Singing melodies and rapid-fire showmanship from Alexei Grynyuk in Brighton

Alexei Grynyuk
© Luke Nugent

Alexei Grynyuk (piano)

1pm, Thursday 19 May, 2022 

Dome Concert Hall, Brighton

★★★★

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847): Variations Sérieuses in D minor, Op. 54

Franz Schubert (1797-1828): Four Impromptus, D899

Franz Liszt (1811-1886): Litanie, S562/1, piano transcr. from Schubert's Am Tage Aller Seelen, D343

Franz Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 9 in E flat major 'Carnival in Pest', S244/9

Mendelssohn:

'From his opening prayerful statement of the theme onwards, he ensured the melody sang through at all times'.

Schubert:

'Grynyuk opened the C minor with a captivating pianissimo, and the dynamic contrasts here were arresting'.

Liszt/Schubert:

'Grynyuk’s warm tone made the lyrical melody sing out of the rich texture'.

Liszt:

'Grynyuk also took great delight in the jaunty rhythms and cheeky ornamentation as each melody was introduced – I’m sure there was a twinkle in his eye once or twice – before the fireworks took over each time'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

CD Reviews - May 2022

Following on from their two volumes of Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quartets, the Doric String Quartet are now joined by Timothy Ridout (viola) for a disc of his String Quintets. Mendelssohn wrote just two of these, going with the viola added to string quartet combination, favoured by Mozart and Brahms, as opposed to adding a cello, which Boccherini and Schubert did. Mendelssohn’s String Quintet No. 1, composed when he was 17, came hot on the heels of the successful premiere of his glorious Octet. Ever the reviser, it was another five years before he published both. Its opening movement has a leisured warmth, with only brief hints of darker moods in its development, before it gently dances to a quiet ending. The Intermezzo, with its singing melodic idea is sensitive and elegiac. Intensity builds over warm lower strings, with the rhythmic pace of the throbbing repeated figure increasing. It never feels totally settled, despite its calm ending. We’re in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ territory in the Scherzo, with skittering fairy music led off by the first viola. The players here give this precision and clarity, yet avoid it becoming too dry, and there is some dramatic scraping from the cello, not holding back from a harshly biting timbre. Yet once again, the movement disappears into nothing. Whilst not quite reaching the heights of exuberance of the Octet, the finale is full of joyful energy, set up by its lively triplet upbeat. Alex Redington on first violin shines in the rippling runs, and sings over the rumbling lower instruments. Energy levels ramp up and up, leading to the joyous conclusion. The String Quintet No. 2 came some 18 or so years later, with much of the same sense of energy but perhaps less of the unfettered joyfulness of his youthful works. The opening movement has an athletic first violin part over a tremolo accompaniment. The whirling triplet rhythms mean there is always a sense of movement, and these drive on, becoming more insistent, building to a full-on emphatic conclusion. In the dancing, lilting staccato of the second movement, once again the players here avoid it becoming to picky, maintaining a sense of the melodic material and the dance in an masterclass of control. But it is the intense pathos of the slow movement – essentially a funeral march – that is most striking about this work. From a darkly pianissimo opening, cello scales rise and a slow relentless march emerges. There are drum-like battering effects, and heartfelt laments from the violins. A nostalgic A major melody provides some temporary relief, but it is short-lived, and the agitation of the march increases. Yet Mendelssohn can’t leave us totally in the dark, as the movement suddenly turns at the end to a triumphant D major, before subsiding into a gentle, calm end. The finale, perhaps a little incongruously after the deep intensity of the previous movement, bursts forth with a jolly, energetic theme. This theme provides most of the material here, and its contrapuntal development perhaps loses a little direction at times, but Mendelssohn eventually pulls everything to a suitably emphatic close. Throughout these fascinating and underperformed works, the Doric String Quartet and Ridout are alive to the Mendessohnian flashes of joy and energy, yet they are also alert to the finer detail. They know when to provide warmth, but also when to give edge to their sound too. Highly recommended.

Mendelssohn, F. The String Quintets. Doric String Quartet, Timothy Ridout. Compact Disc. Chandos CHAN 20218.

