Ancient Rituals and New Tales: Tawadros challenges perceptions of the Oud - Proms at ... Cadogan Hall 3

© Daniel Sponiar

Joseph Tawadros (Oud)

Monday 30 July, 2018

Proms at ... Cadogan Hall 3

Cadogan Hall, London

★★★★

Joseph Tawadros (b.1983):

Taqasim Kord

Constellation

Work

Jessica Wells (b.1974):

Rhapsody for Solo Oud

Joseph Tawadros:

Permission to Evaporate

Gare de l'Est

Heal

Give or Take

Clothes

Forbidden Fruit

Encore:

Bluegrass Nikriz

Joseph Tawadros:

'He manages to gently challenge expectations of image, accent and culture'.

'The encore ... raised the energy levels with its new heights of virtuosity, lightening fingerwork and rhythmic strumming seamlessly switching between and blending bluegrass and Arabic music'.

'A perfect conclusion to a performance that was all about challenging perceptions – of culture, identity and, of course, the oud itself'. 

Jessica Wells:

'Her new piece, Rhapsody for Oud, was indeed rhapsodic, with fleeting moments of effect strung together in a loose but engaging way'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

CD Reviews - June & July 2018

I have reviewed a couple of discs in the past of lute/theorbo player Alex McCartney.  Now he is joined (playing theorbo and Baroque guitar here) by recorder player László Rózsa and viola da gamba player Jonathan Rees for a very pleasing collection of late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century works by to me mostly unknown French composers, all of whom were moving away from the dominant French style set by Lully to a freer Italian-influenced style.  They begin with the delightful Suite No. 5 by Pierre Danican Philidor (1681-1731), with its tender, melancholic slow movements including a particularly beautiful Sarabande, contrasting with the more urgent quicker movements.  The blend between the three instruments is perfectly judged, and in the final Gigue, Rózsa enjoys the more virtuosic, dancing lines given to the recorder.  A solo Suite by M. de Sainte-Colombe (c.1640-1700) for the viola da gamba follows, and Rees performs this stylish work with great presence and intensity.  It has a strange, slightly stop-start feel, with bursts of more rapid figuration broken up by frequent pauses and breaks. This style prevails throughout its five short movements, which means one feels it never quite gets going as a whole, but nevertheless Rees’ warm tone and command of its demands are highly persuasive.  A Suite by Jacques Martin Hotteterre (1673-1763) next, with its graceful six movements preceded by a solo prelude added by Rózsa.  Here, there is more rhythmic and virtuosic interest in the livelier movements, and the dancing final Gigue is dashed off with energy and panache.  McCartney has a solo spot next, with a Suite for the theorbo by Robert de Visée (c.1655-1732/33).  This has wonderful melodic lines, which McCartney articulates over the harmonies with great precision, making this a particular highlight of the disc.  All three return with a Sonata by Charles Buterne (c.1710-c.1760), and its short central Italian-style Allegro allows for a great virtuosic show from Rózsa.  The disc is concluded with two nightingale-inspired pieces.  The birdlike ornamentation of the recorder is delicate and tender in Le rossignol-en-amour by François Couperin (1668-1733), and McCartney’s gentle introduction on the guitar to Pourquoy, doux rossignol by Jean-Baptiste de Bousset (1662-1725) sets up a beautifully bitter-sweet conclusion to this delightful collection.  

Various. 2017. Rondeau Mélancolique. László Rózsa, Jonathan Rees, Alex McCartney. Compact Disc. Veterum Musica VM017.

