the piano aged 5, on a Steinway that had somehow found its way into the family potting shed. As the son of actor and director Lionel Jeffries and actor Eileen Walsh, the household was frequented by many great names from the world of acting and music. Ty clearly had a gift at the piano that was spotted by the like of Sir John Mills (who taught him jazz chords) and Elmer Bernstein, as well as later being mentored by Vangelis. He studied at The Purcell School of music, and from there played keyboards for Billy Mackenzie and The Associates in the 1990s, also working with Neneh Cherry and Chaka Khan. He has written songs (of course, many to be performed by Miss Hope Springs) and piano pieces ever since, and now finally feels it is time to focus on this side of his talent.  

Ty Jeffries

So I would highly recommend you check out his piano music, with two albums available on Bandcamp, and numerous tracks available on YouTube and elsewhere. And look out for performances in the New Year, when he will be performing selections of his solo songs and piano music. Ty returns to Crazy Coqs in London (where he had a very successful 12 year residency as Miss Hope) on Friday 22 March and Saturday 27 April, and he will also be performing at the Wigmore Hall at 10pm on 7 June. He is also giving a fundraising performance for The Ledward Centre in Brighton on Saturday 13 January - details here.