My first venture to St John Smith Square remained a dazzling afternoon concert from flutist Anna Kondrashina, with Pavel Timofeyevsky as the finest accompanist.

The spirit of the flute lived in this fine hour of music. Be it their new arrangements of old classics or some of the finest pieces in the flute and piano repertoire, everything worked so well. Clara Schumann got a lot of love with her Three Romances originally for violin and piano. She simply has to be better seen as one of the early Romantics, her husband Robert established well in that regard. The piece was very touching, Anna making it her own with its resplendence and insight. More Clara!

The Concert Fantasy on Rimsky-Korsakov’s ‘Golden Cockeral’ from Efrem Zimbalist held up as a sparkling delight from the Russian composer’s last opera. Very Russian sounding in nature, fine melodies and sonorities lingered around the space, Pavel on piano also getting a lot out of the score with dramatic flair, proving the composer’s clever orchestration even in just the piano reduction.

Erwin Schulhoff, a German Jew who’s life ended in a concentration camp, has one of the more interesting works in this canon: his Sonata for flute and piano. There was a lot of Stravinsky going on in this, denser moments haunted. This was a new discovery for me and I found it highly alluring and profound, the context of Schulhoff’s fate not leaving my head. Anna again, proved her mastery of the flute, you feel like these are sacred moments, the sweetness of her musicianship are always bright.

A well needed bit of cheering up was from Gershwin and his Three Preludes. Thanks to these arrangements, you fell as if they were written for flute originally. These spritely, considerate jazz delights never faltered in their tones, Anna even mimicking a drum kit in the second movements. An encore of Bach was a stunning offering we didn’t deserve, since we had been treated to an already stellar concert.

(3 / 5)

Bach is the greatest composer once declared Richard Wagner. Whilst few would dispute this in music circles, we wonder just how clever old Johan really was. Well known for his tricks and games in his own work, it’s taken centuries to truly penetrate just how dense his ideas really are.  

Through all this comes a concert form Academy of Ancient Music, who have made attempts to do a post-mortem on The Musical Offering, a piece he wrote during his time with Frederich the Great of Prussia, a well established musician in his own right. The King wrote a theme now known as the Royal Theme, which was then expect by Bach to transform into a world of music. 

Director and harpsichord player Laurence Cummings command the evening, address the audience as well as all things musical. The concert was framed by two sonatas, one for viola da gamba, the other for flute. These are wonderful additions to the offering, the soloists excelled here, as the lights were dimmed in the hall and a few, mock candles graced the stage. Though the concert featured a lot of The Musical Offering, it at times felt like The Musical Education. I love Bach, though can only really look at these as mere trifles. The clever use of the king’s theme is evident for most of the movements, yet is mutated in other instances.

I, as an amateur musician tried to learn the Crab Canon, one of the many parts. I found it two hard as one melody on one hand is then inverted for the other, a quite pleasing trick when played together. The canons which do feature are always rousing, even for how old they are. There is always something stimulating about them and you could never deny his brilliance. The musicians seemed to enjoy the music, even if a lot of this was fragmented and slight. The pre show talk did also go into a lot of context for Bach’s schemes, thought even that could have been longer. 

Academy of Ancient Music’s next concert is Locke’s Suite from The Tempest & Purcell’s Ode to Saint Cecilia in Cambridge and London, 8 & 9 March 2023.   

(3 / 5)

My last encounter with the Arditti Quartet was less than memorable, though I’d never let that hold them down. In a birthday celebration for its founder, Irvine Ariditti, Wigmore Hall had done all but put out the bunting. 

Their world premiers were an exciting prospect for this concert, first with Roger Reynolds and his imAge for solo violin. I like the smart format of the name of the piece though I held it in contempt a bit, its harshness seemingly defining the work. It did find some footing in its liberal look at the violin, Irvine proving he’s the man for the job, an esteemed musician who can do anything really.

Unsuk Chin from South Korea gave us the next new work: Gran Cadenza, Irvine being joined by Ashot Sarkissjan for this weird ping pong feat. Chin is a fascinating composer, though this was a bit dull, her intense nature not really present either.The real treat was Xenakis’ Ikhoor, for the full quartet who gave a stupendous outing of this chilling piece. If you cant get Xenakis you’d be wise to avoid a piece like this, its unwavering brittleness is a joy for some. 

