Possibly my best week ever........

I spent a couple of weeks looking at the ads to see if there was anything interesting to listen to in Manchester.  I'd already booked my tickets for "Norma" at the Lowry, but I felt I needed something less dramatic to listen to, less frocks and make-up.

So I saw an upcoming concert by Natalie Clein.  No real decision about that one, I bought a ticket.
I was checking who was appearing during the weeks and months to come..... Nicola Benedetti.

I've been to see both these young ladies at the Royal Festival Hall or the Wigmore, but my favourite for both was the 100 Club.  Small, intimate setting with minimal accompaniment.

Natalie Clein is possibly the most interesting cellist I've ever heard.  Scratch that, I mean musician I've ever heard.  Nicola Benedetti is simply a fantastic violinist.  Both are virtuosi.

Who?  N.Clein
Next..   N. Benedetti

Yep, Tuesday was Natalie Clein, Wednesday was Nicola Benedetti.  An interesting week.

I took my son to see Natalie Clein, we were in the cheap seats to begin.  The Bach and Larcher were lovely, but still a little quiet.  After the interval, we found ourselves in much better seats to hear the Kodaly.
This was my son's first classical concert, he was impressed by the Bach and the Larcher, after the interval (and a little closer to Natalie) he fell in love with the Kodaly.  I found it an intense experience personally, a soloist, in front of 2-300 people and playing without any accompaniment.  No support, no backup.  absolutely outstanding.

The following evening I heard Nicola Benedetti.  She played the Beethoven Violin Concerto.  With the Hallé Orchestra.  It was so bad I booked a ticket for the Sunday performance of the same program.

I saw and heard Natalie Clein and Nicola Benedetti in the same week.  Could it get any better?

Yes

I bought a ticket to see Nicola again, for Sunday.  So I saw the whole program again, including Sibelius' 5th.  The Hallé kick ass, give them a try.  

Tomorrow is "Norma".

Marius Brenciu at the Rosenblatt Recitals Series 28th Sept

Musically, there are few things which impress more than a good performance.  To have a string break during a violin solo, restring, then continue from exactly where you left off is one of the few (Nicola Benedetti performing the debut of Taverner's Lalishri at the Southbank). Another was last Wednesday's recital by Marius Brenciu.


Marius didn't seem to begin confidently, though his voice was on good form.  The evening didn't follow the programme directly, but mostly it waas just the running order that was changed.  Marius sang Giordani,  Gluck and Mozart for the first part of the evening.  A slight grimace after each piece indicated his uneasiness with his own performance, though many singers would have been happy to have performed to his standard any day of the week.


After the interval, Marius explained that sometimes, the body doesn't always obey the mind.  He seemed more confident, more comfortable and actually seemed to be enjoying himself.  Verdi, Respighi,  two by Tosti (though not A vuchella) and four by Tchaikovsky completed the evening's program, my favourite being Respighi's Nebbie (which I first heard performed at the last Rosenblatt Recital).   Marius' confidence increased with each song after the interval.


From a shaky, uncomfortable-looking beginning, to end with a resounding flourish of four Tchaikovsky songs and two encores is a remarkable recovery.  It is also a display of professionalism.  At the interval evaluated his performance so far, then decided to continue.  It could easily have gone the other way.  No-one would have been surprised if he'd cancelled the remainder of the evening.  Thank goodness he didn't, his second-half performance more than compensated for a shaky start.


The two encores, neither of which I'd heard before, were obviously favourites of Marius', both sung effortlessly and with as much brio as you'll see from any tenor.

Here is a short clip of Marius with Angela Gheorghiu.

I've yet to attend an average Rosenblatt Recital, a very high standard has been maintained and I have no reason to think that will change.  For a taste of what to expect, browse the Rosenblatt Recitals Series YouTube channel and join their Facebook group to stay tuned to upcoming performances.  

From this point on, my friend Guillermina will be taking over reviewing Rosenblatt Recitals.  I'll be attending some opera performances here in Manchester, which I'll review here.  I'm hoping to get tickets for Juan Diego Flórez at The Albert Hall in May, so I hope to see some of you there!

Rosenblatt Recitals Series

Due to a slight change in travel arrangements, I will be attending the first of the new season of the Rosenblatt Recitals Series.

I'll see some of you there, I'll tell the rest of you about it.

Lovely Klezmer and Folk, with reservations.

I've taken time to write these reviews of the London Klezmer Quartet and JC Ryan, not beacuase of the quality of music, more due to the experience of actually hearing the music.

Beginning with the London Klezmer Quartet, they played at the Green Note in Camden,  a lovely little place, cosy, eating people mixed with music lovers, possibly the eating people loved music too, who knows?

