Author: Rosemary Collier
Geoffrey de Lautour Remembered at St Andrew’s
Karen Saunders in association with The New Zealand Opera Society Inc. (Wellington Branch) and the Wellington members of NEWZATS (New Zealand Association of Teachers of Singing)
St. Andrew’s on The Terrace
Wednesday 7 July 2010, 12.15pm
Geoffrey de Lautour: opera singer, teacher of music in schools, private singing teacher, raconteur, was remembered, ten years after his death. Fellow Dunedin-born singer Roger Wilson introduced the concert with a brief biography of de Lautour. The latter’s involvement in opera in New Zealand, following a career in Britain, has been outlined in his autobiography. Wilson emphasised the hands-on work of the old New Zealand Opera Company, where everyone multi-tasked: driving, loading and unloading sets, singing, overcoming emergencies etc.
He saw the concert, involving nine young singers, as celebrating both de Lautour’s career, and his teaching at the former Hutt Valley Memorial Technical College. A charming photo of the man was printed on the front of the programme.
The singers varied in age from 14 to 20. This meant that some had almost mature voices, while others still had children’s voices.
Of the former, the outstanding singer was Tom Atkins, whose attractive and promising tenor voice we heard in a duet from Beethoven’s Fidelio with soprano Amelia Ryman, and again in the serenade from Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. Atkins’s pitch was wayward a couple of times, but here is a dramatic tenor in the making.
Ryman’s voice had a surprising amount of vibrato for a young singer, but she had plenty of volume and confidence, and depicted her roles (she also sang a Handel aria) intelligently, using her voice well, especially in the drama of the Beethoven.
All items except the Beethoven were accompanied by Julie Coulson, always a tasteful and supportive pianist, never having to ask the question ‘Am I too loud?’ Mark Dorrell accompanied the Beethoven with flair.
Two younger singers sang arias from Edward German’s Merrie England. The second singer, Chloe Garrett, was older than Lauren Yeo, and this showed in her tone and her more musical performance. Both had good intonation and enunciation.
Matthew Ellison sang Handel’s ‘Where’er you walk’ accurately enough and with clear words, but it was a very dull performance, with no feeling. He tended to swallow the tone; his voice needed more projection.
A trio of Chloe Garrett, Nicole Petrove (there were variations in the spelling of her name in the printed programme) and Lauren Yeo sang an arrangement of the traditional Irish ‘Johnny has gone for a soldier’ in a rather restrained fashion, but they managed the rather complicated arrangement, including key changes, well.
Sophia Ritchie, singing ‘Vieni, Vieni o mio diletto’ by Vivaldi, revealed a good voice, especially in the lower register, although more projection is needed.
Mark Newbury, in Giovanni Legrenzi’s ‘Che fiero’ costume exhibited a mature voice of considerable promise; his intonation was unfortunately rather variable. However, a he made a good job of this aria.
Natasha Willoughby performed the traditional English folk song ‘Waly, Waly’ very attractively with clear words, but wayward pitch at times. At her age (15) lack of volume is not a concern, but the song was too low for her in places.
Tosti’s La Serenata is not much heard these days, but Nicole Petrove’s small but pleasant, attractive voice made good work of it. Her Italian pronunciation was commendable.
As a finale, all the singers sang an unaccompanied (and unconducted) arrangement of the Welsh air ‘All through the night’. This was very fine, showing excellent tone, balance and blend.
It was good to hear so many young people learning singing, and confident enough to perform in public. They all showed the results of good teaching, and it is to be hoped they will all carry on, building on their present skills.
Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater
Pergolesi Stabat Mater, with sacred music from the baroque
Felicity Smith (mezzo soprano) with Richard Apperley (organ), Rowena Simpson (soprano), Claire Macfarlane (violin), Jenna Pascoe (violin), Michael Joel (viola) and Kat Thompson (cello)
St Peter’s Church, Willis Street
Friday, 2 July 2010
Over recent weeks Felicity Smith has demonstrated her expertise in several periods of music, in a lunch-hour concert in Lower Hutt and at the Concours de Chanson French-language song competition. Her clear, flexible voice suited the baroque repertoire particularly well.
