Smock Alley - Italian meets Irish in 18th century Dublin, with richly resonant performances from Irlandiani

I’m catching up on a few releases from First Hand Records from the last year. The first of these was prompted by also seeing the ensemble, Irlandiani, perform at this year’s Brighton Early Music Festival. Irlandiani were formed by cellist Carina Drury in 2020, and they describe themselves as a collective of historical and traditional instrumentalists who explore Italian and Irish musical connections in the 18^th century. So they were a great fit for this year’s BREMF, its theme being Connections. But first the disc. Titled Smock Alley, it focusses on Italian and Irish music with connections to the vibrant theatre scene in Dublin centred around the Smock Alley Theatre. 

 

A core of the recording is a set of Six Duos for Two Cellos, Op. 18 by Tommaso Giordani (1730-1806), performed here by Drury and fellow cellist Poppy Walshaw. Giordani moved to Dublin in around 1764, and worked as musical director at the Smock Alley Theatre. He briefly moved to London, where these duos were composed, but returned to Dublin for the rest of his life. The duets are light and graceful, and the deep tones of the two cellos combined create a warm soundworld. Each in two movements, the opening movements generally dance along, with singing lines, the two instruments chasing one another in thirds. When the second cello is given more supporting, accompanying rhythms, they are delivered here with delicacy, never laboured, despite the arpeggio movement. But it is in the faster, second movements where greater invention occurs. In Sonata No. 2, the Allegro (Tamborino) is an energetic romp, with instructions to hit the string with the bow, Drury and Walshaw delivering precise articulation as the music races along. Sontata No. 3 has a swinging Giga, and Sonata No. 6’s spiky Allegro bounces along playfully. Another Italian, Franceso Geminiani (1687-1762) is represented here. He also spent periods of time living in Dublin, including the last four years of his life. His Cello Sonata in A major, Op. 5, No. 1 receives a stylish performance from Walshaw here, with Drury supported by Nathaniel Mander on harpsichord for the continuo part. The opening movement has an expressive line, delicately ornamented by Walshaw, followed by impressive virtuosity in the Allegro that follows, with the harpsichord brightly jangling along. There’s more dramatic expression in the third movement, and the final Allegro contains moments of melodic interaction between the cello and harpsichord. Mander also gives us some solo pieces on the recording, with two of Domenico Scarlatti’s (1685-1757) Keyboard Sonatas, prefaced by a brief Introduction to Scarlatti’s Lessons by Thomas Roseingrave (1690/91-1766). Roseingrave was an organist in Dublin, but having dropped out of Trinity College Dublin, he was sent to Venice, where he met the Scarlatti family. He published an edition of Scarlatti’s Keyboard Sonatas, and that’s where the Introduction appeared. A graceful enough prelude, it is no match in terms of invention for Scarlatti’s rushing, rhythmic Sonata in G major, K13, or his fugally complex Sonata in G minor, K30. Mander is bright, energetic and precise in the former, and brings steady clarity to the latter. He also plays a very brief Prelude for Keyboard in A major, Op. 33 No. 11 by Giordani, playful but so short it flies by in a moment.

 

