Planet Hugill - Classical Music blog from Robert Hugill

Lalo Schifrin interview

noreply@blogger.com (Robert H) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:54:29 PST

Last night I had the pleasure of interviewing film composer Lalo Schifrin for an article; as he's in Los Angeles it was a phone interview. Things didn't start well as I got the time zone wrong so that I expected the interview to take place 2 hours later than it did. Still, things went pretty well after that and the interview is now on the web.
You can find it here, at WeirdMusic.net

Kronos Quartet on In Tune

noreply@blogger.com (Robert H) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:51:57 PST

A YouTube video of the Kronos Quartet's appearance on In Tune, rather fun seeing a radio programme. Also, of the two pieces they play the Swedish one Triakel — Tusen Tankar (A Thousand Thoughts, from Sweden) sounds fascinatingly Scottish, reminiscent of Gaelic Psalmody.

Tosca at the London Coliseum

noreply@blogger.com (Robert H) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:25:44 PST

We hadn't intended to see this first revival of Catherine Malfitano's production of Tosca at the London Coliseum. But we missed Claire Rutter's Tosca at Grange Park in the summer and we wanted to take friends to their first opera and this intelligently traditional staging seemed just the ticket.

I'm not quite sure what, but something has changed since the production's premiere, whether it be my perceptions or production details; probably a bit of both. But, the close of Act 1 apart, I found the production flowed better, the details fitted nicely and neatly and it seemed more satisfying as a whole. Of course the change in principals will have had an effect as well.

Claire Rutter was a feminine Tosca, very much the vulnerable woman rather than the grand diva. It was finely sung without too many big dramatics, she made Tosca quite touching at times but still capable of imperiousness. I suspect that Rutter might have benefitted from the cut and thrust of a more traditional, powerful Scarpia. Anthony Michaels Moore repeated his sensualist Scarpia to notable effect. But there was the odd moment (such as at the end of Act 1) when you just wanted his voice to be bigger, more dominant. But in Act 2, the long scene between Rutter and Michaels Moore seemed to need a bit more push from the baritone, a bit more bark (and bite). Sparks didn't quite fly and you felt that both artists were capable of it.

Gwyn Hughes Jones sang Cavaradossi with beautiful open Italianate tone and a lovely sense of line. This was a glorious Cavaradossi to listen to. Dramatically, Hughes Jones seemed a bit stiff though given his relative bulk it might have been sensible that he deliberately did not overstress the physical element. There was a genuine feeling of a relationship between Hughes Jones and Rutter, and Hughes Jones certainly made you aware that politics came first with Cavaradossi; if he and Tosca had survived, you felt certain that Cavaradossi would sooner or later move on.

There was a strong supporting cast with Matthew Hargreaves as Angelotti, Scott Davies as Spoletta, Graeme Danby as Sciarrone and Henry Waddington as a hilarious but touching Sacristan.

Stephen Lord conducted in a very singer friendly way; everything flowed nicely, it was beautifully paced but you never felt he was hurrying the singers.

And the close of Act 1. Well, as ever, the staging seems to make no liturgical sense, but then I have seen very few productions which get this scene right. (Anthony Besch's memorable and long lived production for Scottish opera is a notable exception).

La Traviata conundrum

noreply@blogger.com (Robert H) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:24:00 PST

Having recently reviewed a performance of La Traviata and now finding myself listening to a CD of it (the ica classics re-issue of the 1958 Callas performance from Covent Garden), I keep coming back to a couple of conundrums. Yes, I know that opera plots always need a bit of forgiveness, but some operas have lacunae in apparently well-put-together plots that make you wonder.

Take Giorgio Germont. At the end of Act 2, scene1, his son storms out and Giorgio works out where he is going by retrieving the invitation from Flora. The next time we see Giorgio it is at Flora's party. Now, what is he wearing?

Is he still wearing his street clothes? If he is, then he came straight to the party from Alfredo and Violetta's villa, so why did he get into the party which we have to assume is very smart. Would the door man have just let him in, without invitation and in a day suit? Did he have to kick up a fuss and what did he say? This is the option generally preferred by modern day directors and, after all, it means that you don't need a costume change for this character.

Otherwise, if he is in evening wear then does that mean he went back to his hotel room first? We have to assume that he'd taken a hotel in Paris, after all he's come up from the country to see Alfredo and Violetta. So, that means even though he came on a mission to convince his son's mistress to give him up, Giorgio brought his evening suit with him. Just in case; ever a man to be prepared for all occasions our Giorgio!