Arc I is the first of a series of three recordings by American pianist Orion Weiss. This first album features three works from the years 1911-1913. Weiss describes the trajectory of the series as like an inverted rainbow, and this first volume’s ‘steps here head downhill, beginning from hope and proceeding down to despair’. We’ll have to wait for the next disc to see things reach their lowest before renewal and rebirth are promised in the final volume. So here we begin with Enrique Granados’ (1867-1916) Goyescas, Op. 11, a Romantic masterpiece of invention. From the warmly expressive, watery cascades of the opening movement ‘Los reuiebros’ (Flattery), through to the macabre, stuttering dance of the final ‘Epilogo: Serenata del espectro’ (Epilogue: Serenade of the Ghost), this monumental and atmospheric suite is full of Granados’ extravagantly ornamented and improvisatory virtuosity. Weiss is commanding in the frenzied, passionate outbursts in ‘El Amor y la Muerte – Balada’ (Love and death – Ballade), but equally delicate in the nightingale’s song of the fifth movement. There’s a skip in his step in the moments of courting in the opening movement, and he ends the suite with ominous tolling bells before disappearing with a final mercurial wisp. Leoš Janáček’s (1854-1928) In the Mists follows – a shorter suite, and more introspective than the Granados. There are typical Janáček chromatic twists and turns in the melodies, and his motif of death, the falling minor third, features large. Weiss captures particularly well the claustrophobic, suppressed passion of the final movement, which breaks out with melismatic, singing outbursts and increasing intensity, before defeat in its dark sombre conclusion. Weiss ends with Alexander Scriabin’s (1871-1915) Piano Sonata No. 9, Op. 68, ‘Black Mass’. Full of ‘satanic’ tri-tones and chromaticism, begins hopeful but descends into darkness and despair, and Weiss makes the low rumblings and persistent trilling effects feel chillingly ominous. There is a real sense of the second, more hopeful melodic idea insistently writhing as if trying to escape, before being ultimately subsumed into a frightening march. This is an impressive display from Weiss, and sadly speaks to current anxieties and a sense of despair. Arc II promises to take us to the lowest point of grief and loss, but hopefully Arc II will bring us some hope for the future – much needed at present.

Various. 2022. Arc I - Granados, Janáček, Scriabin. Compact Disc. First Hand Records FHR127.

(Edited versions of these reviews first appeared in Scene, May 2022) 

 

Roderick Williams & Paul Cibis capture the passion of youth with energetic immediacy at Kings Place

Roderick Williams
(© Benjamin Ealovega)

Roderick Williams (baritone)

Paul Cibis (piano)

7.30pm, Thursday 5 May, 2022

Kings Place, London

★★★★

Franz Schubert (1797-1828): Die schöne Müllerin, Op. 25: Das Wandern

George Butterworth (1885-1916): Six Songs from A Shropshire Lad

Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979): 8 o’clock

                                                Aufblick

Robert Schumann (1810-1856): Album für die Jugend, Op. 68 No. 21

                                                   Liederkreis, Op. 24, Nos. 1-3

Rebecca Clarke: Stimme im Dunkeln

Robert Schumann: Album für die Jugend, Op. 68 Nos. 8 & 16

                               Liederkreis, Op. 24, Nos. 4-5

Franz Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin, Op. 25: Wohin? & Halt

 

Interval

 

Franz Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin, Op. 25: Am Feierabend, Der Neugierige & Ungeduld

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Songs of Travel: The Vagabond

Charles Wilfred Orr (1893-1976): A Shropshire Lad: Along the field

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849): Prelude, Op. 28 No. 10

Ralph Vaughan Williams: Songs of Travel: Roadside Fire, Whither must I wander? & Bright is the Ring of Words

Charles Wilfred Orr: A Shropshire Lad: When I watch the living meet

Frederic Chopin: Prelude, Op. 28 No. 23

Charles Wilfred Orr: A Shropshire Lad: The Lent Lily

Franz Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin, Op. 25: Die liebe Farbe, Die böse Farbe, Der Müller und der Bach

 

Encore: 

Ralph Vaughan Williams: The House of Life, No. 2: Silent Noon 

'Most striking was Williams’ immediacy of communication, often singing as if speaking conversationally'.

'Williams’ control at the higher end of his register was also impressive, with particular lightness on the opening note of Loveliest of trees'.

'Williams’ Schubert had energy and impatience, with a bright twinkle for Das Wandern, and expertly voiced different characters in Der Neugierige'.

'Williams’ ability to shift the emotions as quickly as they turn in these songs is what made this recital so captivating throughout'.