Accompaniment for the items in the first half was provided by a chamber organ, which made scrumptious sounds under the expert hands of Richard Apperley. His playing was sublime, and musically supportive.
The opening hymn by Purcell, Lord, what is man? was quite lovely, and gave the audience a taste of what would be a treat throughout the concert: the splendid acoustics of the church. The voices and instruments equally were able to achieve wonderful tone and resonance.
Schütz‘s two Kleine geistliche Konzerte were delivered with clarity and musicality.
An Evening Hymn by Purcell was given a thoroughly convincing performance by both musicians. Words were clear and well articulated.
An instrumental interlude followed, with the four string players performing Corelli’s ‘Christmas Concerto’, his concerto grosso in G minor, Op.6 no.8. This is quite a familiar piece, but normally played by a chamber orchestra. Here, the use of only four instruments gave great clarity, and the acoustics enhanced the sound so that one did not miss the additional instruments.
Although the players were not using baroque instruments or bows, they played in a baroque style, with not too much vibrato, and bright, strong rhythms.
The work features movements of varying tempi and dynamics, concluding with a lovely, lilting pastorale. This was a very enjoyable performance.
The next work was Première leçon de Tenebres pour le Mercredi Saint by François Couperin. The singers alternated in singing the verses, the translations for which, as for the Schütz, were printed in the programme. Again, clarity and sonority were characteristics of the performance. Trills and runs were expertly executed by both singers, who brought out the word-painting of the composer, and sang appropriately in French Latin rather than the Italianate version to which we are more accustomed. The string players were always in touch with the nuances and timing of the singers.
The major work, the Pergolesi, occupied the second half of the concert. A most attractive work which is heard reasonably frequently, it is an astonishing composition for someone who died at 26 years of age. The organ and strings were superb, both on their own and as accompaniment to the singers, while the latter blended beautifully and took their cues carefully, as did the players. This was performance of a very high calibre.
The words and their translations were printed, and were marked as to which verses were for soprano, alto, or duo. Some of the duo movements were quite complex, but appeared to hold no fears for the performers. The last alto solo revealed good contralto tone from Felicity Smith. Rowena Simpson’s voice was glorious; she uses her facial resonators well, and one hopes to hear more of her singing.
Throughout, pronunciation and enunciation were excellent. It was a solemn yet appealing work, with a joyful Amen to finish with.
There was rather a small audience present, which was a great pity; this was concert of professional standard, in a church with a wonderfully alive sound – but cold!
Felicity should do well in her study at the Royal College of Music in London, for the associated costs this concert was a fund-raiser. All will wish her well for her future career.
Twentieth-Century fare from the Wellington Chamber Orchestra
Wellington Chamber Orchestra
Shostakovich: Symphony no.9 in E flat, Op.70 / Poulenc: 8 Chansons Gaillardes on anonymous 17th century texts
Beethoven: Overture ‘Egmont’, Op.84 / de Falla: El amor brujo
Linden Loader (mezzo soprano) and Roger Wilson (baritone)
Justin Pearce (conductor)
St Andrew’s on The Terrace
Sunday, 27 June 2010
A well-filled church enjoyed an adventurous programme from this amateur orchestra. It would be unusual for an amateur orchestra to play an almost entirely twentieth century programme.
The Shostakovich was a difficult and challenging work with which to open the concert. It is not one of his longest compositions, and makes good use of the orchestra – there is plenty of exciting playing for the winds to do, and the description in the programme note ‘A short witty work full of light and bite’ is apt. There are hints of Prokofiev-like wit here and there.
The orchestra mostly made a good sound, but uniformity of rhythm and even intonation were uneven at times. Precise rhythm is especially required for pizzicato playing. Perhaps this work was a mite too difficult for the orchestra. However, after a slightly shaky start, the players settled.