Now. Back to Act 2, scene and Alfredo this time. At the beginning of the scene Alfredo is shocked to learn from Anina that she is going into Paris to sell thing for Violetta so that they can keep going financially? Now, what do we learn from this.

That Alfredo is shocked that Violetta has been keeping him, in which case he must be thick and think that villas with staff grow on trees. Either that or he is so used to being kept on short reins by his father that he has no sense of money. Or Violetta has been deliberately hiding things, pretending that his allowance from his father is enough?

Or, he is shocked not that Violetta has been keeping him but that she is having to sell things. I.e. he is comfortable with being a kept man, but only if the woman is rich.

So what we come down to is that Alfredo is either thick or a cad and judging by his behaviour in the rest of the opera, I'm inclined to come down on the side of dim if not actually thick.

Adventurous WNO season

noreply@blogger.com (Robert H) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:25:57 PST

WNO have announced their new season, their first under David Pountney their newly appointed musical director, with plans announced for the 2012-2014 period

In 2011/12, Katie Mitchell's production of Handel's Jephtha will be returning with Robert Murray in the title role, Diana Montague as Storge and Fflur Wyn as Iphis.

There will be the UK stage premiere of Jonathan Harvey's Wagner Dream, which is being performed in concert this Sunday at the Barbican. And Peter Wedd will be singing the title role in a new production of Wagner's Lohengrin with Emma Bell as Elsa and Susan Bickley as Ortrud. Also David Pountney will direct a new production of Berg's Lulu.

Further ahead there will be a trio of Donizetti's Tudor operas (Anna Bolena, Maria Stuarda and Roberto Devereux) directed by Alessandro Talevi and Rudolph Frey with all 3 using the same set; a neat economy measure.

Also later on we have Henze's Boulevard Solitude as part of a 'fallen women' season, with Puccini's Manon Lescaut and La Traviata as companions. Summer 2014 will see Nabucco and Moses und Aron, a fascinating pairing.

Sounds in the Cloud

noreply@blogger.com (Robert H) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:53:53 PST

I have been uploading all sorts of archive recordings onto http://soundcloud.com/roberthugill, my profile page lists them all. The apps available mean that we can now have recordings playing on each of the Spherical Editions pages, also the full list here here

Midsummer Opera Wagner

noreply@blogger.com (Robert H) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:30:54 PST

Midsummer Opera are continuing their exploration of Wagner's Ring, having given us Act 1 of The Valkyrie, they are now performing acts 2 and 3. Zoe South will be Brunnhilde, with John Upperton and Deborah Stoddart reprising their roles as Siegmund and Sieglinde; Karen Foster and Stephen Holloway are Mr and Mrs Wotan. David Roblou conducts. The eagle eyed amongst you will have spotted the Zoe South, who plays Brunnhilde, sang the role of the Woman in the performances of my opera When a Man Knows last year.

Barbican new season

noreply@blogger.com (Robert H) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 06:20:48 PST

So the Barbican has announced its new season for 2011/12, which means that they will be encouraging us all to book up now; its depressing how everyone seems to expect punter to book up up to 18 months in advance. I can still remember when booking was always a month or two in advance of the event. The carrot, and quite a big one of course, is that if you book for enough items then you can get quite a bit of discount on the tickets - not to be sneezed at even if they are getting hundreds of pounds from you up front.

So that are they doing. Well Les Talens Lyriques are doing Lully's Phaeton, definitely high on the list as complete Lully operas are like hen's teeth in London; no soloists credited at the moment.

And of course Handel. Rebecca Bottone is appearing with the Academy of Ancient Music in Imeneo, his penultimate opera and the one where the hero (i.e. the castrato) does not get the girl, instead this goes to the baritone; perhaps explained by the fact that the baritone part was sung by a personable young (very young) man called William Savage who had first appeared as the boy Oberto in Alcina. A strong cast includes as well David Daniels and Lucy CroweLess arcane, we are being treated to Radamisto with David Daniels, Luca Pisaroni, Patricia Bardon and Elizabeth Watts with the English Consort conducted by Harry Bicket. Definitely a very strong cast. There is no information about which version of Radamisto we are getting and as it is scheduled to start at 7.30pm expect lots of cuts (or having to sit numb-bumbed through two complete acts without an interval). Les Arts Florissants are doing Belshazzar with Rosemary Joshua (as Nitocris), Sarah Connolly, Iestyn Davies and Peter Purves - quite a delectable cast conducted by William Christie.

