Short Stories

Short Stories

 

Norwich St Andrew’s Hall 13 February

Cambridge West Road Concert Hall 14 February

 

Eastern Daily Press

Cambridge Local Secrets

 

Eastern       Daily Press

Michael Drake 14 February 2008

After the exhilarating lunchtime       date last week, the full Sinfonia continued their current season in last       night’s EDP-sponsored concert with a programme of pairs framed by two       of Bach’s Brandenburg concertos.

No 3 in G opened in lively fashion. The pattern was completed by No 5       in D and a well-crafted violin and flute duo, subtle harpsichord and the       latter’s tour de force Cadenza to end the first movement.

Honneger’s rarely heard Concerto da camera for flute and cor anglais presented       a blend of dissonance, harmony and impressionism, with the orchestra sometimes       echoing, and at other times filling, a rural background after the first       of two Vivaldi concertos. The first, that for oboe and bassoon, contained       contemplative and pastoral meanderings surrounded by joyous dialogue in       perfect duet.

The shorter piece for the second half was making its UK premier tour but       Brett Dean’s Short Stories, although certainly atmospheric, made it difficult       to relate it to the first Vivaldi work or the stories.

The Flute Concerto saw Vivaldi in totally different guise and included       a quite soporific Largo. It is difficult to find words which haven’t been       used before for this wonderful band of musicians but I did overhear “sizzling”.      I’ll settle for that.

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Local       Secrets

Mike Levy 14 February       2008

Mike Levy wonders       how the Sinfonia do what they do

How do they do it?      Each Britten Sinfonia concert seems more exciting than the last and the       latest offering at West Road was no exception. It was an evening of huge       diversity and great virtuosity: four wonderful Baroque concertos, one       from the 1940s and a very modern piece written only three years ago. The       joy of the Britten starts as soon as the band walk on stage - or bound       on - they are so keen to share their music: they have this wonderful ‘wait       till you hear this’ attitude. There cannot be a more smiley, more vibrant       and more energised bunch of top-class players than this.     

The concert began at a terrific pace with Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 - essentially a concerto for       small mostly string orchestra with no soloists in dominant role. It was a truly uplifting performance - and an upstanding one too: the performers       stood as they played and that gave the piece enormous energy and drive. With what must be the shortest slow movement in the repertoire (two chords) this Brandenburg has two exhilarating movements: very fast and very very       fast. You can see from this work why Louis Armstrong called Bach ‘the       King of Swing’ and were it not for the stuffy convention of classical music audiences having to sit in reverential stillness, we would have       been dancing a jig in the aisles as each group of instruments ducked, weaved and passed on its thrilling variation of the Bachian theme.

The next piece was equally wonderful - Vivaldi’s Concerto for Oboe and Bassoon. A marvellous Laurel       and Hardy/Abelard and Eloise of a piece, with the two soloists sometimes in cheeky flirtatious dialogue, and at others interweaving their subtle variations on Vivaldi’s signature melodies like a pair of woodwind wooers. The last piece of the first half was another revelation: an absolutely fascinating, engaging and instantly likeable work by the Swiss composer Honegger - his Concerto da Camera. Written in 1948 it pays homage to Bach in its contrapuntal style and concise execution. The piece evokes a lush and impressionistic sound world reminding one of dreamy Debussy or the Gallic bounce of Poulenc. Again the soloists were in perfect harmony (in all senses) playing like a couple of jazz musicians: watching each other like hawks, smiling at each’s virtuosity and thoroughly enjoying the work - as we all did.

After this amazing musical       feast, the second half brought more treats: Emer McDonough back on top       form with Vivaldi’s truly astonishing Flute Concerto ‘La Notte’ - a rich       and even audacious evocation of night. If anyone thinks that Baroque always       sounds the same, listen to this short but intense piece with its six varied       movements. The highlight for me was the fifth, “Sleep”, an orchestral       description of a peaceful kip with the strings and flute mimicking the       sounds of deep and relaxed breathing.

After the Vivaldi, came the contemporary piece: Short Stories by Brett Dean. The Britten here took us into a very different sound world: spare, elusive and yet hauntingly engaging especially in the movement: Komarov’s Last Words. He was the first cosmonaut to die in space as his capsule hurtled towards the earth. With its evocative Sputnik bleeps and a terrible sense of falling into the void, Dean tells a gripping and terrifying musical short story.

The evening ended with another Bach Brandenburg concerto: his fifth. Yet again the hard-working McDonough returned as the flute soloist matched with the ever-excellent Jacqueline Shave on violin and Laurence Cummings on harpsichord. If anyone thinks of that instrument as effete or gentile, Cummings (and Bach) showed us something very different - his cadenza was a thumping torrent of notes, crashing chords and astonishing counterpoint. It was a very fitting end to yet another memorable evening. How do they do it?

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