Musical resilience from Pekka Kuusisto and Katarina Barruk at the Proms

Pekka Kuusisto &
members of the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra
© Andy Paradise

Katarina Barruk (vocals)

Arnljot Nordvik (guitar)

Christer Jørgensen (drums)

Norwegian Chamber Orchestra 

Pekka Kuusisto (violin/director)

BBC Proms
7.30pm, Sunday 31 August, 2025
Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★★

Katarina Barruk
© Andy Paradise

Barruk, Katarina (b.1994): Ruhttuo intro

                                          Miärraládda (arr. Sonstad, Øystein (b.1970)/Nordvik, Arnljot)

                                           Niäguoh (arr. Stangness, Christo, orch. Sonstad, Øystein)

                                           Sådna jahttá - Part 2: Maadter-aahka (arr. Nyman, Marzi (b.1979))

                                           Ij gåssieke (arr. Sonstad, Øystein/Nordvik, Arnjlot)

                                           Dállie (arr. Buene, Eivind (b.1973))

Tippett, Michael (1905-1998): Divertimento on Sellinger's Round - A Lament (2nd movement)

Philip Glass (b.1994): String Quartet No. 3, 'Mishima', 5. Blood Oath (arr. Kuusisto, Pekka (b.1976))

Kendall, Hannah (b.1984): Weroon Weroon (UK premiere)

Bach, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): Chorale prelude 'O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde gross', BWV 622 (arr. Reger, Max (1873-1916))

Shaw, Caroline (b.1982): Plan & Elevation, 5. The Beech Tree (arr. Murphy, Ben/Shaw, Caroline)

Pärt, Arvo (b.1935): Fratres - version for solo violin, string orchestra and percussion

Shostakovich, Dmitri (1906-1975): Chamber Symphony, Op. 110a (arr. of String Quartet No. 8 by Barshai, Rudolf (1924-2010))

Encore:

Lennon, John (1940-1980): Imagine (arr. Kuusisto, Pekka)

Katarina Barruk
© Andy Paradise

Barruk:

'Barruk’s striking voice shifted from pure tone to nasal growls, then high and wispy, across a huge range'.

'Barruk’s voice rose high over lamenting strings, then fell into low creaks, with a clear exhortation to never surrender'.

Kendall:

'Kuusisto’s glassy rapid tremolo buzzed and scraped, emitting strange harmonics, and rising and falling in dynamic, before grinding to a halt, adding to the evening’s diversity of sound worlds'.

Pärt:

'NCO moved together with instinctive ensemble, the violins swaying as one. Kuusisto’s solo variations sang out with clarity and improvisatory expression'.

Shostakovich:

'Kuusisto and the NCO let rip with the fourth movement’s violent stabbing knocks ... The second movement's DSCH motif and wild dance and the third's macabre waltz were suitably terrifying'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Pekka Kuusisto & the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra
© Nick Boston

'The waiting is long...': The Sixteen provide welcome Music for Reflection in difficult times

The Sixteen

Harry Christophers (conductor)

Antonia Christophers (narrator)

Live from London, VOCES8

7pm, Saturday 19 September 2020

(reviewed from online stream)

Kings Place, London

★★★★

Felice Anerio (c.1560-1614): Litaniae Beatissimae Virginis Mariae

Argo Pärt (b.1935): The Deer’s Cry

T S Eliot (1888-1965): Here let us stand, from Murder in the Cathedral

Josquin des Prez (c.1450/1455-152): O Virgo prudentissima

Arvo Pärt (b.1935): Da pacem Domine

T S Eliot (1888-1965): Does the bird sing in the south?, from Murder in the Cathedral

John Sheppard (c.1515-1558): Libera nos I

Josquin des Prez (c.1450/1455-1521): Pater noster, Ave Maria

Argo Pärt (b.1935): Morning Star

T S Eliot (1888-1965): We praise thee, O God, from Murder in the Cathedral

Tomás Luis de Victoria (c.1548-1611): Litaniae Beatae Mariae

Encore: 

William Byrd (1543-1623): Mass for Four Voices, Agnus Dei 

Pärt:

'Christophers judged the pace of Pärt’s pieces well ... and the rich lower voices provided firm grounding throughout'.

