Cathedral Crypt ambience captured by Chamber Choir: review

Second-year International Business student Matthew Bamford reviews last week’s Crypt Concert.
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The crypt of Canterbury Cathedral is an incredibly special and unique performance space. This intimate venue was host to the University of Kent Chamber Choir, conducted by Dan Harding and Steph Richardson.

The aim of the concert was to explore a whole day from the rise of the sun right the way through until midnight. Using a blend of sacred and secular pieces the programme consisted of madrigals, part-songs, motets and two pieces for solo piano.

Image credit: Robert Berry

From the first words of the plainsong Salve festa dies, I knew that I was in for a very enjoyable evening.  This set the mood for the first section of the concert. Eric Barnum’s Dawn followed; the beginning of the piece using an incredibly simple harmonic structure. However at the end of the piece there was an interesting section where each of the sopranos sang an individual note of the scale. The composer’s idea here was to ‘create a golden light’. I think it is fair to say that this was most definitely captured.

My next highlight was the solo piano piece Un Sospiro. One of Liszt’z concert studies was expertly handled by second year music scholar Susan Li. The piece was received with rapturous applause after Li really brought out the richness of the piece.

Pianist Susan Li in rehearsal

As the day began to draw to a close, there was time for some playful madrigal singing before bed. Tutto lo di, a lively and fun piece written by Orlando di Lassus was intelligently sung by the choir. Despite the choir wanting to ‘play all day’, the long day did have to draw to a close with a beautiful rendition of this piece by Sullivan, conducted by Steph Richardson.

After twenty minutes in which  to dwell on the first half, carrying a zebra print handbag (thanks Sophie!), the second half opened with the beautiful Sleep, Wayward Thoughts. The mood of the concert then headed to a more relaxed state as we heard In Stiller Nacht by Brahms. Sung in German, this piece focused on exploring the timelessness of night. This was captured well by the rhythmic sense of the choir and really was a very relaxing piece.

We were treated to another lovely piano solo, Chopin’s Nocturne in F Minor,’again received by the audience with excellent applause.

The concert ended with Eric Whitacre’s Sleep, which really is full of colour. This contemporary piece was delivered to an outstanding standard which left the audience wanted more (although I’m sure nobody was expecting the encore!).

We all thought it was over, until we had the pleasure of Harding’s arrangement of ‘Moondance’ by the legend that is Van Morrison. A completely contrasting piece to hear in the context of the rest of the programme, although everybody thoroughly enjoyed it and if like me, carried on singing it for the whole weekend.

Thank you to Dan Harding, Steph Richardson, Susan Li and The University Chamber Choir for a fantastic Friday evening; I’m looking forward to the next concert on March 30th.

One more Moondance...Image credit: Robert Berry

Happy birthday, Gioachino!

The Director of Music writes:

We should all go round whistling something from William Tell or the Barber of Seville today, as it’s Giaochino Rossini’s birthday.

As far as I know, he is the only composer to have been born on 29 February. Not counting all the ‘substitute’ birthdays on February 28, how many birthdays would he have celebrated – or, how old would he have been today ?

On a Haydn to nothing with the cellos ?

As the cellists know, it’s green-light for this weekend’s all-day rehearsal on Haydn’s The Creation  with the Choir and Orchestra ahead of the Cathedral Concert a week on Saturday.

No strings attached

Sunday will see the combined forces gather in Eliot Hall to rehearse together for the first time, in preparation for the concert; next week sees a particularly busy time for the University’s musicians, with rehearsals on Monday, Thursday and Friday; not to mention the rehearsal in the Cathedral itself on the morning of the day.

Details of the concert on our online diary here. It should prove to be a memorable occasion…

 

Still young at forty: the Brodsky Quartet celebrates at the Wigmore Hall

For anyone who can’t wait until March 23 to hear the Brodsky Quartet when it comes to the Gulbenkian Theatre, news just lands on my desk of their fortieth anniversary concert at the Wigmore Hall in a few weeks’ time, on Sunday 11 March.

In an intriguing programme, the Quartet will present their own arrangement of Ravel’s Blues, the third movement of a work originally falling as part of Ravel’s Sonata for Violin and Piano. Post-war American jazz was rife in Paris in the ‘twenties, and the second movement of Ravel’s chamber sonata revels in added-notes, ‘blue’ notes and jazz-inflected rhythms.

The programme also includes Schubert’s enigmatic Quartettsatz, Puccini’s Cristantemi, Wolf’s sunlit Italian Serenade, whilst the second half continues the French theme, given over to Debussy’s majestic String Quartet.

Young at forty: the Brodsky Quartet

The concert also marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Quartet’s Wigmore Hall début, and shows that, at forty years old, the Quartet retains all the vigour and dynamism of its youth and its unique approach to programming. Expect a concert delivered with verve and panache, although there’s no mention about cake and candles. As yet…

Further details and tickets online here.

(Preview excerpts via LastFM).

New music building: latest images

New photographs from last Friday’s site visit, where construction on our new Colyer-Fergusson music building is progressing apace.

