Fiji is a black comedy framed as a living room, this play is full of laughs and quirky moments from the off. The concept of Fiji is Sam (Pedro Leandro) and Nick (Eddie Loodmer-Elliott) met online only a short while ago, during the weekend they finally meet in person where it all spirals out as fast as lightening.
Sam’s destroyed his devices & told everyone he’s bought a one-way ticket to Fiji but instead he’s with Nick. The two feel that they have a deeply special relationship and plan to spend the rest of their lives together. However, for Sam that life will be very brief, he has asked Nick to kill and eat him, with a strong belief that Nick ingesting Sam will be the ultimate exchange of love, making their bond inseparable.
From mundanity of cheap Spanish wine, an enormous lemon & sarcasm – their humour contrasts like an avalanche with what they have planned ahead. As individuals their human vulnerability and tenderness grips the audiences attention whilst grasping onto the concept of cannibalism. Coming together for this horrific purpose, both intensely relate on how internet dating can be poisonous within the fanatical world of perverse relationships.
As the true reason for the weekend becomes clear, you can’t but help become transfixed on how this weekend will end. Their frequent questions & answers sparks conversation by a tense countdown, which we directly visit during the final moments of the abrupt murder. These questions offer deep & reflective considerations about what has led to this shocking decision: does it stem from maternal issues, as scientific research, what will Nick’s ‘experiment’ disclose? And all the while the two men reassure each other that they want this to happen, each for their own personal reasons.
This play is based on a real life incident in Germany. It interrogates what the rules would be in a situation like this: who gets to decide how it plays out, and what responsibilities are involved, both between participants and in their wider social circle? The discussion is remarkably balanced, as the characters reconcile the issues within their own instances, arguing the case for personal choice, whilst acknowledging there is a world outside where these actions are known to be wrong.
This is a well articulated production offering romance and laughter alongside repulsive horror, there’s really deep, dark & deadly thinking in the midsts that invite you into the world of the unknown.
It’s all go for St David’s Hall and their International Concert Series. Though what surprised me the most for this concert was the surprising gaps of empty seats in the auditorium for the London Mozart Players. The rugby was of course on, it seems.
In a finely crafted concert, the focus was mainly in the first half of the 19th century, with a touch of the early 20th century to boot. In Prokofiev’s 1st Symphony (dubbed the ‘Classical’) we see the ground work for the early days of the composer, one who would go on to effect the musical landscape for years. It is rigid in style, even with some charming elements. Written the year of his countries shattering revolution, one must also consider the music later which would delight and disgust in equal measure. You’d never think listening to this symphony that a prickly, angular vision would form from the composer. No doubt, this is a rare sighting of a Russian work of music right now for obvious reasons.
The treat of the night came from Isata Kanneh-Mason for Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto. I’ve spoken in the past how beguiling Robert Schumann’s music is, yet his wife has for the longest time remained in his shadow. Very much a power couple with a turbulent relationship, the Schumann’s remain some of the finest artist of their era. Clara’s Piano Concerto has a live, chattering quality hard not to love. From a renowned family of musicians, Isata has all the grace and standing the piece demands, even with some wonderful, clamouring moments. This was a testament to the underrated beauty of this female composer and only proves just how much we need her music. Time for Clara to shine…
A cheeky return after the intermission with Rossini and his overture to The Italian Girl in Algiers. Amazing how funny an overture can be, the timpani standing out in it’s blasts. The choppy, whimsy Rossini is well known for is heard as well as an undercurrent of malice. Ending with Mendelssohn’s 4th Symphony made for a familiar and effective finale. Known as the ‘Italian’, named so as he wrote the piece on tour, it shines with a breezy pace, never giving up its style or panache. Bulgarian conductor Delyana Lazarova all night, slashed away at each score, an intense scope on the music never let up, formulated by the players. The spritely musicians offered us an intimate evening, something which this Cardiff audience would love to see again.