Jumping forwards a couple of centuries, we now explore the world of some forgotten Russian chamber music, with violinist Hideko Udagawa joined by pianist Alexander Panfilov.  This recording is the first released outside Russia by the St Petersburg label Northern Flowers, and is a collection of works for the violin in the Russian Romantic tradition.  Despite the influence of what is known as the Russian school of violin playing, much of this repertoire is forgotten, and Udagawa, who learnt with Nathan Milstein and follows in that line of Russian romantic tradition, clearly wants us to reconsider these works.  There are works by Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857), through to Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936), so spanning just less than one hundred years of Russian music.  The disc contains a number of premieres, including the world premiere of César Cui’s (1835-1918) Alla Spagnuola in the composer’s version for violin and piano. Glinka’s incomplete also receives its first recording here for violin and piano.  This is in fact a delightful piece, despite being such an early composition, and the second movement in particular contains some beautifully lyrical melodies. Udagawa’s performances here are full of vigour and passion, although the recorded sound is a little on the thin side at times, with more depth of tone needed in places.  These are not the most profound compositions, focusing mostly on melody and with few harmonic surprises.  Glinka’s pleasing Mazurka, and Cui’s lively Alla Spagnuola are cases in point, the latter in particular clearly a technical showpiece for the violin more than anything else.  But Udagawa also convinces in the lighter pieces, such as Anton Rubinstein’s (1829-1894) Romance, and Glazunov’s Méditation.  The one piece that rose above the others for me was by the composer I am least familiar with – Viktor Kossenko (1896-1938). His Two Pieces, Dreams and Impromptu, once again combine lyricism with virtuosic display, but have greater individuality and invention than some of the other works here, with rich harmonies and rippling piano accompaniment.  So despite not being totally won over by all the repertoire here, these are strong and authoritative performances throughout.

Various. 2018. Russian Romantics. Hideko Udagawa, Alexander Panfilov. Compact Disc. Northern Flowers. NF/PMA 99130.

Pianist Michael McHale, most familiar to listeners in this country for his numerous recordings accompanying clarinetist Michael Collins, has joined two American brothers, clarinetist Anthony McGill and flautist Demarre McGill to form the McGill/McHale Trio, and their first recording includes a variety of works from the last twenty or so years.  The centrepiece of their recording is a six-movement suite, Portraits of Langston, by Valerie Coleman (b. 1970), each movement a contemplation on different poems by Langston Hughes, an innovator of jazz poetry and a leader of the Harlem Renaissance in 1920s New York.  The poems, with themes ranging from Helen Keller, to Parisian cabaret and nightlife, and a Harlem summer night, have common links in their messages of strength, power and defiance.  Before each movement, the poems are read here by actor Mahershala Ali, creating highly atmospheric worlds echoed in each short miniature for the trio.  The fight in the Montmartre nightclub in ‘Le Grand Duc Mambo’ is cleverly captured by the duelling flute and clarinet, and the Debussian piano writing under lyrical lines exchanged between the wind instruments in ‘In Time of Silver Rain’ creates an atmosphere of calm and tranquility.  Chris Rogerson’s (b.1988) A Fish Will Rise has an American folk-inspired feel, reminiscent of Copland, but also an insistent rhythmic energy that might hint towards John Adams.  It is a very effective piece, allowing for some lyricism from the wind players in the central section, as well as more edgy, angular rhythms in the outer sections. Even more driven is the breathless, virtuosic Techno – Parade by French composer Guillaume Connesson (b.1970), and here all three players demonstrate impressive technical command, as well as tight and precise ensemble.  McHale’s arrangement of Rachmaninov’s Vocalise, beautifully and sensitively performed here, feels slightly out of place in this programme, but perhaps provides a brief respite between two highly energetic, rhythmically driven works.  Paul Schoenfield’s (b.1947) three movement Sonatina is great fun, subverting jazzy dance rhythms such as the Charlston and Rag, and is once again highly demanding technically.  The trio ends their disc with two more subdued works, a contemplative piece by Philip Hammond (b.1951), The Lamentation of Owen O’Neil, and then McHale’s own arrangement of the Irish traditional song The Lark in the Clear Air.  Both allow for the players to demonstrate their abilities to convey their long lines with warmth and simplicity, making for a calming conclusion to a programme full of contrasts.  

Various. 2017. Portraits: Works for Flute, Clarinet and Piano. McGill/McHale Trio. Compact Disc. Cedilla Records. CDR 90000 172.

