Treske Quartet after their performance for NADSA Concerts with David Austin and Mary White representing Austins Department Store sponsor of the concert
The Treske Quartet promised a very interesting programme for last Sunday’s Nadsa concert: a piece by Andrew Norman, a living composer, a piece by Benjamin Britten, another by Beethoven and one by Purcell [but arranged by Britten]. Their mission to push musical boundaries was put into practice.
First we heard Beethoven’s Quartet No 10 in E flat Op 74 ‘the harp’. The familiar style of music was beautifully delivered from the tender entrance, through rich tones with vibrancy to breathtaking pianissimos, and the Presto was gusto with edge. This opening work was a delightful confidence building exercise; where these young musicians would lead, I would willingly follow.
And indeed the audience had been well prepared for the next piece. Robert Wheatley, cellist, had said that some of Beethoven’s works, in their time, were considered unplayable, so inferring we should be open to modern works.
Andrew Norman’s Peculiar Strokes did prove to be something completely different. Mercifully it was not greeted, like Schoenberg’s Vienna ‘scandal concert’ in 1913, with a riot; more the atmosphere was of fascination and intrigue. The series of short episodes are designed to illustrate different bow actions and their resulting sounds. As a non string player myself, I learnt a lot; but were the episodes works of art? For me, yes. That question is now seldom asked of Chopin’s Etudes.
Next we could wallow in the familiar musical landscape of Purcell’s Chacony in the key of G minor. We could still recognise the element of a stately dance in Britten’s arrangement for string quartet.
Abigail Hammett, violist, reminded us about links between Purcell and Britten. She told us how emotionally moved Britten had been by performing to concentration camp survivors with Yehudi Menuhin in July 1945. The work we were to hear, premiered in November 1945, adopted Purcell’s description ‘Chacony’ for the third movement – the very emotional heart of the piece.
Britten’s Quartet No 2 in C, Op 36 was not just a visceral experience, it was a chance for all members of the quartet to shine, and shine they did. I find it difficult to recall when I have been individually captivated by all four members of a quartet. Britten’s composition may have been responsible for the opportunity, but each individual performer can take credit for superb artistry. Conversely, particularly when playing in unison, the sound produced was unusually uniform. Is it just fanciful to suggest that all their instruments being made from the same tree is responsible? Wherever the causation is attributed, the effect was memorable
This concert was not only enjoyable but introduced us to novelty and at times taxed our emotions. Three cheers for Treske Quartet for giving us this opportunity to experience such works and performing them with such artistic conviction in Newton Abbot.
This concert was sponsored by Austins Department Store
NADSA Concert, Sunday 17th November 3.30pm at The Courtenay Centre, Newton Abbot.
JRC
Kristian Lindberg after his performance for NADSA Concerts with sponsor of the concert Penelope Stinton
Kristian Lindberg’s concert for NADSA programmed 5 well known and familiar composers who span very different musical styles. However Kristian’s performance took us well beyond the familiar, - it was outstanding.
His rendition of Handel’s Chaconne in G had ringing baroque ornamentation, and yes, it had the life of a dance: stately and reserved at times. His even touch was befitting music composed for the harpsichord.
Kristian told us how we would be hearing music from different bygone eras. Some would be ‘new’; well we call 100 year old music ‘new’. He also, with reverence, related how Bach was fascinated by other composers’ styles, and he speculated as to how wide his scope of interest would be in modern-day music: Hip-Hop maybe?
Bach’s English Suite No2 in A minor was to follow, English by name but French by nature. The Suite is a collection of 7 dances: some were lively, some meandering and there was a stately sarabande. All were performed with an even, moderate touch and minimal pedalling. This allowed the intricacies of the composition to be clear, as would have been the case with a harpsichord.
It was so refreshing, during the performances of both these baroque pieces, to have forgotten how virtuosic they are. We could just wallow in lush ornamentation and compulsively fascinating patterns. Surely we were experiencing the highest level of artistic performance.
The audience was amused by Kristian, presumably forgetting he was no longer in Norway, starting to tell us about Mozart, in Norwegian. Mozart’s Sonata No 10 in C, took us into the classical style of elegance and lyrical harmonies. The sensitivity of a piano, for which this was written, brought a new dimension to volume and phrasing, and Kristian illustrated this admirably. It was as though he were playing a different instrument, and beautifully at that! There was elegance of phrasing and discrete ornamentation; we even had glimpses of Mozart’s impish playfulness. But though there were fun and sparkles, it is the singing serenity in the Andante and hushed pianissimos that stay with me.