Matthew Bourne has always pushed the boundaries of the ballet world, and he’s back with an innovative reimagining of Tchaikovsky’s most enchanting work: The Nutcracker. Having originally premiered the show in 1992, Bourne and the New Adventures team have added plenty of twists, tweaks, and treats to this sumptuous blend of the classic and the new.
The story might be sparse but Bourne and co have thrown a few more ingredients into the mix. Clara (Katrina Lyndon) is trapped in a dreary orphanage ruled by the maniacal Matron (Daisy May Kemp, dressed as a despotic liquorice allsort) and the dastardly Dr Dross (Danny Reubens: be-whipped, bothered, and be-leathered). On Christmas Eve, Clara and the other orphans are paraded around in front of the genteel governors, whose gifts for the youngsters are snatched away the moment their kindly benefactors leave. But Clara’s grown quite attached to her present: a patched-up doll who becomes a hunky prince (Harrison Dowzell) and spirits the whole company away to Sweetieland.
The stellar orchestra ensures that Tchaikovsky’s score has never sounded more magical, and the sheer skill on display is breath-taking. There’s an effortless elegance to every movement and Bourne’s playful and innovative choreography never disappoints. Lyndon is a compelling lead, especially when sharing the stage with either Dowzell or Jonathon Luke Baker’s naughty Knickerbocker Glory. Ashley Shaw is delectably devious as the sickly-sweet Sugar Plum who’s hiding a bitter centre, and shares an unruly chemistry with Dominic North as the petulant Fritz and, later, the bon vivant Prince Bon Bon (there aren’t many people who could carry off walnut whip epaulettes, but North is one of them).
The first act compellingly subsumes you into a Dickensian purgatory before transporting you to a world of candyfloss and freedom. The second act loses some of the first’s drive but dials up the spectacle: a frothy pink fever dream painted in shades of Busby Berkley and Roy Lichtenstein courtesy of Anthony Ward’s resplendent sets and costumes (though Sugar Plum and Clara’s second act outfits might have benefited from a bit more extravagance). It gets even kookier when the guests start turning up for the royal engagement, everyone from a bunch of hard-boiled Bikers to a Candyfloss clique and a trio of polyamorous toreadors. Meanwhile, the stage is set for the wedding of the century which takes the phrase ‘Let them eat cake’ to a new level – quite literally.
Bourne never takes a story at face value: he shakes it like a snowglobe and weaves magic from the debris. His brand of joyous iconoclasm breathes new, anarchic life into well-trodden tales – and make no mistake, this isn’t your grandmother’s fairy tale: there’s something deliciously risqué about the entrance to Sweetieland being through a pair of cherry-red lips, and even the title itself is a little suggestive. The whole thing is flirtatious, mischievous, and enticingly irreverent. Unlike in the original, there are no sword battles, no royal mice, and the sugar plum fairy is not as sweet as she seems. However, while removing the Mouse King from the narrative gives Clara more agency, it also pits her against another woman in the fight for a man’s affections. Sweetieland might be a transgressive utopia, but it’s still ultimately consumed with the question of which bride will join the groom on top of the cake.
Sleeping Beauty might still be my favourite of Bourne’s new adventures, but Nutcracker! is easily his most joyful. A cacophony of confection from start to finish, it’s a decadent, delightful treat you’ll want to savour for yourself.
It’s incredible to think that there has been just one WNO production of Madam Butterfly for around 40 years. Revived many times, of course, but still remarkable. So it’s difficult to put to one side the Japanese post-colonial setting with which so many of us are so familiar.
But lay it aside we must, and approach this new production, directed by Lindy Hume, with an open mind.
