I’m pleased to say that a review penned by yours truly of Monday’s lunchtime concert by the Eden-Stell Guitar Duo has been published by Bachtrack, the on-line concerts listings website.
Spanish warmth: concert review published on-line
Cuts to the quick: HE funding cuts announced
As reported in The Telegraph last week, a report by Labour into the cuts announced by George Osborne shows that funding cuts are set to hit major universities and Higher Edcuation institutions, in particular those offering only courses in the arts.
In a list that makes grim reading, universities such as Leeds, Manchester and Nottingham Trent are set to suffer massive cuts in public funding, whilst the Royal College of Music, the Royal College of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music, Leeds College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama will receive no public funding at all. Even the hallow’d institutions of Oxford and Cambridge will be hit.
Taking into account the proposed scrapping of caps on tuition fees, what this means overall for the nurturing of the country’s artistic future is uncomfortable to consider…
Be My Guest: Andrew Kitchin reviews the Eden-Stell Guitar Duo
An occasional series featuring guest articles. This week, third-year Mathematics student and guitar Scholar Andrew Kitchin reviews the Eden-Stell lunchtime concert.
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A certain degree of suspense was created by the dimly-lit stage as the concert began, which displayed nothing but two empty chairs and a footst00l. The two performers didn’t disappoint, providing the attentive audience with a varied repertoire ranging from Bach to Rodrigo.
From the outset, the virtuosity of the Mark Eden and Christopher Stell was clear, highlighted by the hauntingly clear trills in Bach’s arrangement of Marcello’s Oboe Concerto, arranged for two guitars by Christopher Stell, and the subtle vibrato displayed in Timothy Bowers’ Fantasy on an Old English Melody.
Between performances, the duo contextualised the repertoire with informative and witty comments, alluding to the history and meaning of the pieces they clearly loved to play.
They also performed two pieces by Mompou, arranged this time by Mark Eden.
The stand-out piece of the concert was the pair’s performance of Rodrigo’s Tonadilla. This devilish dance encapsulates everything that is special about the Spanish guitar repertoire. Swirling runs, aggressive rasgueado strumming and delicate folk melodies, all of which the pair executed magnificently, bringing the performance to a rapturous end.
The concert was a brief, warm, Catalan reprise, from an otherwise wet and windy November day.
Encore! The Music Society Showcase is coming…
The Music Society is preparing to host its first-ever Music Society Showcase and social on Saturday November 20th.
A packed programme includes the University’s Concert and Big Bands, Chamber Choir, Sing!, appearances from Jazz @ 5 stars, and more. The event will be opened by Play It By Ear, the dazzling improvised comedy troupe.
With tickets for the occasion a mere £4 or £1 for standing balcony tickets, plus Mungo’s open for the evening, it promises to be a night of diverse entertainment, with more music for your moolah than you thought possible.
Doors open at 6pm, and the fun starts at 6.45pm.
Tickets on sale now from the Music Society or the Mandela Building: get yours while you can!
To a degree…studying Lady GaGa ?
As reported on The Guardian’s music blog yesterday, it’s now possible to take a degree in… Lady Gaga.
The University of South Carolina is offering a degree entitled ‘Lady Gaga and the Sociology of Fame,’ upon which presumably students can study aspects of the popstar’s persona, her publicity-driven lifestyle, and her impact on popular culture of the twenty-first century.
After all, Lady Gaga was recently voted the ‘most influential artist of 2010’ in Time magazine.
Are there any other artists who might merit their own degree ? Joni Mitchell ? Bob Dylan ? Miles Davis ? Did I mention Joni Mitchell ?
Comments please!
Was It Good For You: Dan Wheeler.
Continuing the series profiling musical alumni of the University of Kent. This week, Dan Wheeler.
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When were you at Kent ?
I was at Kent from 2005-08, although I never quite got around to leaving Canterbury…
What subject did you study ?
Law, although from about the second term onwards you would have thought I was doing a Music degree!
What occupation are you now engaged in ?
The civil service, occasionally making use of my degree!