Ravel’s ‘Valses nobles et sentimentales’ threw us headlong into the early 20th century with impressionism in the visual arts and whatever one labels experimentation in music. At its Parisian premier, this work had been greeted with boos and catcalls: no such reaction from a Nadsa audience. From the startling opening bars we were taken on a gripping journey of contrasting moods. Between bursts of energy and dissonances we had subdued introspection and flowing ripples. It was as through Ravel was playing with our senses, and Kristian, with his sumptuous phrasing, use of rubato and silences, was masterful.
With Rachmaninov programmed, many of us immediately have thoughts of Brief Encounter and the second piano concerto; however his Sonata No 2 in B flat minor is different and less well known. It lacks the sustained haunting melody lines, but is packed with unmistakably Rachmaninov harmonies and surging romanticism. So, even though the first version of this was written, in Russia, shortly after Ravel’s ‘Valses’, the style is romantic, albeit with some unusual harmonies. Rachmaninov produced a revised version in the USA almost 30 years later, however, like several renowned pianists before him, Kristian played his own version. With its violent drama and wistful interludes it was heart-rending: a direct emotional experience.
Rapturous applause and a standing ovation from the capacity audience followed Kristian’s dramatic conclusion. As an encore he played Grieg’s March of the Trolls, something of a light relief. However, a member of the audience, on exiting, commented she was emotionally drained!
I am sure this concert will be remembered as a high point on people’s calendar.
This concert was sponsored by Nadsa member Penelope Stinton
NADSA Concert, Sunday 20th October 3.30pm at The Courtenay Centre, Newton Abbot.
JRC
Musical fireworks had been flagged up for this piano concert. The reality was an even greater wealth of experience for the 100+ audience drawn from a radius of over 60 miles.
London based Dina made a glittering entrance and promptly launched into a piece of music not often heard in public performances, - because it is so difficult. No one, without considerable musical knowledge, would have guessed. Schumann was probably inspired by Paganini to write this Toccata; the result in Dina’s hands sounded orchestral and just flowed.
Dina’s rapport with the audience was immediate, relating how Martha Argerich had been asked how she ‘warmed up’ for a concert and had replied ‘That’s it’ [the Toccata!]. She also related her unusual experience at her first appearance in Newton Abbot. She was accompanying a violinist whose string broke, and she was left stranded on stage. How inclusive we felt that NADSA concerts get talked about in the London professional music circuit.
A casual aside to the audience was ‘Another set of variations,- I like variations’: and indeed we had variations in one guise or another from Beethoven, Bach, Schuman and debatably Liszt. One can see why Dina likes variations: they present opportunities galore to weave subtleties into a familiar fabric. Faced with 32 variations from Beethoven alone I had wondered whether I might succumb to counting them off. No such thought crossed my mind as I was fascinated by the wealth of diversity in composition and delivery, and appreciated the pauses between variations.
Another dimension of diversity was the inclusion of Chopin and Saint-Saens. After such virtuosity, Chopin’s Nocturne in F Op15/1, was a complete contrast. The serenity of the first simplistic theme was heart-melting. The thunderous second theme soon abated and we were returned to peace. For me, Chopin is the touchstone for a pianist: can they reach my heart? Well obviously Dina did, but how she managed to get to the boundaries of sentimentality, without gilding the lily, is a rare talent. And when she played Nocturn in E flat Op 9/2 my respect and admiration just grew. This is surely one of Chopin’s most familiar pieces and hackneyed renditions abound, however Dina’s tempo was possibly slightly upped giving it a sparkle of new life. Saint-Saens’ Mazurkas are less well known than Chopin’s and it was wonderful to hear two of his. Watching, as well as listening, the light-hearted spirit of dance was truly with us.
The Bach-Busoni Chaconne variations should have a particular mention for here we had huge contrast of touch and style: Bach might have been amazed and Busoni delighted.
Dina said that Chopin’s Fantaisie-Impromptu in C sharp minor was supposed to be our encore, but she would ‘think of something else’. This Impromptu is very familiar and hugely emotive for me; such a treat to hear it played so beautifully with all the grace, flow and sparkle it deserves.
Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No 12 provided a suitably flamboyant finale to this programme. Of course there was an encore and Dina thought it appropriate to play again what she had used in 2016 at NADSA as an impromptu fill-in whilst the violinist replaced a string. This ‘Legend of the Dombra’ by Nagym Mendygaliev won the hearts of the audience then, but our hearts had been won much earlier in the concert.