'Cibis also deserves credit for the range of his playing, both in the varied accompaniments and in his solo pieces'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Collaboration not conflict: dazzlingly virtuosic Dean from Gerhardt and the LPO

Alban Gerhardt (© Kaupo Kikkas)

Alban Gerhardt (cello)

Edward Gardner (conductor)

London Philharmonic Orchestra

7.30pm, Wednesday 27 April 2022

Royal Festival Hall, London

★★★★

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976): Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20

Brett Dean (b.1961): Cello Concerto (UK premiere)

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Symphony No. 5 in D major

Edward Gardner (© Mark Allan)

Britten:

'Gardner’s conducting was suitably controlled and precise, yet he also brought out the dark emotions beneath the surface'.

Dean:

'Gardner’s beat was incredibly precise throughout ... and the LPO players have also embraced the work, so that it never felt like an arduous exercise in counting and rhythm'.

'A highly engaging concerto, performed with incredible precision and commitment by soloist and orchestra alike'.

Vaughan Williams:

'Gardner and the LPO gave us reassuring warmth ... and assured solos from across the orchestra'.

'Gardner expertly built towards the radiant climax ... with a masterfully controlled slowing down to the peaceful close'. 

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Artistry, focus and virtuosic fireworks from Yuja Wang in recital

Yuja Wang (© Ian Farrell)

Yuja Wang (piano)

7.30pm, Wednesday 20 April 2022

Royal Festival Hall, London

★★★★★

Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827): Piano Sonata No. 18 in E flat major, 'Hunt', Op. 31 No. 3

Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951): Suite, Op. 25

György Ligeti (1923-2006): Etude No. 6, 'Autumn à Varsovie' & Etude No. 13, 'L'escalier du diable'

Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915): Piano Sonata No. 3 in F sharp minor, Op. 23

Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909): Iberia, Bk 4: 'Málaga' & Bk 3: 'Lavapiés'

Nikolai Kapustin (1937-2020): Prelude in B major, Op. 53 No. 11 & Prelude in C sharp minor, Op. 53 No. 10

Encores:

Philip Glass (b.1937): Etude No. 6

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor, BWV1067, Badinerie (arr. unknown)

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Intermezzo in C sharp minor, Op. 117 No. 3

Arturo Márquez (b.1950): Danzón No. 2 (arr. unknown)

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): Toccata in D minor, Op. 11

Vladimir Horowitz (1903-1989): Carmen Variations

Franz Schubert (1797-1828): Gretchen am Spinnrade, D118 (transcribed by Franz Liszt (1811-1886))

Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky (1840-1893): Swan Lake, Op. 20, Dance of the Little Swans (arr. Earl Wild (1915-2010))

Giovanni Scambati (1841-1914): Mélodie (transcribed from Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787): Dance of the Blessed Spirits from Orphée et Eurydice)

Yuja Wang (© Ian Farrell)

'While Wang more than delivered virtuosic fireworks, she gave so much more in her wide-ranging programme, showing phenomenal artistry and focus in well over two hours of performance'.

Schoenberg:

'Her Schoenberg that followed was, however, a revelation, with opening bite and edge followed by some remarkably delicate and intricate details'.

Ligeti:

'In ... Automne à Varsovie, Wang was into her astonishingly virtuosic stride, with hands at full stretch to either end of the keyboard. Yet it was her dynamic control that also impressed here'.

Scriabin:

'Wang’s dynamic control was impressive, with barely audible pianissimos expressing heartfelt longing'.

Encores:

'Dazzlingly rapid repetition in Glass followed by a crazy arrangement of ... Bach'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

