All posts by Daniel Harding

Head of Music Performance, University of Kent: pianist, accompanist and conductor: jazz enthusiast.
Notes on Music, Now Hear This!

A feast of contemporary music: Sounds New festival starts soon!

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With just over two weeks until Canterbury is bursting with contemporary music, cast your eye over the events listings for this year if you haven’t already done so. The festival celebrates the music of the Baltic, with compositions and performers from countries including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania alongside a veritable banquet of contemporary works by other composers.

The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge will be giving the UK premiere of Arvo Pärt’s Adam’s Lament in a concert in the Cathedral on Friday 27; Pärt is this year’s Guest Composer, and the same concert also features his Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten as well as Britten, Gorecki and Nicholas Maw.

Choral evensong earlier in the afternoon on the same day will include Pärt’s I Am The True Vine and Magnificat, with the Choir of Canterbury Cathedral directed by David Flood. Elsewhere during the festival season, there’s also a conference on Baltic music and musicologies, and papers on the music of Pärt in particular.

The BBC Big Band will be appearing in the Gulbenkian Theatre on Sunday 21 with Duke Ellington’s jazz-wise glance at Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, whilst the New Perspective Ensemble on Friday 27 presents music by Magnus Lindberg and Oliver Knussen. There’s also a premiere by the festival director Paul Max Edlin, and music by Sofia Gubaidulina, Poul Ruders, Ligeti, Sørensen, Nørgård and others. Some of the festival will be broadcast on Radio 3’s ‘Hear and Now’ series, including Glass’s Symphony no.3 for strings and pieces by Terry Riley and Pärt on Thursday 26.

This year marks the launch of Sounds New Poetry, and includes the University’s very own Patricia Debney, Senior Lecture in Creative Writing, in a discussion about the relationship between words and music called ‘Roundtable’ on Tuesday 24 at 6pm.

WIth a host of other events including poetry, workshops, film and talks, there’ll be something for everyone. Full details on the Sounds New website, or click here to download the flyer.

Stimulate your senses…

Now Hear This!

Elegance, a dance and a prayer: Brodskys at the Wigmore Hall

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Brodsky Quartet
The Brodsky Quartet

If anyone missed their last performance here when they visited the University back in February, when they brought a flavour of the exotic to Canterbury – and given the packed Gulbenkian Theatre that night, there might well have been a few who couldn’t get a seat! – then you’ll be pleased to hear the world-renowned Brodsky Quartet is back in action again next month at London’s Wigmore Hall.

The group’s concert  on Friday 3rd June at 7.00pm includes two masterworks of the twentieth-century string quartet repertoire, as well as the chance to hear something slightly off the beaten track. The programme includes Ravel’s lyrically translucent and only String Quartet, Bartok’s mighty String Quartet No. 1, and Turina’s La Oracion del Torero, a little-known Spanish work coloured with the vibrant rhythms and harmonies of Spain.

This concert celebrates the release of the Brodsky Quartet’s new CD, ‘Rhythm and Texture’ (Orchid/Brodsky Records), which also includes a recording of Ravel’s sublime masterpiece.

As regular audiences and fans of the group will know, the Brodskys deliver their concerts with verve, passion, considerable flair and tremendous vitality – their February concert this year saw them in their usual fine form, and this concert is not to be missed!

Tickets can be booked on-line via the Wigmore Hall website here; download your copy of the flyer by clicking here (PDF), and catch up with the Quartet and their blog on their own website here.

Notes on Music

Theory of analysis: Jeeves and Wooster

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I love music analysis. I love understanding how music works: what harmony is being employed, how the tonal scheme is operating across a piece, how a particular effect is created tonally or texturally, or what structural principles are being used.

I am aware, also, though, that analysis isn’t everything: sometimes, an emotional response can’t be reasoned in terms of tonality, of harmony, or of form. Ultimately, perhaps, defining one’s enjoyment of a piece is a question of balance, of perspective: perhaps a true appreciation of music involves some elements of both an analytical understanding as well as a pure visceral reaction.

And when it comes to perspective, P. G. Wodehouse’s marvellous comic creations, Jeeves and Wooster, are the yin and yang: Bertie’s pure enjoyment (unhindered by anything remotely akin to an intellectual understanding – one of his charms), and Jeeves’ clinical knowledge which admits of no emotional response at all  (one of his).

Their exchange about ‘Minnie the Moocher’ epitomises these attitudes, which you can see here.

Priceless.

I suspect there’s a Jeeves and Wooster moment for everything in life…

Be My Guest, Keeping It Real: reviews.

Be My Guest: Matt Bamford reviews the Chamber Choir concert at Wye

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Be My Guest: an occasional series featuring guest post and contributions. This week, first-year International Business and French student Matt Bamford reviews last Friday’s concert by the Chamber Choir.

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The rural village of Wye was the setting for another fantastic concert by the University of Kent Chamber Choir, conducted by the Deputy Director of Music, Dan Harding. The church at Wye is a great building, although we quickly realised that it was also very cold- warmer outside than inside in fact!