Ensemble Libro Primo are Baroque violinist Sabine Stoffer and theorbo player Alex McCartney.  Here, the two players have recorded a varied set of works in the Stylus Phantasticus style of the 17^thcentury.  This is a freer, more improvisatory style emphasises greater virtuosity and contrasts in pace, rhythm and harmony than more formal Baroque structures allow for.  So here we have a highly expressive Passage Rotto for solo violin by Nicola Matteis (c.1670-c.1713) and a delightful Sonata, ‘La Cesta’ by Giovanni Pandolfi Mealli (c.1630-c.1669), in which the violin decorates singing lines over a running bass line on the theorbo.  The disc opens with a Sonata by Giovanni Viviani (1638-c.1693), with a gloriously mysterious opening Sinfonie, and then again making use of a ground bass to underpin the violin’s freer explorations.  They end the disc with the fourth of Heinrich Biber’s (1644-1704) Mystery Sonatas.  Once again, Biber uses a repeated bass pattern, but the variety of variation in both violin and continuo parts here sets him apart, and Stoffer and McCartney combine touching simplicity with full-on virtuosity, McCartney strumming syncopated rhythms like a guitarist at the works core climax.  The sleeve notes are a little on the sparse side, with no mention of the selection of solo pieces for theorbo by Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger (c.1580-1651), perhaps because McCartney included all of these on his solo CD of Kapsberger’s works (reviewed in June of last year).  The Toccatas have some interesting harmonies, and the Gagliarda stands out here, with its cascading, scrunchy suspensions.  In the rest of the programme, Stoffer shows herself to be an accomplished performer and interpreter, relishing the virtuosic demands, and McCartney moves seamlessly between an accompanying role and more foreground duetting as the music requires.  An impressive debut disc for the ensemble, with surely more to follow.

Various. 2018. Fantasia Incantata. Ensemble Libro Primo. Veterum Musica VM018.

For Johannes Pramsohler’s latest disc with his Ensemble Diderot, we are in Eisenach in Germany, still somewhere around the latter half of the 17^thcentury, exploring a selection of Cantatas, all combining voice with virtuosic parts for solo violin.  For most of the works here, he is joined by Argentinian bass Nahuel Di Pierro.  They open with Nisi Dominus by Heinrich Biber (1644-1704), which opens with a rich drone from the ensemble (with Philippe Grisvard on organ), then a highly virtuosic, declamatory statement from the bass, immediately matched by the solo violin.  Then, some rippling string crossing on the violin, effortlessly executed by Pramsohler, contrasts with a powerful bass melody.  Di Pierro has a resonant, deeply rich voice, which complements the decorative violin lines beautifully.  There are two works here by Johann Christoph Bach (1642-1703) (first cousin once removed of J S), both gentler and more tenderly expressive.  In ‘Wie bist du denn’, Di Pierro demonstrates his command of the lower register, as the line sinks incredibly low on ‘Abgrund’ (abyss).  In ‘Ach dass ich Wassers genug hätte’, an equally moving, mournful lament, the solo line is taken by soprano Andrea Hill.  Hill presents a different side to her voice in the bright, joyful ‘Christ ist erstanden’ by Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706).  Here, the verses are separated by showy violin cadenza-like passages, and then Hill and Pramsohler both get the chance to show off in improvisatory fashion, occasionally duetting in thirds, or imitating each other.  The other Pachelbel work here, ‘Ach Herr, wie ist meiner Feinde so viel’, requires more straightforward story-telling, and Di Pierro communicates the text clearly as the violin embellishes around him.  ‘Mein Hertz ist bereit’ by Nicolaus Bruhns (1665-1697) has a showy, pulsing, almost stuttering violin part, coupled with a simple bass melody, essentially a joyful song of praise. Di Pierro is to be commended for his articulation of the repeated swift tongue-twister, ‘Früh will ich aufwachen’. At the centre of the disc is ‘Ich will in aller Not’ by Daniel Eberlin (1647-c.1715), with the nimble Spanish tenor Jorge Navarro Colorado projecting the text with precision, whilst Pramsohler interweaves an expressive, dancing line.  And the disc ends with another joyful flourish by Biber, ‘Laetatus sum’, with Di Pierro joined by bass Christopher Purves. Their rich tones are well matched and blended in the lilting dance-like music, and the violin flourishes in the Gloria lead to a completely glorious Amen.  Highly recommended.