The second movement, Moderato, featured dramatic and forceful playing from the woodwind band. Most noticeable throughout, but especially in her extended solo, was the excellent bassoon playing of Kylie Nesbit. She had lots to do, and always her playing was sonorous and beautiful. In fact, her playing was a recommendation for the value of this instrument.
While the programme notes were very good, they were somewhat doctrinaire, and some phrases did not make comprehensible English, while some of the statements did not really apply in 1943-1945, when the symphony was written. It was good to hear this work played.
Poulenc’s songs to words of both dubious provenance and dubious morals were sung well by Roger Wilson, who was in fine voice and produced the words with clarity. However, the orchestra did not always display good ensemble, and Justin Pearce, resplendent in red shirt and a silver-backed waistcoat kept everything going. But frequently the winds were too loud for the voice, the vocal lines in some of the songs (e.g. ‘Chanson à boire’) being in the lower register of the singer’s voice.
The conductor cannot always go by the composer’s markings; balance depends on the size of the auditorium, its acoustic qualities, the size of the orchestra and as well, the size of the audience. Therefore to achieve it, sometimes the orchestra needs to play more quietly than the composer directs, especially when he calls for full orchestra, or considerable use of brass.
The balance was better in the fourth song, ‘Invocation aux parques’. It was a succinct song of typical French brevity. In the following song, ‘Couplets bachiques’, there were again threats of swallowing up the singer. Poulenc’s typical wit and insouciance were evident. Next was ‘Loffrande’. This setting was without brass, so it was possible to hear the words. It featured another humorous, piquant ending.
‘La belle jeunesse’ achieved a better balance, mainly because most of the phrases were in the higher register. Here, there was some great brass playing.
The final song, ‘Sérénade’ was the most lyrical of the songs, in a traditional sense. It was enchanting. Robyn Jaquiery provided a vital part of the texture, with her inconspicuous piano.
The brass problem affected the Beethoven overture also, at least where I was sitting, in the gallery. With four horns and two trumpets, the brass accompanying notes were too loud to enable the melodies in the strings and woodwind to be heard clearly. When the brass was not playing, the balance was good. It was a stirring performance (apart from a few renegade notes) of the finest of Beethoven’s overtures.
El amor brujo must be one of the favourite works of Spanish composer Manuel de Falla. Soloist Linden Loader looked the part of a Carmen-like gypsy for this gypsy music, in a red dress and black shawl, matching the red hangings in the church and Justin Pearce’s red shirt.
In the first movement the orchestra generally, and especially the brass, were too loud for the singer, but the second and third movements’ muted string tone with piano was most attractive. Here, the trumpets too were muted, and made a wonderful sound, particularly in the trumpet solo. The oboe solo was also excellent.
Unfortunately the programme notes titled only the movements with voice, and not the orchestral ones in between. The second song, ‘Will-o’-the-wisp’ had better balance, but I felt that Linden Loader was not singing as well as usual.
In the dreamy movement that followed the strings evoked the mood superbly. The final song ‘Dance of the game of love’ featured more tone from the soloist, and the lilting and mellow quality we know and love in her singing. The joyful and cheerful ending of this song brought the concert to a fine close.
French Songs definitely allowed – Alliance Française Wellington
Alliance Française Concours de la Chanson
St Andrew’s on The Terrace
Sunday, 20 June 2010
A new venture by the Alliance Française Wellington, but intended to be annual, this was a competition for singers in two categories of French song: modern songs in the syles of Jacques Brel, Edith Piaf and others, and classical mélodie by nineteenth or twentieth century composers. A prize of $1000 and two terms’ tuition at the Alliance Française was offered to the winner of each category. Certificates were awarded to second and third place-getters in each.
Frenchman Franck Monnet, author, composer and performer judged the modern category, and experienced New Zealand singer Catherine Pierard judged the classical song section. They were assisted by Jean-Georges Vendome from the French Embassy in Wellington. The organiser was Dan Tait-Jamieson, President of Alliance Française Wellington, who received considerable assistance from Jenny Wollerman, fine exponent of French song and singing lecturer at the New Zealand School of Music.
