‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ byTennessee Williams

23 February 2010

We were at the Novello Theatre in London’s West End on Saturday to see ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ by Tennessee Williams. This was a great production, directed by Debbie Allen, with an excellent cast including Adrian Lester, Sanaa Lathan and Phylicia Rashad (Allen’s sister). But even amongst such impressive company it was undoubtedly James Earl Jones as Big Daddy who stole the show. Jones is a compelling physical performer, appearing to change body shape with the moods of the character. It was fascinating, for example, just to watch how he used his arms. And it was wonderful to hear his iconic, deep, booming voice fill the theatre.

Victoria & Albert Museum Medieval and Renaissance galleries

23 February 2010

On Saturday we visited the new Medieval and Renaissance galleries at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The exhibits are beautifully presented – there’s lots of space and light much like the refurbished Ashmolean Museum in Oxford (reviewed here in November 2009). I felt there was less of a coherent narrative than at the Ashmolean: the V&A tends to present historic objects as art. But the new galleries are visually stunning and there are some real gems to discover.

Five Star Swing

23 February 2010

Last Friday we were at Toddington Village Hall to see ‘Five Star Swing’ – an excellent five-piece jazz band including former members of the Herb Miller Orchestra and the Ivy Benson band. They played a mixed menu of swing and jazz standards including helpings of Sinatra, Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington and much more. The band had a good line in banter and it was a very entertaining evening.

Tess May Tribute Concert

17 February 2010

Tess May was a French horn teacher who worked in the Milton Keynes area for more than 30 years. Tess died suddenly last year as a result of a stroke and last Saturday her friends, family, colleagues and pupils, past and present, gathered at Ousedale School in Newport Pagnell for a tribute concert to celebrate and remember Tess and to raise funds for the charity Headway and for a Milton Keynes Music Service Horn Scholarship. I played in a choir of massed French horns, including just about every horn player in the area. The concert also featured the Tess May Olney Brass Band and a full orchestral brass ensemble. Tess’s sons Tim and Peter played trumpet and euphonium solos and joined their father, Laurence, for an emotional encore. The climax of the evening was a performance of ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’ by Mussorgsky with everyone who had taken part in the concert playing ‘The Great Gate of Kiev’ – one of the loudest musical experiences you will ever hear! It was a wonderful evening – entertaining, eclectic and very moving: a great way to remember Tess. It was a privilege to be involved.

‘Roam’ by the Tom Dale Company

17 February 2010

Last Friday we were at the Trestle Arts Base in St Albans to see ‘Roam’ – a new piece by the Tom Dale Company. Choreographed by Tom Dale with specially commissioned tracks from maverick producer/composer Shackleton and drum&bass outfit Sion (“a captivating journey into a world of swinging sub bass and complex percussion”) and incorporating the work of poet Rick Holland, ‘Roam’ was a serious, impressive performance. The five young dancers demonstrated truly amazing athleticism. Not being fluent in the language of modern dance, I don’t really have the vocabulary to do the piece justice but it was clearly of a very high standard. As a musician, I found those sections that were more obviously rhythmic and related directly to the music easier to appreciate though I was impressed that even the slower, more abstract movements contained tiny muscular twitches that acknowledged the music’s beats. I’m not sure I fully grasped all the references to the desire to roam, which (according to the programme) explored the relationship between “intellectual roaming and more animalistic roaming for food and shelter”. But it was great to see something so different, thought-provoking and cool. You can see an extract at: http://vimeo.com/6879374

'Cello recital by Robert Foster at Toddington Music Society

12 February 2010

On Saturday evening we made the short journey to our neighbouring village for a concert presented by the Toddington Music Society. Robert Foster is a young ‘cellist (currently doing his GCSEs at a school in Dunstable) who won the Toddington Music Society Young Musician Competition in 2009. His prize was a solo recital in the Wilkinson Church Hall in Toddington – though the phrase solo recital is slightly misleading as Robert brought with him a host of friends to create an eclectic evening of high quality music-making. We heard piano and guitar solos and Robert played several pieces with a group of young string players as well as a variety of pieces for solo ‘cello and piano accompaniment. As well as the inevitable ‘cello perennials (‘The Swan’ from Saint-Saens’ ‘The Carnival Of Animals’ and the ‘Prelude’ from the first ‘Cello Suite’ by J.S. Bach) it was great to discover some more unusual offerings such as a piano piece by the Japanese film and video-game composer Nobuo Uematsu. But the highlight for me was a ‘cello duet by Friedrich August Kummer (a contemporary of Schubert) which Robert Foster played with his elder brother David, himself a former winner of the Toddington Young Musician Competition. It was a really enjoyable evening and wonderful to see such a high standard of young musical talent so close to home.

