Variety & atmosphere in chamber works by Hugh Shrapnel, performed with energy & sensitivity by the Camarilla Ensemble
I’ve reviewed two discs previously of piano music by English composer Hugh Shrapnel (b.1947) (here & here), and have been impressed by his ability to capture diverse moods and atmospheres, often in very short pieces. So I was certainly interested to hear some of his music for other instruments, and was pleased to find the same variety of mood and style, combined with some strong idiomatic writing for wind and brass instruments. The Camarilla Ensemble is a wind quintet (Julian Sperry (flute/piccolo), Rachel Harwood-White (oboe), Nicholas Ellis (clarinet), Louise Watson (bassoon) & Jonathan Farey (horn)), and for this recording, they are augmented with the addition of Simon Wills on alto & tenor trombones, and Alison Rhind on piano. So here we have various duo pieces for a wind instrument plus piano, a trio, a quartet and the most extended work, a six movement Wind Quintet. All written in the last twenty or so years, the pieces were composed for a variety of individual performers or for festivals, particularly the London New Wind Festival. The disc opens with a light Sonatina for Horn and Piano, with a playful, music-hall feel to its opening Allegro, with relaxed, lyrical playing from the horn over bouncing piano rhythms. The central Adagio is more mysterious and introvert, with the piano offering high, quiet echoes to the horn’s yearning figures, before the Con Moto trots along to a fun finish. The next work, Objets Fixes for Oboe, Clarinet, Horn and Tenor Trombone, is a little more challenging, with its insistent, spiky rhythmic figures that persist throughout the first four of its five short movements. Often one or two instruments have fixed, almost mechanical repetitions, whilst the other instruments slide, even dance around. It is only in the final Grave that the forced rhythms fall away, and the work ends in a more reflective mood. Political inspiration comes in with Coalition Blues for Alto Trombone and Piano, a short piece written in response to the 2010 Coalition Government and a reaction against the effects of their austerity programme. A short ‘People’s Theme’ is varied and transformed, with dramatic, even angry effect in the piece’s brief three minutes. A Trio for Flute, Clarinet and Piano follows, with playful, twisting lines, all three instruments chasing each other, then coming together at times. The mood develops into darker, more nocturnal territory, with the flute and clarinet flying about almost moth-like over mysterious piano rippling, leading to a quiet, almost static ending. Belladonna for Flute and Piano opens with dark, dreamlike piano textures, before the Debussy-esque liquid flute joins, and the resulting duet is effectively atmospheric. In contrast the Sonata for Clarinet and Pianothat follows begins in a joyful mood, with a light opening clarinet melodic line, soon taken over by the piano, with echoes from the clarinet in return. A darker intensity develops, and the movement concludes in a less certain mood, to be followed by a Satie-esque, lugubrious slow movement, with ebbing and flowing climaxes. The piano’s relentless 3+2+3 rhythm drives the final movement, with angular lines from the clarinet making for a somewhat moody, edgy and even fraught climax. The final, and most substantial work, Hilly Fields for Wind Quintet, is much more overtly programmatic and conjures up a variety of scenes in areas of South East London where Shrapnel lives. There is a bustling, easy feel to Morning Run that opens the work, soon followed by relaxed nostalgia in Reverie, then Games presents a series of playful sports and games, with chasing rhythms, before Blythe Hill returns to a quieter, more atmospheric mood, although not totally idyllic, with dark moments and birds sounding somewhat anxious. Dusk follows, and there’s a lot going on here, surprisingly busy, with nocturnal creatures emerging. But Fayre to end the work is bustling and lively, bringing this evocative piece to a happy conclusion. Throughout all these works, Shrapnel once again demonstrates his ability to create a wide variety of atmospheres in miniature form, and the Camarilla Ensemble and friends’ playing communicates the lively and quirky rhythms with precision, as well as capturing those mood swings from piece to piece.
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