CD Reviews & Concert Listings - April 2022

Reviews

Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch (1736-1800) was expected to follow in the footsteps of his more famous father, Johann Friedrich Fasch, as Kapellmeister in Zerbst, but instead he went on to share the position of harpsichordist to Frederick II with CPE Bach, and then ultimately when CPE Bach left after the seven years war, he remained. He was also responsible for establishing the Singakademie in Berlin, which was chiefly responsible for the rediscovery of JS Bach’s music which by then had fallen into obscurity. Philippe Grisvard has recorded a selection of Fasch’s keyboard works, performing them on a gloriously ringing fortepiano from around 1790. The disc includes three of Fasch’s Sonatas, and several short ‘character’ pieces, ending with a wonderful Ariette with Fourteen Variations. The B flat minor Sonata has a dramatically rippling opening, and continues with almost perpetual motion, with falling arpeggios dropping to a sombre trill at the bass of the keyboard. In its slow movement, the rich lower tones of Grisvard’s instrument are warmly echoey, and the trumpet-like repeated notes ring out almost like an organ stop. Whilst conventional in structure, its finale has drama too in its fantasia-like explosion before the return of the opening material. The C major Sonata is full of Viennese gentility, despite its challenging hand crossing, and an expressive central movement is followed by a fiery yet playful finale, with its stop-start rhythms. Grisvard creates such a variety of tones here, from the sound of a music box in the quieter sections to a guitar-like sound at the light, hiccupping finish. The F major Sonata is equally lively and emphatic in style, with beautifully expressive touch from Grisvard in the mournful central movement, whilst demonstrating his virtuosity in the bright finale. Of the character pieces, L’Antoine perhaps stands out, with Grisvard again bringing out its mournful expressiveness with the muted tone of the instrument. La Cecchina is delightful, with its sudden runs and pleasing melodic material. But it is the Ariette and its variations that prove to be the real demonstration of Fasch’s inventiveness, taking the graceful and delicate theme through a gentle dance (3), perpetual spinning wheel motion (4), dramatic statements (7) and rich repeated chords (13) to mention just a few. Grisvard is on a roll here, and shifts effortlessly from variation to variation, shifting from a gently rocking lilt to rapid top to bottom scales with effortless smoothness. Fasch ends with a rattling motion, and Grisvard’s clattering chords bring this to a suitably striking conclusion. The combination of some delightfully inventive keyboard music, the surprisingly versatile and sonorous fortepiano, and Grisvard’s virtuosity combined with delicacy and lightness of touch make this recording a resounding hit.

Fasch, C. F. C. 2020. Works for Keyboard. Philippe Grisvard. Compact Disc. Audax Records ADX 13725.

Pianist Simon Callaghan joins the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Martyn Brabbins for a great selection of obscure British Piano Concertos. ‘New’ piano concertos, often for modest orchestral forces, were a popular feature of concert programmes in the early half of the twentieth century, but by their very nature, many of them failed to achieve longevity and often disappeared without trace. Yet there are some great pieces here, ranging from the light and almost comical to more weightily, expressive offerings. Only one of the works here has been previously recorded (the Benjamin), and that was back in 1959. John Addison’s (1920-1998) Wellington Suite kicks things off, and this is a great, playful romp. Scored for two horns, piano, percussion and strings, the horns actually take centre stage with some really challenging and rapid exchanges, deftly handled here by Tim Thorpe and Meilyr Hughes. Written in 1959, we can hear the film music that Addison was best known for (eg. Reach for the Sky, A Taste of Honey). He relocated to Los Angeles in 1975 – receiving an Emmy for his signature tune for Murder, She Wrote. There are cartoon capers in the opening movement, with sliding piano lines and bright horns. The horns are slinkier in the more reflective second movement, with delicate piano pecks over gentle strings, before concluding with a lumbering march. Delicate pizzicato strings, played with great control by the BBC NOW build towards an almost Shostakovich-like comic second section. A light, halting waltz ends with vaudeville piano tremolos, before a playfully jaunty ride lead by the horns, with quickening pace in the piano and strings exchanges to finish. Australian born Arthur Benjamin (1893-1960) studied and later taught at the Royal College of Music, where Britten was one of his pupils. His Concertino for Piano and Orchestra (1927) was influenced by the popularity of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, and its single movement has its bluesy movements courtesy of the addition of an alto saxophone. Perhaps less extrovertly extravagant than Gershwin, it nevertheless has effective passages of sweeping strings with the piano providing energetic counterpoint. Callaghan delivers the racing light piano ripples and the wandering cadenza towards the end with elegant panache. Elizabeth Maconchy (1907-1994) was another RCM alumnus, and was an important figure in the world of new music composition, becoming the first woman chair of the Composers’ Guild of Great Britain in 1959, and the president of the Society for the Promotion of New Music in 1976, succeeding Britten. Her Concertino for Piano and String Orchestra (1949) is dramatic and virtuosic for the piano, with angular strings and intense, insistent rhythms throughout. The middle movement has more lyricism, but here still the jagged rhythmic knocks are unsettling. Insistence continues in the final movement, with rapid motion passed between piano and orchestra, and repetition of ideas hammering home its darkly infectious spirit. Humphrey Searle’s (1915-1982) short Concertante for Piano, Percussion & Strings (1954) is full of spiky rhythms and interchanges between piano and orchestra, with slinky strings and birdlike piano interjections. Following a short cadenza at the centre, the atmospheric sliding strings become more frenzied to great effect. Edmund Rubbra’s (1901-1986) ‘Nature’s Song’, a tone poem for orchestra, piano and organ (1920) is up next, and this is perhaps the most immediately engaging work here, with its filmic, rich scoring and expressive melodic lines. The sea’s ‘rich roar’ surges in the strings, and Callaghan is particularly expressive in the solo section towards the end, before the flute and oboe rise up to the sky over quiet strings to finish. Geoffrey Bush’s (1920-1998) A Little Concerto on themes of Thomas Arne (1939) is definitely of its time, yet his delicate arrangement of music taken several of Arne’s Harpsichord Sonatas and the Keyboard Concerto No. 3 is surprisingly delicate and refined. He keeps the textures relatively light, and here Callaghan weaves the piano part, often running in octaves, around the bare string textures. Overall, this is a fascinating collection. With a range of styles on offer, the Rubbra and Maconchy stand out for their overall depth, but the Addison is a comic gem.