More exotically, Mark Minkowski is doing Grieg's Peer Gynt, no actors credited so presumably just the music.

Mark Elder and the BBC SO are doing Donizetti's Belisario (did they get the idea from COG?) Not his strongest opera, but some good music.

And the Britten Sinfonia are doing Where the Wild Things Are and Higgledy Piggledy Pop under the Ryan Wigglesworth. It will be a delight to see these again as I haven't come across them since the original run at Glyndebourne.

John Eliot Gardiner is celebrating his 70th birthday by conducting Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex (with the LSO not his own band!).

17 Days

noreply@blogger.com (Robert H) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 03:00:03 PST

On Feb 5th the Crouch End Festival Chorus are premiering a new work by James McCarthy at the Barbican. Entitled 17 Days, it tackles the tricky subject of the Chilean miners trapped following the mining accident. McCarthy has written a substantial piece (his blog refers to it being some 39 minutes long) for chorus, childrens choir, brass group and percussion. A tricky, but inherently dramatic, subject; it will be fascinating to see how McCarthy has transmuted it into a choral piece. You don't get much choral music based on contemporary news items, so all credit to CEFC for pushing the boundaries of new choral music.

The concert also celebrates Philip Glass's 75th birthday with performances of his Three Songs and The Grid. Further details from the CEFC website here, and the concert flyer here.

Rachmaninov's The Bells

noreply@blogger.com (Robert H) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:09:00 PST

On Wednesday 29th February the Bach Choir, under their director David Hills, will be performing Rachmaninov's The Bells at the South Bank Centre, further details here.

After writing his cantata Spring, Rachmaninov looked around unsuccessfully for another choral subject. Finally someone sent him a translation of Edgar Allan Poe's poem. Rachmaninov sets the piece as mirroring the cycle from birth to death. The result is a choral symphony,which was premiered in 1913. The four movements are:-

Allegro ma non tanto ('The Silver Sleigh Bells')
Lento ('The Mellow Wedding Bells')
Presto ('The Loud Alarum Bells')
Lento lugubre ('The Mournful Iron Bells').

Its a work not too often performed in the UK and it will be fascinating to hear it. Interestingly, Joseph Holbrooke set the same poem, in the original language and his piece was premiered in Birmingham in 1906. Now that might be a fascinating thing to hear as well.

Rather enterprisingly, the Bach choir are teaming the choral symphony up with the very cantata, Spring, which Rachmaninov was writing just before. They add to this the ever popular 3rd piano concerto, played by Leon McCawley.

The orchestra is the Chetham's Symphony Orchestra, an orchestra made up of pupils of Chetham's School, the UK's largest music school; the Chetham's Chamber Choir will also be joining the Bach Choir. The orchestra has an enviable reputation and it will be a great opportunity to hear them. I remember the school from my own student days in Manchester (when I was at UMIST). The school itself has ancient origins, the oldest buildings date from the 1400's and the school was re-founded in 1653. It was originally simply a boys Grammar school but in the 1960's the remarkable decision was taken to change it into a mixed school specialising in music. The school currently has major development plans, with a new building being projected and the opening up of the historic buildings. All very exciting.

So an interesting concert AND an opportunity to hear an orchestra from a historic institution. What more could you want.

This Week’s Classical Music Round up from The Arts Desk

noreply@blogger.com (Robert H) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 02:42:18 PST

Classical music on The Arts Desk this week is all about perfect pairings, whether it’s in the concert hall or on CD.

On Thursday, Alexandra Coghlan headed to the Wigmore Hall for a recital of two near contemporaries from opposite sides of the Channel. Christian Curnyn and the Early Opera Company successfully partnered two tragic classical myths told in miniature, Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Charpentier’s Actéon, in an unusual, intimate and intelligent programme typical of the Wigmore Hall. The Charpentier felt the more lightweight of the two, though Ed Lyon made a dashing young Actaeon, and soprano Claire Booth was assured, if a little too emotional, as the implacable goddess Diana. For the Purcell, an unwell Anna Stephany was replaced at the 11^thhour by Susan Bickley, whose Dido poignantly evolved from deceptively matter-of-fact to desperately stoical, while Marcus Farnsworth managed to bring depth and gravity to the thankless, half-baked role of Aeneas.