It’s worth it. We are catapulted into the future – quite when is not important – and the effect is startling. Unencumbered by place and time, our attention is focused on other aspects of stage management – set, lighting – and of course the music. Costume by Isabella Bywater, is stark, and yet subtle. White is the predominant theme here, but from which era? We see late50s/early60s-inspired dresses; boots straight out of the 70s; nods to early 80s New Romantics, all adding to our sense of dislocation of time and place.
https://youtu.be/inRiIkoCMyM
Set and lighting take centre stage here. The Pinkertons’ Americanised home could be found anywhere, a stripped, blank cubic canvas in and around which the action centres. Framed in a harsh neon square of light, Butterfly and Suzuki in particular appear trapped by confinement. Contrast this with the soft and skilful use of colour washes by Lighting Designer Elanor Higgins, on the outer walls of the stage. Rose petals, the sea and the sky, dusk, daybreak are all beautifully captured through the medium of lighting alone.
Alexia Voulgaridou manages to capture both the tender love and the horror felt by Cio Cio San on learning her fate. Leonardo Caimi’s tenor is fabulous in demonstrating his sense of entitlement and Western superiority, and both Goro and Suzuki (sung by Tom Randle and Kezia Bienek) fulfil the demands of their roles well. Other parts are sung by Keel Watson, Sion Goronwy, Neil Balfour and Sian Meinir. As ever, one of the highlights was the magnificent orchestra under the baton of James Southall, and the ever-reliable chorus. The scene accompanying the hauntingly beautiful Humming Chorus will stay will long endure.
A bold production which, via its dislocation of time and place, serves to demonstrate that this saga of power and entitlement is, arguably, as relevant to us today as it has ever been.
WNO Don Giovanni Duncan Rock Don Giovanni photo credit Bill Cooper
(3 / 5)
The WNO offers an accomplished production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni that never quite takes off. Don Giovanni is a womanizer who seduces and even rapes women. He is condemned by the community and unrepentant is brought down to hell. Mozart’s dramma giocoso alternates playful elements with tragedy. The able cast seeks to balance the two but the perhaps confusing direction leads them astray taking the tension away. This is exacerbated by the heavy and lugubrious art design throughout the show that leaves no room for playfulness.
Joshua Bloom performs well as Leporello, Don Giovanni’s servant. However, he expresses a little too much reprobation in singing ‘In Spagna son gia’ 1003’ leaving out the ridiculing of Don Giovanni. In contrast, Meeta Raval plays Donna Elvira, one of the victims of Don Giovanni, with a little too much humour. Donna Elvira feels love and hatred for Don Giovanni. Although Raval sings beautifully and with conviction, the confusing stage directions bring about a too abrupt turn to tragedy leaving out the inherent tension within Donna Elvira. At the end, when she declares she will confine herself to a convent, the audience laughed. Donna Elvira’s suffering is being denied.
Linda Richardson, as Donna Anna, steals the show with a powerful and dramatic voice. There is no ambivalence in Donna Anna who is the victim of an attempted rape by Don Giovanni and whose father, the Commendatore (James Platt), is killed by Don Giovanni as he runs away. Duncan Rock, as Don Giovanni, gives a solid performance, but not a powerful one. Harriet Eyley shines as Zerlina, who is almost seduced by Don Giovanni on her wedding day. Her husband Masetto is played with vigour by James Atkinson, who offers an impressive performance. Don Ottavio, fiance of Donna Anna, is played by Kenneth Tarver whose agile voice is impressive though perhaps lacking in robustness.
WNO Don Giovanni Meeta Raval Donna Elvira Duncan Rock Don Giovanni photo credit Bill Cooper
On the whole, the performance lacks energy and subtlety. The usually excellent WNO’s orchestra fails to do justice to Mozart’s polyphonic music and keeping the pace slow. This production fails to bring out that alternation between playful and dramatic. Don Giovanni finds his death inviting to dinner the statue of the Commendatore, Donna Anna’s father whom he killed at the beginning. It is rather confusing to see the statue on stage from the very beginning, even before the Commendatore is killed.
The WNO assembles a good cast and can usually rely on a strong orchestra and excellent choir. Their performances are too often let down by the art production and direction, often based on a previous production. In this case, the original direction was by John Caird. This makes originality and innovation impossible.