One was left in awe after this concert. With Dina’s undoubted technical ability, engaging personality and refreshing lack of affectation, she really ‘has it all’. To quote another member of the audience ‘I am absolutely brimming over with the brilliance and breathtaking musicality of Dina’s playing’.
Dina returns to NADSA on 19th February with Clarinetist Peter Cigleris: our great good fortune!
NADSA Concert, Sunday 15th January 3.00pm at The Courtenay Centre, Newton Abbot.
JRC 2023
It was one of those occasions where a last minute substitution proved to be a glorious success. Daniele Rinaldo stood in for the indisposed pianist Kristian Lindberg at nadsa Concerts last Friday. The programme changed from popular works to an eclectic mix, - and, wow, how Daniele breathed life into his repertoire.
To start with Janacek’s ‘In the Mists’ was bold programming. We were immediately enveloped in the cloak of mystery and foreboding, then shafts of light, turmoil and rage. Abrupt changes of tempo and time signature were embodied as the jolts in a troubled mind that often returned to melancholic themes. This was Janacek sharing his troubled mind via a superb interpreter.
In 1912, just before he had written ‘In the Mists’, Janacek had heard Debussy’s ‘Reflects dans l’eau’, and it is highly probable that he found the experience inspirationally liberating. On hearing Daniele’s performance of the first of Debussy’s ‘Images:Book 1’, it would have been difficult not to have thoughts of water, ripples and light. Debussy’s ‘Hommage a Rameau’ was a complete contrast; this had solidity as well as melodic interest. The third of Debussy’s Images ‘Mouvement’ was, to my mind, inspired by train travel, the speed of which had taken the 19th century by storm; surely Debussy had not been immune to its thrill. Once that image was in my mind it stayed there.
And then for something almost completely different: Liszt’s transcription of the ‘Miserere’ from Verdi’s opera ‘Il Trovatore’. With the combination of Liszt and Verdi, one surely can only expect an extravaganza of emotional romanticism, and that we got aplenty!
Two of Debussy’s12 Etudes were Daniele’s next offering. ‘Pour les agrements’ was a musical kaleidoscope with Daniele’s delivery and presence carrying us through the pauses between baubles and filigree. There was such variety and fun, - and from an etude: music designed to improve technical skills. Next came the long legato ribbons of ‘Pour les tierces’ which rather surprisingly lead to a triumphant conclusion.
Schumann’s ‘Kreisleriana’ is often referred to as his finest work for the piano. It was written for Clara, his wife-to-be, but before he had permission to marry. Schumann was probably bipolar, and being aware of this he has incorporated his mood swings into this work. The result is a phenomenally rich patchwork in which I, at times, felt we were privy to a conversation between Schumann’s alternative characters of Florestan and Eusebius. From frantic turmoil through contemplative calm to serenely emerging melodies, somehow Daniele was the embodiment of this work; his heart and soul were in it. Yes there was also light hearted vivacity and certainly drama in the final movement; but ending a concert with a triple pianissimo demonstrated the level of Daniele’s total conviction.
After the pent-up applause had broken out, we enjoyed his encore: Carlos Guastavino’s ‘Bailecito’. How well chosen, after an evening of intensity, to be left with an Argentinian Latin lilt. I hope it won’t be too long before NADSA can get Daniele Rinaldo back in Newton Abbot.
nadsa Concert, Friday 21st October 7.30pm at The Courtenay Centre, Newton Abbot.
JRC
Covid 19 nearly inflicted a fatal blow to Onyx Brass’ Nadsa concert last Friday; both their trumpeters tested positive the day before. Amos Miller [Onyx trombone] told us that luckily we had distinguished trumpeter replacements from Fines Arts and London Brass. However, a two hour delay on the M5 meant we only got a performance by the skin of our teeth, with remarkably few programme changes: we lost Tallis and gained Oystein Baadsvik.
After Rameau’s Entree de Polymnie and Brahms’ Ballade opus 118, David Gordon-Shute [Onyx tuba] told us that Onyx Brass were approaching their 30th anniversary, and thus our programme was something of a ‘best-of’ mix and match. Indeed the eclectic mix spanned 4 centuries.
A four piece selection from Schumann’s Kinderszenen gave variety, ending with the so well known Träumerei [Dreaming].
Amos said that, over the years, Onyx found they often came ‘back to Bach’. He elaborated regarding the link between the two A flat major Fugues they had programmed, one by Bach, the other by Shostakovich: two composer names I would rarely think of in the same breath.