A preliminary round was held on Saturday, 19 June, and six finalists selected for the first category and nine for the second, out of a total of 29 entries. While the styles of singing for the two categories are very different, calling into question the wisdom of having a shared competition, nevertheless quite a number of the singers entered both classes.
The singers introduced their selections themselves – with varying success. In the first class three singers sang without microphone (Edris, van Mellaerts and Smith) while the remaining three used amplification, and these seemed to score well with the judge, who in his remarks at the end said he thought the microphone gives an intimacy between singer and audience. While we may question this view, it did allow the technician to increase the sound for one singer whose piano accompaniment was too loud.
Amina Edris opened with a Piaf classic: ‘L’Hymne à l’amour’. She was accompanied by Catherine Norton. Her style was good, though (thankfully?) she used less portamento than Piaf. She was confident, projected well, and her language was good.
Next, Daniela-Rosa Young sang ‘Pour que tu m’aimes encore’ by J-J Goldman, a Céline Dion song. This was not as affecting as the previous offering, but the French pronunciation was even better. Her accompanist, Paul Carnegie-Johnson was competent, if a little restrained.
Julien van Mellaerts has a big voice, both speaking and singing. It was pleasant but not distinguished. His rendition of ‘Vous qui me passez sans me voir’ by J. Hess was cheerful but lacked variation and imagination. Much repetition meant that not a lot of language was involved. Julie Coulson expertly accompanied both him and the next singer. Julien was awarded second place.
Bianca Andrew used the microphone, and impressed as having put a lot of thought into the way she sang ‘Nantes’ by Barbara, and she gave the best introduction so far. I thought the song a little low for her, meaning that there was little tone on the lowest notes, but otherwise it was a very touching performance, making full use of the microphone to sing this sad song in an intimate way. Her style was very French as was her little black dress. Pronunciation and articulation were first class; my friend and I were pleased that she won, since we had picked her for the prize.
Felicity Smith sang without microphone, the bitter-sweet Piaf song ‘Padam, padam’ by N. Glanzberg, with Catherine Norton the fully supportive accompanist. This was a good performance – intelligent, and with panache and emotion, despite some breathiness. Her French pronuncation was very good indeed.
The final performer, Wallace Gollan sang with the microphone and accompanist Daniel Hales. Her language and style were thoroughly French, in ‘La jeune fille aux cheveux blancs by Camille. She used the words with subtlety. It was a pity that her accompanist, playing without printed music, was too loud. The balance improved with some knob-twiddling by the technician. She was awarded third place.
Other words from the judge of this class were to stress the importance of the lyrics, and to note that he thought the singers really made the songs theirs.
The larger category, Mélodie, began with Daniela-Rosa Young singing ‘Absence’ from Nuits d’Été by Hector Berlioz. This lush song was sung attractively, but slight flat intonation on the top note, too much gesture, and a less than excellent accompanist spoiled the performance somewhat for me. The words were well produced and the piece was sung with expression.
Julien van Mellaerts’ ‘Le Mendiant’ by Francis Poulenc was accompanied by Julie Coulson,and was sung in good style after a good spoken introduction, but I found the performance somewhat monotonous. He was placed second in this class also.
Next was the diminutive Xing Xing, who with Julie Coulson sang ‘Il pleure dans mon coeur’ by Debussy (not Débussy as in the programme) most feelingly. She has a lovely soprano voice and her French language was beautifully produced and accented. Her interpretation had variety.
Bianca Andrew used her voice and her language skills well in ‘Sanglots’ by Poulenc. With Julie Coulson she created a range of dynamics. Bianca was the first to tell us who the poet was; in this case, Apollinaire. She explained that he was one of the Symbolist poets, and that the words did not really make sense.