Various. 2018. German Cantatas with Solo Violin. Nahuel Di Pierro, Johannes Pramsohler, Andrea Hill, Jorge Navarro Colorado, Christopher Purves, Ensemble Diderot. Compact Disc. Audax Records. ADX 13715.

Something a bit different now – a collaboration between Catrin Finch, Welsh classically trained harpist and composer, and Seckou Keita, a kora player from Senegal.  The kora is a West African instrument, a little like a cross between a harp and lute – or even theorbo!  Finch and Keita’s performance was one of the unexpected highlights of this year’s Brighton Festival for me, and they performed mostly tracks from their second CD together, called Soar. The weaving, rippling effect of the two instruments combined is often hypnotic, but there’s drive and energetic propulsion too.  Several tracks build from simple beginnings – Yama Ba is a case in point, with its lilting opening, gradually building with swinging cross-rhythms to a mesmerizing climax.   Their take on Bach’s Goldberg Variations – Bach to Baïsso – will not be to purists’ liking, but I found it fascinating.  A relatively faithful rendition of the Aria is followed by much more loosely inspired reflections, combined with a Baïsso, one of the oldest types of tune for the kora, apparently only played by musicians of certain standing within the community, and often used to communicate wisdom.  The overall effect is enchanting.  This is followed by a darker piece, 1677, which marks the date the French took over the port of Gorée, which became one of the most notorious slave-dealing posts in all Africa. It has a lilting feel of boats on the waves, but the harmonies have a darker undercurrent.  When they performed this live, Finch and Keita concluded with a long exchange of ever increasingly virtuosic, and even comic flourishes. Occasional moments of Keita’s rich voice, backed by Finch add interest to some tracks, but ultimately, it is the combination of instruments that delights the most.  

Various. 2018. Soar. Catrin Finch, Seckou Keita. Compact Disc. bendigedig. BEND12.

(Edited versions of these reviews first appeared in GScene, June & July 2018)

Captivating command, and a striking première by Risser from Jean Rondeau - Proms at ... Cadogan Hall 2

© Baghir

Jean Rondeau (harpsichord)

Monday 23 July, 2018

Proms at ... Cadogan Hall 2

Cadogan Hall, London

★★★★




Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764): 
Pièces de clavecin, Book 1 - Prelude in A minor
Pièces de clavecin, Book 3 - Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Gavotte aver les Doubles de la Gavotte

François Couperin (1668-1733):
Pièces de clavecin, Book 1 - Sarabande 'La lugubre', Chaconne 'La favorite'

Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace Royer (c.1705-1755):
Pièces de clavecin, Book 1 - La sensible, La marche des Scythes

Eve Risser (b.1982)
Furakèla 
(BBC commission world première)

Rameau:
'The dark and dramatic opening Prelude was perfect for Rondeau to immediately draw the audience in and concentrate our attention on the rippling, improvisatory statements'.

Coopering:
'Rondeau captured the change in style here from the Rameau, and brought out the fugal lines in the Chaconne with great precision'. 

Royer:
'With improvisatory, cadenza-like passages and increasing virtuosic displays, the audience were fooled into premature applause, yet there was more hand-crossing and crazy rapid scales to come before a final emphatic flourish'.

Risser:
Risser and Rondeau managed here to create a fascinating collection of effects, and ... this proved to be a striking end to a highly impressive recital'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Engaging invention from Shaw and joyous Schumann - Proms at ... Cadogan Hall 1

© Sophie Zhai

Calidore String Quartet
Javier Perianes (piano)

Monday 16 July, 2018

Proms at ... Cadogan Hall 1

Cadogan Hall, London

★★★★



Caroline Shaw (b.1982):
First Essay, 'Nimrod'
Second Essay, 'Echo'
Third Essay, 'Ruby'

Robert Schumann (1810-1856):
Piano Quintet in E flat major, Op. 44

Shaw: 
'There are many musical ideas here, and Shaw moves seamlessly from one to the next'.

'The Calidores gave us highly polished and convincing performances here, providing a strong platform for Shaw’s imaginative writing'.