Theatr Clwyd today announce a massive summer season of activity. The season boasts an incredible mixture of musicals, comedy, drama, music, and family activities. The venue welcomes the return of many community performers that have not been able to take to the stage since before the pandemic.
Theatr Clwyd produces brand new productions in this season. Celebrated Virgins, A Story of the Ladies of Llangollen (20 May-4 June) is a brand-new production written by Katie Elin-Salt and directed by Eleri B Jones. Based on the true story of Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby. When they fell in love, they were forced to leave their homes and cast out by society. Taking up residence in Llangollen they became minor celebrities, forced to witness their own lives written about by those who could never understand. Now, they are back, ready to take back the story that’s rightfully theirs – on their own terms.
A Pretty Sh*tty Love (8-23 July) is a drama that is based on the true story of a couple and their journey. Hayley wanted to fall in love – to find her prince. She never found it though, she never looked in the right place. Then along came Carl. This is a new play by acclaimed playwright Katherine Chandler and directed by Francesca Goodridge. This show contains challenging themes.
There are also two brand new musicals being co-produced with Theatr Clwyd this season. First up is Milky Peaks (1-12 April) Milky Peaks: the warmest welcome in the cold bosom of Snowdonia. However, under the gleaming pebble-dash, strange forces are rising: both political and supernatural. Can three lost souls and a shabby drag queen save the community’s heart? Milky Peaks reunites writer Seiriol Davies with collaborators Matthew Blake, Alex Swift, Dylan Townley and Áine Flanagan, the producers who co-created the critically acclaimed How to Win Against History. Advisory age 14+
Secondly in the Autumn Season The Famous Five: A Brand New Musical (23 Sept-15 Oct). Based on Enid Blyton’s multi-million-selling novels, this brand-new musical written by Elinor Cook, with music and lyrics by Theo Jamieson, is an exciting and heart-warming family treat celebrating adventure, bravery and friendship for everyone aged 7+. The show will be directed by Theatr Clwyd Artistic Director Tamara Harvey, and will be co-produced with Chichester Festival Theatre. When George and her dog Timmy find out that her cousins Julian, Anne and Dick are coming to stay, they’re pretty sure the whole summer is ruined. But out in the bay lies Kirrin Island and a ruined castle filled with mysteries to solve. Together they embark on a daring mission with the future of the planet at stake – a mission that might just be the making of the Famous Five…
The pantomime on offer this Autumn will be Robin Hood, The Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto! (19 Nov-14 Jan) The show will have all sing-along songs, fabulous frocks and dazzling sets that you’re used to. The venue can now announce that beloved panto dame Phylip Harries will return for all the usual panto fun.
Back to summer activities, and the Flintshire venue will welcome many touring productions. The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (18-23 Apr) stars Shobna Gulati (Coronation Street), Ian Kelsey (Emmerdale) and introducing the two-time Drama Desk Award Nominee Christina Bianco. This Northern fairy-tale explores small-town dreams and finding your voice. The show includes power ballads by Judy Garland and Shirley Bassey. Boeing Boeing (24-28 May) is an award winning comical-farce brought to you by London Classic Theatre. The Play That Goes Wrong (26-30 Apr) once again returns following its 2018 sell-out run in Mold. For musical lovers, Willy Russell’s tragic tale Blood Brothers (2-7 May) follows the story of twins separated at birth.
The venue once again welcomes National Dance Company Wales with their trio of dance performances One Another (10-11 May) and Ballet Cymru present their Mold debut, Dream (29 May) a vibrant, fresh, and joyous new ballet based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
There is plenty of comedy this season with monthly comedy clubs as well as Mark Watson’s show This Can’t Be It (12 June) after its postponement in January. Kiri Pritchard-McLean brings her tour Home Truths (30 Oct) as she returns home to Anglesey talking about all things from rescue chickens to learning Welsh.