David related how he had been inspired to research fanfares with Onyx’s horn player Andrew Sutton. This led to their discovering, publishing and recording Imogen Holst’s Leiston Suite. We heard the five movements range from a jig, an andante, a contemplative and wistful mood to a jolly folk-dance inspired finale; the entrance of course is a bright fanfare.
Familiar melodies and forms being played by unfamiliar instruments was fascinating. Bach on brass was particularly memorable. I found the fugue form much easier to follow with the very different timbres of the instruments.
This was a concert of two halves. After the interval, Maynard’s Fanfare burst upon us with majestic proportions. Following it was a delightful mixture of virtuosity and fun: David performing Øystein Baadsvik’s Fnugg solo for tuba. What a surprising mixture of notes and noises this combination produced. Our next delight was a spirited opening of Malcolm Arnold’s Brass quintet No 1. How good to feel gripped by intensity, even through the curiously named dour chaconne, to the finale which generously had solo lines for each instrument. Here syncopation and style took us to a thrilling close.
We audience were caught unawares by the next item [in three parts] devised by Tim Jackson. It was vocals, not brass. The first was a poem ‘Me’ consisting of interjections of ‘me’ in various rhythms and tones of voice, the second a visual pose of gazing, or listening, or whence came that silence, the third, inspired by Carol Ann Duffy’s ‘Mrs Darwin’, had Onyx vocalising as chimps.
Then they played one of their commissions: Mark Nightingale’s ‘Song for Rosie’. Jazz of a kind, it is a beautifully blended mix of harmonies and melodies. A credit to both composer and performers.
Onyx Brass brought their programme to a close with Gershwin: ‘The man I love’ and ‘They can’t take that away from me’. Immediately I pictured Ella Fitzgerald. Then I was transported to a smoky club with its exotic dancer before the tempo changed to a foot-tapping jazzy conclusion.
The value of a live performance has scarcely ever been more apparent to me. We moved from the interesting to the captivating and inspiring. Newton Abbot is lucky indeed to have such quality acts in its midst.
NADSA Concert, Friday 18th March 7.30pm at The Courtenay Centre, Newton Abbot.
JRC
Hatstand Opera
Hatstand blew away myths at Newton Abbot’s Courtenay Centre last Sunday. If one had expected a heavy dose of highbrow, one would have been very much mistaken. Kirsty Young and Toni Nunn launched the proceedings in sumptuous costumes for their duet from Nicolai’s ‘Merry Wives of Windsor’: they threw themselves into the humorous Falstaffian drama. Jollity was further fuelled by Kirsty’s introductions and synopses between every item on the programme. Engaging, informative and humorous they were; but they also integrated costume changes from the on-stage hatstand.
If we had needed any further explanation of the various opera plots, communication was eased by English being the main language of the afternoon. Our ears, though, were sharpened by some German, and soothed by the rounder vowels of French in Jochem van Ast’s rendering of the Drinking Song from Thomas’ Hamlet.
With delight, deceit and dalliance being the stock in trade of many an opera, we heard Olga’s aria from Eugene Onegin, excerpts from The Marriage of Figaro and Carmen, and the duet from Don Giovanni. It was no mean feat, therefore, for Toni to change the mood with her performance of an aria from Catalani’s La Wally. From soubrette to dramatic tragic heroine in a few minutes was amazing.
It takes something to upstage Gilbert and Sullivan, but manage it Kirsty and Toni did! Their ‘Death to the Invader’, complete with sword and spear, had to be seen to be believed. After yet more frivolity, it was Toni who let us soar and wallow in ‘My Beloved’ from Kismet’s version of Borodin. But no chance to linger there, as Kirsty then took us to Scandinavia with her song pastiche of Grieg via an ageing health-aware Mrs Gynt.
I’m not detailing everything that Hatstand performed; there was so much variety. As we neared the end of their programme, Kirsty acknowledged the pianist Jeremy Fisher and left him onstage to play his solo. Jeremy then confided to us, in song, that he wanted “to sing in opera” Wagner and Puccini. What followed was his hilarious accompanied verse sung consistently out of tune – technically very difficult – followed by snippets of voice that demonstrated yet more skills of superb tone and pitch control.
The concert concluded with Bernstein’s ‘Life is Happiness Indeed’ from Candide and an encore of the ‘Champagne Song’ from Die Fledermaus.
Kirsty could well be a stand-up comic, and all four Hatstand performers had stage-presence that many an actor would die for. The audience had a truly memorable afternoon.
NADSA Concert, Sunday 20th February3.00pm at The Courtenay Centre, Newton Abbot.
JRC
2022