Schumann:
'Right from the joyous opening onwards, the Calidores, now joined by ... Javier Perianes, grabbed hold of the energy in this music and flew with it'.

'The Calidores and Perianes communicated the splendour of Schumann’s creativity here, bringing proceedings to a joyous conclusion'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Emotional extremes from the Belcea Quartet and Antoine Tamestit at Wigmore Hall

© Marco Borggreve

Belcea Quartet
Corina Belcea (violin)
Axel Schacher (violin)
Krzysztof Chorzelski (viola)
Antoine Lederlin (cello)

Antoine Tamestit (viola)

Tuesday 12 June 2018


Wigmore Hall, London

★★★★★

Mozart: String Quintet in C major, K515

Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110

Brahms: String Quintet in G major, Op. 111

Mozart: 

© José Lavezzi

'Antoine Lederlin (cello) proclaimed his arpeggio with presence, whilst Corina Belcea (first violin) responded with subtle sweetness'.

'This attention to the individual character of Mozart’s lines (made) this performance immediately stand out'.

Shostakovich:
'A truly bleak and unsettling performance, stripping away any veneer of safety its relative popularity might bring'.

Brahms:
'Tamestit made the melody sing, and Chorzelski on second viola, provided sympathetic support'.

'After the existential despair of the Shostakovich, this was a reassuring and life-affirming end to the evening'.


Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Effortlessly high-class Schubert and Brahms from Grosvenor and friends

Credit: Sophia Adams

Benjamin Grosvenor (piano)
Hyeyoon Park (violin)
Timothy Ridout (viola)
Kian Soltani (cello)
Leon Bosch (double bass)

Tuesday 29 May 

Queen Elizabeth Hall, London

★★★★

Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25

Bartók: Rhapsody No. 1 for violin and piano, Sz.87

Schubert: Piano Trio in E flat major, D897 (Notturno)

Schubert: Piano Quintet in A major, D667 (Trout)

© Patrick Allen/Opera Omnia

Brahms: 

'Ridout and Soltani took evident pleasure in their lyrical duet, and Grosvenor dashed off his brief cadenza with a flourish, before an exhilarating race to the finish'.

Bartók:

'A strongly assured performance ... Park’s performance was virtuosically impressive, but inward-looking'.

Schubert Notturno:

'A wonderfully warm performance full of late summer evening languor tinged with sadness and loss'.

Schubert Trout:

'By the finale, that sense of joy and fun was all-pervading, yet detail was not forgotten'.

Grosvenor 'is to be heartily congratulated for bringing together such a wonderfully effortless evening of high-class music making'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

CD Reviews - May 2018

Russian conductor, Vasily Petrenko is currently chief conductor of both the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra.  With the latter, he has already recorded two of Alexander Scriabin’s (1872-1915) five symphonies, and he now turns to the Symphony No. 2, Op. 29, which dates from 1902, and marks what is considered the end of Scriabin’s early period of composition. This is paired with Scriabin’s Piano Concerto, Op. 20, also an early work, from 1896.  Scriabin’s music from this period is highly romantic, but still has elements of the chromaticism and dissonance that would develop in his later works.  The Symphony’s lush, dark opening movement with its lyrical clarinet solo moves straight into the quicker second movement, which develops through very Wagnerian sweeps and surges into some full-on romantic writing.  The third movement’s opening, with its exquisite violin solo, supported by twittering birdcalls from the flute, is played here with precision and delicacy – a pity that neither the leader nor flautist gets a name check on the disc.  It is this movement (by far the longest, at just over eighteen minutes) that is in fact the highlight of the symphony, and also of this performance, with its simplicity and heart-on-sleeve idyllic beauty sincerely captured by the OPO players and Petrenko.  This is swept away by the nervy urgency of a stormy scherzo, which then leads to a rather bizarrely simplistic, triumphant finale.  It is this movement that has lead to the most criticism of the symphony and as a result, its somewhat infrequent performance.  This is a shame, as the earlier movements, particularly that slow movement, contain some beautifully imaginative and subtly orchestrated music.  However, Petrenko and the OPO do the finale justice, and almost convince of its merits – perhaps taken on its own, it could serve as an enjoyable overture, with its exciting, dramatic conclusion.  The even earlier Piano Concerto, from 1896, when Scriabin was just twenty-four, is a full-blooded affair, straight out of the Chopin-Liszt tradition, and it is surprising that it hasn’t established a stronger footing in the repertoire, given its evident appeal.  Russian pianist Kirill Gerstein gives an impressive performance here, balancing the weighty heft of the first movement with lightness of touch in the more expressive moments of the delightful central theme and variations.  The finale is a great crowd pleaser, but not without invention, and Gerstein, Petrenko and OPO bring their performance here to a fine, spirited conclusion.