This summer sees the return of Family Arts Festival (29-31 July) the weekend will be jam packed with boredom busting events, activities, workshops and shows all at low cost. Keep your eyes peeled on social media for more details. If you can’t wait for that, come along to Julia Donaldson’s much loved children’s story The Gruffalo (13-15 May) full of songs, laughter and monstrous fun, also join Twirlywoos Live! (20-21 May) for an adventure in their big red boat.
With music from Dionne Bennett and the Royal Welsh College in their performance Blue Summer (22 June) and Rush Theatre presenting The King of Reggae (1 May) there is something for everyone and there will more classical music concerts to be announced on the 8 May.
Theatr Clwyd welcomes back the following community performers to the venue, Jaxx Martine’s Popstarz Academy (26 June), Footsteps Dance (28-29 June), Shirley School of Dancing (1-2 July), Clint & Nikki Theatre (4-9 July), Whitton Morris School of Dance (14-16 July) and Elsberdance (21-23 July) and Elite School of Dance (25-27 July).
Theatr Clwyd Members enjoy priority booking until the 22 March when all events will be on sale for the public. To book these and many more please visit Theatr Clwyd’s website www.theatrclwyd.com or by calling 01352 344101. If you would like to become a member or to learn more about exclusive membership benefits, please visit www.theatrclwyd.com/give/membership
I’ve been slow to return to our BBC National Orchestra after restrictions have lifted. For me, they remained a large part of my concert going in Cardiff, with many dates in the cultural calendar.
Finally back to seeing them, a concert of Grace Williams and Mahler would dominate an evening. Born in Barry, Williams is evocative in her Sea Sketches, a vision of the Welsh coast during her exile in London in WWII. They give off a clear British feel, Benjamin Britten would trump this mood with his opera Peter Grimes a year later. Written for just string orchestra, it finds a way to depict the sea through scales and a tense underlay of notes. The chippy Sailing Song lifts the air and Breakers impresses, with he final movement Calm Sea in Summer being the most celebrated extract. More of Williams in the canon could only be a good thing.
The German conductor Christoph König is in demand internationally. It was in the 5th Symphony by Mahler that he really got to show off, bringing these stalwart players to attention. I might be sad to say that some moments in the brass were a little off, yet for a work which is about 70 minutes long, we can let that go. Also live on Radio Cymru, this large Cardiff audience lapped up this grand picture that the infusion from he Austrian composer. Some highly intense moments with the percussion and brass add to this sound world, the famous Adagietto a soft and somber ten minutes, a must needed rest bite from the dower thoughts and irony.
I’ll confess this work is over played, been forgotten by major orchestra for the some decades. BBC NOW have embraced the piece, with most of his other symphonic works along the way. My heart yearns for the lesser heard things, the 2nd and 3rd Symphonies are extremely powerful examples. The visions of the Alps, forrest, waltzes, misery and the universe are never far away from Mahler, the 5th having some of the finest examples. The composer went through a lot in life and at this time I’m thinking of my own heart break, loss and health conditions.
We hope the orchestra will continue with a more adventurous programme, something they were well regarded for in the past.
The ‘WOW’ Festival ‘2022’ kicked off with a BANG!!! from the 11th to the 13th of March there was an abundance of talks, shows & presentations to explore! With it being my FIRST ‘WOW’ experience – I was eager to attend every event kicking off. ‘WOW’ had a profound effect on me and from what I saw; I know I speak on behalf of the thousands of attendees present. And here’s why!
Several amazing female entrepreneurs promoted their jewellery, self-care to skin care & home-made jams, spreads & beauty products from their stands. It was sensational to witness a sea of courageous woman in the open market area promoting their individual businesses, charities, campaigns & organisations. Passionately inspiring, encouraging & truly owning their craft which impacted women of all ages to feel empowered & gain self-confidence which additionally gave ‘WOW’ a distinctive atmosphere and contagious energy.
The ‘WOW’ (women of the world festival) is an annual arts and science festival based in London. There are 42 WOW festivals in 23 countries that celebrates the achievements of women and girls. ‘WOW’ is a feminist global movement that was founded by a motivational women named Jude Kelly in 2010, whom I was fortunate to meet.