'Far' by Regina Spektor

5 February 2010

Regina Spektor is a singer who tends to get filed under ‘acquired taste’ but is definitely a taste worth acquiring. Moscow-born Regina Spektor grew up in New York where she studied classical piano. Her piano-backed pop/rock ballads remind me of Nerina Pallot (reviewed her in May 2006) with similarly clever lyrics. But Regina Spektor’s childlike voice is very much in the Kate Bush/ Joanna Newsom vein. Her latest album ‘Far’ is less earnest and more upbeat than Joanna Newsom (reviewed here in November 2006): jaunty but wistful.

‘Light a Candle’ by Forró in the Dark

29 January 2010

Forró in the Dark are a band formed by four New York-based Brazilian ex-pats who have taken forró (“the hip-swiveling, dancefloor-filling, rural party music of Brazil’s northeastern states”) and created from it a cool, modern, urban, infectiously catchy sound. Their album ‘Light a Candle’ is a varied set of songs in a number of languages (including English) which are cheery, upbeat and very danceable. Electric guitar, saxophone and flute are to the fore, accompanied by the ever-present syncopated tingle of the triangle. It’s music with a smile – easy to like if a bit indeterminately ‘international’ rather than distinctively Brazilian. At times Forró in the Dark sound remarkably like the German world music fusionists 17 Hippies (reviewed here in October 2007). Cheer-yourself-up music.

'Ed Reardon's Week' by Christopher Douglas and Andrew Nickolds

22 January 2010

I was a late convert to the joys of 'Ed Reardon's Week', the wonderful BBC Radio 4 comedy by Christopher Douglas and Andrew Nickolds which has just started its sixth series, but like many late converts I'm now zealously enthusiastic. These thirty minute tales of the life of the eponymous curmudgeonly writer (played by Douglas) and Elgar, his faithful feline companion, are beautifully crafted with a host of subtle literary references and running jokes. Each episode manages to give the impression that nothing has happened while actually carrying the listener through a nicely rounded plot with a satisfying comic twist. I can relate to the local references, being not too far from Berkhamsted, and increasingly to Ed's constant railing against the '12-year-olds' in charge of running the modern world (badly). The show has a great cast including Stephanie Cole, John Fortune, Philip Jackson and Geoffrey Whitehead - though the best character is definitely Ed's literary agent's dippy Sloane Ranger assistant Ping (now played by Barunka O'Shaughnessy). 'Ed Reardon's Week' is currently on Radio 4 on Monday morning's at 11.30 am (and available on iPlayer). And in the best Ed Reardon tradition I'm grateful to Wikipedia for its help in writing this review.

‘The Life of Lilly’ by Ruth Notman

15 January 2010

As I’ve struggled to get in and out of Eversholt through the severe wintry weather this week, I’ve been keeping my spirits up by listening to the wonderful second album by my favourite young English folk singer, Ruth Notman (reviewed here in February 2007, April 2009 and August 2009). ‘The Life of Lilly’ continues the mix of traditional songs and original compositions that characterised her debut album ‘Threads’. There’s a similar variety of arrangements and moods: I particularly like the beautifully moving title track and the cheeky jollity of ‘Johnny Be Fair’. ‘The Life of Lilly’ is another classy album dominated by Ruth Notman’s gorgeous and distinctive voice. If you haven’t discovered her yet make, it your New Year resolution to do so!

Lea Singers Christmas Concert

8 January 2009

The Lea Singers Christmas Concert in Harpenden was the perfect way to start our Christmas break. This excellent amateur chamber choir (of just 21 singers) entertained a packed audience with a mixture of carols and Christmas songs from around the world including a fiendish arrangement of 'Jingle Bells' by Ben Parry which shaves a quaver off the length of a bar each time the chorus comes round. This was the first Lea Singers Christmas Concert for the choir's impressive new conductor, James Sherlock, and his enthusiastic contribution, together with the return of the wonderful young tenor soloist, Nicky Spence, made for a light-hearted, cheeky and extremely high-quality performance.

Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert

17 December 2009

This year’s Northampton Symphony Orchestra ‘Christmas Cracker Concert’ was the first for our new conductor, Alexander Walker, and had a slightly different focus from recent years. An all-Russian, festive programme included part of Rimsky-Korsakov’s ‘Christmas Eve Suite’, the ‘Rose Adagio’ from ‘Sleeping Beauty’ by Tchaikovsky and the whole of Prokofiev’s ‘Lieutenant Kije Suite’. We were also joined by the Russian singer and multi-instrumentalist Serge Pachnine & the amazing balalaika player Bibs Ekkel for a series of traditional Russian folk songs, arranged for orchestra and soloists by Alexander Walker. What at first appeared to be a more serious programme than our previous Christmas Cracker Concerts, turned out to be huge fun with fantastically entertaining performances by Serge and Bibs much appreciated by a large, enthusiastic and appreciative audience. You can see Bibs in action at http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&feature=player_embedded&v=AYN17QvR6P0