So, in contrast to the Italian fare, the disc is bookended with arrangements (by Drury and the ensemble) of traditional Irish tunes. Gallway’s Lament opens the disc, with the rich, resonant cellos joined by light percussion from John-Henry Baker. Baker switches to violone (or double bass viol) for Drury’s arrangement of Francis Hutcheson’s (1721-1784) To sleep. Hutcheson was an amateur composer, and wrote using the pseudonym ‘Frances Ireland’, and this three part glee works well with the three string instruments here, dancing along playfully in the rich, lower registers. At the other end of the disc come arrangements by the ensemble of Irish tunes Molly St George and The Rakes of Westmeath, both found in Burke Thumoth (c. 1717-1747)’s 12 Irish and 12 Scotch Airs with Variations of 1748. Thumoth was a musician, performing in London theatres, as well as performing a few times at the Smock Alley Theatre, but sadly died at the young age of 29. Molly St George’s mournful melodic line over droning and gentle pizzicato from the second cello and violone is rendered even more beautifully mournful in these lower registers, while The Rakes of Westmeath brings a sudden breath of fresh air with the dancing Irish flute, played by Eimear McGeown, with Baker providing percussion on the spoons and drum. And finally, the disc ends with Carina Drury’s own composition, Caoineadh, which draws on the Irish air Caoineath na dTri Muire. A distant, mournful lament is given a dark edge with shifting, thick chords and unexpected harmonic shifts from the cello and violone beneath Drury’s melodic cello line. A fascinating disc, exploring this unusual repertoire, and the Italian and Irish connections, as well as the different soundworld created by the lower, resonant instrumentation.

 

In concert at BREMF, the line-up was slightly different, with Aileen Henry’s delicate harp replacing the harpsichord, and guest, Irish fiddle player and singer Úna Palliser injecting another stylistic influence into proceedings. The Rakes of Westmeath, with Palliser on fiddle, had a different, yet equally engaging colour here, and this also returned as their encore. A few more traditional tunes made an appearance, and there was only space for a selection of the Giordani duos. Palliser’s keening vocals brought yet another element to their fascinating mix. A talented group of performers for sure – live, a few more upbeat numbers could lift the overall mood created by the lower, moody registers of the instruments, but that’s a minor quibble. Check out the disc, but also look out for them live if you can.

Various. 2023. Smock Alley. Irlandiani. Compact Disc. First Hand Records FHR144.

Glorious Baroque

Sunday 29 March 2015, 6pm
St John sub Castro, Abinger Place, Lewes

Baroque Collective Singers
John Hancorn, conductor
The Baroque Collective
Nicholas Houghton, chamber organ

Vivaldi: Magnificat
Scarlatti: Stabat Mater
Buxtehude: Membra Jesu Nostri









The Baroque Collective Singers and their conductor John Hancorn present a glorious concert of Baroque choral music. Domenico Scarlatti’s ten-part Stabat Mater is one of the great masterworks of the time, featuring soaring vocal lines and plangent harmonies. The Magnificat is one of Vivaldi's best-loved choral  works, brought to life in this performance by a quartet of string players from the Baroque Collective playing authentic Baroque instruments alongside the Baroque Collective Singers. Buxtehude’s Membra Jesu Nostri is a wonderful cycle of seven cantatas each addressed to a different part of Christ’s crucified body and will feature solos by members of the choir.


Tickets: £10 (under 16s free) available from Lewes Tourist Information Centre (tel: 01273 483448) or on the door

Brighton Festival 2012 - Lunchtime Concerts, Part 1

Finally catching up on some of the first week of concerts in Brighton Festival.  The week began with me unfortunately having to miss a lunchtime concert (Saturday 5 May) of Jessica Grimes (clarinet) and Fiachra Garvey (piano) due to a rehearsal clash (see BREMF Consort of Voices concert below).  My partner went along instead, and despite some of the repertoire not being his cup of tea, he really enjoyed the concert, and was particularly impressed by the young duo's ability to communicate their obvious enthusiasm for the music, and their comfortable stage presence.  As a non musician, he also found her background explanations of the pieces performed helpful and insightful.  Grimes also performed the challenging Fantasie for solo clarinet by Jörg Widmann (you can see him perform the piece himself on YouTube).  Grimes described Widmann as one of her musical heroes, and she and Garvey both attended the concert the following day at Glyndebourne in which Widmann performed the Brahms Clarinet Quintet with the Hagen Quartet (see my review here).  