Thomas Ades, photo by Brian Voce

On Sunday Coghlan went to the Barbican to hear Thomas Adès and the London Symphony Orchestra playing music by the composer himself, plus work by his only composition student Francisco Coll and songs from Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn. She left, however, feeling rather short-changed. The LSO convincingly showcased Coll’s talent for textural layering in his unusual miniature tone poem Hidd’n Blue, and displayed controlled tonal progression in Adès’s In Seven Days. But the orchestra seemed to flounder as the evening went on, beginning in Adès’s unsure and unfocused Tevot and culminating in Mahler’s richly textured settings which felt strained and drowned Toby Spence’s underpowered vocals. Ultimately, it made for a muted evening’s music, overshadowed by a feeling of Sunday-night malaise.

Stephen Hough, photo by Grant Hiroshima

Meanwhile Graham Rickson found much to enjoy in the latest classical CD releases. His first recommendation is Stephen Hough’s disc of Liszt and Grieg piano concertos, in which Hough brilliantly negotiates the swift transitions from romantic to melodramatic, witty to sincere, of the former, and does an excellent (though inevitably not groundbreaking) job of the over-recorded latter. The second pairing of the week is Schubert’s Symphony No 9 and Hans Gál’s Symphony No 2, courtesy of Thomas Zehetmair and the Northern Sinfonia. The Schubert proves to be an essential recording, full of vim, vigour and delirium, while the Gál is impressive and beautifully played, but ultimately missing some memorable tunes. Lastly, Rickson championed Pellarin and Levato’s French Music for Horn and Piano, which pairs the well known and the rarely heard to great effect. Pieces by Saint-Saëns, Poulenc and Damase showcase the horn’s tone and range, often difficult to capture well in recording but here sounding utterly beautiful.

noreply@blogger.com (Robert H) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:00:47 PST

I'm already jaded by the Olympics and they have barely started, but there again I am not a great sports fan and plan to be out of the country for a good part of the festival. But I must confess that I am finding it difficult to get enthusiastic about the Cultural Olympiad, the rather strange arts jamboree that will be happening this summer.

Granted, there are plenty of community based events and some exciting projects such as the Making Music Overture. But have you noticed that the British don't really do well at joined up thinking in these areas. The RSC and the BBC are both going to be giving us lots of Shakespeare in various forms, but there seems to be no attempt to link this to other art forms.

Surely someone could have come up with some key threads which could have run through the festival providing interesting links and cross pollinations. For instance, the Royal Opera House are doing Berlioz's The Trojans this summer, certainly a major event but not, I think, strictly part of the Olympiad. Wouldn't it have been fascinating, interesting and illuminating if other organisations had been encouraged to provide work around this theme. Just think, Greek drama in Greek, modern English versions of Greek drama, classical French drama (Racine, Corneille), other operatic responses to the Trojan War (Gluck, Strauss, Walton). Not to mention the possibility of modern dance, visual arts and all sorts of cross cultural activities.

I am sure that the events actually being promoted will cause buzz and excitement, and be of an interesting quality. But what we've missed is the possibility to create something a little bit greater than the sum of its parts. And the possibility that someone interested in one art form might find it illuminating and stimulating to see how the same theme is handled in other art forms.

But there again, if everybody is going to have their eyes glued to the actual sporting events, will there be room for interest in culture. Or am I just being cynical

Sloppy Miserere

noreply@blogger.com (Robert H) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 01:04:58 PST

Saturday's Early Music Show on Radio 3 consisted of highlights from a concert given by the Cardinal's Music (director Andrew Carwood) which explored the music heard by the young Mozart when he was on his travels. This included, of course, the Allegri Miserere, which Mozart famously heard and wrote down. I was amazed to hear the choir performing, not a scholarly version of the work, but what sounded like the standard 20th century performing edition which confects 2 different version together and has an entirely non-canonical (but very effective) top C. Perhaps more information was given at the concert, but on Radio 3 listeners were led to believe that we were hearing what Mozart had. Which wasn't true at all.

OAE on the South Bank

noreply@blogger.com (Robert H) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 01:08:45 PST

On Friday we went to the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment's Gabrieli concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank. The programme mixed some of his Canzonas and Sonatas with sacred music, sung by soprano Julia Doyle and tenor Daniel Auchinloss. The instrumental ensemble consisted of 14 players, 3 violins (one doubling viola), 3 cornetts, 6 sackbutts, and a dulcian, with organ and theorbo providing continuo.