'Piano Concerto No 1' by Wilhelm Stenhammar

11 December 2009

I had never heard of the Swedish composer Wilhelm Stenhammar (1871 – 1927) until I read a newspaper review of a new recording of his two piano concertos a few weeks ago, but I’m now a big fan. I’ve been listening, in particular, to his epic Piano Concerto No. 1, written in 1893. It’s a gloriously romantic work with more than a hint of Brahms: anyone who likes the piano concertos of Rachmaninov would find much to admire here. It’s tuneful, passionate and very moving. It also reminded me of the two wonderful, but similarly neglected, piano concertos by Herbert Howells. You can judge for yourself by exploring quite a few recordings of Stenhammar’s works (for free) on Spotify. I’m now looking forward to getting to know his three symphonies.

‘Annie Get Your Gun’ by Irving Berlin

4 December 2009

Last Saturday we were at the Young Vic in London to see Irving Berlin’s ‘Annie Get Your Gun’. It was a marvellous evening: I left the theatre grinning and whistling the tunes (which is more difficult than it sounds!). I hadn’t seen ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ before but I was very familiar with many of the songs which have become standards. It’s hard to believe that ‘There’s No Business Like Show Business’, ‘Anything You Can Do’, ‘I Got the Sun in the Morning’ and ‘Doin’ What Comes Natur’lly’ all came from this one show. Irving Berlin certainly knew how to write a good tune and had the knack of creating musical comedy that was genuinely funny: there are some great laugh-out-loud lyrics. The Young Vic production was lots of fun: it’s a relatively small theatre so you get to see the cast close-up and, while there was some very witty use of fairly low-tech props and stagecraft, the gimmicks were used sparingly so that the focus was on the acting and the singing. Jane Horrocks as Annie Oakley is a real star: it’s hard to take your eyes off her even during the ensemble pieces. Her face, movement and voice are excellent: she’s a compelling performer and it was great to see her in such an intimate venue. Jason Carr’s musical arrangements for four upright pianos which buttress the front of the stage conjured up the atmosphere of a Wild West saloon and the singing was excellent. A really enjoyable evening in the theatre.

'Mostly Harmless' by Douglas Adams

27 November 2009

When I was reading the reviews of Eoin Colfer’s official ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ sequel, ‘And Another Thing’, I realised that I had never got around to reading ‘Mostly Harmless’, Douglas Adams’ fifth and final volume in his Hitchhiker ‘trilogy’. I’ve now just finished ‘Mostly Harmless’ and, while it was great fun to re-immerse myself in Adams’ brilliantly witty prose, it’s a bit of a downbeat ending to his wonderful sci-fi saga. As I read it I realised I was already familiar with the plot of ‘Mostly Harmless’ from Dirk Maggs’ radio version. It lacks a lot of the pace and humour of the earlier books, partly I think because he keeps the main characters apart for most of the story. And I understand (from Douglas Adams’ own reflections in ‘The Salmon of Doubt’, reviewed here in October 2009) that he wrote ‘Mostly Harmless’ at a time when he wasn’t at his most cheery – which might explain his compulsion to kill off most of his major characters. Or maybe, perversely, it's the absence of the depressive Marvin the Paranoid Android from this book that actually makes it more depressing? Nevertheless there’s lots of great ideas, set-pieces and carefully planted gags. Now bring on ‘And Another Thing’ …

Staff Benda Bilili

19 November 2009

Staff Benda Bilili are an amazing band – one of the most exciting live acts I have seen for ages. They are a group of Congolese street musicians who live around the grounds of the zoo in Kinshasa – where they recorded their debut album in the open air. Four of the musicians use wheelchairs and a fifth appears on crutches but this doesn’t prevent some of the most exuberant dancing you’ll ever see on a stage. The music is upbeat, catchy, funky and infectiously danceable. A fantastic, young drummer plays a kit which appears to be constructed from blocks of wood and tin cans that might have been found in a skip. But the star of the show is eighteen-year-old Roger Landu who plays the ‘satonge’ – an instrument he constructed from a condensed milk tin, coat hanger and a piece of wire, connected to an amplifier to create a soaring electronic sound which is part Stylophone, part theremin, part Jimi Hendrix! It’s quite hard to adequately describe the effect of seeing Staff Benda Bilili – who we saw at the Stables in Wavendon on Sunday. At first you worry that their disabilities and wheelchairs are being exploited as a gimmick but soon their musicianship, raw enthusiasm and zest for life makes you forget the disabilities and see the personalities. It was a truly brilliant performance – the album, ‘Très Très Fort’ is good but nothing like the experience of seeing the band live – do catch them if you have the chance. Take a look at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaTZ5gAzkCY.