Shepard:

'The emotional highpoint, with its low bass cantus firmus underpinning the glorious soaring and falling sopranos'.

Byrd:

'Beautifully performed here by a solo quartet, this was a perfect, intimate and reflective conclusion'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

CD Reviews - April 2015

The Tallis Scholars have recorded their first CD of contemporary music since their famous recording of music by Sir John Tavener back in 1984 (my review of its recent release is here), unless you count their single track download of the piece they commissioned from Eric Whitacre to celebrate their 40^th anniversary in 2013 (and a review of that here too).  However, they have performed works by contemporary composers frequently in concert, and their Director Peter Phillips sees a close link between the music of Arvo Pärt (b.1935) and the renaissance polyphony repertoire with which The Tallis Scholars are mostly associated.  So, as a tribute to Pärt in his 80^th year, they have released an album of his music.  It’s entitled Tintinnabuli, which is Pärt’s own composition technique, formed after he experienced a block in composing in the early 1970s.  He had been composing in the neo-classical style, and then using serialism, but reached a compositional dead end, as well as getting into trouble with the Soviet authorities.  He turned to early, particularly medieval music for inspiration, and his new style combined simple meditative harmonies with the clustered overtones bells make when struck. The Tallis Scholars have recorded eight of Pärt’s most significant a capella works here, the most well known being his setting of the Magnificat, which they precede on the disc with his Sieben Magnificat-Antiphonen ('Seven Magnificat Antiphons'). The Tallis Scholars’ pure sound is well suited to this music, and the sopranos in particular produce an appropriately ringing sound. Most of the works here were written for larger choral forces, but The Tallis Scholars bring an intensity which means that the sudden fortissimi perhaps don’t create the wall of sound we might expect, but still achieve a sense of power – the climax of the Magnificat is a case in point.  Rhythmic interest is rare in Pärt, with the sixth Magnificat-Antiphon, and the curiosity of ‘Which Was the Son of…’ stand out. In the latter piece, a daring setting of the genealogy of Christ, so basically just a list of names, Pärt actually achieves considerable interest in varying the textures and The Tallis Scholars relish the slightly tongue-in-cheek fun – Pärt was mildly mocking the Icelandic way of organizing family names (the work was commissioned by the City of Reykjavík). There are some delightfully simple textual settings here, such as I Am the True Vine, and The Woman with the Alabaster Box.  As well as the bell-like quality of the perfectly blended sopranos, the basses also deserve mention for their rich tone and anchoring drones.  A stunning release, and a fitting 80^th birthday present. You can watch The Tallis Scholars in a video about the recording below:

Pärt, A. 2015. Tintinnabuli. The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips. Compact Disc. Gimell CDGIM 049.