Gabrieli's pieces were all large scale with 10 or 12 parts. In the sacred pieces the mixture of vocal and instrumental textures were pretty much as Gabrieli intended and helped towards textural clarity in the complex works. To provide contrast, there were smaller scale motets by Grandi and Monteverdi which used just voice and continuo with or or two obliggato instruments at most. Grandi was one of a group of contemporaries who worked at less well off churches and so their concentration of works with few instruments was partly economic necessity; not every church was like Venice, which could afford all the musicians needed for Gabrieli's or Monteverdi's large scale pieces.

There were also instrumental interruptions, with sonatas for 3 violins by Fontatna and by Gabrieli and Marini's La Zorzi (the name of which refers to one of the Venetian families).

The musicians sat at the back of the stage and when playing, stood in a large semi-circle with the two continuo players in the centre. This entailed a degree of rearrangement between each piece, but meant that we didn't really get the feel for the cor spezzati aspects of the pieces. This was a big shame. The Queen Elizabeth Hall lacks the right atmosphere for this style of piece and moving the musicians around a bit, giving us a real feel for the multiple choir aspects of Gabrieli's bigger pieces, would have helped enormously.

Instead there was something slightly low-key about the performances, they were competent and nicely played but didn't dazzle and didn't spark in the way that I feel this music should. This is puzzling because the musicians were all on good form. Granted, the cornett players took time to warm up and in the opening Canzon xiv a 10 were less than on top form, but settled down later. Doyle and Auchinloss were placed at the front and came over very much as soloists rather than first among equals. Both were impressive, with Auchinloss being particularly so as he seemed to be entirely unphased by the extremely high tessitura of the part.

This brings me to the issue of pitch. It wasn't mentioned at all in the programme. Pitch in baroque Venice was high, higher than the current A=440, but I'm not clear whether they were playing at this pitch or not. The cornetts sounded as if they were at the top of their range and if the Auchinloss's part had gone any higher then it would have turned into a counter-tenor part. You have to make all sorts of compromises when performing this style of music in concert, but it would have been interesting to know what pitch they were using.

The programme was entitled The Glory of Venice and somehow it didn't quite get there. It was a pleasant and enjoyable evening in the concert hall, but we just weren't transported.

Choruses from Passion

noreply@blogger.com (Robert H) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 07:19:22 PST

Choruses from Passion

Live recording by FifteenB from 2008

Recording - Annunciation

noreply@blogger.com (Robert H) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 07:08:31 PST

01 Annunciation

The angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David;
A scena for Soprano and Alto setting the words from St. Luke's Gospel describing the annunciation, recorded live in 2009 with Victoria Hall (soprano), Katie Boot (tenor) and Malcolm Cottle(organ), music by Robert Hugill

noreply@blogger.com (Robert H) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 02:38:47 PST

I see from the January edition of Opera magazine that Amanda Echalaz is making her Met debut, in January 2014, as Madame Butterfly. We'll be re-visiting her Tosca when we see the new production in Santa Fe this summer. Still at the Met, Edward Gardiner is conducting Der Rosenkavalier there during 2013-14.

Over at Covent Garden, there's a new production of Les Vepres siciliennes planned for 2013, directed by Stefan Herheim who was responsible for the the 2008 Parisfal at Bayreuth. In many ways the plot of the opera is not satisfactory, though I have only seen it once when Rosalind Plowright sang Helene), but I wonder what the latest tyro of Regie-Theater will make of it. Also at Covent Garden in 2012-13 Leo Nucci will be singing the title role in a new Nabucco, conducted by Pappano. I've found the last two UK productions of this opera I've seen (at Covent Garden and at ENO) to be rather unsatisfying, so it will be interesting to see if this gets any better.

And Birmingham Opera Company are celebrating their 25th anniversary in March with Graham Vick directing Jonathan Dove's new opera Life is Dream, based on the Calderon play.

Recent CD review

noreply@blogger.com (Robert H) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 02:17:57 PST

My review of Handel's cantata Arresta il Passo from Brilliant Classics is here, on MusicWeb International.

The performances here might lack the gloss and sophistication of some others, but their directness has considerable charm.

Constella Orchestra in Mozart, Delius and Stravinsky

noreply@blogger.com (Robert H) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 07:42:48 PST

St. Margaret's Church, Lee

The Constella Orchestra gave their first concert in 2011, they were founded by conductor/composer Leo Geyer and oboist/orchestral manager Henry Clay. Their debut concert was in September 2011and the group gave they new year concert on Friday 6th January at St. Margaret's Church, Brandram Road, Blackheath/Lee. The players (all unpaid) consist of mainly undergraduates from music colleges and universities, with some postgraduates and one or two from the Trinity College and Guildall Junior courses. Geyer and Clay are both on the RNCM and University of Manchester joint course and Manchester is well represented in the orchestra, with other players from York Univerity, Trinity College, University of East Anglia, Guildhall, Birmingham Conservatoire, Oxford University and Cambridge University.