Amina Edris gave a rather inadequate introduction, but did say the Massenet’s ‘Elégie’ was originally written for cello and piano, and has had many arrangements. It was therefore a pity not to learn who wrote the words used in this arrangement. A confident, strong presentation and an attractive voice went into a very dramatic performance. Catherine Norton accompanied. She was placed third.
Elitsa Kappatos gave a very strong and confident performance of ‘Psyche’ by E. Paladilhe, accompanied by Catherine Norton.
Bryony Williams was the winner, singing the well-known Duparc song ‘L’invitation au voyage’. A cheerful and confident singer with quite a fruity voice with plenty of volume, she was supported by accompanist Julie Coulson who played for the next singer also.
Frances Moore sang Duparc also: ‘Au pays où se fait la guerre’, the poem being by Gautier. Her voice production was very good, and she made a dramatic performance of this quite difficult, long song.
Finally, Felicity Smith with Catherine Norton performed Debussy’s ‘Noël des enfants qui n’ont plus de maison’, the composer having also written the words. The drama was presented well, and the singer made good use of her voice, and her facility in the language. A slight slip and the breathing were minor factors to mar the performance.
The contest had a very high standard. My conjecture about the awards in the classical section is that the judge went for carrying voices, which would do well on the operatic stage; there is sadly so little public performance of lieder/mélodie/art song these days that these promising singers cannot expect to base a career around such beautiful words and music.
The singers, especially the winners, are to be congratulated on their presentations and their teachers on the skills they have assisted their students to gain.
Josef Špaček – consummate violinist at Waikanae
Waikanae Music Society
Josef Špaček (violin)and Michael Houstoun (piano)
Bach: Chaconne from Partita no.2 in D minor / Mozart: Sonata no.22 in A K. 305
Gareth Farr: Wakatipu / Ysaÿe: Sonata no.3 in D minor Op.27 ‘Ballade’
Prokofiev: Sonata no.1 in F minor Op.80 / Smetana: From my Homeland
Waikanae Memorial Hall
Sunday, 20 June 2010
A packed Memorial Hall greeted the winner of the Michael Hill violin competition 2009, Josef Špaček, for the first recital in his Winner’s Tour with Chamber Music New Zealand. Though still a very young man and still studying (at Juilliard, with Itzhak Perlman), Josef Špaček already has a number of performance with leading orchestras and conductors in a dozen countries behind him, and appearances at music festivals. He has won numbers of competitions – and no wonder! He is a consummate violinist, with intelligence, imagination, and impeccable technique.
These features of his playing were particularly to the fore in the unaccompanied Bach, which he played from memory. This was a very rhythmic, but not mechanical performance. Josef Špaček made great use of stresses and a range of dynamics. This made for a more interesting performance than one sometimes hears. The double-stopping and spread chords were played as if with ease, so secure is his skill.
Considered by some to be one of the most demanding works in the violin repertoire, it delighted the audience. The programme notes were ample and absolutely excellent in giving the background to this and all the pieces played.
Mozart followed; not his most interesting sonata, but it was appealingly played here, with flair and beauty by both performers. Despite, as the programme note explained, Mozart’s making a greater emphasis on a duo partnership for the instruments than had been the case previously, there were nevertheless extensive passages for violin alone, played unerringly and ravishingly by Josef Špaček.
Gareth Farr’s work was a test piece for all the competitors in the first phase of the Michael Hill Violin Competition, in Queenstown. As in all the works, Josef Špaček played with a bright sound. He is a confident and superb soloist. It was hard to imagine that there could be a more skilled performance of Farr’s difficult unaccompanied piece – played here with a continuo background of the sound of pouring rain.
Ysaÿe’s sonata followed, also unaccompanied and played from memory. A real virtuoso work this, with a variety of moods, all performed with expertise and evident talent.
Following the interval, Prokofiev’s sonata demonstrated what a demanding programme the performers tackled. Špaček’s intonation is flawless, and the range of emotions and temperaments in the work were conveyed well. The bombastic second movement was followed by very gentle, lovely pianissimo in the lyrical, dreamy third. Špaček’s playing in the last movement was masterful, and its very thoughtful ending capped off a brilliant interpretation and performance.