Violinist James Ehnes has reached his third volume of chamber works for violin by Béla Bartók (1881-1945), and this disk is dominated by the set of Forty-four Duos for Two Violins, for which he is joined by fellow violinist Amy Schwartz Moretti.  The Duos appeared in four books, and were intended for students of the instrument to play either with their teacher or with fellow students (I remember attempting a few with my own teacher many years ago!).  They draw on a whole range of folk traditions, as one would expect from Bartók, but they also make extensive use of canon between the two violins, as well as bitonal harmonies and unexpected dissonances to shake up their seeming simplicity.  Rarely longer than a minute each, these spiky miniatures make for a surprisingly rewarding listen, as the folk melodies fly by one after the other. My highlights include ‘Wedding Song’ and ‘Pillow Dance’ from Book 1, the ‘Soldier’s Song’ from Book 2, the ‘Dance from Máramos’ from Book 3, and the slightly more substantial ‘Prelude and Canon’ which opens Book 4 – but you will certainly find your own favourites here. The two violinists are perfectly blended, to the extent that you will be hard pressed to know who is playing which line.  The disc begins however with Contrasts, a trio for violin, clarinet and piano, and for this Ehnes is joined by Michael Collins on clarinet, and Andrew Armstrong on piano.  The work was requested by Bartók’s compatriot, violinist Joseph Szigeti, who wanted a work to perform with Benny Goodman (and who recorded the work with the composer in 1940).  Bartók swaps around our preconceptions of the instruments here, often giving the jazzier lines to the violin, and the folk melodies to the clarinet, especially in the opening ‘Recruiting Dance’ movement. Again in the last movement he marries complex Bulgarian folk rhythms with jazz. The middle movement ‘Relaxation’ has a strange otherworldly feel, not least because of the unusual retuning of the strings of the violin required. Collins excels in his virtuosic cadenza in the first movement, and Ehnes responds with equal élan to his cadenza in the finale, ‘Fast Dance’.  In between, Ehnes and Armstrong perform the Sonatina, which is actually a transcription by Gertler of an original solo piano work.  Bartók used melodies here that he had recorded from Romanian village fiddlers, so the transcription by the young 18-year-old student was entirely appropriate, and Bartók gave his approval.  In its three short movements, he crams in five different folk tunes, including ‘Bagpipes’ and a ‘Bear Dance’.  A great disc of endlessly fascinating music, excellently performed by Ehnes and friends.

Bartók, B. 2014. Chamber Works for Violin, Volume 3. James Ehnes, Michael Collins, Amy Schwartz Moretti, Andrew Armstrong. Compact Disc. Chandos CHAN10820.

Chinese pianist Xiayin Wang has recorded three American Piano Concertos with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, conducted by Peter Oundjian.  George Gershwin’s (1898-1937) Concerto in F major will probably be the best-known work here, but the disc begins with the Concerto, Op. 38 by Samuel Barber (1910-1981).  The short two-movement Concerto by Aaron Copland (1900-1990) follows, and they finish with the Gershwin.  There is a thread of jazz influence throughout all three works, although in very different ways. The Barber Concerto is the latest work here, composed in 1962, and it is in the last movement especially, in 5/8 time, that jazz rhythms come to the fore.  It is an incredibly challenging work for the pianist, and Wang is completely on top of its demands.  The central movement has a typically sad extended lyrical melody, whereas the first movement is more confidently strident.  Wang and the RSNO under Oundjian judge these contrasts well, and this was definitely the highlight of the disc for me.  I have to confess to not being a fan of Copland, and I find his attempts at jazz unconvincing, and reviewers of his Concerto’s première felt much the same.  He’s at his best when he sticks to his French influenced post-impressionism (ironically considered distinctively American).  Anyway, his short two movement Concerto has a bluesy first movement, followed without break by a ‘snappy number’, as Copland referred to it. His attempts at humour here, with its swaggering, almost drunken feel I’m afraid just don’t work for me, and the competent performance from Wang and the RSNO doesn’t convince otherwise.  The Gershwin Concerto, composed one year earlier than Copland’s in 1925, is so much more successful – it is what it is, a joyous exploration of jazz, blues and dance.  Occasionally Wang could perhaps relax into the idiom a little more, although in the slow movement there is more of a sense of style.  Overall, it’s the Barber – both the work and the performance – that wins out on this disc.

Various. 2014. American Piano Concertos. Xiayin Wang, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Peter Oundjian. Hybrid Super Audio Compact Disc. Chandos CHSA 5128.

(Edited versions of some of these reviews first appeared in GScene, April 2015)

The Tallis Scholars - 40th Anniversary Concert

Photo © Clive Barda

It was a real privilege to be in the audience for the launch concert of The Tallis Scholars' 40th anniversary celebrations at St Paul's Cathedral on Thursday 7 March 2013.  I was expecting something special, but this concert must be up there with one of the best live music experiences I can remember.