Fielding of group of some 39 players, conducted by Geyer, the orchestra gave an interesting programme in the fabulous High Victorian surroundings of St. Margaret's Church, Lee (a short distance from Blackheath station). The programme consisted of Mozart's Overture to the Marriage of Figaro, Two Pieces for Small Orchestra by Frederick Delius and the complete Pulcinella Ballet score by Stravinsky. An enterprising programme indeed, especially as the Stravinsky score is rarely heard complete.

Geyer's speeds for the Mozart were quite brisk and I got the feeling that his players might have been more comfortable with steadier ones, but they played with brilliant elan. Once of my principal thoughts about the sound of the group, in all the items, was bright, brilliant sound they made, vivid and highly coloured; accents and dynamic contrasts were very much in evidence. This is a lively, young orchestra and sounds it but the playing has a matching sophistication with some lovely wind playing in the Mozart.

For the Delius, Geyer had to attempt the difficult task of bringing of Delius's subtle rapture within the confines of a Victorian church with a rather lively acoustic. The results were not quite perfect, but the group caught the element of quite rapture which characterises both the piece On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring and Summer Night on the River. Again there were some lovely individual contributions with very fine and subtle playing from leader Frederick Taylor and cellist Auriol Evans.

Pulcinella spans the period when Stravinsky's style change from his first, Russian one, to his neo-Classical style. The piece was commissioned by Diaghilev as a follow up to Respighi's orchestrations of early music which the Ballets Russes had used in other ballets. But the First War intervened and by the time the complete ballet came to be performed, Stravinsky had changed his mind about the orchestration and slimmed it down to the brilliant, neo-Classical one that we hear today.

The Constella Orchestra managed to give the piece a nicely new-minted feel, giving us a sense that we were discovering the music for the first time. There was an occasional hint of instability of ensemble, but overall the playing was crisp and newly-minted. Fine solo contributions from all round, especially David Huntriss on trombone. The solo singers were three young graduates, Sarah Parkin (soprano), Timothy Langston (tenor) and Dmitry Yumashev (baritone). Singing from memory, each accomplished the tricky feat of managing to stay true to Stravinsky whilst not ignoring the underlying late Baroque nature of the vocal lines. All three were nicely crisp of delivery and Timothy Langston was particularly impressive in his tongue-twister solo. The programme gave us a summary of the plot, but omitted to provide the words or translations.

The Constella Orchestra aims to give undergraduates and graduates valuable experience playing in a chamber orchestra. They do so with elan and enviable confidence. Their next concert is on April 14th, again at St Margaret's Church, when Simon Standage will be the soloist in the Beethoven Violin Concerto.

Recent CD review

noreply@blogger.com (Robert H) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:58:07 PST

My review of a performance of Donizetti's Marino Faliero from Naxos is here, on MusicWeb International.

A strong performance sufficient to warrant anyone buying it to fulfil their curiosity.

Die Meistersinger at Covent Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Robert H) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 02:09:20 PST

My abiding memories of Graham Vick's production of Die Meistersinger at Covent Garden are of the towering performances of John Tomlinson and Thomas Allen, two great singing actors, in the roles of Sachs and Beckmesser. Their absence in this revival (after some considerable time, it first appeared in 1993 and revived in 2002), seen Sunday 1st January 2012, seemed to throw the production itself into greater relief; it was revived by Elaine Kidd. Had the costumes (design by Richard Hudson), really been so outrageous with the prominent cod-pieces and amazing selection of hats (the ROH milliners must have had a field day). Evidently they had, but memory had played tricks. The production does not send the opera up, exactly, but Vick and Hudson seem to have been intent on creating some sort of cartoon/picture book Nuremberg (complete with models of the town's buildings which are polished by the apprentices). The apprentices themselves are presented as a cartoon-ishly loutish lot, with lots of hi-jinks forming the back-drop to Walter (Simon O'Neil) and Eva's (Emma Bell) encounter in the church.