Jude Kelly alongside the national and international speakers expanded on the phenomena of enabling all females to thrive against the limitations of the patriarchy, discrimination, inequality, sexism, racism, etc. As well as the objectives & significance of dismantling the narrative of white supremacy & building on the continuation of strong nation building to give rise to women from all over the globe majestically sharing values & beliefs in sisterhood, unity, empathy, support in political, mental & emotional battles affecting black women, trans-women, Islamic women & non binary.
There were performances from huge talents like artists Baby Sol & Laura Mvula, alongside unique musicians. I was fortunate to have watched a play called ‘Maryland’ which is only 20 minutes long, but was extremely intense, potent and well executed. The message touched on the policing system, corruption & the vulnerability of all female victims globally let down by state. During the Q & A after the play ‘Maryland’ it was nice to know the script is being used in schools, especially in drama classes to help raise awareness and allow space for influential and educational purposes for young individuals to learn mindfully.
The thousands of people who attended ‘WOW’ had travelled across the globe to be present for the ‘WOW’ festival. I was grateful to speak with individuals who’d travelled from Bangladesh, Norwich, Birmingham, Essex, Greece & many more cities and foreign countries. The line-up of each feature artist such as the influential activists, poets and award winning authors that are extremely rare to see in person, were happy to meet, talk, bond and beautifully connect with other like-minded individuals such as Candice Brathwaite, Bridget Christie, Patrisse Cullors, Elizabeth Day, Bernardine Evaristo, Deborah Frances-White, Natalie Haynes, Jude Kelly, Marian Keyes, Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan, Warsan Shire, Pandora Sykes, Lisa Taddeo, Grace Victory and lastly Angela Davis – who’d joined virtually as she couldn’t be with us in person.
‘WOW’ encourages everyone regardless of their gender to join their change markers program – how could I not join!? The organisers team efforts were efficient, ensuring that they delivered to satisfy all attendees. Wow is an experience to remember whether it’s your first WOW experience or Tenth! The festival is Impactful, educational & inspirational worldwide! I look forward to seeing what WOW 2023 has in store!
The first thing to say is that nobody dies. Yet that is hardly a ringing endorsement of the working practices on show in Life and Death in the Warehouse. The BBC Cymru drama lays bare the secret world of online distribution centres. And for anyone used to the quick and easy clicks of internet shopping, this is a must-see to make you think twice before placing your next order with Amazon. It makes for hard-hitting and eye-opening television. This is the worst of consumer capitalism.
Megan (Aimee-Ffion Edwards) has been accepted on a fast-track graduate scheme at her local centre. Becoming a trainee manager, she is tasked with ensuring that her team of workers keep up to speed with their daily ‘pick rate’. She is required to monitor their movements constantly via CCTV, praising those who exceed the target and calling out the ones who fall behind. Childhood friend Alys (Poppy-Lee Friar) becomes one of the latter when she confines in Megan that she is pregnant. Instead of receiving assistance and the appropriate support however, Alys is subjected to a ‘personal enhancement plan’ that remains fixated on the numbers at the expense of her health and wellbeing. It is hard to believe that companies operating in 21st Century Britain would treat workers in this way. Yet as it declares from the outset, “This film is inspired by hundreds of real stories”. To say it is shocking then is an understatement.