The last time I saw Susi Evans play was at a concert in the Purcell Rooms, playing with the fantastic She'Koyokh.  Any time someone asks me who to look out for, it's She'Koyokh.  See them live, buy the CD, always worth the investment.

The LKQ at the Green Note was no less musically entertaining, especially as we got to hear introductions from all the performers.  If there was any problem on my part, it was probably the assumption that I was there and I had an understanding of Klezmer.  So, no problem on my part, I get a book and read.  Then I understand.  I know more now than I did before seeing them.  From reading.

The music itself was impeccably played by the whole quartet, the cellist wasn't ignored, fun was had by all musicians, and Susi shone with her solos, as I've seen her shine before.  Charisma is the word for it.
I won't leave it at that. Every member of the LKQ can be said to be fantastic, in my opinion though Susi has a slight advantage. I don't think any of the other members would argue.

That was Thursday.  Then came Friday.  Camden again, to see my very good friend JC (Jo to me) Ryan.
 Jo and her new band played 7 songs. I remember 5 of them, having played them with her at The Castle in Portobello for a while.  2 new songs sounded strong and a welcome addition to her already strong repertoire of engaging songs.  For me, her best song "Aberavon Rd" was lost behind a sound that was too heavy on the rhythm section.  It should have been delicate and magical.  Even the roaring 'Best Days' was muddied by the sound of bass and drums.

Both great gigs, both with great music.  Here come the reservations.

For the Green Note concert, no matter how much I love Klezmer, Susi, or the whole concept of music in a bijou restaurant, £12 is too much.  I had friends who arrived after the start, I met them at the interval outside the "music/food" area.  Some people left.  "Would you like to go in now?" they were asked.  How much? £12.  That's the way to promote local music.

For the JC Ryan gig at the Camden Rock venue in (surprise) Camden, a slightly different story.  I wasn't there for the soundcheck, I was only there for the actual gig.  The only way I could recognise most of the songs was that I'd played many of them myself.  The unique point about Jo isn't her band, not even her songs (fine though they are) it is simply her voice.  It was overwhelmed by bad balance, feedback, bad mixing....  ok, let me tell it straight, the sound engineer was not up to the job.

All the members of JC's band and Jo herself can feel comfortable that they did the best job they could, but sometimes this kind of stuff happens.  Next time they'll, perhaps take more time with sound-checks or working with (or kill)  the sound engineer.  If you ever get the chance to see and hear Jo do the banjo/reggae version of her own song "Hey Boy' you will have had a good night.

Camden Rock bloke: Alright mate
Me: Yeah, I'm on the list (meaning 'PRESS')
Camden Rock bloke: Yeah, it's five quid.

I don't mind paying, I really mind the fact it wasn't even a question.  So, Camden Rock minus 5 for ignorance, Green Note minus 5 for greed.  Both bands +5 for being excellent.

Rosenblatt Recitals remembered.......

Time to revisit the Rosenblatt Recitals Series for a number of reasons.



First, I notice that there is now a video of Vuyani Mlinde's drinking song on the Rosenblatt video channel.

Secondly, there is a new series which begins in September.

And finally, I won't be in London to see it.  I'll be in Manchester, so I'll have to rely on others to let me know how the series goes.

The Rosenblatt Recitals Series has been an enjoyable experience for me, seeing and hearing up and coming young singers choosing the best music to show off the best of their vocal repertoire.  Each has been different in its own way, especially as each singer is accompanied only by a pianist and not a full orchestra.

I can highly recommend the upcoming series, featuring the return of JUAN DIEGO FLÓREZ, 
and a very interesting looking group of performers performing a very varied choice of programmes over the coming months.  And remember to buy the concert programme, you'll thank me when you do!

Don't forget to check up on the Rosenblatt Recital Series' Facebook page, to keep yourself up-to-date on who is performing and when.

Harriet Mackenzie at the Lansdowne Club 12/7/2011

The evening of the 12th found me in the Ballroom of the Lansdowne Club, near Berkeley Square.  Not a nightingale in sight. 

The music was to be provided by the talented violinist Harriet Mackenzie, whom I'd previously seen playing with the Kosmos Ensemble as part of an evening of Klezmer music at the Southbank.  On the piano was Indre Petrauskaite.

The program for the evening certainly highlighted Harriet's virtuosity and range on the violin. The stand-out for me was the Sarasate, as it's a favourite piece of mine.  Harriet's performance was sparkling in the way you'd expect from a great performer.  There was little, if anything, to indicate any apprehension at tackling such difficult pieces.  The Sarasate and Tartini were written to dazzle audiences with technique and dazzled we were.

Indre's accompaniment on was very light and lyrical, complementing Harriet's violin without overpowering it, an easy thing to do in a small room with a big Bluthner piano in it.  Both Harriet and Indre were obviously enjoying themselves, Indre with a grin on her face, Harriet alternating between intense concentration and sheer abandon, especially for the encore.