‘Shakers’ by John Godber and Jane Thornton

19 November 2009

On Saturday we made a first visit to the marvellous Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds – the only surviving example of a Regency theatre in the country. The original Georgian building is now supplemented by a modern atrium – in a similar way to the Ashmolean extension. We were there to see the Hull Truck Theatre Company production of ‘Shakers’ by John Godber and Jane Thornton. ‘Shakers’, written in 1985, is a companion piece to Godber’s 1977 hit ‘Bouncers’ with four female actors playing four waitresses in a cocktail bar and all their customers from opening time to closing time. Like a lot of John Godber plays, it’s very funny but also achingly poignant. I first saw ‘Shakers’ many years ago – a great amateur production but at the less architecturally inspiring setting of the South Holland Centre in Spalding (before its Lottery-funded facelift) – quite a contrast from the Regency splendour of the Theatre Royal! This production, directed by John Godber, was excellently acted and enthusiastically received by a sell-out audience.

The Ashmolean Museum

19 November 2009

It’s been a week for first visits: on Friday I made my first trip to Britain’s oldest museum, the Ashmolean in Oxford which has just reopened after a massive refurbishment. It’s a fascinating building, with the modern extension seamlessly integrated into the classical original. I loved the apparent randomness of the layout: you wander from small, low-ceilinged galleries into vast, cavernous rooms and you can see through glass panels from one gallery to the next, enticing you onwards. Just walking around the building creates a sense of exploration. The thematic grouping of displays – rather than a traditional chronological approach – adds to the feeling of eclectic channel-hopping. I worried a little that I was drawn more to the text and graphics than to the actual objects on display. It was particularly interesting to finish the day by looking at the displays on Ancient Egypt which are the one part of the museum yet to be refurbished and now appear extremely old-fashioned: the display cases are crammed with huge numbers of objects and cards containing masses of very small text and the galleries feel quite cramped and claustrophobic compared to the airy modernity of the rest of the museum. You can easily spend a whole day in the Ashmolean (and entry is free). And if the queues in the basement café are long I can recommend popping across the road to the café in the foyer of the Playhouse Theatre.

Galliard Ensemble

19 November 2009

Regular readers may have noticed that I don’t go to a lot of chamber music concerts: I’m not sure why, because those few occasions I have been persuaded to attend have always been really enjoyable. Last Thursday I made my first visit to Bedford Music Club to hear the Galliard Ensemble – a wind quintet who came to prominence through the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists scheme. They were brilliant – precise, delicate, impressive and extremely entertaining. Their programme – inadvertently themed around composers called Paul! – was varied and interesting. We were treated to the world premiere of ‘Pealing Out’, a short celebratory piece written by local composer Paul Whitmarsh to mark the fortieth anniversary of Bedford Music Club. And Paul Whitmarsh was one of two composers in the room (both called Paul!) as Paul Patterson introduced his 1972 ‘Comedy for Five Winds’ which closed the concert. I was interested to hear ‘Kleine Kammermusik’, an early work by Paul Hindemith, but I particularly enjoyed Samuel Barber’s ‘Summer Music’. It was a wonderful concert.

Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert

12 November 2009

When I hear any orchestral music on the radio, while I may not be able to identify the piece or the composer, I can almost always tell instantly whether or not I have played it. And, even listening to it on the radio, I still get that nervous pain in my stomach when hearing the few bars that immediately precede a horn solo or an exposed entry that I once agonised over playing. I suspect the closing moments of the first movement of Rachmaninov’s third symphony will now forever conjure up that mixture of excitement and terror after my experience of playing the horn solo at the start of the second movement with the Northampton Symphony Orchestra last Saturday. In a rare excursion into the NSO first horn hot-seat, I faced the daunting prospect of creating the only sound at the quiet opening of the slow movement. To be fair it’s more of a duet with the harp than a solo and I was very grateful for the reassuring presence of our excellent harpist Daniel de Fry. And, between you and me, it’s not a particularly difficult series of notes to play. But the pressure of such an exposed and fleeting moment to get it right or wrong, after many weeks of rehearsal, does make you incredibly nervous. As far as I can remember it went okay, and I did enjoy the experience, but I suspect that the joyous opening of the final movement of the symphony will now always be synonymous for me with a feeling of relief and relaxation. Rachmaninov’s ‘Symphony No 3’ is a subtle, complex and beautiful piece of music – not one that I was previously familiar with and I have enjoyed getting to know it. I think we gave a pretty good performance in a programme which also included ‘Francesca da Rimini’ by Tchaikovsky and Lucy Parham playing Mozart’s ‘Piano Concerto No 24’. There’s nothing better to relieve stress and nerves than to listen to Lucy playing Mozart.