Then on Monday 7 May, another lunchtime concert - this time, Jayson Gillham on piano.  Another young performer, he also has great stage presence, with a natural ability to engage with the audience, again choosing to speak about the music too.  He performed Beethoven's Waldstein Sonata (No. 21 in C major, Op. 53), followed by four of Debussy's Études (numbers 6, 7, 8 & 11).  He concluded his programme with Chopin's Ballade No. 4 in F minor.  Born in Australia, Gillham settled in the UK in 2007, and has a number of competition prizes to his name, as well as a well established concert performance career, and two CDs to his name.  His Waldstein was powerful and robust, the Debussy beautifully delicate, and the Chopin was appropriately bravura and full-blooded.  We were also treated to a short encore, which Jayson kindly informed me via Twitter was the Étude No. 10, Der Zauberlehrling (The Sorcerer's Apprentice) by György Ligeti.  An impressive performance all round.

Tuesday 8 May - more lunchtime music from guitarist Michael Partington.  Born in Wales, he now lives in Seattle, and judging by his soft accent, he's been there a while.  Initially I feared the rather dead acoustic in the Pavilion Theatre would not favour the instrument, and I struggled to hear some of his sensitively quiet playing to start with.  However, I think in the end, this actually worked for him, in that I felt drawn in to listen more carefully to the intimacy and delicacy of the music.  Once again, we were given useful introductions and background notes on the music.  He began with a pleasant set of Variations, Op. 102 by Mauro Giuliani.  These were followed by his own arrangement of two Sonatas (K208 & K209) by Domenico Scarlatti.  As he explained, these keyboard sonatas fit remarkably well on the guitar, and his arrangements are fitting and effective.  Partington is also a great advocate of new music for the guitar, having commissioned and premiered many works.  He next performed Six Preludes by the Oregon based composer Bryan Johanson.  A great contrast to the rest of the programme, these showed a wide range of influences, as well as using some extended techniques on the instrument.  One, we were told beforehand, was even based around a Supremes song.  I spotted that it was the fourth, but couldn't identify the song - I heard him tell another audience member after, but didn't catch the title - so if you're out there, Michael... (update from the man himself - it was 'Keep Me Hanging On').  The highlight of his programme was the beautiful Tombeau sur la mort de M. le Comte de Logy.  Le Comte de Logy (or Jan Antonín Losy) was the 'Prince of the Lute' in his day, and Sylvius Leopold Weiss wrote this moving piece upon his death in 1721.  Interestingly, it uses one of the same 'extended' techniques we heard in the Johanson (string bending) to evoke wailing and grieving, and the rising scale towards the end depicts Le Comte's soul rising to heaven.  Despite a couple of memory lapses (I think), this was a touching performance, and made me want to seek this piece out again.  The programme ended in perhaps more familiar territory, with Tres Piezas Españolas by Joaquín Rodrigo.  

© Eric Richmond

The final lunchtime concert in this first week was very special, and for this we moved over to the Corn Exchange - although the concert was surprisingly not sold out (a top name pianist, for just a tenner...).  He began with Debussy's Children's Corner.  Despite their deceptive simplicity, these miniatures are not straightforward, but are equally not great virtuosic showpieces either.  It was nice to hear such a great pianist performing these graceful and witty pieces with such subtlety of expression, and they provided the perfect opener, before the more challenging Processional by George Crumb (b. 1929).  One of Crumb's few piano pieces that doesn't involve extended effects or preparations, this piece nevertheless does use on particular effect rather well - chords are placed silently following heavily attacked chords above or below, creating a curious resonance.  In the larger, slightly barn-like acoustic of the Corn Exchange, this proved rather effective, although it may not have carried completely to the back of the hall.  The lion's share of the programme was then taken up with Ravel's Miroirs, a mammoth work of five impressionistic and highly evocative pieces, containing huge challenges for the pianist.  The arpeggios of the third piece, Une barque sur l'océan, was particularly beautifully performed here, the music rippling and flowing almost endlessly.  The concluding bells of La vallée des cloches perfectly concluded a captivating and uplifting oasis in the middle of a miserably rainy day!