If music is not your profession, do you participate in any musical experiences now ?
Having never left Canterbury I am still involved in music at the University; singing in the University Chorus whilst also playing tuba and bass guitar in the University Concert and Big Band. I also sing regularly with St Stephen’s church choir (based in the Hales Place area) in weekly services, occasionally covering Evensong services at Canterbury and Rochester Cathedrals.
How were you involved in music whilst at Kent ?
In almost every way possible! I have sung in Chorus and Chamber Choir, played tuba in Concert Band and Orchestra and playing until recently in the Orchestra. In my final year I completed the set by running the Music Society as president.
What did you gain from your University music experience, and has this helped you in any way since leaving Kent ?
Without my University music experience I would not have had the confidence to be where I am today, leaving home and starting a new life in Canterbury. I would not have met all the wonderful people I have come across during my time in numerous rehearsals and made some great friends along the way!
What was your most memorable musical experience at Kent ?
Performing the solo in Cornelius’ Three Kings to almost 1000 people in Canterbury Cathedral in the 2006 carol service; that and sitting through my debut Big Band gig after my guitar broke on the first note…!
What would you say to current musical students at the University ?
I would encourage all musical students to get involved in as much as possible, it is much more enjoyable than the degree (although admittedly this is coming from a law graduate) and from extensive experience of job hunting (!) I invariably end up being asked more about my musical activities than the degree itself!
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If you’re an alumnus and would like to be featured, get in touch via the Music Department website: we’d love to hear from you!
The shape of jazz to come: Jazz @ 5 season gets underway
What a way to launch this year’s Jazz @ 5 season.
A lively Gulbenkian Theatre foyer was abuzz with anticipation on Wednesday evening, in expectation of the first gig in the new season. Regulars Will Rathbone (sax) and Andrew Kitchin (guitar) fronted the band, with Dan Harding on piano and Sophie Meikle on bass – drafted in for the occasion, and making his Jazz @ 5 debut, was drummer Matt Bardrick.
The gig opened with a welcome return to jazz at Kent for Jo Turner, who sang last year and opened the gig with I Wish I Knew How It Feels To Be Free, delivered in a bravura style; she followed this with These Foolish Things. Hot on the heels of her performance at the Scholars’ Festival Lunchtime Concert last Friday was Lena Younes, who sang Lullaby of Birdland and then Fats Waller’s Ain’t Misbehavin’ in a reading that opened slowly and lyrically, and then moved into a brisk swing tempo.
Also making their jazz debut was Steph Richardson, who showed great presence in her confident performances of In A Mellow Tone and Route 66; she held the attention of a rapt audience, and you could have heard a pin drop – in fact, we heard a glass tumble to the floor, but it didn’t dispel the mood.
Next came a duo, newcomers Martin Lestra on guitar and vocalist Camille, who played Edith Piaf’s La Vie en Rose in a lively swing style.
After an instrumental version of Blue Bossa lent the evening a Latin air, with some robust solos from Will on tenor sax and dexterous lines from Andrew on guitar, Jo Gray gave a lulling rendition of Blue Moon. Steph Richardson ended her set with a slow exploration of Cry Me A River that was sure-footed and well crafted, and Jo Gray then brought the evening to a close with a delicate Baby, I’m A Fool of which even Melody Gardot herself would have been proud.
A confident opening gig from everyone involved, and a sign of some great jazz music-making to come in the year ahead. Catch Jazz @ 5 next month, Wednesday December 1, when there’ll be a seasonal flavour and one or two surprises. And if you can’t wait that long, we’ll be appearing at the Music Society Showcase on Saturday 20 November, alongside the Big Band, Concert Band, Chamber Choir and other entertainment. Don’t miss either gig!
Pictures from the gig, courtesy of the photographic artistry of Mick Norman.
Looking after your voice
Via opera blog Intermezzo, an article in the Irish Times recently about looking after the voice, in which five professional opera singers discuss how they look after their instrument.
Common themes include regular exercises and the avoidance of alcohol.
That explains why I’m a pianist, then…