The concert aimed to explore the rich and varied music of England, Wales and Scotland and this aim was certainly achieved as the programme travelled from madrigals by Weelkes to a brilliant arrangement of the jazz piece Flowers by Watkiss.

The concert began with the religious version of the English round Perspice Christicola which was the oldest piece that was sung by the choir. The audience were then treated to two pieces of Henry Purcell which were again, excellently delivered.

The piece that stood out for me in the first half and was received with great applause from the rest of the audience was The Gallant Weaver by James Macmillan. The modern piece composed in 1997, based on the 1791 text by Robert Burns, had a very Gaelic feel and the sopranos really did excel. All three soprano parts in the arrangement were all handled very well and this allowed the tranquil mood of the piece to be brought out well.

After a short interval, (and an unsuccessful trip to try and find a glass of wine!) the second half began with the secular lyrics to the same English round that began the concert, Sumer is Icumen in. The second half was full of excellent performances but the last three pieces really did stand out.

Weelkes’ madrigal Hark, All Ye Lovely Saints Above was superbly performed and the contrast in dynamics really stood out. There was a fantastic beat that was defined by the emphasis of certain words and this really added to the madrigal fun!

I have heard many arrangements of Steal Away but there really is something quite incredible about Chilcott’s. It begins with an almost dissonant and uncertain feel but there is a climax in the middle of the piece that was probably the most powerful part of the concert. Again, fantastic dynamic control here from the choir.

The concert certainly ended with a bang, Harding’s arrangement of Cleveland Watkiss’ piece Flowers. The audience really took well to this piece that you would not normally expect to hear in this programme. As I looked around I could see many pensioners almost dancing to the fantastic beat that was held down by the bass section. I must point out here also that there was some brilliant improvised scatting from Steph Richardson.

Congratulations to all on a clever programme that was delivered to a very high standard! I am already excited for June’s concert at St. Vincent’s Church, Littlebourne!

Go ahead and jump!
Jazz Booth, Keeping It Real: reviews.

All that jazz…

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Congratulations to all the performers who brought the term’s jazz-making to a fine conclusion this evening, in the last of the current season of Jazz @ 5 gigs. A packed audience in the Gulbenkian Foyer gave an enthusiastic and supportive reception to all the players, and were clearly enjoying themselves at the end of the day.

An adventurous programme saw a mixture of groove-based tunes mixed with straight-ahead swing and some folk-inflected music: Grover Washington Jnr’s funky Mr Magic and EST’s Good Morning, Suzie Soho sat next to Hallelujah, I Love Him So and The Best Is Yet To Come, whilst Bad Moon Rising and songs by Fairground Attraction added a folky element to the evening.

Some fine performing from Alanya Holder, Steph Richardson and Jo Gray at the microphone, whilst newcomer Marina Ivanova made her Jazz @ 5 debut with great assurety, accompanied by guitarist Martin Lestra.

The regular quintet, led by Dan Harding on piano, saw Will Rathbone (sax), Andrew Kitchin (guitar) and Sophie Meikle changing with Melissa Hicks on bass, backed up by Matt Bardrick on drums. Andrew borrowed a new gadget for the occasion, an effects box, which added new elements to his improvised solos.

Well done to all: a fine way to bring the term’s jazz to a conclusion. Hopefully, there’ll be some more next term: watch this space…

Now Hear This!

Carousel rolls into town!

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The University Music Theatre Society is gearing up for its annual extravaganza, which this year is the enduringly popular Carousel.

All aboard!

The Playhouse, Whitstable, will resound with famous and well-loved show-tunes including ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ ‘June Is Busting Out All Over’ and ‘His Name is Mr. Snow.’

These occasions are always fantastically realised, with sets, direction and performances of a high standard. Rehearsals have been underway for several weeks, and the run of performances will be a fitting finale to all the hard work the students have put in – on top of working towards their degrees!

Music Theatre Society President Lucie Nash reveals that she’s highly excited about the show; “I can’t wait to see how people react to Carousel – it has been such an exciting few months putting it all together and everyone involved has worked incredibly hard. I have an extremely talented cast and I know they’ll do Rodgers & Hammerstein justice. ”

The cast features first-years Richard Simpson playing Billy Bigelow and Dominique Chapman as Julie Jordan.

Performances start on Thursday 31 March, and run until Saturday April 2nd, including a Saturday matinee. Tickets are selling fast: get yours while you can on-line here!

Notes on Music

A busy week ahead…

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It’s still a ridiculously busy time for music at the University as the last three weeks of term draw on: Wednesday sees the Concert and Big Bands teaming up with St. Edmund’s School Big Band in a charity event, as they support the Lady Mayoress’ Charities this year, as written about in the previous post: additionally, on Friday, the University Cecilian Choir and Brass Ensemble perform ‘The Grand Tour,’ a sequence of music and readings celebrating the cultural odyssey around Europe, at St. Paul’s Church, Canterbury; the concert is in aid of St. Paul’s organ restoration fund (as blogged about on the choral blog, Cantus Firmus, here).

Further details about both events in the on-line calendar here.

And then there’s four events next week: more details to come… Keep up!