Thankfully the principals were depicted with sensitivity and naturalism, no picture book behaviour here but a straightforward telling of the story. Die Meistersinger is so loaded with history that performing it straight is becoming difficult; to provide a setting whereby Sachs can sing his great paean to German Art without it seeming otiose. Perhaps that is what Vick and Hudson were about, ensuring that the setting was truly and memorably period.

The opera house had cast the piece strongly, with a roster of mastersingers which mixed experience with younger voices; Colin Judson as Vogelgesang, Nicholas Folwell as Nachtigall, Donald Maxwellas Kothner, Jihoon Kim as Ortel, Martyn Hill as Zorn, Pablo Bemsch as Moser, Andrew Reese as Eisslinger, Jeremy White as Foltz and Richard Wiegold as Schwarz. Pogner was played by John Tomlinson, the production's original Sachs; a welcome opportunity to hear this great stage performer but perhaps not the most tactful of casting to introduce Wolfgang Koch's first Sachs at Covent Garden. Koch is relatively young for the role (he's in his 40's) and looks quite young. In Act 1 his Sachs did not dominate the stage the way Tomlinson (and further in the past Norman Bailey) did, Koch's performance had a sort of collegiality about it; he sang as one of a group of equals. That the other mastersingers were portrayed by some fine characters actors meant that Koch was in danger of being out-shone, especially when it came to Tomlinson as Pogner.

Peter Coleman-Wright was a prissy, fussy Beckmesser. He did not make the character quite as sympathetic as Thomas Allen had, but Wright certainly did not guy the role; creating a man full of his own self-importance and creating real sadness in the resulting confusion.

Simon O'Neil was announced as being ill, suffering from a throat infection. He sang the role successfully and made it all the way to the end without apparent ill effects, but never having heard him live before I have no way of knowing how this affected his voice. In appearance he is quite burly and Richard Hudson's costumes did him no favours. On stage he looked awkward for much of the time, but then Walter does spend rather a lot of time being ill at ease and awkward.

Emma Bell's Eva was beautifully sung and nicely poised, but she sounded perhaps a little too mature, too self possessed. This became more apparent in the 2nd act, when the scene between Sachs and Eva took on slightly different resonances when the difference in the characters ages was less apparent; with Koch looking young and Bell sounding mature, there seemed less reason for them not to be together. Perhaps Koch was aware of this because I felt that there was less pull between Sachs and Eva; far less possibility in their relationship than in other performances I've seen.

Heather Shipp nicely played the relatively ungrateful role of Magdalene.

Koch was relatively understated in the 2nd act, he didn't overplay the comedy and made the drama work quite naturalistically. Again he was part of a group, rather than dominating. The Night Watchman who starts and ends the action was Robert Lloyd.

I have often found Act 3 of the opera rather too long for its own good, but here the performance came together beautifully. Koch's domestic scale Sachs came into his own with the 'Wahn' monologue, the scene with Walter and the quartet. The action and interaction flowed, nicely controlled by Antonio Pappano in the pit. The only slightly false note was the Bell's delivery 'Sachs mein Freund' where her uneven vocal delivery seemed to emphasise the feeling of coolness in the character.

For me, though the stand-out character is one I haven't mentioned yet; Toby Spence's David. Spence is one of a long line of middle-aged (he is well over 40) lyric tenors to have undertaken the role. His demeanour and voice remain lively and fresh, creating a vivid impression with no sense of the ridiculous of the age gap between character and singer. He sang with a fine sense of line and nice way of slipping in and out of focus as the role demands, fluidly moving back into the ensemble of apprentices. There are not many roles in Wagner for Spence's type of voice but in time he might find that he could move into some of Wagner's other tenor roles, but not too soon I hope. A lyric tenor like Robert Tear (himself a fine David at the ROH) successfully made the transition and had a fine later career singing roles like Loge.

The shenanigins in the final scene went on a bit for my taste, I could have wished for some cuts in the various choruses before the real action started. O'Neil delivered a creditable performance of the Prize Song, with bright tones and commendable stamina; his is a Walter I would like to encounter again without illness. Koch delivered his hymn to German art with commendable restraint.

In the pit Antonio Pappano and the ROH orchestra delivered a knock-out performance. From the first notes of the overture it was clear that this was going to be a human comedy (not always apparent in performances of this opera). Pappano kept speeds brisk without feeling rushed, but more importantly there was a constant sense of life and liveliness.

Recent CD review

noreply@blogger.com (Robert H) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:40:19 PST

My review of a live recording of the Mozart Requiem conducted by Josef Krips is here,on MusicWeb International.