On the programme were some expected 'hits' - Allegri's Miserere, Tallis' Spem in alium.  However, The Tallis Scholars certainly didn't just rely on the 'old favourites' here.  They could have done, and I'm sure the audience would have been happy.  But they used the occasion to show their versatility, and to show how alive and well choral composition is in the 21st century.  Three contemporary composers were present for the premieres (two world and one London) of their works, and all three pieces received warm receptions from the audience.

The concert began appropriately with Tallis - the beautiful yet complex Loquebantur variis linguis, followed by the brief but equally intricate Miserere.  What struck me most in both these pieces was how they drew the audience in, creating a sense of intimacy with some incredible pianissimo singing, particularly in the Miserere - quite an achievement in the cavernous St Paul's acoustic.  They then leapt forward in time, and in Arvo Pärt's Nunc Dimittis they now made full use of the massive resonant acoustic, and when Pärt's atmostpheric harmonies suddenly burst forth on the word 'Lumen', St Paul's was suddenly full of luminous warmth.

Gabriel Jackson & Eric Whitacre 

The first of the evening's premieres followed - Gabriel Jackson's Ave Dei partis filia.  In a highly effective piece, Jackson is clearly paying homage to the early English composers, yet his use of rhythm is strikingly contemporary.  This created some challenges for the Tallis Scholars, and they worked incredibly hard to ensure that the lively rhythms were clearly articulated.  I would be interested to know if this precision travelled right to the back of St Paul's, but certainly where I was the effect was arresting.  I look forward to hearing this piece again soon.

They closed the first half with Byrd's substantial Tribue, Domine dating from the composer's early career.   The second half of the concert began with Allegri's Miserere - for this, the solo quartet sang hidden somewhere - I think from the Whispering Gallery, but I'm not 100% sure!  As ever, the top Cs were spot on, ringing out throughout the cathedral.  Then it was Eric Whitacre's turn - his new piece, Sainte-Chapelle, was inspired by the stained glass in a 13th century chapel in Paris.  Here, the rhythmic interest centred around the repetition of the word 'Sanctus', and The text, by Whitacre's oft used collaborator, Charles Anthony Silvestri, creates the image of a young girl hearing the angels singing 'Sanctus' - and Whitacre uses the repetition of this word for the rhythmic focus of the piece.  In between, the scrunchy clusters and dissonances typical of Whitacre's music matched perfectly with The Tallis Scholars warm blended sound.

For the last two works, the core group were joined by more singers to perform two works for 40 voices. They began with a performance of Robin Walker's I have thee by the hand, O man.  This was commissioned 10 years ago by the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester as a companion piece to Tallis' Spem in alium, and 10 years on, it has now received its London premiere.  It is a lengthy piece, and unlike the Tallis, where the music sweeps through the eight choirs of five voices, Walker uses the choirs in a variety of ways.  It is an incredibly challenging piece, and there were one or two moments where some of the younger singers looked a little like rabbits in the headlights.  However, it is a great piece that deserves more exposure, and provided a great build-up to the final work of the programme, Tallis' Spem in alium.  It is always a challenge with this piece to achieve a unity of strength and sound across 40 individual voices, and here one or two soprano voices perhaps lacked the power of the more experienced TS members.  However, the meeting of all 40 voices on 'Respice' was electric, and this was a triumphant end to a fabulous concert.

As an encore, Peter Phillips brought us back down to earth with the core members performing Mouton's Salva nos, Domine.  This was actually a perfectly subdued and sublime ending after the drama of the Walker & Tallis, reminding us how much lesser-known repertoire The Tallis Scholars and Peter Phillips have brought to our ears over their 40 years so far - long may this continue!

Photo © Clive Barda

This review can also be found on the GScene website here.

You can also watch Eric Whitacre talking about Sainte-Chapelle here.  A recording of The Tallis Scholars singing the piece was released on 17 March 2013 - download it here.