Scriabin, A. 2017. Symphony No. 2, Op.29, Piano Concert, Op. 20. Kirill Gerstein, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Vasiliy Petrenko. Compact Disc. Lawo Classics LWC1139.

Polish-American pianist Adam Golka has released a pleasing programme of Schumann (1810-1856).  With the Piano Sonata No. 1, Op.11, ‘Grosse Sonate’ as the centrepiece, he has included several pieces with an evening theme, and is joined by soprano Lauren Eberwein in two short songs as part of the programme.  The first of these songs, An Anna II, opens the disc, and it’s a setting Schumann composed when he was just eighteen.  It was not published in his lifetime, and only saw the light of day when Brahms published his collected works in 1893.  It’s a nostalgic, calmly passionate miniature, and Eberwein’s rich, full-bodied voice, combined with Golka’s sensitive accompaniment provides a great opener.  Its reason for preceding the Sonata is that Schumann took the melody as the basis for the Sonata’s second movement Aria.  The Sonata opens with a brooding song without words, and the full recording sound combined with Golka’s warmth of tone make for a striking beginning. As the first movement moves into the second allegro vivace section, Golka’s tempo feels slightly controlled – the turbulent wanderings could perhaps do with a little more sense of frenzy, although this does build, and Golka’s formidable technique comes to the fore as the drama builds towards the movement’s conclusion.  His Aria is delicate and sensitive, with full pedalling, lyrically sweet without being overindulgent.  A bouncy, quirky scherzo follows, with a strange, slightly pompous central Intermezzo, and the Finale ranges through fleeting mood changes, and here Golka exploits to the full the extremes of texture and emotion, leading to a swirling turbulent conclusion, leaving the instrument almost rattling at the end.  For the remainder of the disc, we move into Abend (Evening), with the nostalgic and tender ‘Des Abends’ from the Fantasiestücke, Op. 12.  This is followed by ‘Der schwere Abend’ (The oppressive evening) from 6 Gedichte und Requiem, Op. 90, with Eberwein joining Golka again for this brief dramatic mood piece.  The song suits Eberwein’s full, weighty tone, although perhaps aiming for the sense of oppressiveness, the sound is rather covered here.  The disc ends with Golka’s own arrangement for solo piano of Abendlied from the 12 Klavierstücke, Op. 85, originally for 4 hands. Golka’s version is very successful, and he captures the almost Mahlerian sense of stasis in a touchingly introspective reading.  Overall, this is a thoughtful programme (albeit rather short at just over fifty minutes), and Golka shows himself to be a force to be reckoned with.  

Schumann, R. 2017. Piano Sonata No. 1 in F sharp minor, etc. Adam Golka, Lauren Eberwein. Compact Disc. First Hand Records FHR62.

No review of this next disc, as I have to declare a personal interest here.  Last year, Brighton Festival Chorus (with whom I sing), had the pleasure to record a disc of lesser-known choral works by Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934), with the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Barry Wordsworth (well known to us locally as the conductor of the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra).  The disc is now out, and includes the Scenes from the Bavarian Highlands, Op. 27, the Te Deum & Benedictus, Op. 34, and the motet Ecce sacerdos magnus, which gives the disc its title.   Do check it out!

Elgar, E. 2018. Ecco sacerdos magnus - Edward Elgar: Music for Chorus and Orchestra. Brighton Festival Chorus, BBC Concert Orchestra, Barry Wordsworth. Somm Recordings SOMMCD 267.

(Edited versions of these reviews first appeared in GScene, May 2018)