From My Homeland by Smetana was a good way to end the recital, since Špaček, like Smetana, is Czech (though Smetana’s homeland was called Bohemia in his day). The gentle first movement gave another opportunity for Špaček to demonstrate his beautiful, controlled pianissimo. But he has strong, even tone when required. This was a much more mellow work than the Prokofiev, but demanding for both performers.
It was met with a rapturous reception from the audience. Sensibly after such a demanding concert, Špaček did not provide an encore, and so one was left not with lollipops, but with an outstanding work played by a violinist with formidable talent, technique and memory. He seems a natural with the violin, and should rise to the top.
Throughout the works with piano, Michael Houstoun was a true partner – supportive, eloquent, and thoroughly accomplished in interpretation.
Students’ lunchtime string-along at St. Andrew’s
String students of the New Zealand School of Music
St Andrew’s on The Terrace
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
Five string students, with the emphasis on the viola, performed a varied programme. First up was Megan Ward, playing the Suite no. 1 in G for solo cello on viola. Bach was well served by this performance. Megan Ward, playing the seven movements from memory, produced a lovely rich tone, which seemed so well suited to the acoustics of the church. She had superb control, accurate intonation and brought out the variety in the work through her use of dynamics and phrasing. This was a splendid start to the concert.
For this work, as for all the items, there were excellent programme notes; however, I would like the students to know that there is an English word ‘recurs’ – no need for the clumsy ‘reoccurs’.
Next up was an unfamiliar piece: Viola concerto in C minor, in the style of Johann Christian Bach, by French composer Henri Casadesus (1879-1947). Apparently Casadesus was in the habit of passing off his works in baroque and classical styles as being discovered pieces by composers of those eras. This was played by Leoni Wittchou, viola, with Douglas Mews providing piano accompaniment; his support was always that of a first-class partner.
The work was interesting though not an outstanding composition. The violist’s tone was quite different from that of the previous performer – not as rich. this may be at least in part due to the different instruments – violas vary a lot more than do other stringed instruments. Leoni played without the score, but made a false start. There were not infrequent lapses in intonation, and phrasing was sometimes untidy. However, while at times she exhibited beautiful tone, there was nevertheless unevenness of tone. The charming last movement featured strong, rich playing, especially in the cadenza.
The third violist, Eva Mowry, played Robert Schumann’s Maerchenbilder (Fairy Tales). She seemed somewhat tentative in the first movement, Nicht schnell (played using the score), but the second, Lebhaft, really caught fire, and the competing piano and viola parts were fun. The same player followed with Henri Vieuxtemps’s Capriccio. The work did not seem particularly capricious – perhaps it was played too slowly? It was rather a difficult solo viola piece, but was played with care and good tone.
The final piece was the first movement, allegro serioso, from Zoltan Kodaly’s Duo for violin and cello, performed by Vivian Stephens (volin) and Lucy Gijsbers (cello). This was difficult music exceedingly well executed, in fact to a professional standard. The interplay between the performers was superb, and they were obviously well inside the music. The cello sound, particularly, was gorgeous, and the phrasing of both players was immaculate. thoroughly accomplished performance.
All the performers played to a very high level, and demonstrated how expert is the tuition they are receiving. It was interesting to have a number of viola works, but perhaps a little unfortunate that this enabled comparisons to be made between the players.
Bon voyage, Brigitte – a farewell recital
Vocal recital: Brigitte Heuser (mezzo-soprano)
with Catherine Norton (piano), Daniel O’Connor (baritone) and Aivale Cole (soprano)
St Andrew’s on The Terrace
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
Brigitte Heuser arrived on the platform looking elegant and beautiful. She began her programme with Mahler’s Lieder eine fahrenden gesellen. These lovely and varied songs were sung very well; the fourth, ‘Die zwei blauen Augen’ particularly, was given a heartfelt rendition. There was not, perhaps, sufficient variety of tone in the other songs. One certainly misses the variety and subtlety of the orchestra, but Catherine Norton accompanied superbly.