Views now of the corridor of practice rooms on the ground floor, and the developing reception foyer and social space as visitors walk in the entrance.

Corridor of ground-floor practice rooms
Reception foyer, looking towards stairs to first floor

There’s also a photo of the new band rehearsal room: see all the new photos online by clicking the album below.

Images

Scholars Spotlight: Tim Pickering

A new feature, profiling this year’s new crop of University Music Scholars: this week, saxophonist Tim Pickering.

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My name is Tim Pickering and I come from Littlehampton in West Sussex, and I am studying for a BSc in Forensic Chemistry. I studied at the Littlehampton Community School, and then took A-Levels at the 6th Form there (although for some reason, not in music!) I have been playing the alto saxophone eleven years, and have recently picked up the tenor saxophone as my primary instrument. I hold ABRSM Grade 7 on Alto Sax, and I am currently working towards Grade 8 on the Tenor.

I have played with many different groups and set ups – from quintets,  pop bands and the local ‘Littlehampton Concert Band’ through to a seventeen-piece big band I assembled with the help of a few friends.

My school never really had a great music department; in fact when I joined, the ‘orchestra’ consisted of myself on alto sax, a flute and two violins! It did improve gradually, and one of the music teachers Steve Winter (a veteran himself of the UKC Big Band and Concert Band) got a small jazz group off the ground, which was great as it got some musicians in the music department some much-needed gigs! Although when the new head of music arrived in my second year, classical music lost the emphasis and steel pans became all the rage (much to the other musicians’ disgust!). Our school wasn’t involved in the county music side of things either, so this meant if I wanted playing opportunities in larger groups, I had to create them myself!

I am currently working on putting together and rehearsing a quintet here at Canterbury, with the aim of tackling styles from straight ahead jazz to rhythm and blues, and maybe even some classic rock ‘n’ roll. I’m looking forward to hopefully performing at some of the Jazz @5 sessions , and generally what music here brings for me! I am also playing first Tenor Sax in the Concert Band and Big Band. However, I still would like to play more, so if anyone is looking for a sax player for their band…

I feel I have been very privileged in being picked as a music scholar here at Canterbury, and the musical side of life is fantastic – in fact it was the music department that really swayed my decision to apply here! To go from playing in small jazz quintets and the very occasional Big-Band get together, to rehearsing solidly once a week with decent gigs booked is an exciting change for me! I really want to use my time at university to push myself to be the best sax player I can possibly be, and I hope with the scholarship and the help of my teacher Peter Cook, I hope I can continue to progress.

Exploring a single day: Chamber Choir Crypt concert next week

Still reeling from the vibrancy of last week’s Gulbenkian gig with the Concert and Big Bands, thoughts turn to a more contemplative state for the Chamber Choir concert next week.

From Morn to MidnightOn Friday 24 February, the Chamber Choir will present From Morn to Midnight, an evocative programme exploring the differing colours in a single day. In a blend of sacred and secular pieces, and including works for solo piano by Chopin and Liszt, the programme moves from Eric Barnum’s Dawn to Eric Whitacre’s Sleep. There are also works by Vaughan Williams, Saint-Saëns and Brahms, Italian madrigals, Elizabethan part-songs and plainsong.

The journey from the Choir’s first rehearsal to its current final preparations for next week’s performance have been charted over on its blog, Cantus Firmus, where you can read about how the Choir has been exploring the repertoire and developing its sound, as well as important matters such as deciding what to wear and phoning out for pizza. It’s all part of the process…

In the sonorous acoustics of Canterbury Cathedral’s historic Norman Crypt, the Choir will release a multitudinous array of colours, ranging from birdsong in Monteverdi to sunlight in Barnum and the deep colours of Whitacre’s mesmerising masterpiece: it promises to be a memorable occasion.

Further details and ticket details online here.

In rehearsal last Saturday

Big Band and Concert Band will take it Nice ‘n’ Easy next Friday

There’s now just one week to go until the annual roof-raiser at the Gulbenkian with the University Concert and Big Bands, on Friday 10 February.

Kent's First Lady of Jazz: Ruby Mutlow

Starring in the concert will be second-year Music Scholar and jazz singer Ruby Mutlow, who’ll be familiar to those of us who went to the concert this time last year, as well as to those who chilled out at various Jazz @ 5 sessions, and the Big Band Gala in the summer term. Possessing a characterful and wonderfully graceful voice, Ruby will be joining the Big Band for a selection of vocal pieces.

In the first half, amongst other pieces, the Concert Band will explore selections from Wicked,whilst music in the second half from the Big Band will include Duke Ellington.

Conductor Ian Swatman is his usual unflappable self so close to the gig, and he’s looking forward to his usual banter with the audience, perhaps the occasional reference to a certain Northern football club whose fortunes lie close to Ian’s heart, and maybe one or two surprises as well.

The concert starts at 7.30pm, and there’ll be live music in the Gulbenkian Foyer from 6pm with a selection of a cappella vocal groups and instrumental jazz.

Details online here: tickets are disappearing fast!