Krips and his forces perform with strong integrity and he allows the music to sing.

Midnight Mass

noreply@blogger.com (Robert H) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:15:09 PST

On Saturday, I sang at Midnight Mass at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Cadogan Street, Chelsea. The service, an extensive one, consisted of Matins and the First Mass of Christmas. We sang Schubert's Mass in G, with accompaniment of a small string ensemble, along with Vittoria's motet O magnum mysterium and Luc Jakobs Dormi Iesu. Plus, of course, a goodly selection of carols and the plainchant propers. All in all a long and tiring, but immensely fulfilling evening (or morning!)

Christmas from Sweden

noreply@blogger.com (Robert H) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:20:35 PST

On Friday we went to the Wigmore Hall for the Christmas from Sweden concert with a varied programme performed by Margareta Bengtson (soprano, harp), Bengt Forsberg (piano), Mats Lidstrom (cello), Robert Maskell (speaker) and the Ulrika Eleonora Church Choir (the choir of London's Swedish Church) directed by Carina Einarson. The artistic director for the evening was Mats Lidstrom.

The evening opened with Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring performed by the choir, but the strongest theme running through the evening was the wide variety of traditional songs performed in Sweden at Christmastime. These varied from traditional Swedish carols and childrens songs to music by composers such as Franzen, Tegner and Nordqvist who are barely known in the UK. At the end of the first half Bengtson performed a medley of a different type of traditional Christmas songs, this time from America; thanks to the ubiquity of film and television these are now part of the Swedish Christmas. Bengtson sang them in idiomatic English and introduced the Swedish items, even performing some of the songs in both English and Swedish.

Robert Maskell performed a traditional Swedish Christmas poem, Tomten by Viktor Ridberg.

Some of the traditional songs were performed in Mats Lidstrom's imaginative arrangements for cello and piano and he also gave us his own striking variations on the Swedish National Anthem. I have to confess that I did not recognise this latter, but the variations were imaginative and entertaining, and brilliantly played by their composer.

Accompanist Bengt Forsberg did sterling service, accompanying the choir, the cellist and the soprano but he also had his own solo spot. He played Walter Rummel's gloriously romantic arrangement of an aria from Bach's cantata no. 127, Die Seele ruht in Jesu Handen.

Bengtson's soprano voice is a jazz-based instrument and she sings with microphone. I have to confess that this was the first time that I have heard amplification used at the Wigmore Hall. But Bengtson's voice is a beautiful instrument which was nicely balanced with the other (unamplified performers). She has a clear, high voice which she uses imaginatively. She opened the 2nd half with a pair of songs which she sang to her own accompaniment on the harp (her first instrument of study when she was at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm). These were magical and I could have listened to these folk-influenced performances all evening.

The evening concluded with a pair of traditional carols, arranged for the assembled forces including 2 extra cellos (Tamsy Kaner and Judith Herbert).

In the interval we were treated to Swedish gingerbread and mulled wine. All in all a fascinating and enjoyable evening which made a welcolme alternative to the standard fare on offer in London.

Christmas shows

noreply@blogger.com (Robert H) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 03:15:14 PST

Being as we have a visitor for Christmas, on Friday we decided it would be rather nice to go out, perhaps to the theatre. We checked what was on at the Royal Opera House - The Nutcracker. And the London Coliseum - The Nutcracker. And at Sadlers Wells - The Nutcracker. At the South Bank it was at least something different, Slava's Snow Show, but not quite the sort of show we had in mind. At the Barbican Hall it was a Raymond Gubbay Christmas Spectacular and at the Barbican Theatre it was Duckie presenting their alternative Christmas. Frankly, none of these were things that we had in mind. We wanted something intelligent and entertaining, if it was Christmas themed then it had to be slightly different but not alternative, suitable for an older relative.

Over at St. Johns Smith Square they were doing Handel's Messiah, performed by Polyphony and the Academy of Ancient Music conducted by Stephen Layton. That was more like it, but the show was of course sold out. So a quick check of the Wigmore Hall web-site showed that they were doing Christmas from Sweden, so at least the carols would be different. So on Friday we are having a Swedish Christmas and looking forward to it. But oh, why do theatre administrators seem to think that people lose their sense of discrimination at Christmas. Can the English National Ballet really manage fill all those performances of Nutcracker (one or two per day from 8th December through to the end of the month). At least at the Royal Opera House, if we'd flexible over date, we could have seen Die Meistersinger or Sleeping Beauty.