It would have been good to have had printed translations of the songs; we are not all skilled in the German language as is Brigitte. There is so much in the poems that cannot be rendered in the singing; we are not just listening to pleasant music.
I found the singer’s hand movements rather off-putting in lieder; they are fine in operatic excerpts, but detract from the value of the words and music in lieder.
Daniel O’Connor followed with Onegin’s aria from Eugene Onegin by Tchaikowsky. This was a very assured and characterful performance. O’Connor’s voice has a mellow quality, and is even through the range. It was easy to mentally see him as Onegin, on stage.
Four excerpts from Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte were most enjoyable: the arias ‘Smanie implacabili’ and ‘E amore un ladroncello’, the duet ‘Il core vi dono’ (with Daniel O’Connor) and the lusciouis trio Soave sia il vento (with O’Connor and Aivale Cole).
All these were quite lovely. The second aria was sung very brightly. In the duet the voices matched very well, making for a charming rendition. The trio was absolutely splendid. It was great to hear Aivale Cole again. She stood quite still and just sang, with superb control, wonderful top notes, warmth, and expressive commitment.
Brigitte Heuser came on for the second half in another skirt and top in shades of dark red, beautifully toning with the carpet and hangings in the church.
Her ‘Jewel song’from Gounod’s Faust was rather fast, and her intonation became a little sharp in places, but was nevertheless effective.
The two women followed with the ‘Flower duet’ from Lakmé by Delibes. The voices were beautifully together and blended, making for a gorgeous performance.
Then Aivale Cole sang ‘Vissi d’arte’ from Puccini’s Tosca. She knows how to colour her big voice. Her words were excellent, with generous vowels. Her splendid performance reminded me of Maria Callas in her heyday. It was met with huge applause from the good-sized audience.
Brigitte Heuser was next, with ‘Una voce poco fa’ from The Barber of Seville by Rossini. This was well executed, and as with all her singing, showed promise.
‘Bella sicome un angelo’ from Don Pasquale by Donizetti was Daniel O’connor’s next offering, and again his assured singing and excellent words had one placing him in a performance of the opera.
Brigitte Heuser closed with two Kurt Weill songs, one in German and one in English. Her singing was stylish and very accomplished;; she seemed at home in these songs. As an encore she sang (and acted) a French cabaret song, which was most amusing.
Throughout, Catherine Norton’s accompaniments was very skilled and sympathetic; she made a good approximation of an orchestra. Not only did Brigitte Heuser sing very well, with a attractive, mellow tone, she was fortunate to have such expert musical collaborators. This was an evening of very musical performances of lieder and arias.
Brigitte was offered and accepted a place at the International Academy of Voice in Cardiff, where Phillip Rhodes has recently completed a course. However, unfortunately the British government has withdrawn funding for the Academy for this (northern) academic year, but she will be able to take up her place there next year. She intends in the meantime to have lessons from the Aademy’s principal coach, Sir Dennis O’Neill, and from other teachers and coaches.
She should do well – she has a fine voice, stage presence, and a very musical approach to her singing.
St.Andrew’s concert – Messiaen: Poèmes pour Mi
Felicity Smith (mezzo-soprano)
Michael Stewart (piano)
Wednesday, 9 June 2010
The performers were brave to tackle a difficult and unusual work such as this cycle of nine songs, and perhaps it was not only the recent bad weather that deterred some from attending the lunch-time concert.
However, it proved to be an interesting and worthwhile recital.
Messiaen’s songs were written in 1936 for his wife, violinist and composer Claire Delbos, whose nickname was Mi. He wrote the words himself, with Biblical influences, and also those of the surrealist poets. The songs celebrate the sacrament of marriage, and as in the Bible itself, the service of Holy Communion and the metaphysical poets, use marriage as a symbol of the union between Christ and his church. They are very varied in style, with the first and last drawing on plainchant, while others use impressionist styles; nevertheless, most of the composer’s music is very much uniquely the composer’s own.