Various. 2022. British Piano Concertos. Simon Callaghan, BBC NOW, Martyn Brabbins. Compact Disc. Lyrita SRCD407.

Concerts

Jess Gilham (credit Robin Clewley)

The London Philharmonic Orchestra perform Mussorgsky, Ravel, and Glazunov’s Concerto for Saxophone, with Jess Gillam (saxophone), conducted by Finnegan Downie-Dear (7.30pm, Saturday 23, Brighton Dome). Tickets here.

Daniel Pioro (credit: David James Grinly)

The LPO then hop over to Eastbourne to play Coleridge-Taylor, Vaughan Williams and Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, with Daniel Pioro (violin), this time conducted by Tom Gauterin (3pm, Sunday 24, Congress Theatre, Eastbourne). Tickets here.

Cristian Grajner de Sa

The Worthing Symphony Orchestra perform Romantic Classics, including the Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, with Cristian Grajner de Sa (violin), conducted by guest conductor, Hilary Davan Wetton (2.45pm, Sunday 24, Assembly Hall, Worthing). Tickets here.

John Hancorn

The Baroque Collective Singers perform Music for Passiontide, with Scarlatti’s Stabat Mater and music by Byrd, Gibbons and Farrant, conducted by John Hancorn (5pm, Sunday 3 April, St Peter’s Church, Firle, and 5pm, Sunday 10 April, St Michael’s Church, Lewes). Tickets here.

(Edited versions of these reviews first appeared at Scene, April 2022) 

Still Life - Oli Spleen

Tomorrow, 1 April, sees the release of Oli Spleen's fifth studio album, Still Life. Oli describes the album as being 'about life in the shadow, and in spite of death'. He goes on to say that 'some of the themes within express global concerns, depicting the balancing forces of nature, the environment, displaced people, fears around climate change and mass extinction of species. Other themes are more personal, ranging from our own mortality, terminal illness, the grief of seeing a loved one slip away from us, and the general anxieties of life in these unpredictable times'.

Oli has collaborated with members of the band Birdeatsbaby, and their front person Mishkin Fitzgerald worked with Oli on most of the tracks and on production. Other local musicians, including Nick Hudson, Stuart Warwick, klezmer musicians Merlin and Polina Shepherd, and pianist Tristram Arnold. This range of musicians adds considerable variety in terms of musical style and texture, from the twisting clarinet and Russian vocals in the darkly disturbing empassioned cry of Refugee, to the lounge piano and accordion backing to the ethereal torch song, These Days Will Pass. Oli's voice is rich and deep, but he is not afraid to explore its more extreme capabilities, with quavering falsetto used to great effect in The Garden, and Bowie-esque ominous delivery in Thundercloud. Whilst a lot of the music is sombre and dark-toned, the album begins and ends with tracks with livelier, turning rhythms, with Out of the Dirt expressing the cycle of life and death, and Still Life offering some sense of hope (although perhaps that hope is snatched away by the final flatline...).

I reviewed Oli's second solo studio album, Gaslight Illuminations back in 2019 here, and I commented then that 'Spleen's soulful and expressive voice' is 'rich and immediate', and this still holds true in this often deeply personal and moving exploration of how life endures in the shadow of death. 

Listen and download from olispleen.bandcamp.com.