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Ravel’s Violin Sonata No. 2 in G opened the concert. Whilst the odd note came across a little harshly, violinist Krysia Osostowicz played with beautiful lyricism, particularly in the cantabile section. This was expertly contrasted with the piano, creating an exciting friction between soloist and accompaniment; the performers skilfully highlighted the composer’s idea of incompatible timbres. The middle movement, ‘Blues’, introduced the jazz aspect that pervaded the concert. Finally, an exciting ‘Perpetuum Mobile’ concluded the sonata, allowing Osostowicz’s virtuosity to captivate and exhilarate.
In writing ‘Three Pieces for Solo Clarinet’, Stravinsky created a stunning work that explores the tone and technical capabilities of the instrument. Mark van de Wiel’s performance was exemplary, despite occasional off-putting foot-tapping, taking the unaccompanied melodic lines and successfully sculpting them into a stimulating sound-world.
The first half closed with Khachaturian’s Trio for Violin, Clarinet and Piano in G minor. Having only heard the composer’s orchestral repertoire before, I was interested to see how his chamber music compared. I was not disappointed – Endymion used Khachaturian’s folk influences to produce an intense, rustic sound that deservedly met rapturous applause.
The penultimate work of the evening was an exception from the concert’s temporal focus: a UK première of a new piece first premiered in Sydney Opera House earlier this year. ‘Black, White and a Little Blue’ was written by Australian composer George Palmer, who attended the concert and explained the premise of the piece – a wedding gift for a friend to play it with his wife. As such, the piece was upbeat and joyful, a facet Wiel portrayed wonderfully. Despite being both more modern and distinctly more pop-influenced than the rest of the night’s works; its quality and style were a perfect addition to the programme.
The final piece of the evening was Stravinsky’s ‘The Soldier’s Tale’. Although tonight's programme showcased a reduced arrangement of the original work for a larger ensemble, which included actors and a narrator, both the composition and the performance maintained the drama of the folk tales upon which it is based. Featuring ideas the composer would later use in the other of his pieces played earlier in the concert, the passion and exuberance Endymion performed with drew the concert to a brilliant close.
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