Director Joseph Bullman ensures that there are plenty of close-ups, with the majority of shots trained on the faces of the actors to capture the intensity, pressure and emotional strain that their characters are under. It means that their environment is pushed right up against the screen. There is no getting away from it. We become embroiled in the ideology of this high-performance workplace, not only witnessing its effect on Megan and Alys but being subjected to it in some way ourselves such is the visceral nature of the storytelling. Edwards brings an incredible vulnerability to her role. She is at once very different from her infamous turn as Esme Shelby in Peaky Blinders. Yet in spite of her obvious nerves and eagerness to please, there is something of the steeliness of that character that seeps in as the drama progresses. It becomes a negative force in this instance however, used to block out a compassionate and caring side to Megan in keeping with the ‘customer-fixated’ culture that she finds herself trapped in. Friar, for her part, puts in a noteworthy performance as one who experiences the most extreme impact of that culture. The gradual decline in Alys’s physical ability to undertake the tasks at hand, and the increasing level of stress she finds herself under, is acutely felt, in part due to Friar’s concentrated effort to keep her character’s emotions in check against a backdrop of sustained bombardment under which the exhaustion, tears and pain slowly to show.
In a sense, both of these characters are subject to the injustices of a system that exploits, dehumanises, and almost kills them. The obsession with media PR over and above medical concern for an employee is but one unbelievable instance that breeds anger in the heart of the viewer. To understand this as reality takes some coming-to-terms-with, not least in the face of the preposterous responses of the management team. Yet Craig Parkinson (Danny) and Kimberley Nixon (Donna) play their roles with such deliberate ease that the manipulation and false empathy emanating from their characters’ intentions becomes entirely plausible. It makes one very aware of the insidious nature of language; and how it can creep unsuspectingly into relationships.
Life and Death in the Warehouse brings us the best in factual drama. It shines a daring light onto the unseen but now-necessary world of warehouse workers who are at the coalface of our online purchasing habits. It finds the companies who ‘employ’ them, “Some… you will know, others you won’t have heard of”, seriously wanting. Bullman directs in the same unrelenting way as he did with its predecessor, The Left Behind. Meanwhile, Aimee-Ffion Edwards and Poppy Lee Friar lead a superb majority-Welsh cast in depicting the dark side to our unrelenting consumerism. It should make us pause a moment and take note. It should even make us turn to look for something better. It shows that the rights fought so hard for in the past are in danger of so easily slipping away.
Percussion. Perhaps my favourite instruments and part of the orchestra. With students from the Royal Welsh College, dubbed Taro, they presented an exhilarating bend of music for the sleepy lunchtime slot at St David’s Hall.
Steve Reich is the grand old master of the minimalists, some might feel his looping effects make for a one trick pony. His ideas have not processed a lot of over the decades. Through this, the music is always delightful and unique. The musicians here started off with the first movement of his Mallet Quartet, which features a smashing melodic line, the sheen of marimbas creating a landscape of joy. With his Six Marimbas, we got the same themes and little variations. Turns out the students have this piece as their music exam the day after the concert.
Though they might lack the machine like drill of Colin Currie and his ensemble, they impress, this never being easy music to take lightly. Focus and endurance are the name of the game… Ivan Trevino and his 2+1 continued a minimalist exercises, in a piece feeling quite sincere and formulated. The stand out piece of the concert has to go to Trio Per Uni by Nebosha Zivkovitch. With three of the players sharing a bass drum and a smattering of bongos and metallic bowls. Inspired by the pounding nature of Japanese Taiko drumming, this alumni composer has written a piece that should see a fair amount of popularity, such is its appeal. I found it stirring and easily accessable, the slamming wall of sound never ending, with the occasional shout from the three guys playing. Sensational.
A light, bright Ravel arrangement of his Alborada del Gracioso followed by Safri Duo. I’ll take or leave this French composer, who usually relied on a lot of pith in his musical output. With a shared marimba for two players, the piano work gets even more silly, with the flurry of high notes and as an adolescent guide to daydreaming. Nice stuff, if a little saccharine. A first year student at RWC, Elaina Charalambous and her Kinesthetic had a lovely feel to it. The plodding bars for ten percussionists had sometimes absurd moments of tutti, really giving the work a wink and a whistle to the listener. Certainly another young composer of note.
Creating opportunities for a diverse range of people to experience and respond to sport, arts, culture and live events. / Lleisiau amrywiol o Gymru yn ymateb i'r celfyddydau a digwyddiadau byw
(4 / 5)
(3 / 5)
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