Sven-Ingo Koch and his new piece: String Quartet No. 3 offered insight and a more subtle encounter, the third movement being noteworthy for its nuanced tenderness. This final premiere proved how versatile Irving and the quartet can be, yet the type of music is unrelentingly contemporary and heavy. Irvine’s wife Hilda Paredes took the Mexican poetry of Pedro Serrano and transformed it into a blazing triumph. Their step-son Jake Arditti joined forces as a sweet, soulful countertenor, some bizarre moments for him including whispering and a finger over the mouth to imply insanity (if that makes sense?). The fine, pastoral verse was well met, with the soft quartet writing as well.

Here’s to many more, Irving! 

(4 / 5)

An English singer who’s star has only risen is that of Elizabeth Watts. Seen at budding competitions prior, she now excels Mozart on stage and French repertoire, amongst other things. Starting with Debussy at her Wigmore Hall concert, here French sounds great in his Ariettes oubliées. Who else but Debussy could have written these? They are saturated in his watery gleam, the French way of course. Also of not is Watts acting, proving she can command both spears with ease, facial expressions change at break neck speed.   

In Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder, we see this charity she has, the German mode much more direct and formal, nature and romance as ever its trappings. We an brought exquisite voice to these songs, Im Treibhaus and Träume (both later recycled in his Tristan and Isolde). More intense emotions are wrought here and also bleed in the next set of Richard Strauss, who took a lot from this problematic composer. Highlights here were Cäcilie and of course, Morgen both equally sublime songs.. Simon Lepper on piano does not let down, a real roaring accompaniment never with a shadow of a doubt the wrong person to collaborate with Watts. 

It would be the Czech language that would wrap things up. As if her talents were not enough Watts then showed off in Czech hopefully taught well to master the tricky language. Bohuslav Martinů who had an affair with younger composer Vítězslava Kaprálová, who showed much promised, dying at a very young age. Her songs start off with the love of the Czech nation for folk music and wit, Martinů contuses this with his own deeply rooted love of everything folk about his country and it’s borders. Love, longing and just plain old fun permeate these songs, I love how frank and witty the translations were in the programme as well.

A puffy English song led us away, with little doubt over the power of this fine singer and always wonderful accomplice.

(3 / 5)

From it’s humble start, Opera’r Ddraig have risen upward to stage familiar classics in spaces around Cardiff and on tour. Though with Bhekizizwe comes a much more diverse and contemporary scope for the company.

Dr Robert Fokkens from South Africa, now based at Cardiff Uni has composed the score and the libretto is penned by Mkhululi Mabija. We follow a young South African man Bhekizizwe Shange on his way to further education in both Pretoria and then London. With family, life and love interests adding to the story, he must find his way in the white mans world, proving himself as good as any of them. A partner of his in London would deliver a baby, much to the distain of the family of the girl, realising the child would be mixed race. 

The near eccentric nature of the music, is usual Fokkens territory, his recent piano premier at the Vale of Glamorgan Festival also proof of this. There was dischord, there was harmony, though most alive in the piercing moments of drama in the second half of the evening, dance club music and a pounding drum solo from Michael Hearty. I’ve yet to see a bow scrapped across a cymbal more times then here as well. I questioned how approachable the music would be, some in the audience declared this was their first opera. I dare say, it worked well and the interval was an added rest for all players involved. Fokkens also conducted every soberly, keeping the ensemble in a fine symmetry.

The story itself is quite bare, our lead boy seems to just knock about the places he is meant to go, perhaps the fact this is a monodrama with no other voices proves the static. With the upmost pride, the evening mostly belongs to baritone Themba Mvula. In the many dress-up moments for his teachers, family and maybe in-laws, he embodies them with swagger and humour. Mvula’s  voice is perfect in any register and he often excelled in soaring moments, even if the rowdy band might have drowned him out at times. There are some very touching moments and the bits of wit are well needed, the lists of things not to do in England was a highlight, dressing up with the buttoned up, dicky bow torso mannequin of his professor. He made the story more interesting then on face value and I was really quite taken with him. One to watch!  

At it’s heart the piece was about home, race and love. The quest for all these things in a world of hate and judgment.