The performers both gave full rein to the intensity and contrasting subtlety in the writing. The words were absolutely clear, as befits a graduate in French, as Felicity Smith is.
The use of the printed score by the singer was quite understandable, given the complexity and variety in both words and music which would make them difficult to memorise, but it did create a barrier to communication with the audience.
The accompaniments were beautifully played by Michael Stewart; technically difficult, they were full of exquisite impressionistic phrases and images. He was totally ‘in synch’ with and supportive of the singer.
The titles of the songs convey their content quite well: their translations are Thanksgiving; Landscape; The house; Terror; The bride; Your voice; The two warriors; The necklace (Le Collier!); A prayer granted. In the fourth song, Terror, the performers certainly conveyed the emotion strongly.
Your voice was a quite lovely song, while The two warriors contained very evocative writing. The necklace featured a sublime ending.
Sometimes in the first half (the first four songs) the singer’s sound was rather breathy, and not only between phrases. This was less so in the second half. Her voice has a very pleasing quality, and the right kind of tone for French song.
The performers are both to be congratulated on attempting and bringing off this difficult cycle; it was a most accomplished performance, and illuminating to anyone who, like me, was unfamiliar with the songs.
Poinsett Piano Trio at Waikanae
Waikanae Music Society
The Poinsett Piano Trio: Deirdre Hutton (violin), Christopher Hutton (cello), David Gross (piano)
Beethoven: Piano Trio in E flat major, Op. 1, no. 1
Chopin: Polonaise-Fantasie in A flat major, Op. 61
Halvorsen: Passacaglia after Suite no. 7 in G minor by Handel
Brahms: Piano Trio in C major, Op. 87
Waikanae Memorial Hall
Sunday, 30 May 2010
Chamber music is alive and well in Waikanae; the audience here was larger than it usually is at the Sunday afternoon series at the Ilott Theatre in Wellington.
Wellingtonian Christopher Hutton was making a welcome return, with his Trio, as part of a 14-centre tour of New Zealand, of which this was the last concert. The Trio is based at Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina. It is named for Joel Roberts Poinsett, a botanist, statesman and physician from South Carolina, whose name is immortalised through his discovery of the Mexican plant with the large, red flowers, which is named after him.
Christopher Hutton is to be commended on his programme notes, which were excellent.
The opening Beethoven trio was played with a nice delicacy, suitable for the composer’s early work, which was very much a classical composition though (as the programme note said) he did not copy Mozart or Haydn, but had his own voice. Despite this, the piano was still the most important part of this trio.
The slow movement was enchanting and lyrical, while the scherzo was cheerful and straightforward. Precision, but also richness of tone marked the performance.
The solo piano work of Chopin was preceded by the pianist’s comments describing the work. Using the printed score, he gave a sympathetic, commanding and engrossing performance of this varied work.
Halvorsen’s reworking of Handel’s Passacaglia (since rearranged for violin and cello from Halvorsen’s violin and viola setting) proved to be thoroughly charming and attractive. The music was beautifully articulated by both players. They were in absolute accord. The writing became increasingly complex and difficult, but the performers were absolutely on top of it, and brought the piece off delightfully.
The Brahms trio was the major work on the programme, and provided an interesting contrast to the Beethoven work – here there was much work for the strings; the piano never dominated. Yet the ensemble playing was impeccable, with complete rapport between the players.
Brahms’s melodies are often full of pathos; this characteristic was conveyed with feeling and deep sonority.
The scherzo was particularly notable for the effects it featured, and for its lovely trio. The finale was full of contrasts, and was admirably played.
This was Brahms without barriers: there was nothing between the audience and the composer’s intentions.
The Trio played as an encore the scherzo from Shostakovich’s second piano trio. This was brilliant, but very different from the concert’s main fare; the trio was a component of the other programme the Poinsetts played around the country.
This is a very able Trio, and I hope they will tour again before too long.