The first encore was Monti's Czardas, arranged to be more difficult by Harriet herself.  As the applause died down I assumed we would be leaving, it's difficult to top a Mozart/Tartini/Sarasate/Monti program.

The second encore was Massenet's beautifully lyrical Meditation from Thais.  Artfully played with a dynamic range it's difficult to experience on a CD or the radio. 

The evening was a success for the audience.  Tickets were £5, a glass of wine was included.  The surroundings were as elegant as any opera house or music venue in London.  Over an hour of music played extremely well, including two encores.

The main program consisted of :

Mozart

Sonata K454 in B flat major

  

Tartini/Kreisler

The Devil's Trill Sonata

Sarasate

Ziguenerweisen.

As I mentioned, there were two encores: Monti's Czardas and Massenet's Meditation.

I was invited to the event by Bluthner's Piano's who are based in the same building.  They hold a recital the second Tuesday of each month (except August and December).  If you live in London, drop them an email to get yourself onto their mailing list.  There's very little that beats listening to well-played live music in great surroundings. 

Harriet Mackenzie

 Indre Petrauskaite

My third Rosenblatt Recital of the series

Tuesday evening's performance by Vuyani Mlinde was yet another example of what the Rosenblatt Recital Series does so well. They choose talented up-and-coming preformers from around the globe, match them with well-respected accompanists, provide in-depth and extensive information about the music you are about to listen to, then put it all together in a great venue.

In addition, most (if not all) of these performances are recorded for the Rosenblatt Recital Series video channel, so you can relive the performance or send a link to give someone an idea of what they missed.

And Tuesday night, if you weren't at St. John's, Smith Square, you missed a great performance.

Vuyani's voice is a deep, rich baritone which was up to the task of solo recital. The recital differs from an opera performance in being that much clearer to the audience. There is no orchestra to drown out the nuances of richly textured voices, such as those I've heard at this recital series.

The program for the evening is listed below, in the order the songs and arias were performed. My favourites were the Tchaikovsky piece from Iolante, Respighi's Nebbie and the songs by Tosti and Gastaldon. Not to say he sung these any better than the rest of the programme, just pieces I preferred listening to.

A strange thing happened during the first Mozart aria, I found myself wanting to sing along. I don't know the word and I wasn't looking at the libretto, I just found myself wanting to sing along. I suspect that the reason is my own vocal range. I've heard a great deal of opera which highlights tenors, mezzos and sopranos and just enjoyed the music. But last night I realised I was listening to someone who had a similar range to mine. I would have failed terribly had I tried, but that gut-feeling was there throughout. Perhaps that is the enduring quality of opera, that everyone who listens hears something they want to, and perhaps can, sing along to? Not forgetting the great melodies, of course!

The programme for the evening showcased Vuyani's voice perfectly, no lack of strength in the lower register, no tailing off, and lots of humour too. Especially the encore. A degree of emotional intensity was required for Respighi's Nebbie, this didn't ruffle his feathers in the least. The Verdi arias possessed all the colours you would expect, Mozart's lightness, Tchaikovsky's lyricism were all there in technicolor.

Vuyani was in playful mood for the encore. A traditional german drinking song, 'Der mann im keller'. A man sits in a cellar rhapsodising upon the excellent qualities of his favourite alcoholic drink. Dropping from one octave to another with great precision. The audience wouldn't let him leave so he sang again the closing chorus of the drinking song, this time using different registers, rising to falsetto in places, dropping through a scale to the bottom of the register. In german and english. Seemingly comfortable singing both. And apparently more drunk on the song than the first rendition.

Praise must also go to Ingrid Surgenor, the pianist who provided accompaniment for the evening. Masterfully played throughout, never overpowering the songs.

I will follow this post very soon with a re-cap of the Rosenblatt Recital Series. Here is the list of work from the evening:

Mozart:
Se vuol ballare, Le nozze di Figaro
Madamina il castalogo e questo, Don Giovanni
Cosi dunque tradisci, Concert aria

Tchaikovsky:
Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt
Gospod moj, esli gresen ja, Iolanta

Verdi:
Come dal ciel precipita, Macbeth

INTERVAL

Verdi:
Infelice! E tu credevi

Respighi:
Nebbie

Tosti:
L'ultima conzone

Gastaldon:
Musica proibita

Verdi:
Mentre gonfiarsi l'anima, Attila

ENCORE
Der mann im keller, Anon
Text: Carl Müchler, 1802
Musik: Ludwig Fischer, 1802


For those of you who missed Elizabeth Llewellyn, here is a video of her singing Walton:

And here is Serena Malfi singing the Vivaldi I enjoyed so much: