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CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JULY 2016 £5.50 40th

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JULY 2016 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 3

CONTENTS

COVER STORY44 PROMS

David Pickard on his � rst season as director

FEATURES48 CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL

Sally Beamish’s 60th birthday showcase

52 NYCOSYouth choir turns 20

57 VAUXHALL PLEASURE GARDENSUnearthing the musical legacy

60 MAX BAILLIE� e violinist on folky Schubert

62 FIDELIO TRIORhinegold LIVE preview

64 CLASSICAL: NEXTPhillip Sommerich reports from Rotterdam

67 FILM MUSICHoward Shore on Oscars and more

71 AUDIOFILENaim’s UnitiQute 2

REGULARS5 EDITORIAL

6 LETTERS & HORNBLOWER

7 NEWS

14 BARLINES News in brief

20 ARTIST MANAGER NEWS

Jilly Clarke retires from Askonas Holt

22 NEWS REVIEWKaty Wright on the month’s big stories

23 INSIDE VIEWFrom Kent to Aldeburgh via New York and St Louis

OPINION24 Frederic Wake-Walker27 Charlotte Gardner28 Graham She� eld

3O PREMIERESLera Auerbach, Matthew Martin and Edward Gregson

34 Q&A: OLIVER KNUSSENComposer/conductor re� ects on a life in music

36 MEET THE MAESTROKah Chun Wong, Bamberg winner

39 INSIDERS ANONYMOUS� e session musician

41 MUSICIANS’ UNION� e importance of behind-the-scenes work

42 SOUND AND MUSIC� e third year of New Voices

72 RECORDING Reviving the carnyx Universal Music’s Costa Pilavachi

Gothic Voices

77 CD REVIEWS

79 BOOK REVIEWS

81 BROADCASTING� e Proms’ digital success

82 ENIGMACryptic crossword and quiz

84 RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING

86 EXTENDED INTERVALSMichael White’s critic’s month

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JULY 2016 ISSUE 1022

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EDITOR’S LETTER

A t the time of going to press it’s quite summery and I’m in short sleeves, but don’t blame me if it’s back to raining in your world. Check the weather forecast and act accordingly. Similarly, I’m writing these words shortly before going to exercise my

democratic right in the EU referendum but you’re in the future and you already know hap-pens, so I’m at a slight disadvantage. So if you want to know how the classical music world re-acts to the result, I recommend you check www.classicalmusicmagazine.org. I’m going to take a risk and predict a remain vote based on what the bookies are o� ering; and consequently, by way of reaction, not much more than a big shrug. I’m not a betting man myself, so let this editorial be my � utter – and feel free to give me a hard time over being wrong.

It is a sad duty indeed to print the obituary of someone you know, and so it is in this issue where we bid farewell to Jeremy Siepmann, one of whose lesser achievements was to be my boss on Piano magazine when I was just starting out in this racket. He was working remotely at the time so I didn’t get to spend much time with him, but I fondly remember our phone calls: that voice! Like having my own personal radio broadcast, full of wit, advice and un-compromising standards. See page 17 for our short note on a life lived well.

� e death of Peter Sha� er was also cause for re� ection. I wonder how many people, of my generation or otherwise, point to the � lm of Amadeus as a seminal part of their cultural education. Or perhaps education isn’t the right word – most of it is made up, a� er all. But the feeling of that music as alive, composed by a real person, intended to be enjoyed not revered, was very compelling to my young self and must surely be part of why I’m doing this now. Instead of counting the zeros on my robber baron’s bonus. � anks Pete.

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6 classicalmusicmagazine.org july 2016

Letters and diary

TV COUNTS LESSAndrew Mellor’s opinion piece in the last issue of Classical Music magazine (‘That Theodora was an intravenous shot in the arm’, CM June) makes valid points about the declining status of classical music on tv, but fails to account for how consumption is changing. With the rise of iPlayer and other on-demand services, increasing numbers are likely to browse online rather than flick through channels. Given that they are no longer bound by the tv schedule, they can personalise their viewing as never before, meaning that they can switch between a seemingly endless collection of programmes at will.

However, this is the advantage of the new mode of consumption – with viewing tailored to the individual, anyone who is curious about classical music has an array of concerts and

documentaries at their disposal 24/7. They can try out a concert, and switch to another one if they are not immediately taken. Some might argue that the digital world makes it easier to avoid classical music altogether, but it also makes it easier to encounter.

Classical might have been downgraded on tv, but it stands to benefit from the online world. Jessica DrakeNottingham

VARIETY SHOWBoth fascinating and cheering to read of Neil Ferris’ plans with his new Sonoro choir (‘We need to talk about vibrato’, CM June). He is very careful not to impugn the saintly English choral tradition (and it’s definitely a

case of English, not British) but I’ll be a bit more brash.

To my humble ears, it is an adult sound which has been reverse engineered to blend with children’s voices. Jolly nice and appropriate in a cathedral but once you have adult sopranos, what’s the point exactly? Lots of fine work is produced, I won’t deny that, and I wouldn’t want it gone. It’s just so all-pervasive and samey from one choir concert to the next – hurrah for variety!Peter KnoxEssex

letters

email: [email protected] To: The editor, classical music, rhinegold Publishing ltd, 20 rugby street, london, Wc1n 3Qz

FolloW us on FaceBooK: classical music magazineFolloW us on TWiTTer: @classicalmusic_

It’s the operatic title role selfie challenge! ENO’s financial troubles are clearly not affecting greasepaint supplies as stuart skelton (left) sports what he refers to as his ‘contour de force’ look as Tristan. meanwhile, down the road, Johan reuter opts for a more rustic style as Œdipe.

ongoing strife at southern rail led to tannoy announcements about delays and cancellations caused by ‘a high level of conductor sickness’. ‘Perhaps they should have taken some Beechams,’ quipped Chandos press officer Paul Westcott on Facebook, wiling his life away at redhill station.

opera Holland Park resorts to propaganda to keep its production of mascagni’s Japanese tragedy Iris on track (or perhaps radical landscape gardening and collusion with Kuraokami, the shinto rain goddess).

hornblower’s diary

ContaCt the Captain: email: [email protected] To: captain Hornblower, classical music, rhinegold Publishing ltd, 20 rugby street london Wc1n 3Qz

it comes to our attention that lidl’s coffee capsule range now includes this ‘Viola’ espresso. Presumably it is full-bodied with rich and creamy mid-tones. We look forward to the rest of the quartet, though can’t yet guess how Violin 1 and Violin 2 will differ, expect in price perhaps.

CM0716_006_R_Letters & Diary.indd 6 21/06/2016 16:04:41

july 2016 classicalmusicmagazine.org 7

news

The Paul Hamlyn Foundation has awarded £329,000 to the Royal Liverpool Phil-

harmonic to further expand the In Harmony Liverpool scheme between 2016 and 2020.

The programme, inspired by Venezuela’s El Sistema, uses orchestral music-making to improve the health, education and aspirations of children and young people in Everton.

The funding will enable Liverpool Philhar-monic to expand the reach of the initiative from 720 to 1,000 young people aged up to 18 by 2020.

It will also allow for additional investment in the In Harmony Liverpool research and evaluation programme led by Dr Susanne Burns. An initial report revealed In Harmony Liverpool has made a positive contribution towards children’s educational achievements, aspirations, resilience, wellbeing, family life and their relationship with their community.

The Liverpool Phil also plans to use the money to invest in curriculum develop-

Liverpool Phil awarded more than £300,000 to expand In Harmony Liverpoolkaty wrIgHt

The PRS Foundation has launched two projects, one encouraging orchestras to

perform their favourite contemporary works, the other offering a boost to composers in mid-career.

The Resonate programme will invite UK orchestras to programme music of their choice written in the past 25 years by British-born or resident composers. ‘Rather than get-ting composers or publishers decide what is performed, we will be going to the people playing the music,’ said Naomi Belshaw, grants and programme manager at the foundation. ‘Orchestras need to make a case for why it is the best work, and how they are going to programme it and reach their audiences. It is very much audience-focused.’

Again, funding will be up to £10,000 to assist up to a dozen orchestras – particularly those that perform relatively few contem-porary works – in programming the chosen pieces. The ABO is supporting the venture

by providing a database of thousands of works, along with details of rights, reviews and recordings.

There are also discussions with iTunes about setting up a dedicated Resonate page.

The BBC has agreed to broadcast many of the performances on Radio Three and possibly perform one in the Proms next year.

The second initiative, the Composers’ Fund, will announce in June the first recipients of funding from some 70 applicants. ‘There are a number of opportunities for emerging com-posers but we felt there was a gap for those who are in the middle of their careers and want to work with high-profile ensembles in the UK,’ Ms Belshaw said. Eight or nine applicants will receive up to £10,000 each for efforts to take their careers to another level. ‘They will have made a case for what they want, whether it be childcare or equipment or working with an ensemble. It can be the case that you reach the age of 40 or 50, have become an academic and

are struggling to find the time to write.’Ms Belshaw said she would study whether

the grants made a difference to recipients’ careers over the next three to five years, and the project will be held twice a year.

The foundation also announced that the third edition of its biennial will be held next year, linked to Hull’s activities as City of Culture. Over one weekend in June next year, 20 works will be presented in Hull, and at London’s Southbank Centre on the following weekend. Composers involved will include Mica Levi, Simon Holt, Anna Meredith and Mark Simpson. NMC will release a recording of the works.

The PRS Foundation had also partnered with the Codarts Centre of the Netherlands to take six young composers to Classical:NEXT. They are Elaine Mitchener, Laurence Osborn and Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch from the UK and Meriç Artaç, Constance Sannier and Georgi Tsenov from the Netherlands.

PrS Foundation announces new projectsPHILLIP SommerIcH

ment and sharing of In Harmony pedagogy, practice and resources with teachers, the music education sector and other Sistema-inspired programmes in the UK and internationally.

Liverpool Philharmonic chief executive Mi-chael Eakin said the orchestra was ‘incredibly grateful’ to the foundation. ‘Their commit-ment over four years will benefit hundreds of young people and families, and ensure that Liverpool Philharmonic can share our learn-

ing and practice throughout the field of music education in the UK and internationally.’

One of six Sistema England programmes, In Harmony Liverpool was established in 2009 at Faith Primary School with 84 children.

Participants and their families now take part in orchestral music-making every week, free of charge, in and out of school.

Children perform between three and 12 times each year in community settings in Liverpool and professional venues includ-ing Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, the Royal Albert Hall and Southbank Centre.

In Harmony Liverpool activities include weekly parents and tots drop-in sessions; up to two hours of music-making for children in early years; twice-weekly group instrumental tuition from age five onwards; weekly orches-tra rehearsals from age seven; primary school provision of up to four hours, a week music-making in curriculum time; and after-school ensembles for primary school children.

Windfall: in Harmony liverpool in action

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CM0716_007-013_R_News.indd 7 20/06/2016 14:45:58


news

Plans to launch a Big Noise Centre in Douglas, Dundee have been given the

go-ahead by city councillors.Big Noise Douglas will work with

children from P1 and P2 in Claypotts Castle and St Pius Primary Schools from spring 2017, with the first concert planned for June 2017. The team will work during school hours for the first year, but will work through afterschool clubs and in the nurser-ies as the orchestra develops.

Sistema Scotland will start with a programme of community engagement, followed by the recruitment of the Douglas team leader and the operations manager who will create the centre.

Big Noise Douglas will be the fourth centre established by Sistema Scotland: there are already Big Noise projects in Raploch in Stirling, Govanhill in Glasgow and Torry in Aberdeen.

According to a press release, Dundee was selected because of its ‘strong sense of com-munity, its self-identity, size, history and educational needs’.

Campaign group Optimistic Sound, which was formed in 2013 with the aim of bringing a Big Noise orchestra to Dundee,

will be the principal funder of the pro-gramme, providing an investment of £1.4m over five years, and Dundee City council will be providing payment ‘in kind’.

Colin McKerchar, CEO of Sistema Scotland, said he was ‘overwhelmed’ by the support and welcome the team has received in Douglas. ‘We can’t wait to start working with our partners, the schools and the local community to get this centre up and run-ning as quickly as possible.’

‘This project will help in the efforts to transform Douglas and help young people maximise their potential and give them new life chances,’ said children and families ser-vice convener Councillor Stewart Hunter. ‘Sistema Scotland will have an amazing reception in Douglas and I can’t wait to see, and hear, how it progresses.’

Sistema Scotland, which is modelled on Venezuela’s El Sistema, works to create per-manent social change in some of the most deprived communities in Scotland. It aims to use participation in the Big Noise orches-tra programmes to change lives by fostering confidence, discipline, teamwork, pride and aspiration in the children and young people taking part.

Sistema Scotland to launch in Dundeecm Staff

The Orchestra Mozart will resume concert activities after three years of silence.

Bernard Haitink will conduct a concert at Bologna’s Auditorium Manzoni on 6 January 2017 featuring Beethoven’s Egmont overture and violin concerto (with Isabelle Faust as soloist) and Schumann’s Rhenish symphony. The same programme will be repeated on 8 January at Lugano Art and Culture.

Both conductor and soloist are closely tied to the orchestra – Faust has collaborated with the ensemble a number of times, and Haitink conducted its last concerts in Vienna and Bologna in 2013.

The orchestra’s website describes the con-certs as the beginning of ‘a new era’.

The ensemble, created in Bologna by Clau-dio Abbado in 2004, stopped playing in 2014 due to a combination of Abbado’s ill health and Italian government spending cuts.

The OM Encore crowdfunding campaign is inviting donations towards the orchestra’s rebirth. It requires €500,000 (£387,780) for two years of activity; the total donated at the time of writing was €57, 255 (£44,220).

The website reads: ‘With this project we want to write a new chapter, we want to restart an articulated and extraordinary cultural pro-ject that proposes an innovative artistic line, a new bond with the city and the local territory and a strong international inclination, not to forget the educational programmes and the involvement of very young talents through the “Accademia dell’Orchestra Mozart”.’

All funds raised will go to the Regia Acca-demia Filarmonica di Bologna, the institution from which OM was born and which is now promoting the campaign.

Orchestra mozart to resume activitieskaty wright

golden days: the orchestra mozart under claudio abbado

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Big noise govanhill playing side-by-side with the BBc scottish symphony orchestra in glasgow’s City Halls for the first time on 22 May

CM0716_007-013_R_News.indd 8 20/06/2016 14:46:50


news

The European Commission will grant the EUYO a short-term subsidy of €600,000

(£465,000) for 2016, allowing it to continue its activities.

The announcement was made on 1 June by Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the Euro-pean Commission.

The European Parliament is proposing a ‘pilot project’ to ensure that the EUYO has operational funding for 2017 by amending the commission’s general budget proposal.

Mr Juncker also said that the provisions regarding the EUYO in the Creative Europe programme would be adjusted to provide financial support in the long term.

‘When I learned that the orchestra had financial problems, I was very worried,’ he said.

‘I am happy to announce that we have found a solution, which will allow the European Union Youth Orchestra to continue in 2016 and 2017 and even beyond. Together we have shown that we can find creative solutions by overcoming bureaucratic procedures when something is in the interest of our citizens. I wish the EUYO a very successful future.’

The EUYO said it welcomed the proposals, but warned: ‘The orchestra is aware that only when the precise details of these proposals are confirmed by both the commission and the EUYO can the future of the orchestra be said to be assured. Given the long lead time of the classical music industry, in which commitments have to be made 2-3 years ahead, we hope to complete this work with urgency and speed.’

Thanking all who had supported the #SaveEUYO campaign, the EUYO added: ‘Once funding is in place and confirmed, the orchestra looks forward to continuing its role as a cultural ambassador for the EU and as a beacon for the European spirit of excellence, freedom and creativity, both in Europe and also in the rest of the world.’

The EUYO was supported by the EU as a cultural ambassador between 1976 and 2013, but a change in the EU’s cultural funding policy in 2014 meant that the orchestra was funded under the Creative Europe programme from 2014/15.

Over the last 40 years, the ensemble has supported more than 3,000 young classical musicians from all 28 EU member states.

EUYO secures short-term fundingcm staff

The Budapest Festival Orchestra has seen its funding cut from 260m forints

(£650,000) to 60m forints (£150,000).The Hungarian Free Press attributed

the cut to founder and music director Iván Fischer’s criticism of the Orbán regime.

In December 2015, it was revealed that Fischer had written that the Orbán gov-ernment was ‘dismantling democracy’ in Hungary and that the prime minister was ‘building a bleak regime’ in a 2011 letter to Hillary Clinton.

Budapest festival Orchestra suffers major funding cutcm staff

The letter came to light as part of documen-tation released in an unrelated court case.

The cut means that the orchestra will have to cancel 30 visits to schools, ten opera performances for children, and a series of concerts in nursing homes.

Commentator Christopher Adam wrote: ‘It is clear as day that the decision of the Fidesz-dominated Budapest municipal government and council to massively cut Mr Fischer’s funding five months after this letter came to light is yet another example of the political revenge that we have already witnessed in many quarters.

‘It is shameful that Mr Fischer’s personal, critical views of the Orbán government resulted in such a major cut in funding.’

More than a thousand of the orchestra’s supporters protested the cut at the orches-tra’s concert in Vörösmarty Square on 4 June.

The Budapest Festival Orchestra was formed in 1983 by Fischer and Zoltán Kocsis. In 2003, the Hungarian Ministry of Cultural Heritage declared the orchestra a national orchestra supported by the state.

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Punished for comments: iván Fischer

CM0716_007-013_R_News.indd 9 20/06/2016 15:46:01

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news

The Metropolitan Opera has announced that Yannick Nézet-Séguin will become

the company’s third music director.The position was previously held by James

Levine, who will step down at the end of the 2015/16 season after 40 years to become the Met Opera’s first music director emeritus.

Mr Nézet-Séguin will be music director designate from 2016/17 and will assume the position in 2020/21. He will conduct two operas each season as music director designate, and will thereafter conduct five different operas each season.

Describing himself as ‘honoured and hum-bled’, Mr Nézet-Séguin said that the appoint-ment was ‘the fulfilment of a lifelong dream’.

He added: ‘I will make it my mission to pas-sionately preserve the highest artistic standards while imagining a new, bright future for our art form.’

Mr Nézet-Séguin made his Met debut in the 2009/10 season with Richard Eyre’s new production of Carmen. He has returned in every subsequent season, leading performances of Don Carlo, Faust, La traviata and Rusalka.

He opened the Met’s 2015/16 season with Bartlett Sher’s new production of Verdi’s Otello. New York Times critic Anthony Tommasini wrote of the conductor: ‘Rather than pushing the music to extremes, he drew crisp, subtly de-tailed and colorful playing from the formidable Met Orchestra’, and the Guardian’s Seth Colter

Met Opera appoints Yannick Nézet-Séguin as music directorCM STAFF

Mark Simpson and English National Opera are among the recipients of this

year’s South Bank Sky Arts Awards.This year’s ceremony was held at the Savoy

Hotel on 5 June.Mark Simpson’s The Immortal (libretto by

Melanie Challenger) won the classical award. The oratorio, which explores humans’ fascina-tion with death and the afterlife, was described as ‘the most thrilling new choral work I have heard for years’ (Richard Morrison, Times).

The other nominees in the category were Stephen Hough, for his recital of Debussy and Chopin at the Royal Festival Hall as part

of the International Piano Series, and Andris Nelsons’ farewell concert with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

English National Opera received the opera award for its adaptation of Verdi’s The Force of Destiny. Calixto Bieito’s production set the work during the Spanish civil war, resulting in a ‘bold and confident’ performance (Michael White, New York Times) which was ‘un-flinchingly brutal and finely sung and played’ (Andrew Clements, Guardian).

Mark Wigglesworth accepted the award, paying tribute to ‘an extraordinary group of people at ENO who, whether on the stage,

under the stage or behind the stage, do so much more than just be brilliant and show up for work’.

The category’s other nominees were the Royal Opera House’s production of Krol Roger and Glyndebourne’s Saul.

The South Bank Sky Arts Awards have been given annually since 1996. Previous winners include the Royal Opera House’s production of Die Frau ohn Schatten (opera, 2015), Peter Maxwell Davies’ tenth symphony (classical, 2015), George Benjamin’s Written On Skin (opera, 2014) and the Southbank Centre’s The Rest is Noise (classical, 2014).

Mark Simpson and ENO win South Bank Sky Arts AwardsKATY WRIGHT

Walls praised Mr Nézet-Séguin’s ‘sly feel for building to one of Verdi’s orchestral climaxes’, continuing: ‘Nézet-Séguin sounded in lockstep with the orchestra all night long, frequently bringing out delicious details’.

Jessica Phillips, clarinettist and chair of the Met’s Orchestra committee, spoke of the ensemble’s ‘tremendously fruitful, positive rela-tionship’ with Mr Nézet-Séguin. ‘He embod-ies the artistic leadership, musical excellence, and respect for rich tradition that opera lovers

around the world have come to cherish.’Mr Nézet-Séguin began his operatic career

as chorusmaster and assistant conductor of the Montréal Opera at the age of 23. He is cur-rently music director of Montréal’s Orchestre Métropolitain, the Rotterdam Philharmonic, and the Philadelphia Orchestra (with whom he has extended his contract until 2025/26).

A statement from the Met Opera said that it will be exploring the possibilities for artistic collaboration with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

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new role: Yannick nézet-séguin

CM0716_007-013_R_News.indd 11 20/06/2016 15:50:23


news

The 2016 Ivor Novello award for clas-sical music was awarded to Oliver

Knussen on 19 May, the day before he was presented with the Queen’s Medal for Mu-sic in a private audience with the Queen.

Oliver Knussen picks up Novello award and Queen’s Medal for MusicKATY WRIGHT

Figures released by the Department for Education show a drop in entries for

GCSE and A-level music.The overall entry for GCSEs in England

increased from 4,916,000 to 4,929,000 be-tween 2015 and 2016; over the same period, entries to GCSE music declined by 3% and A-level music by 8%.

The decrease in entries for GCSE and A-level music in Wales was even more severe.

The overall entry for GCSEs and A-levels in Wales dropped by 2% from 308,760 to 303,620 between 2015 and 2016; over the same period, GCSE music fell by 11% and A-level music by 13%.

Deborah Annetts, chief executive of the Incorporated Society of Musicians, described the figures as ‘deeply concerning’ and said that they were evidence that the new EBacc proposals were already under-

mining the take-up of music in schools.‘There is compelling evidence that shows

how music education benefits a wide range of skills including listening, language, lit-eracy, mathematical and personal and social skills. Why risk the provision a subject that enhances so much of a pupil’s learning in other areas?

‘We urge the Department for Education to rethink its harmful proposal.’

DfE figures show a drop in GCSE and A-level music entriesCM STAFF

Atranche of Aldeburgh Music’s plans for the Snape Maltings site has

been revealed.In an interview with the Times, chief

executive Roger Wright spoke of his plans to transform the site into ‘a creative campus’ and a ‘centre for music, health and wellbeing’ for East Anglia.

Mr Wright told of a ‘ten-year masterplan’ to

turn Snape into ‘a year-round arts powerhouse founded on a much-expanded programme of residencies in which performers, composers, artists, writers and especially young musicians are given time to develop new projects’.

Aldeburgh Music purchased Snape Malt-ings in 2015 in a multimillion-pound deal in which it acquired shops, galleries, cafes, the freehold to the whole site, and other build-

ings which are yet to be developed.The charity has already developed a num-

ber of aspects of the site, including the crea-tion of a new visitor centre, a new concert hall café, a new programme of workshops at the Snape Maltings Tack Room, and the installation of a new sculpture (Myriad by artist David Rickard and architect Germano Di Chello).

Aldeburgh Music announces plans for Snape MaltingsCM STAFF

In his Ivors acceptance speech, Mr Knussen warned the government to keep its ‘hands off the BBC’.

He also urged the broadcaster not to sideline challenging new works, saying: ‘There are an extraordinary number of in-credibly gifted young composers … please BBC, don’t relegate all of us to a two-hour slot that you seem to regard as a place to put pond life.’

Regarding the Queen’s Medal, Mr Knussen noted that ‘Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, much-missed colleague and friend of more than 40 years, was instrumen-tal in the instigation of this marvellous symbol of professional recognition, which I am extremely happy – and humbled – to accept.’

Master of the Queen’s Music Judith Weir, who oversees the nominations for the award, said: ‘Greatly admired and much loved by his musical colleagues, Oliver Knussen is both a revelatory conductor and a masterly composer, whose work always persuades audiences to listen carefully.

‘With characteristic generosity and warmth, he has supported the practice of music in numerous ways: as a musical director of leading festivals, orchestras and ensembles, including the Aldeburgh Festival, BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonietta and Birmingham Contemporary Music Group; and as an informal adviser, teacher and friend to several generations of musicians in the UK and further afield.’

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CM0716_007-013_R_News.indd 12 20/06/2016 15:50:43


news

R epresentatives of small and regional arts organisations have submitted evidence to

the Culture, Media and Sport select committee about the funding difficulties which they face.

Prompted by complaints that ‘London has long received a disproportionate share of arts funding’ at a previous investigation into the work of Arts Council England, the Countries of Culture inquiry is examining funding oppor-tunities for cultural organisations in the regions.

The committee had received 59 written submissions at the time of writing, in addi-tion to oral evidence offered by representa-tives of the British Museum, Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery Fund and

University of Manchester.A representative of the Musicians’ Union

noted: ‘Although it can be argued that much of ACE’s funding goes to London-based organisations, this does not mean that the regions do not benefit from this funding. Orchestras and theatrical productions tour regularly and so provide arts and culture far beyond London.

‘Furthermore, London theatres and other institutions provide an essential testing ground for many performers and productions which then filter out to other areas of the country. Cutting funding to London-based organisa-tions would be wrong and would end up nega-

tively impacting on regional arts and culture.’The MU identified that ‘many organisations

outside of London struggle to match the fund-ing that they receive because there simply isn’t the same level of investment available in the regions’, but suggested that ‘rather than taking money away from London-based organisa-tions, it would be far better for the economy if further support were made available to repair some of the damage that has been done to the arts in the regions as a result of ill-thought-out cuts in the last parliament.’

The committee will be holding further evidence sessions over the coming months and will publish a report in the autumn.

Queen’s Honours List 2016: classical musicCM STAFF

Small and regional arts organisations testify to funding difficultiesKATY WRIGHT

simon robey, chair of the royal opera House and aldeburgh music

KnighthoodXX lucian grainge – universal music group chair and chief executive officerXX simon robey – chair, royal opera House and aldeburgh music

CBEXX althea efunshile – Deputy chief executive of arts council englandXX Dr Brian lang – chair, royal scottish national orchestraXX Professor colin lawson – Director, royal college of music

XXPaul lewis – classical pianist XX John mcleod – composer and conductor

oBEXX alison Balsom – Trumpet soloist. For services to musicXX ian rosenblatt – Founder, rosenblatt recitals series. For philanthropic services to musicXX nicola Thorold – executive producer, the roundhouse. For services to the arts

SeLeCTed MuSICAL HonouRS

The Queen’s Birthday Honours list for 2016 has been announced, with

Royal Opera House and Aldeburgh Music chair Simon Robey receiving a knight-hood and CBEs going to Royal College of Music director Professor Colin Lawson and pianist Paul Lewis.

Ian Rosenblatt, who received an OBE for philanthropic services to music, said: ‘Music is an important element of what makes us a civilised society, and I am

proud to do what I can to support young talent and make world-class music more accessible to the general British public.’

Trumpeter Alison Balsom, who was also made OBE, described the honour as a ‘wonderful surprise’. Speaking to Classic FM, she added: ‘Especially being the year of the Queen’s 90th birthday, it seems even more special in some ways for me. I’m just delighted.’

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barlines news & listings

Music & Drama Education Expo is pleased to announce that applications for the 2017 conference programme are now open.

The event will be celebrating its fifth an-niversary at Olympia London on 9 and 10 February 2017.

Prospective speakers will need to complete an online form clearly indicating the aims of the seminar (including intended audience, learning objectives and relevant key stages) and providing a detailed overview of the content in lesson plan format.

To be considered for a session, please com-plete the application form by 19 August 2016.

Head of music content and Music Teacher editor Alex Stevens said: ‘Music & Drama Education Expo 2017 will be showcasing the most interesting, innovative and useful ideas and approaches, so if you are doing fantastic work with relevance to the field of music education, we want to hear about it: fill out the simple form to share your ideas with music educators from across the world.’

Music & Drama Education Expo is Eu-rope’s largest exhibition and conference for music and drama teachers, with more than 60 sessions taking place across two days and the chance to meet and network with 2,500 other teachers from 40 different countries around the world. The event also features a trade exhibition with more than 130 exhibitors and several live performances. It is completely free to attend.

www.musiceducationexpo.co.uk

Music & Drama Education Expo 2017: call for papers now open

Rajar figures for the first quarter of 2016 show Radio 3’s audience reach as 2.12 million (up from 2.05m last quarter and 2.08m last year) giving it its best figures in three years.

Its mid-morning show Essential Classics had a record reach of 909,000 listeners. In Tune also fared well, receiving its second highest figures on record.

Helen Boaden, director of BBC Radio, said that the station was in ‘rude health’.

The quarter marks the end of Alan Davey’s first full year as controller; he said: ‘I’m thrilled with our highest reach in three years which reflects a very strong year of special programming including Why Music? with Wellcome Collection,

BBC Proms, Northern Lights, New Year New Music and International Women’s Day composer focus.

‘The record figure for Essential Classics, the highest in ten years, shows the tweaks we’ve made are really paying off, like introducing contemporary music and fixed features such as “music in our time”.

‘I’m proud of Breakfast’s highest reach in three years in a year where we’ve intro-duced longer pieces of music, dropped the call feature and cut back on news bulle-tins; also too the continuing strength of In Tune, our drivetime show, with its unique live music and culture news having its second highest figure on record.

Radio 3 achieves greatest reach in three years

BBC Music launches virtual orchestraBBC Music is offering amateur musicians the chance to feature in a digital perfor-mance as part of this year’s Last Night of the Proms on 10 September.

The BBC Get Playing virtual orchestra will be led by Marin Alsop and will also include musicians from the Royal Academy of Music.

Anyone interested in playing will need to upload a short video of themselves playing the Toreador’s song from Carmen to the BBC Get Playing website by 27 August. Arrangements for a wide range of instruments are available.

The BBC will then edit the videos into a three-minute performance which

will be shown on iPlayer and on big screens at Proms in the Park around the UK.

The BBC’s Get Playing campaign aims

to involve amateur musicians from around the country. Making Music, Music For All and ABRSM will be offering public practice events, free instrument lessons, support videos and

online tips, and James Rho-des, Alison Balsom, Evelyn

Glennie, Thomas Gould, Courtney Pine and Nitin Sawhney will be giving online masterclasses.

get Playing ambassador: comedian David Baddiel

CM0716_014-019_R_Barlines.indd 14 21/06/2016 15:47:10



Mark Wigglesworth broke his silence for the first time since resigning as music director of English National Opera on 22 March.

In an interview with the Times, Wig-glesworth addressed Cressida Pollock’s statement at the ENO season launch on 5 May that he had planned to cut all fund-ing to learning and outreach.

Wigglesworth admitted that his pro-posals did not specify a budget for these activities and that his plans were not ‘fully costed’, saying: ‘I’m a musician, not an accountant’. However, he stressed that the central point of his plans was that everyone in the company should retain their jobs.

The conductor also alleged that chief executive Cressida Pollock told him in late December 2015 that the company would not return to a full-time chorus, regardless

of the amount of money it got in the future.

Speaking of his attempts to provide alternatives to the proposed cuts, Wiggles-worth said: ‘I felt a huge responsibility to try and protect the musicians and the musi-cal qualities of the company.

‘Defending the musical quality of the organisation is the job. It stands to reason that when you can no longer maintain that defence, you are no longer able to do your job. I have lost the debate, and am incredibly sad about that, both for myself and for what I believe to be the needs of the company.’

Admitting that he felt ‘the classic emotions: sadness, anger, denial’ after he stepped down from the post, Wiggles-worth spoke of his love for the company and its work. ‘I’ve loved ENO for over 30

‘I think I have a right to defend myself’ – Mark Wigglesworth

| q u a r t z |

AN HISTORIC RECORDING OF CECILIA VAJDA’S A Tribute to Bartók from Wales

PARTSONGS THREE VILLAGE SCENES

Ensemble of soloists from the Welsh College of Music and Drama

Jeanette Massocchi

QTZ2

110

Follow q u a r t zon Facebook www.quartzmusic.com

Released on CD for the first time

Available online and from all good record shops

sung in English

years. I love the people in it. I love the audi-ence. And I love the philosophy of what the company stands for. Those things, in my opinion, are being let down by the proposal to do significantly less work.’

speaking up: mark Wigglesworth

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The St Magnus International Festival raised £115,000 to buy Orkney’s first Steinway piano. The Model D concert grand arrived on the islands on 7 June, shortly before the launch of the 40th edition of the festival.

The instrument was selected from Steinway’s workshops in Hamburg by the festival’s artistic director Alasdair Nicolson and pianist Steven Osborne earlier in 2016.

The fundraising for the instrument began when Nicolson assumed his current role in 2010. Around half of the cost was made up by grants from Creative Scotland, Orkney Islands Council, and Highlands and Islands Enterprise; the remaining sum came from 264 private donations.

The instrument will belong to the St Magnus International Festival and will be housed in St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall when not in use.

‘I knew that we could attract some of the finest pianists in the world to come to perform at the festival, but only if we had the right piano,’ said Nicolson. ‘St Magnus has never owned its own piano before, and as Steinway Model D pianos are generally the instrument of choice of international concert pianists, this is what we aspired to own.’

Orkney acquires first Steinway

XXThe 15th Oxford Lieder Festival (14-29 October) will be dedicated to the songs of Schumann. The Schumann Project, which falls on the 160th anniversary of the composer’s death, places his songs alongside his other works and songs by friends and contemporaries. The event, which runs 14-29 October, will also include Clara Schumann’s 29 songs, mark-ing the 120th anniversary of her death. The two-week festival also encompasses piano recitals, chamber and choral works,

Season previews

new arrival: the steinway in st magnus cathedral

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study events, artistic partnerships and masterclasses.XXThe City of London Sinfonia’s 2016/17

season includes a Folk Tunes Tall Tales series which will explore traditions and folk stories from around the world and a na-tional tour of England’s cathedrals in which the ensemble will perform choral anthems alongside cathedral choirs and organists under artistic director Stephen Layton.XXCadogan Hall ’s ninth choral series

opens and closes with performances from the Tallis Scholars and Peter Phillips, and also includes a rare UK performance from Nederlands Kamerkoor, festive pro-grammes from The Sixteen and the Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge.XXThe 16-concert ‘At Home’ series will

be at the heart of the Royal Northern Sinfonia‘s 2016/17 season, which includes includes performances of all five Beethov-en piano concertos (featuring RNS music director Lars Vogt as soloist), appearances from five guest orchestras and the launch of a new series of children’s concerts. XXGarsington Opera will stage five opera

productions for the first time in 2017. The season comprises new productions of Handel’s Semele, Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande, Rossini’s Il Turco in Italia; the premiere of Roxanna Panufnik’s Silver

Birch; and a revival of John Cox’s 2005 production of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro.XXThe centrepiece of the third Cum-

nock Tryst will be the Scottish premiere of Cecilia McDowall’s Stabat Mater. Headspace (including Clarence Adoo) and Pandora’s Box with John Kenny are artists-in-residence, and the festival will conclude with promenade performances in Dumfries House. XXOpera Holland Park ’s 2017 season, its

first planned and programmed as an inde-pendent company, is to include new pro-ductions of Puccini’s La rondine, Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Leoncavallo’s Zazà, as well as a revival of Olivia Fuchs’ 2009 pro-duction of Janáček’s Káťa Kabanová. The season will be the first in a new production model which will see OHP present four productions instead of five.XX St John’s Smith Square’s 2016/17

season features more than 300 concerts (including a number from the Southbank Centre’s International Piano Series and International Chamber Music Series) and over 30 premieres. The season includes the inaugural Holy Week Festival (9-14 April 2017), a ‘Vaughan Williams and Friends’ series and the next instalments of the London Mozart Players’ ‘Mozart Explored’ series, as well as debut perfor-mances from La Serenissima, Les Talens Lyriques and the Society of Strange and Ancient Instruments.

schumann Project: christian gerhaher opens the oxford lieder Festival

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obituariesJeremy Siepmann 16 January 1942 - 6 april 2016

Jeremy Siepmann, who died on 6 April aged 74, was a musi-cal polymath and a champion of the art of piano play-ing, writes Owen Mortimer, editor

of International Piano magazine. From 1997 to 2010, he was editor of Rhinegold Publishing’s Piano magazine, which was subsequently absorbed into International Piano. His ‘Symposium’ was a popular and unique fixture, offering a masterclass in playing-styles and techniques from some of the greatest living exponents of the piano, from the likes of Brendel, Pires and Goode to Schiff, Ax and MacGregor – many of whom Siepmann counted as his friends.

Jeremy Tyler Siepmann was born in Bos-ton, Massachusetts and received his early education at Putney School in Vermont. His first experiences at the piano consoli-dated a lifelong passion for the instrument: ‘I certainly love the piano,’ he wrote. ‘I fell helplessly and permanently in love with it when as a child I first struck a single note […] With that one sound, which seemed to my childish ears to go on forever, I entered another world. It was like a kind of aural Narnia, but without the witch. And rather than being always winter but never Christ-mas, it was like all possible seasons – and Christmas all the time.’

On completing his studies at the Mannes College of Music in New York, Siepmann moved to London at the sugges-tion of Sir Malcolm Sargent. After several years of freelance teaching, he was invited to join the music faculty of London Uni-versity, which formed the basis of his ca-reer as a highly respected teacher, writer, lecturer and broadcaster on both sides of the Atlantic. He wrote biographies of Brahms, Mozart and above all, Chopin, The Reluctant Romantic (Gollancz, 1995). The book, which brought together a wide range of recent scholarship and research on Chopin, presenting a coherent, con-temporary view of the composer and his

works, was widely praised – notably by Dr Anthony Storr who wrote, ‘I have read a good many books about Chopin, but this is far and away the best’.

Siepmann’s multifarious career was symptomatic of his lively mind and wide-ranging learning. He wrote frequently for Gramophone, Musical Times and BBC Music Magazine, and he created the Life and Works series for Naxos Records, which focused on the genius of individual composers with tremendous erudition, worn lightly.

He was a prolific broadcaster, starting in his twenties when, based in New York, he had his own radio series on the BBC Home Service taking a satirical look at American life, in the manner of legend-ary broadcaster Alistair Cooke, who was a friend of the family (Siepmann’s father, a former BBC executive, had given Cooke his first job at the corporation). From 1988 to 1994, Siepmann was head of music at the BBC World Service. Among his crown-ing achievements was the award-winning series, The Elements of Music, a rigorous but entertaining and discursive exploration of classical music which gained a popular international following.

The writer and broadcaster Jessica Duchen, Siepmann’s predecessor as editor of Piano magazine and regular contributor to CM, described him as ‘idealistic, gentle, enormously knowledgeable and full of terrific anecdotes, a fount of information about the world of music and musicians’.

alberto remedioS 27 February 1935 - 11 June 2016

English tenor Al-berto Remedios has died aged 81.

Remedios was renowned for his interpretations of Wagner, with his performances in Eng-

lish National Opera’s productions of The Mastersingers of Nuremberg and the Ring cycle winning him particular acclaim.

His signature role was Siegfried, but other acclaimed parts included Samson

(Samson and Delilah), Alfredo (La tra-viata), Bacchus (Ariadne auf Naxos) and the title role in Peter Grimes.

Born in Liverpool, Remedios sang in a church choir as a child and took singing lessons with Edwin Francis.

He left school aged 15 to play football semi-professionally and work as a welder, but continued his singing lessons. Follow-ing national service, he took up a place at the Royal College of Music with Clive Carey, where he won the Queen’s Prize in 1957.

He made his operatic debut as Tinca in Puccini’s Il tabarro for Sadler’s Wells (later ENO) in the same year, and later toured to Australia with the Sutherland-Williamson company and Luciano Pavarotti.

The tenor returned frequently to Aus-tralia, where he eventually made his home; he also performed for opera houses in San Francisco, Seattle, New York and Frankfurt.

Remedios was appointed CBE in 1981. He retired in 1999.

Linda Esther Gray, who sang Isolde to Alberto’s Tristan at English National Op-era in 1981, wrote: ‘It was a joy to hear such wonderful tenor sounds in my ears, my heart and my soul […] he had a natural in-strument which obeyed his inner thoughts with ease.’

Sir peter Shaffer 15 May 1926 - 6 June 2016Sir Peter Levin Shaffer has died aged 90.

Although the English playwright won widespread acclaim for Equus, Black Com-edy and The Royal Hunt of the Sun, he was arguably best known for Amadeus.

Inspired by Pushkin’s Mozart and Salieri, the play was first performed at the National Theatre in 1979 and won the 1981 Tony Award for best play.

Shaffer also wrote the screenplay for the 1984 film adaptation. Directed by Miloš Forman and starring Tom Hulce as Mozart and F Murray Abraham as Salieri, the film won eight Academy Awards, four BAFTA Awards and four Golden Globes.

He was appointed CBE in 1997 and knighted in 2001.




MUSICAL CHAIRSXX Daniele gatti has been appointed artistic advisor to the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. He will work with mco musicians to shape the orchestra’s artistic profile, and will develop projects and programmes that will be performed several times throughout each season.XX Poole’s lighthouse has appointed Stephen Wrentmore as its first artistic producer. He took up the post in June.XX Holly mathieson will join the Royal Scottish National Orchestra as assistant conductor with the 2016/17 season, becoming the second female conductor to be appointed to the rsno’s artistic team.XX ian Taylor will replace sir simon robey as chair of the Royal Opera House’s board of trustees and suzanne Heywood (who will succeed sir anthony salz as senior independent director) has been appointed deputy chair. Both appointments will come into effect from september 2016.XX Carnegie Hall has elected robert F Smith as chair of its board of trustees, effective immediately. a trustee since 2013, Smith succeeds Carnegie Hall’s acting chairman Mercedes Bass, who will resume her position as vice chair.XX The Birmingham Contemporary Music Group has appointed caroline newton as executive producer. she will take up the role in August, working alongside incoming artistic director stephan meier and replacing Jackie Newbould, who has been with the ensemble since its formation 25 years ago.XX jaap van Zweden has extended his contract with the Hong Kong Philharmonic orchestra for three more years. He will remain music director until the end of the 2021/22 season.XX stephen cleobury has been appointed president of the Herbert Howells Society. He succeeds founding president Sir David Willcocks, who served from 1987 until his death in 2015.

XX Royal Albert Hall ceo chris cotton has announced his retirement. He will step down at the age of 67 following seven years in the post. it is hoped that a replacement will be appointed by the end of march 2017.XX The Royal Northern College of Music has appointed Donald Grant, violinist with the Elias String Quartet, as deputy head of chamber music. He will take up the role in september.XX universal Music Group has appointed graham Parker as president of its us classical music labels. He will oversee umg’s us classical music labels and will serve as the us lead for the company’s classical music initiatives to develop and promote emerging artists and composers on a global scale.XX nicola luisotti will step down as music director of San Francisco Opera when his contract expires at the end of the 2017/18 season. The 55-year-old made his company debut in 2005, and has been in the post since 2009. XX mark Williams will start as the new informator choristarum (choir master), organist and tutorial fellow in music at Magdalen College, Oxford from 1 January 2017. He is currently director of music, fellow and college lecturer at Jesus College Cambridge, and chief guest conductor of the city of london choir.XX lawrence Power will become artistic director of the English Chamber Orchestra charitable trust from the 2016/17 season. He announced a new partnership with the royal academy of music in which members of the eco will mentor and nurture emerging young players as they make the transition to professional careers.XX The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra has appointed Jonathan Bloxham as its next assistant conductor. He will work closely with conductors, providing rehearsal notes and advising on balancing issues for main-season cBso concerts at Birmingham’s symphony Hall.

AWARDSXX The Royal Northern College of Music has awarded fellowships to alumni YcaT chief executive alasdair Tait and composer gary carpenter. XX Baritone emyr Wyn Jones has been awarded the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama’s Ian Stoutzker Prize, worth £10,000.XX john Gilhooly, chief executive and artistic director of Wigmore Hall, has been awarded the order of merit of the Federal republic of germany in recognition of his ‘distinction as an artistic programmer and his strong relationship with germany’.XX Nicholas Moroz has won the £7,000 mendelssohn scholarship. The royal college of music student will use the scholarship towards private tuition and international courses.XX Oboist Olivier Stankiewicz, Castalian Quartet, soprano Nika Gorič and violist Timothy ridout have been selected as yCAT artists for 2016. XX The Calidore String Quartet is the inaugural winner of the university of Michigan’s M-Prize, worth $100,000 (£70,000). The ensemble was formed in 2010 at the colburn school of music.XX australian violinist Emily Sun won the royal over-seas league gold medal 2016, worth £10,000. She currently studies with itzhak rashkovsky at the royal college of music.XX The winners of this year’s Royal Northern College of Music gold medal competition 2016 are James girling (guitar), Tyler Hay (piano), Danny Ryan (composer), Abel Selaocoe (cello) and andres Yauri (bassoon). XX Lukáš Vondráček is the winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition 2016. The Czech pianist, who received €25,000 (£20,000), also won the VRT and the alberto Ferro musiq’3 prizes.XX stephen upshaw and the Dulcinea Quartet have been awarded Trinity laban’s Richard Carne junior Fellowships for 2016/17.XX Allan Shiers, founder of Telynau Teifi

in Brief



[email protected]

Harps, has been named uK maker of the year by the Heritage craft association. He was presented with the award as part of the Hca’s annual conference on 7 may.

ANNOUNCEMENTSXX The National Opera Studio has announced its young artists for 2016/17. They are elizabeth Karani, sophie levi, caroline modiba and sophie Troncoso (sopranos); Penelope cousland, grace Durham and laura zigmantaite (mezzos); Joseph Doody and Bechara moufarrej (tenors); christopher cull and Benjamin lewis (baritones); Bongani Kubheka (bass-baritone); Freddie Brown, iwan Teifon Davies, Killian Farrell and edmund Whitehead (repetiteurs)XX michael Berkeley, Kuljit Bhamra and Judith Weir have been announced as honorary patrons of Sound and Music. XX new music licensing and rights royalty processing service ICE has announced its first licence agreement with Google Play music. ice will process online music usage using a single matching engine attached to the most comprehensive copyright database in europe, meaning that unnecessary processing will be eliminated and disputed claims will be significantly reduced. XX John Hornby skewes & co ltd is to take on the uK and roi distribution of pBone instruments. XX a year of record ticket sales by lottery operator camelot has resulted in a £21m increase in lottery funding for the arts: 20% of the £1.9bn raised by the national lottery good causes went to the arts in 2015/16 – a total of £380m.XX The inaugural International youth Choir Festival will take place on 15 and 17 april 2017. The event, which is promoted by the national Youth choirs of great Britain and the royal albert Hall, will celebrate choral singing around the world.XX universal’s Decca records has signed

a record deal with 87-year-old italian composer Ennio Morricone. The label will release an album celebrating morricone’s six decades of music making in october.XX Help Musicians uK is launching its maD (music and Depression) campaign by commissioning the country’s first academic study into mental health in the industry. ‘can music make You sick?’ will be undertaken by the university of Westminster and will aim to raise the profile of mental health issues and investigate solutions.XX The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment has recorded its first charity single in support of Wateraid. The single is a new work written for period instruments by composer James redwood, and features the voices of schoolchildren and community choirs from the oae’s Watercycle education tour.XX The ligeti Quartet has been appointed as the inaugural holders of the cambridge chamber music residency. The quartet will be collaborating with graduate composers, performing and creating events for performers.XX The Royal College of Music has commissioned a new organ from Flentrop orgelbouw. The new instrument is due to be completed in January 2018 and will replace the amaryllis Fleming concert Hall’s current organ, which is more than 100 years old. work on challenging repertoire.

OPPORTUNITIESXX enrolment is now open for the European Sponsorship Association Arts Sponsorship Certificate. Now in its second year, the course will run from 2 september 2016 to 31 January 2017. The qualification is for practitioners in the arts and cultural sectors who deal with commercial relationships.XX Opera North is to run its first orchestra camp 22-26 august at the university of leeds’ school of music. Young people aged ten and above who play

orchestral instruments will have the chance to perfect their playing and learn new skills.XX Aldeburgh young Musicians is offering full and part bursaries for composers and string players under the age of 18 who can demonstrate ‘exceptional potential, passion and creativity’. applications close on 1 august.XX The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Qatar airways are inviting primary schools to apply to be part of the ‘spirit of Birmingham’ project. The education project will see children from local schools explore what the city means to them through the creation of a new musical theatre song.XX St Albans International Organ Festival has launched its 2017 competitions, which will take place 10-22 July. The closing date for entries is 24 march 2017.

EVENTSXX northamptonshire’s Boughton House will host a specially curated exhibition about the life of Handel. The exhibition will chart key episodes in Handel’s life and will bring together a collection of rare artefacts.XX The Tetbury Festival has announced the programme for its 14th edition (29 september - 2 october). The event will launch with a performance from the schubert ensemble, and will conclude with the choir of the age of Enlightenment’s first solo festival performance.XX The National youth Choirs of Great Britain’s summerfest takes place 11 June - 20 august. The second edition of the summer festival features concerts, pop-up performances, non-auditioned singing days and open days around the uK.XX The simon langton grammar school for Boys is hosting the langton Festival of Music and Health on 4-6 July 2016, which will examine the health benefits associated with music.

in Brief



artist manager news by andrew green

High summer. An auspicious time for Jilly Clarke to retire from AskonasHolt after close on 30

years’ service. Classical artist management was the last career move Clarke had in mind while working in the Capital Radio press of-fice when DJs like Greg Edwards and Chris Tarrant were roasting the airwaves. ‘I loved it,’ she says, ‘but eventually felt it was too full-on. Too many late nights and so on!’

Clarke became the quintessential London temp, which brought her to pre-merger Harold Holt Ltd. Having done her stint, she was then invited back, and found herself PA to senior executive Martin Campbell-White. ‘Martin was a fantastic mentor. He taught me so much, the way he dealt with people, his ideas and creativity. One thing we worked on was the 1991 Japan Festival. I’ve particularly fond memories of sumo wrestling at the Albert Hall and the Kyoto Garden in Holland Park, which is still there.’

Campbell-White himself observes that Clarke was always destined to rise through the ranks ‘on the basis that you can’t keep a good person down! Jilly became an artist manager, moving up to

senior manager after the merger with the Lies Askonas office. It was inevitable that she ultimately became a valued director of AskonasHolt.’

The first artists entrusted to Clarke as a fledgling manager were Viktoria Mullova and Evgeny Kissin. ‘Viktoria in particular taught me so much, taught me how to be an agent. She has such a clear idea of how to run her life and career.’ Clarke has gone on to build an impressive list of instrumen-talists and conductors, often seeing them through their early years as performers – including Vilde Frang, Alisa Weilerstein and Piotr Anderszewski. ‘One key thing is

knowing when to advise caution over taking on particular challenges too soon, even if an artist then leaves. At which point you just have to be philosophical and continue to believe in what you’re doing.’

Passing artists on now to AskonasHolt colleagues is potentially unsettling for them, she observes, ‘but without sounding too glib, you want them to see this as a moment of opportunity, a chance to work with some-one who’ll have new ideas.’

Martin Campbell-White sums up Clarke’s contribution to the company: ’Dili-gent, caring, painstaking and enthusiastic, extremely good with colleagues both senior and junior. A very hard act to follow.’

Meanwhile, AskonasHolt chief execu-tive Donagh Collins describes Clarke as ‘a passionate and accomplished artist manager and a genuine, open-minded person – great company, and a joy to work with. We need more people like her in our business.’

Plans? Clarke will be travelling abroad with her husband, who appropriately is also retiring. ‘Then maybe I’ll explore my passion for creative design. But I won’t lose touch with AskonasHolt. It’s been a huge honour to work here.’

Good inningsThe business salutes Jilly Clarke as she hands in her office keys at AskonasHolt after almost three decades

Hard act to follow: Jilly clarke

From strength to strength: maestro arts

CM0716_020-021_R_Mangers.indd 20 20/06/2016 11:39:11


artist manager news by andrew green

Talking of retirements, we shall be marking the departure of one of the artist management profes-

sion’s legendary figures, David Sigall, in the September issue of CM. Suffice it now to note that the break-up of Ing-pen & Williams which Sigall’s farewell precipitated appears by all accounts to have been a good-natured affair all round. Artist managers Thomas Hull and Nicki Wenham carry off artists to Maestro Arts and Maxine Robertson Management re-spectively, leaving Jonathan Groves happy to run a boutique management under his own name.

Clearly, though, the major beneficiary is Hull’s new employer, Maestro Arts, which five years after its creation goes from strength to strength, its combined music/visual arts portfolio now keeping busy a staff of 15. What other manage-ment could carry on its artists webpage a painter-sculptor (George Nama) between a stage director (Elijah Moshinsky) and a composer (Michael Nyman)? Hull’s

arrival at the start of this month coincides with that of Myriam Blundell, whose projects company has been working in everything from film and photography to live art performances combined with contemporary music and dance.

With BBC Young Musician 2016 just over as I write, a word from the past to def late

the notion that establishing a career as a youthful performer is tougher than ever. I see in the autobiography of singer/teacher Roland Foster a recollection of the dozens of London ‘concert agents’ active in the 1890s. The belief was common, Foster writes, that concert agents were ‘always ready and eager to welcome new talent. Nothing of the kind! Once in a thousand times they may be willing to do so … but not in the ordinary course of events. Why should they be, when already they have scores and scores of well-tried and expe-rienced artists on their books who are in more or less constant demand?’ CM

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What other management could carry on its artists webpage a painter-sculptor between a stage director and a composer?

CM0716_020-021_R_Mangers.indd 21 21/06/2016 14:53:46


News Review

Figures recently released by the Depart-ment for Education show that the government’s EBacc proposals are

already damaging creative subjects. The uptake of GCSE music dropped by 3% and A level music by 8% between 2015 and 2016 in England; the decline was even more severe in Wales.

Creative subjects have been fighting for their place in the curriculum since the EBacc was first mooted some five years ago; it is little wonder that schools, already suffering from budget cuts, are choosing to place their resources elsewhere, and students are choosing different subjects. Even if the current EBacc proposals are revised to include arts subjects, their reputation and their place in schools must be restored – the future of the country’s arts sector depends on it.

The Countries of Culture inquiry is examin-ing how arts funding is distributed between London and the regions. Evidence provided by organisations, festivals, museums and individuals reveals the difficulties in finding funding in rural areas. Especially concern-ing is the Buxton Festival’s statement, which suggests that many local councils view the professional arts as ‘a community activity’ and provide limited financial support.

George Osborne’s acknowledgment of the importance of investing in the arts in his au-

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T tumn 2015 spending review was accompanied by cuts to local authority funding. The effects of this are already being felt: with a limited budget, local authorities are already having to reclassify the arts as non-essential. As with the EBacc proposals, the arts must be revalorised – and fast.

Good news for Sistema projects in Scotland and England, with In Harmony Liverpool having attracted £329,000 and the Dundee government having given the green light to a new Big Noise centre in Douglas. It has been seven years since the first Sistema project launched in the UK, and the projects now involve tens of thousands of children and young people.

Part of the grant awarded to In Harmony Liverpool will be used to invest in the future of the programme, supporting research into the benefits, developing the curriculum and allowing resources to be shared internation-ally. Initial reports show that the Sistema programmes impact positively on children’s wellbeing, aspirations, resilience and educa-tion, as well as benefiting their families and the wider community. It might be some time before quantifiable benefits become evident, but the projects have shown themselves to be well worth investment.

The news that the EUYO has had short-term funding confirmed by the EU is to be greeted with cautious optimism. The grant will see the ensemble through to the end of this year, but at the time of writing nothing further

had been confirmed for 2017 or beyond. The EU needs to move swiftly: the success of the ensemble is contingent on a secure future.

Further good news in the shape of the Orchestra Mozart, which is to resume its activities after three years. Silenced by founder Claudio Abbado’s ill health and government spending cuts, the orchestra is being revived by its musicians, who have turned to crowdfund-ing. According to its website, the ensemble is aiming to raise €500,000 (£387,780), which will guarantee two years of activity and build ‘financial stability’, allowing it to undertake educational programmes, a strong local focus and international projects. With the sup-port of the Royal Philharmonic Academy of Bologna (from which the orchestra was born) and a clear set of goals, hopefully this first-rate orchestra will have a second chance.

Rather less bright is the future for the Budapest Festival Orchestra, which has seen its government funding slashed by more than a quarter in what appears to be an act of retribution against founder and music director Iván Fischer’s criticism of Hungary’s Orbán regime. The orchestra has been forced to reduce its outreach work and presumably its concert activities will also suffer. This again exemplifies the perception of music as expendable, with politicians seemingly happy to sacrifice arts projects in a way that they would not other initiatives. In any case, the resilience of the Orchestra Mozart and the EUYO offer hope; let’s hope that this ensemble finds a way to rebuild its former strength. CM

katy wright News editor

Repairing reputations

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From strength to strength: in Harmony liverpool

CM0716_022_R_Katy column.indd 22 20/06/2016 13:18:31


inside view

A letter from our old friend Johanna Platt reminds us that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the

founding of Kent Opera. Well, it does if you cheat a bit – it’s 50 years since the founda-tion of Regional Opera, which became Kent in 1969. It would be a cause for much celebration and Albert Herring-style bunt-

keith clarke consultant editor

ing had the company survived, but it was effectively killed off by the Arts Council in 1989 after 20 glorious years. Some who should have known better spoke out against it at the time, but for my money it was an innovative company that took opera to areas where it was thin on the ground, commis-sioned new works for children and did great work in developing new audiences. Its first music director was Roger Norrington and it gave Jonathan Miller his first chance to direct opera. It deserved every support.

It also gave me one the worst hangovers of my career. After a run of performances of Don Giovanni in Singapore in 1988, the orchestra flew back a day earlier than planned for some reason, and being a good-natured bunch as well as brilliant players, a good number of them gave me a little voucher that they would now be unable to use. Each little pink slip could be exchanged for a Singapore Sling in the Long Bar at Raffles. It would have seemed ungrateful not to redeem them all, and I put in a heroic effort before passing out under a palm tree.

Kent Opera was full of happy memories, and founder Norman Platt moved heaven and earth to sustain a company that was a lifeline to young performers and put on so many brilliant shows. Johanna Platt has put together some 16 CDs and 9 DVDs of performances, interviews and presenta-tions telling the Kent Opera story. If there is any justice, the BBC will be persuaded to make use of these for a 50th-anniversary programme.

Singapore slings and circus acts

A recent trip to New York was a good op-portunity to catch up with its executive and artistic director Clive Gillinson for the first time since he left the London Symphony in 2005. He has done great things at Carnegie, yet was almost stopped in his tracks last year when the Trump-like billionaire chairman took against him, fired him, and told him he was banned from entering the building. ‘He tried to chop my head off,’ he told me. Luckily the board knows a first-class manager when it sees one, so got rid of the chairman and had Gillinson back at his desk the next day.

Probably the proudest achievement of his Carnegie years to date has been buying up neighbouring property to create a new education wing, which opened in autumn 2014. There was a bit of grumbling about the property acquisition, but the result was a spanking new facility with 24 new rooms and a state-of-the-art home for the archives.

Just as impressive in its way is the newly opened National Blues Museum in St Louis, Missouri, where an impromptu demonstration on a player-piano set the scene for a lavishly il-lustrated walk through the history of a musical form that had so many offspring. As is the way with modern museums, there is a good deal of gadgetry to play with, but the audio and video history of the blues was more than enough to keep us off the streets for a morning. One curious omission: there was no mention of a unique blues created by pianist, broadcaster and composer David Owen Norris, who turned up at my 40th birthday party a worry-ing number of years ago, proudly presenting the manuscript of the Keith Clarke Blues. It contains the requisite 12 bars and bears the instruction: ‘Write your own words’.

The quaint seaside town of Aldeburgh seems to grow more twee every year. It’s like walking through a movie set where all the actors are Conservative third agers, where honest local traders have been ousted by fancy theme-park shops selling overpriced dainties. Luckily, its festival leans in the other direction and is cer-tainly getting no less wacky in Roger Wright’s hands. This year’s opener put a circus troupe on stage along with soprano Sarah Tynan for a programme centred on Britten’s Les Illumina-tions. They jumped, they juggled, they swung on ropes – and that was just the orchestra. Singing on a hoop that disappears into the roof has to be a new challenge, so hats off to Sarah Tynan. If the music business ever fails her, she could run off and join the circus. cM

all lit up: circus Illuminations

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missouri marvel: national Blues museum

CM0716_023_R_Inside View.indd 23 20/06/2016 12:01:28


OpINION

Ten new, ten-minute operas by ten composers and writers created with ten groups of young people – in

partnership with ten organisations across ten areas of England – and performed by many more. That is, in short, Mahogany Opera Group’s newest and most ambitious project, Snappy Operas.

Snappy Operas will be the most intensive period of commissioning and devising that Mahogany has ever undertaken. Although we’re used to creating new opera in new ways, this is the first time we take it out of the rehearsal room and into the class-room, bringing young participants into the process. This will extend our reach further than ever before, enabling thousands of primary school children across the country to benefit from the experience of crafting and performing an opera.

Snappy Operas is inspired by former Master of the Queen’s Music Malcolm Williamson’s series of short operas for children, Cassations (1967-82). The project is designed for young people aged seven to 11 (Key Stage 2), to introduce all the facets of making an opera, and places them at the heart of the creative process. At every stage they will take a leading role, allowing them to develop musical and performance abilities, and explore their own creative skills and impulses. As testament to this, the name itself, Snappy Operas, was coined by a young performer from Pembroke Academy of Music when taking part in Mahogany’s Brundibár production last year.

Each of the ten new pieces will start its journey by bringing together a com-poser, writer, and director with a group of children to discuss and devise initial ideas,

experiment with musical material, gradu-ally bringing the opera into existence. From there, young people will work with music leaders, directors and repetiteurs to stage the works, leading to a series of performances across the country. And this is just the beginning; once all ten Snappy Operas are complete Mahogany will publish the scores, and further resource materials – audio tracks, costume and prop templates, teach-ing tools – to enable them to be recreated by primary schools and youth groups, with the intention that they can be mounted in a single day using classroom materials.

It’s not only the young people who will benefit from the project. We are also offer-ing a complementary programme of profes-sional development for the artists involved and local practitioners in the regions in which we are working. Personally, I’m very

What better way to introduce young people to opera than to get them to create one from scratch?FREDERIC WAKE-WALKER

‘creating opera is an inclusive activity’ – children take part in a mahogany opera group workshop

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CM0716_024-025_R_Opinion 1.indd 24 20/06/2016 11:45:18


OPINION

excited about the opportunity we have as a company to bring together such an exciting array of creative voices. � ey include those who are new to working with young people, more established artists, and creators who are starting to make a name for themselves. In the � rst year of the project we are work-ing with composers including Emily Hall, Errollyn Wallen, Luke Styles, Jamie Man and Luke Carver Goss and writers Toby Litt, Ian McMillan, Peter Cant and Sjón.

� e impact of Snappy Operas will, I be-lieve, be enormous and long lasting. Despite commonly-held misconceptions, creating opera is an inclusive activity. I have seen � rst-hand the transformative power of music and drama on young participants when they are given these kinds of opportunities; the con� dence that comes with learning how to express and share ideas in an environment of mutual respect, to create something of which they can be proud.

We know, however, that these experi-ences are not available as widely and equally as they could and should be. Geography,

socio-economic background, and pressure on schools’ time and resources all have the potential to create barriers. Snappy Operas aims to help counter this. Not only does the structure of the project defy the notions of opera as ‘long’, ‘di� cult’ or ‘expensive’, but by working closely with partner organisa-tions across England we can identify where this work is most needed. Mahogany exists to stretch the boundaries of what opera can be and who it is for, and working with children and young people is a fundamental strand of our exploring the ‘who it is for’. � rough Snappy Operas we hope to inspire generations of young people to see opera as being for them, making it their own and allowing the art form to thrive. CM

Frederic Wake-Walker is artistic director of the Mahogany Opera Groupwww.mahoganyoperagroup.co.uk/productions/snappy-operas

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Just the beginning: Frederic Wake-Walker

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OpINION

One of the more interesting digital streaming-related news nug-gets to emerge in recent months

was the announcement in February that the Recording Industry Association of America would now be counting streams of individual tracks towards its Gold and Platinum Album Awards, with 1,500 on-demand song streams now equalling ten track sales and thus one album sale.

On the one hand, this can simply be viewed as unavoidable progress given the steadily rising figures for music stream-ing; in May, Spotify announced that its pace of growth had actually increased since the launch of Apple Music last June, with paid subscribers rising from 20 million to 30 million, while Apple Music itself has so far gained 13 million users for its own subscriber-only service.

However, a more doom-and-gloom angle is the implication this has regard-ing the culture of the concept album. After all, what’s the point in artists and record companies bothering over carefully crafted programmes if from henceforth consumers don’t listen to albums as a whole, and if complete album sales are no longer markers of success?

Right now, it’s hard to know how far we can apply all this to classical, given that the genre only made up 1% of total music streams in 2015 (BPI). Still, I suspect we’ll see that percentage rise over time, particularly given the evidence of an as-yet untapped classical streaming audience; classical accounts for 6% of average music distribution across online streaming and social media (Next Big Sound), while Grammofy, the newly-launched special-ist classical streaming service I curate and present on, was experiencing around 1,000 page visits a day during its open beta phase, and without any marketing.

As a result, I still sat up when I heard it suggested recently that streaming would lead to classical listening being based on work-by-work, rather than album-by-album, consumption. ‘Really?’ I thought.

Well planned albums can survive the age of streamingCHARLOTTE GARDNER

To first nail my concept album colours to the mast, one of the most pleasure-filled aspects of life as a recordings critic is allowing myself to be taken on the intellectual journeys so many artists plot out for the listener over the course of their recorded programmes. When I think of knockout albums that have hit my desk just over the past six months, there was Janine Jansen’s pairing of the Brahms and first Bartók violin concertos for Decca; a combination that had never occurred to me or indeed to anyone else, but one that seemed so right once done. Or Vilde Frang’s pairing for Warner Classics of the Britten and Korngold violin concertos, lifting the Korngold out of the context of Hollywood and into the context of the second world war.

Likewise, it’s often the ingeniously programmed discs that continue their relationship with my stereo years on from their initial release, such as baritone Wil-liam Berger and pianist Iain Burnside’s ingenious Insomnia album for Delphian,

which took 17 songs from Mozart to Raymond Yiu and created a new narrative around a sleepless lovesick man.

We must hang on tight to the idea of such rich listening experiences as these, and champion them loudly, and I don’t see that opinion as incompatible with my also being a cheerleader for digital streaming, because rather than anticipating that the one modus operandi (ie streaming) will torpedo the other (ie album), I actually hope that the two can enrich each other.

First, I suspect that it’s streaming that holds the key to eventually expanding the listenership for classical per se. Second, digital streaming doesn’t necessarily mean the death of the recorded programme; the whole raison d’être of Grammofy’s weekly themed collections is to take listeners on conceptual journeys, and while the works in these collections have certainly been pulled from the context of their original albums, we’re still hopefully introducing new classical listeners to the joys of hearing works within the context of a musical journey.

Plus, as each work also contains a link to purchase it, we’re presenting people with the option of also hearing any given work within the context of its original al-bum, while at the same time earning clas-sical labels some download sales. And that last point doesn’t appear to be pie-in-the-sky thinking either; when I interviewed Signum Records’ Steve Long for Gramo-phone earlier this year, he commented that listeners appeared to be streaming Signum recordings and then downloading, every thousand streams on Apple equating to an iTunes sale.

Ultimately therefore, I think the future of the whole classical album probably lies in the hands of artists and record labels themselves; certainly, if streaming rockets then lazily compiled programmes won’t elicit whole-album success. However, beautifully considered programmes should survive for as long as artists con-tinue to make them. CM

cheerleader: charlotte gardner

CM0716_027_R_Opinion 2 Gardner.indd 27 13/06/2016 11:50:39


OpINION

On the face of it, symphony orches-tras are a strange medium in which to conduct contemporary inter-

national cultural relations. They are outsized beasts: expensive to transport, often playing standard classical repertoire from nations unconnected with the orchestra itself; and dissociated from the life of the community in which they are appearing.

The subject came to the fore a few weeks ago when one of the most admired examples of orchestral cultural diplomacy, the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO) announced it was closing due to withdrawal of its EU subsidy – a poor decision, to say the least, and one which it was good to see reversed follow-ing Jean-Claude Juncker’s intervention. The EUYO’s advantage, rather like Daniel Baren-boim’s West-East Divan Orchestra, is that its core membership is multi-cultural; crossing boundaries and religions in a way that more conventional bands can’t quite match – keep-ing bridges open to Russia, for example, and even accommodating Armenian and Azerbai-jani musicians, despite the traumatic history between those two nations. Like Barenboim, Marshall Marcus, the CEO of the EUYO,

would emphasise that ‘It isn’t an orchestra for peace, but an orchestra against ignorance’.

On several occasions orchestras have been used as ‘blunt instruments’ in unambiguous political gestures which are, more often than not, totally ineffective. One of the most pecu-liar of them was the New York Philharmonic Orchestra’s much-vaunted trip to North Korea in 2008, intended to open doors and herald a new era in the DPRK’s relationship with the US. The reality of relations between North Korea and much of the rest of the world, however, challenged this premise – and the grand orchestral gesture of playing Wagner, Dvořák and Gershwin in Pyongyang now seems a somewhat misguided gesture. At least Condoleezza Rice (US Secretary of State at the time, and herself an accomplished musician) was pretty sanguine about the likely impact: ‘I don’t think we should get carried away,’ she said, ‘about what listening to the concert is go-ing to do in North Korea’. How right she was.

Even crasser is the Maryinsky’s recent concert with Gergiev in the ruins of Palmyra – an odd event that saw the orchestra fly in, play some Russian music in the middle of the day and leave, almost immediately! Bizarre...

Orchestral manoeuvres: aid to cultural relations or diplomatic window dressing?GRAHAM SHEFFIELD

Digital takeover: The Philharmonia’s Virtual orchestra will use technology to bring orchestral music to new audiences on their own terms and beyond the traditional concert hall

but does this necessarily mean that orchestras don’t have a part to play in cultural relations? I would strongly argue that they do – but that we also need to look closely at the rationale, the model, the repertoire and the methodolo-gy, as well as the potential legacy of such work.

A more considered approach was adopted by the BBC, in partnership with the British Council, in 2014. As a lead up to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra – under its enterprising CEO Gavin Reid – planned a three-stage tour across India; and a true cultural exchange be-tween musicians from both traditions. Students from both the KM Music Conservatory in Chennai and Royal Conservatoire in Scotland were involved, and following the tour, the In-dian musicians played again with their Scottish peers at Celtic Connections in Glasgow. It was a concerted attempt to reach as many people through the collaboration as possible; and to share traditions from east and west.

Reid sees the coupling of UK soft power ob-jectives with culture as a great thing, reporting that both professional musicians and students found the experience a wholly positive one. There is a desire to do something similar again but, with too little investment, what was a great and successful enterprise will not turn into a world-changing one.

Still, I retain some misgivings. The way western classical music is presented to those from a different musical culture can be a very sensitive issue, particularly in this instance, where this was the music of the colonial power.

A different approach was adopted by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in its ven-ture to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Welsh colonisation of Patagonia. Though the word ‘colony’ remains, there are none of the stigmas of British India, nor of the dichotomy of musical languages.

Michael Garvey, the orchestra’s general manager, is pragmatic regarding the value in taking Welsh musicians elsewhere to play Brahms: musicians and audiences benefit in many ways. An added benefit in this case was the celebration of a remote outpost of Welsh culture, now fully integrated into Argentina.

CM0716_028-029_R_Opinion 3 Shefield.indd 28 21/06/2016 15:49:43


OpINION

The driver for Garvey in all of this was education, and there was much success in this respect: workshops, work with children with disabilities, amateur choirs, local youth orches-tras. Consequently, the visit proved the catalyst for a shift in perceptions in the community about the place and purpose of music in its midst. There is also a legacy: a perfectly service-able concert hall, and plans for musicians from the orchestra to pay biennial return visits, to maintain the connections they have made and to nurture future activity and exchange.

The Welsh are ambitious and have plans to visit China in 2018, where so many British orchestras go to earn more income as their UK subsidy falls. This might not be cultural diplomacy, but it is looking more and more like essential business.

Essential business is how Kathryn McDow-ell of the London Symphony Orchestra sees it: a core commercial part of the LSO’s annual budget which, these days, is increasingly hard to come by – although these commercial imperatives don’t stop the LSO from being highly entrepreneurial about its interna-tional work. Constantly on the lookout for high-level international opportunities, it sees itself as a core part of the UK’s ‘cultural soft power armoury’ – akin to Tate or the V&A. It seeks to effect major change through these opportunities, opening doors for others and embedding in communities. The orchestra’s long-term operation in venues in Paris, Japan and the US means that it has become part of the musical fabric of the place of its residency, and demonstrates a major commitment.

The LSO’s reputation in this area led to a partnership with the Aix en Provence Festival, whose visionary director, organist Bernard Foccroulle, wanted to alter the orientation of the festival towards a Mediterranean mindset. He saw the LSO as crucial to this change and, working together, they created a Medi-youth Orchestra; with the LSO players coaching, mentoring and running education conferences with young people.

McDowell, who says, ‘You can’t do educa-tion on a hit and run basis,’ sees ‘systemic social change’ emanating from these initiatives, as well as positive changes in the mindset and well-being of her players; and Bernard Foc-croulle has been emboldened to pursue other orchestras (like the Philharmonia) with other similar projects.

Speaking recently at the Transform Or-chestra Leadership Conference in São Paulo led me to ask questions of Brazil’s orchestras. Why shouldn’t they be leaders in similar

innovation? And how much (given its size, more than 50% of South America) cultural exchange takes place within Brazil – or with the rest of the continent? Domestic exchange also matters.

A lot of what is done in Brazil in terms of social engagement through the Arts reaches Europe, and the country is leading the way in creating cultural practice for social develop-ment. Several youth orchestras – the São Paulo State Youth Symphony, Neojiba and Heliopo-lis Symphony – have made huge impressions in Europe and the USA for their musical quality and artistic energy. But how far are Brazilian orchestras touring, not in terms of air miles, but to Brazilian audiences beyond their local concert halls? How deep is their engagement in their own back yard?

The EUYO regularly has 28 nationalities within it. El Sistema in Venezuela has one, but has scaled to the extent that it has become a countrywide social phenomenon, reaching almost a quarter of the population in some form; and has put down international roots,

most notably in Scotland. Marshall Marcus of the EUYO is also connected to El Sistema, and is driving an expansion of the Sistema EU network to greater scale through a digital e-learning legacy.

This is akin to the digital drive of the Phil-harmonia, arguably the UK’s most innovative orchestra in terms of its deployment of digital, internationally and in the UK. Retiring Phil-harmonia chief David Whelton says that the touring scene has changed beyond recognition in the last 30 years. Since the nineties recession orchestras have rethought touring beyond the overnight parachute jump, and the early morn-ing departure – resulting in ‘centres of gravity’ like Dortmund in Germany or the Châtelet in Paris; dipping a toe in the water of education and audience development, thus diversifying the orchestral portfolio. The Philharmonia has demonstrated to other European bands the potential to thrive on a new business model which is less reliant on public subsidy – around 20%, as opposed to German and French mod-els at well over 70%.

Prior to the newest manifestation of the Philharmonia’s digital drive, Virtual Reality, the orchestra toured large-scale installations

RE-RITE and Universe of Sound as part of iOrchestra, which includes a touring 40m marquee and musical truck. A two-year audience development strategy across the UK’s south-west reached more than 120,000, mainly young people, demonstrating the power of technology to reach new audiences through live large-scale orchestral experiences.

Virtual Reality, a ten-day ‘digital takeover’ of the Royal Festival Hall at the start of the 2016-17 season, will fundamentally build on the work to use technology to bring orchestral music to new audiences on their own terms and beyond the traditional concert hall, says the orchestra’s digital director Luke Ritchie. Undertaken over nine years, with a great deal of outside investment, this has led to invita-tions overseas – often initiated by the British Council – to play of course, but also to show-case innovative work.

Speaking of the British Council, the Brazil conference itself was a remarkable example of how culture in general and music in particular are valuable tools for building trust and under-

standing between nations – the organisation’s USP. Our teams in Brazil and London, work-ing with the Association of British Orches-tras, have realised a vision for dialogue and exchange, connecting orchestra managers, con-ductors, educators and musicians; and feed-back from more than 30 UK organisations (including the Aurora Orchestra, the Scottish Ensemble and the Royal Northern Sinfonia, all of whom performed in South America) demonstrates that the Transform Programme has given them a deeper understanding and engagement with Brazilian music, musicians and culture, and had a significant impact in their own professional practice.

Who now wants a touring orchestra that’s just going to turn up, play, and go? Not many! So, if you are running an orchestra with shrinking public subsidy and are looking to tour, look around you, take account of the best practice from across the world including the UK, and mark your score with an accelerando. The tempo is increasing and the great conduc-tor in the skies won’t hang around for you! CM

Graham Sheffield CBE is Director Arts, British Council

Who now wants a touring orchestra that’s just going to turn up, play, and go? Not many

CM0716_028-029_R_Opinion 3 Shefield.indd 29 15/06/2016 13:05:41


new music by Katy wright

The performance notes for Lera Auerbach’s new work state: ‘You can surprise the listener, delight or

offend, just do not bore.’ With characters in-cluding Dickery Dare, the Moon-Rider and the Panda Bear, there seems little chance that the audience will fail to be entertained.

The piece playfully references the traditions of the bard and the troubadour, taking inspiration from the fantastical and bizarre. ‘I was asking myself what it was to be an artist,’ Auerbach explains,

‘and I was thinking about how there have always been storytellers through the ages. The “minstrel” is called different things at different times, but in essence nothing has changed. I started to think about minstrels as representative of an artist.’

Why ‘infant’, then? ‘In order to be an art-ist, you need to keep the children within you alive. All children are born as artists, but then something happens and the spark and wonder is lost; life takes over.’

Vadim Gluzman will play the part of

LERA AUERBACH – THE INFANT MINSTREL AND HIS PECULIAR MENAGERIE (SYMPHONY NO 3 FOR VIOLIN, CHOIR AND ORCHESTRA)

PREMIERE CHOICE the Infant Minstrel at the premiere – the travelling musical storyteller who intro-duces a collection of tales by the author Erroneous Anonymous. The composer and the violinist have been friends since they were teenagers, and Auerbach has been wanting to feature him in a major work for some time. ‘He loved the idea of creating something very unusual: he didn’t want a standard violin concerto, he wanted to work with a choir.’

The Infant Minstrel guides the audience through the piece, appearing in dialogue with the choir. ‘When I write for instru-ments I tend to think vocally, but I also do my best to write idiomatically for each instrument. Since Vadim and I have collabo-rated so much in the past, I feel extremely free to express anything I want because I know he’ll understand,’ the composer says.

The choir articulates the stories that the violinist tells through music. The poems, which were also written by Auerbach, were inspired by the tradition of British nonsense poetry – authors including Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll – and combine humour with darker undertones.

Each poem is a surreal vignette featuring a different character from the ‘menagerie’; one of these is titled ‘Lament for a Common Corporant’. ‘It’s a made-up word, and he’s a weird character,’ says Auerbach. ‘A lot of the movements are fantastical, but this one is about daily office life and how he complains about everything.’

Although the fictional narrator may be a child, the piece was written with a wider au-dience in mind. The overriding mood might be light-hearted, but it also encompasses satire and critiques of modern day life.

‘In music there are still few works which can be appreciated by children and adults which are funny. I wanted to write some-thing which can speak to both,’ Auerbach says. ‘To bring this wild nature of creation and what it means to be an artist – what it means to be both timeless and timely – and how it can connect to the sanctuaries of musicians as story tellers and yet to have this 21st-century relevance, that’s what I wanted.’

a piece for children and adults: lera auerbach

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XX 31 JULYlera Auerbach The Infant Minstrel and His Peculiar Menagerie (symphony no 3 for violin, choir and orchestra) uK prem (Vadim gluzman, violin, andrew Watts, countertenor, crouch end Festival chorus, BBc symphony orchestra, edward gardner, conductor, royal albert Hall, 7.30pm)

CM0716_030-033_R_Premiers.indd 30 15/06/2016 10:15:02



XX 2 JULYDavid lang Memorial Ground (Theatre of Voices, sco chorus, Fife choirs, Paul Hillier, conductor, cambo Barn, east neuk Festival)john Mcleod White Bird Rising (inchcolm new music ensemble, steve King, conductor, st giles’ cathedral, edinburgh, 7.30pm)Ian lynn Farthing Down (isle of Wight symphony orchestra, Jonathan Butcher, conductor, medina Theatre, newport, 7.15pm)

XX 3 JULYPeter Vulperhost new work (Perc’m, amaryllis Fleming concert Hall, royal college of music, 3pm)

XX 4 JULYHunter Coblentz, Michael Cryne, Katarzyna Krzewinska, Robert Peate new works (rcm new Perspectives, members of the london Philharmonic orchestra and lPo Foyle Future Firsts, magnus lindberg, conductor, amaryllis Fleming concert Hall, royal college of music, 7.30pm)

XX 5 JULYFrederick Scott Toccata seconda (mikhail Kazakevich, Elena Zozina, piano, Fairfield Halls, 1pm)

XX 7 JULYChristian lindberg Liverpool lullabies (concerto for percussion and trombone) (evelyn glennie, percussion, christian lindberg, trombone, orchestra of st John’s, John lubbock, conductor, Town Hall, cheltenham, 7.30pm)Matthew Gallagher The Machine/afterwards (rcm Wind ensemble, simon channing, director, amaryllis Fleming concert Hall, royal college of music, 7.30pm)

XX 8 JULYChristian lindberg Black Hawk Eagle (christian lindberg, trombone, roland Pontinen, piano, Pittville Pump room, cheltenham, 11am)julian Day Dark Twin uK prem Neil luck 2018 Adam de la Cour Transplant the Movie! Kate Moore new work (zubin Kanga, piano/

electronics, Parabola arts centre, cheltenham ladies’ college, 9.30pm)Matthew Taylor new work (Waldegrave ensemble, regent Hall, W1c 2DJ, 1pm)

XX 9 JULYjonathan Dove Catching Fire (melvyn Tan, piano, Pittville Pump room, cheltenham, 11am)Andy Ingamells He that plays the English Gentleman shall be welcome (imperial square, cheltenham, 11am/2.30pm)Dave Maric Vigil (David maric, piano/electronics, guildhall school of music & Drama musicians, Goldfield Ensemble, Parabola Arts Centre, cheltenham ladies’ college, 2pm)james Black, liam Mattison, Krists Auznieks, Rob jones, Sarah lianne lewis, Sophya Polevaya new works (manTras piano duo, cheltenham ladies’ college Parabola arts centre, 3.30pm)Blair Boyd, Tom Green, joseph Howard, Samuel Messer, Alexander Paxton, Peter yarde Martin new works (Dr K sextet, cheltenham ladies’ college Parabola arts centre, 4.30pm)Arlene Sierra/Maya Deren Ritual in Transfigured Time Kathy Hinde/Solveig Settemsdal Singularity (Goldfield Ensemble, Langham Research Centre, rob godman, sound design, Parabola arts centre, cheltenham ladies’ college, 5pm)Herbert Howells cello concerto (guy Johnston, cello, royal college of music symphony orchestra, martin andré, conductor, gloucester cathedral, 6.30pm)Andrew Norman children’s opera (london symphony orchestra, guildhall musicians, lso Discovery choirs, lso community choir, sir simon rattle, conductor, Barbican centre, 7pm)

XX 13 JULYjonathan Dove In Damascus london prem (mark Padmore, tenor, sacconi Quartet, Kings Place, 7.30pm)

XX 14 JULYPaul Mealor new work (london mozart Players, mousai singers, Daniel cook, organ, st nicholas church, new romney, 7pm)

XX 15 JULYHunter Coblentz Trio (Fidelio Trio, Pittville Pump room, cheltenham, 7.30pm)Donnacha Dennehy The weather of it (Doric string Quartet, Wigmore Hall, london)

XX 16 JULYDavid Matthews Piano concerto london prem (Thomas nickell, piano, orchestra of the swan, David curtis, conductor, Kings Place, 7.30pm)Christopher Tin The Drop That Contained The Sea (Prima Vocal ensemble, angel city chorale, Barbican centre, York, 7.30pm; also 19 July, cadogan Hall, 7.30pm)

XX 18 JULYPeter Eötvös The Golden Dragon (llio evans, soprano, lucy schaufer, mezzo soprano, andrew macKenzie-Wicks, tenor, andrew Kennedy, tenor, Johnny Herford, baritone, music Theatre Wales ensemble, geoffrey Paterson, conductor, Buxton opera House, 7.15)

XX 21 JULYjames MacMillan Motet IV (catrin Finch, harp, castle Howard, York, 7pm)

XX 22 JULYGluck Philemon and Baucis (Bampton classical Opera, Paul Wingfield, conductor, Deanery Garden, Bampton, 7pm; also 23 July; 29 august, Westonbirt orangery, 5pm; 13 september, st John’s smith square, 7pm)

XX 23 JULYBob Chilcott Ophelia, Caliban and Miranda (commotio, matthew Berry, conductor, st nicholas church, chadlington, 7.30pm)

XX 24 JULYPhilip lancaster War Passion (st cecilia singers, Bristol ensemble, Jonathan Hope, conductor, cirencester Parish church, 3.30pm)Howard Skempton New work (Brodsky string Quartet, st Wilfrid’s church, Harrogate, 8pm)

July 2016

premieresin the UK & ireLandWorld premieres unless otherwise stated. Full listings at www.classicalmusicmagazine.co.uk

picK of the rest

Kurt schwertsik’s new work for solo cello has been jointly commissioned by the royal Philharmonic society and radio 3 for the new generation artists scheme. armenian cellist narek Hakhnazaryan will give the work’s premiere as part of the cheltenham Festival.

The winning entry in the John sanders choral composition competition, Mary’s Lullaby was described by judge Christopher Robinson as ‘firmly rooted in the english tradition, with occasional echoes of Vaughan Williams and Howells, and illustrates with great skill and imagination the general atmosphere of a “quite dark” 13th-century text’.

XX 14 JULYKurt Schwertsik Eine Windrose für Mauricio (narek Hakhnazaryan, cello, Pittville Pump room, cheltenham, 11am)

XX 28 JULYjoshua Pacey Mary’s Lullaby (st cecilia singers, William Peart, organ, Jonathan Hope, conductor, gloucester cathedral, 5.30pm) great skill and imagination: Joshua Pacey


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Help Musicians UK - Songcylce Advert.indd 1 17/06/2016 15:50:28CM_July_2016.indd 32 21/06/2016 09:55:11



edward gregson’s relationship with the Black Dyke Band dates back to 1969, when the ensemble became the first to commercially record and broadcast one of the composer’s works. The latest product of this connection and the first fruit of gregson’s tenure as composer-in-residence is a new cornet concerto.

gregson is full of praise for the ensemble – ‘They’re at the top of the pecking order’ – and describes principal cornet richard marshall, who will give the premiere of the work, as ‘a phenomenal player’. ‘His technical ability is amazing, so i could write whatever i wanted. i’ve exploited a range of about three octaves and it’s a hard piece, but he’ll be fine.’

The cornet is particularly appealing to the composer. ‘it’s got a wonderful sound and it’s much more flexible than the trumpet in terms of getting around the instrument quickly. it’s played with vibrato, so it’s a very warm, romantic instrument.’ He turned to the cornet’s existing associations for inspiration for the piece: ‘i’ve tried to incorporate the two elements of the cornet which have been passed down historically, which are its ability to play tunes and melodies, and its identity as a virtuoso instrument. The work has quite a lot of melodic content and virtuoso content.’

The concerto is in three movements and lasts about 16 minutes. The first movement is called ‘sonata’, ‘as in the old sense of sounding together’; the second is an intermezzo with the subtitle ‘more Distant memories’; and the third is a rondo.

The second movement explores gregson’s idea of the cornet as a nostalgic instrument; the composer refers to the Hovis advert featuring the second movement of Dvořák’s ninth symphony arranged for brass band, with the instrument taking the solo part. ‘it looks at past pieces and there are some quotations from other pieces of 60 or 70 years ago.’

although gregson has written a number of pieces for brass band, the genre still occupies outsider status in the classical world. ‘in some ways it’s a different world, but it’s a very exciting one. When you get bands at this kind of level, it is a very thrilling sound. most composers i know who have written for brass band can’t believe the standard of the playing. it’s a wonderful medium to write for, and very rewarding.’ CM

GREGSON CORNET CONCERTO

looking back: edward gregson

The Three choirs Festival’s ‘gloucester lads’ programme came about by chance. ‘marcus [Farnsworth] and i had been wanting to collaborate on something for a long time, and it seemed ideal when he mentioned that he had this concert,’ matthew martin says. The composer is from gloucester, so placing his new song cycle alongside others by Finzi and gurney – who also lived in the city – created a logical programme which also drew out the thematic similarities between the works.

Sonnets of Petrarch comprises three settings of the italian poet’s texts for baritone and piano. Having written a choral work in italian a few years ago, martin had been wanting to compose some songs in the language ever since. ‘i’ve always been fascinated by the form of them,’ explains martin. ‘and there aren’t that many settings of them, really, which is nice.’

With more than 300 sonnets to choose from, martin settled on sonnets eight, 14 and 17, which reflect on the misery of unrequited love and the temptation of death. ‘They’re probably quite intense,’ he says, laughing.

each of the settings is about three or four minutes in length. ‘The style of writing is english, angular – an extension of Britten and lennox Berkeley, that kind of sound world. They will suit marcus’ voice quite well, i think.’

although the song cycle will consist of three songs in the upcoming concert, martin hopes it will expand in future. ‘i’d quite like to add to them over time – maybe there will end up being many more.’

GLOUCESTER LADS

Fascinated by Petrarch: matthew martin

XX 27 JULYMatthew Martin Sonnets of Petrarch (marcus Farnsworth, baritone, James Baillieu, piano, st Barnabas Church, Tuffley, 2.45pm)

XX 10 JULYEdward Gregson cornet concerto uK prem (richard marshall, cornet, Black Dyke Band, Nicholas Childs, conductor, Royal Hall, Harrogate, 7.30pm)



interview

Why is it so important for you to support young composers?As an answer I would like to pose the ques-tion: ‘Why don’t all performers feel it is im-portant to support young composers?’ And not just young composers, but exceptional living composers of all ages. The performers of times gone by, from Bülow to Koussev-itzky to Boulez, have hugely influenced the development of the core repertoire as it pres-ently stands, from Tchaikovsky to Bartók and Berg. It is not so much ‘important’ as a real necessity.

How do you feel new music has changed?New music is always in a state of change – it can’t be otherwise. The centre of gravity (ie what’s fashionable) has certainly shifted several times in my lifetime, but if you compare the rate of change over the last 50

years to that of the first 50 years of the past century it’s been at a snail’s pace, relatively speaking. I find this very puzzling, as the sheer number of composers out there today is vastly more than 50 years ago, and the development of technology has accelerated almost beyond comprehension in the same period.

How do you think attitudes towards new music have changed?When I was a young lad, there was a small pantheon of living composers who were held in high esteem both by the musical ‘estab-lishment’ and the wide musical public, nota-bly Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Britten, Wal-ton and Copland. These were figures who commanded huge respect and a substantial audience, and their music is part of the core repertoire today. With the exception of

Q&A oliver knussenComposers have it tough, with more and more new music being put to less and less use, according to Oliver Knussen, who is grateful for his conducting work. He talks to Katy Wright

Finds the digital invaluable: oliver Knussen

isolated cases, like the present-day relative popularity of the Turangalîla symphony, the Berio Sinfonia, Dutilleux’s Métaboles and even Stockhausen’s Gruppen (amazingly enough) this process seems virtually to have stopped dead. Who would constitute such a pantheon today? Even those composers no longer with us who wrote wonderful works for the ‘normal’ orchestra like Tippett, Carter, Henze, Takemitsu and so forth are rarely encountered in your average orches-tral concert season – the BBC orchestras and the Proms being honourable exceptions, thank god.

What has increased hugely is the quantity of commissions for new work, and the com-bination of this trend with the freezing, as it were, of the core repertoire in approximately the middle 1970s has led to a very unhealthy situation where more and more music is being put to less and less use. Composers write more and more, publishers’ shelves get heavier and heavier. This is a crazy situation, because so many composers today do com-municate very directly with audiences.

There should be, for starters, a guarantee of a generous number of repeat performanc-es attached to each commission (this does sometimes happen), and some kind of major funding reward for the revival of successful recent works.

But in the present situation, what does ‘success’ actually mean? Works that are an audience ‘hit’ at their premieres more often than not disappear for years, sometimes decades, until someone or other encounters them by chance or has a long memory.

I’ve been very lucky in these respects myself, by the way, so I can talk about these things without sour grapes attached, but I write slowly and have been able to earn my keep by performing, thereby doing my bit to redress the balance a little bit too. If I wasn’t fortunate enough to be in this position, I’m sure I’d be in exactly the same boat.

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CM0716_034-035_R_Q&A.indd 34 21/06/2016 15:50:26


interview

617-698-3034 luisandclark.com

“…very rich and powerful

sound…”Alexander Mishnaevski,

Principal Viola, Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Made in America

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Following your comments on accept-ing the Ivor Novello award earlier this month, do you feel that classical music is being increasingly sidelined?Not ‘classical music’ as such, which has become a catch-all name for the real thing and all manner of vulgar crossover dilu-tions, but new music specifically – which in itself encompasses a huge variety of styles and approaches. With regard to the radio, you can’t just bung most of it into a single container late at night and say you’re covering the field – just look at the Radio Times if this sounds like hyperbole. As well as a specialist slot, it should be included over the whole day as a matter of course as it was, very successfully, for a few days earlier this year [New Year New Music, Radio 3].

Can you tell me about your plans for the next few months?I have two big concerts at the Aldeburgh Festival in June, one with the BBCSO and one with the Britten Sinfonia – although

I live nearby they have to be rehearsed in London, so I’ll be hopping back and forth quite a bit. Then in July we’re recording some big late Carter works for piano and orchestra with Pierre-Laurent Aimard and the BBCSO (we recorded the smaller pieces with the BCMG last year). In early August I do my Prom, again with the wonderful BBCSO (they’ll be sick to death of me!) and my dear friend Peter Serkin. We’re doing the Brahms second concerto – not entirely new territory for me as we played it together in Japan last autumn – and I’m doing an extraordinary new work by Rein-bert de Leeuw, Der Nächtliche Wanderer, which is his first big piece for 40 years. It’s very expressionistic and very powerful, quite unlike anything else I know. At the end of August I get to sit back and listen for a change when I go as composer-in- residence to Adrian Brendel’s Plush Festival in Dorset.

And in between all of that, I will actually have quite a bit of time to write, thank goodness. CM

There should be a guarantee of a generous number of repeat performances attached to each commission

CM0716_034-035_R_Q&A.indd 35 17/06/2016 15:43:02


interview

Like many who end up with conducting as their careers, the Singaporean Kah Chun Wong admits to first waving his

arms to music as a young child – in his case, larking about with his primary schoolmates during breaks from music practice (he was a trumpeter). Fewer see these initial efforts start to blossom in the armed forces.

‘I think I really started considering becom-ing a professional conductor when I was in the military,’ he explains, referring to his two years’ mandatory military service that he spent as a bandsman. ‘From then, I started to write my own music, and of course when you write your own music you have to find a conduc-tor, and it wasn’t so easy to find someone who wanted to conduct some young composer’s first pieces of music. So I had to be the one responsible for all the rehearsals. This became something I was very curious to explore.’

The composing he developed as an un-dergraduate at Singapore’s Yong Siew Toh Conservatory before, in the absence of a programme there, he decided to look overseas to tackle conducting. ‘I wanted to go to the States to study, mainly because usually the schools in the US have scholarships available. So this is actually quite an embarrassment to mention, but I auditioned for a number of schools in the US and I didn’t get into any of them – I flunked my entrance examina-tions. It just turned out that when the results were announced, I think it was at the end of March or the beginning of April, I went online to see whether there were any more schools that I could apply to. I found the Hanns-Eisler Musikhochschule.’

He made the trip to the Berlin college to au-dition, taking the opportunity for some musi-cal tourism in Dresden and Leipzig at the same time, and was accepted, going on to study with Christian Ehwald and Hans-Dieter Baum. ‘Being in Berlin makes a big difference to any young conductor because the Berlin Philhar-monic is there, the Konzerthaus orchestra is there, the State Opera, the Deutsche Oper is

Military service was the catalyst for the young conductor who took first prize at this year’s Mahler Competition in Bamberg. He talks to Toby Deller

I would ask for permission to attend one of the rehearsals and just sit in a corner with my scores

Meet the Maestro Kah Chun Wong

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CM0716_036-037_R_Maestro.indd 36 15/06/2016 10:19:10


interview

there, which means that any day at any point in time there would be a rehearsal going on with one of the best conductors in the world. I would just run away to one of the halls and ask for permission to attend one of the rehearsals and just sit in a corner with my scores. And I think those few years of doing this really gave me 90% of what I know right now.’

Wong did make it to the US in the end, to study for two summers on the conduct-ing programme at the Aspen Music Festival working with Roberto Spano and over five years at Kurt Masur’s international conduct-ing seminars in Manhattan. He has had guid-ance from Esa-Pekka Salonen and Bernard Haitink too, so it is a conductor with some pedigree who won first prize in the 2016 Mahler Competition in Bamberg.

‘This competition was so well run. It felt more like a kind of masterclass than a competi-tion. Of course there was a kind of pressure – there were 14 very qualified young conductors in the same room. But the organisation was in a way that we all felt like we were working with the orchestra in a very normal, usual concert

setting rather than in a competition setting with ten or 15 minutes to prove ourselves.’

It has already brought him offers of work – when we spoke he was preparing to deputise at a couple of weeks’ notice for Jesús López-Cobos in concerts in China. But closer to home, he still attends to his own ensemble, the Asian Contemporary Ensemble, that he set up while a student in Singapore. ‘I was studying composition, my colleagues were studying composition and we always found it hard to have our works performed by musicians who are interested in new music in Singapore then. Now it’s quite different, I must say. But in those days if we wanted to do something it just made sense that we would form our own group to perform a few concerts of our work.’

The ensemble now incorporates Asian instruments, providing greater scope to the composers who write for it, and Wong is developing a community music project called MusiCare. ‘This is something I really want to focus on: to develop a kind of social respon-sibility with artists to contribute back to our community, especially to people who might

not be able to easily access concert halls.’The ensemble has started touring abroad –

its first tour was to Hong Kong – and will be visiting this year’s Asian Composers Confer-ence in Vietnam. CM

biographyXX1986 Born singaporeXX 2011 graduates Yong siew Toh conservatoryXX 2011 Begins masters at the Hanns-eisler musikhochschule, BerlinXX 2011-13 conducting assistant singapore chinese orchestraXX 2011-12 conducting fellow american academy for conducting, aspen music FestivalXX 2013 First prize, Fourth international conducting competition ‘Jeunesses musicales’, BucharestXX 2015 Debut with singapore symphony XX 2016 First prize, mahler competition, Bamberg

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interview

When you walk into a studio, you never know who’s going to be there. OK, with some fixers

you know exactly who’s going to be there, but mostly it’s a complete surprise. You look around and you’ll see some seriously well-known players: chamber musicians, top-flight soloists, principal chairs of orchestras. It’s like a Who’s Who of the British music scene, but playing semibreves. It’s quite re-markable. I find people I admired on Radio 3 as soloists years ago sitting in Abbey Road, doing crap for half-decent money.

Like any freelance life, this work is precarious and involves a great deal of jug-gling. That’s probably the biggest pain, not knowing whether you can risk taking a week off and booking a holiday or if you should hold out in case something good comes up. My bugbears are the uncertainty and the paranoia. These are part and parcel of how the session world functions.

For a standard film, the rates went up at Christmas for the first time in many years; now they’re around £180 for a three-hour session. The trouble is that a significant amount of stuff is cancelled. I will be con-tacted by a fixer never normally more than three or four weeks before the presumed date of the session. You are booked ‘on hold’ – which means that if it’s all cancelled you’re owed no money because the date isn’t con-firmed. The confirmation comes no more than a week in advance and usually just two or three days.

If three to five six-hour days are cancelled, three days before, you’ve lost out on a not insignificant amount of money; and some people will be scared to take on other work for that time in case the session is con-firmed. And if you tell the fixers that you’ve accepted something else instead, some of them can make you feel like a real arsehole.

No wonder there’s so much paranoia in the session world. If I make a mistake, will I get booked again? If I turn down a couple

of jobs, will I get called again? I know musicians who’ve flown back from fam-ily holidays for a one-day job because they didn’t want to fall out with a fixer.

But opportunities have opened up in oth-er areas because of the people I’ve met doing sessions, whether they’re in the orchestra, conductors, composers or sound engineers. There’s an assumption that if you’re working in that situation, you’re good enough to do other things too. Even if you’re only playing semibreves on a film soundtrack, it’s an assumption, and usually correct, that you’re serious about music and that you can do straight stuff really well. You don’t get into sessions without having a reputation in the other spheres anyway.

I know I keep banging on about semi-breves, but there’s a serious point: I find the level of film music today quite uninspiring. Much is interchangeable, and I don’t know whether that’s because of directors demand-ing something unobtrusive, or composers not knowing how to do something more original. If a film is about someone lost in the Swedish wilderness, OK, you don’t want lots of rhythmic action sequences – but you can surely have something a little more original than C minor arpeggios. I find much more genuine talent and originality in the material we record for library music. There are a few huge libraries that produc-tions will go to when they have no budget to commission a composer and book an orchestra. For instance, a tv documentary might go in and choose something suitable for a film about pandas.

As ever, time is money and now more films are coming back to the UK to record their music because they’ve realised that even if somewhere in eastern Europe is cheaper per session, they might have to spend longer on it there than in London. British musicians are extremely quick, pro-fessional and disciplined. On the other side, sessions are shrinking. Something that once

would have been two three-hour sessions might now be much shorter, for instance one three-hour session plus some overtime. Sometimes you’re recording right up to the final second.

Becoming a session musician wasn’t my intention; it’s a matter of circumstance, needing to earn a living. This business is hugely competitive and more people are coming into it all the time, which keeps us all on our toes. I’m not hard-bitten and jaded; I still enjoy going to work. And I realise I am being paid quite well to do something that is relatively easy. There’s a certain mystique about session work; people think it’s a kind of A-list club, that it’s a mark of quality. Some people thrive on the fact that they’re a big-time session musician. Others, like me, just accept it as the great trade it can be at times, take what you can get out of it and don’t take it too seriously. It could all end in the blink of an eye. CM

It can be a great trade, but uncertainty and paranoia are part and parcel of the work, and it could all end at a moment’s notice. As told to Jessica Duchen

insiders anonyMous The session musician

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CM_July_2016.indd 40 20/06/2016 09:52:23


MU advice

What has the union ever done for me? This question prompts the wryest of smiles from me, as the

orchestras official at the Musicians’ Union (MU). My job is to negotiate the pay and conditions that our members work under in orchestras across the UK, improving them where we can and resisting the effects of ‘aus-terity’ as funders, sponsors and local authori-ties find it more and more difficult to balance funding the arts with meeting their statutory obligations elsewhere.

Making sure that the working landscape is as good as it can be for our members is a real team effort. Along with my colleagues in the orchestra department and regional officials, I spend a lot of my time working on the day-to-day issues facing our members in the classical sector. These are often the standard workplace issues that all employment brings – grievances, disciplinaries, capability issues, continued pro-fessional development and health and safety. In these cases we mainly work on behalf of individual members or groups of members.

There are also so many ‘non-standard’ work-forces in the classical sector: self-employed orchestras, small ensembles and freelance ‘scratch’ bands to name but a few. Members working in these areas often have slightly different needs and require assistance of a different kind.

Most orchestras, including the self-employed ones, elect a steward and health & safety rep(s) with our assistance. This person acts as a point of contact between us (the MU), our members and the management teams and they are often able to solve issues as they arise, reflecting what the majority view is in daily issues and generally keeping the wheels oiled.

It is interesting to see the effect on orches-tras when there is no union rep in place for a while, as can happen from time to time. Relatively minor issues can build up to a point where they become major stumbling blocks between the players and management, all due to a lack of dialogue. Stewards are therefore hugely important – for our members, for us and also for the employers, who have one point

Morris Stemp, orchestras official at the Musicians’ Union, looks at the importance of behind-the- scenes work

Silent helpers

of contact to deal with instead of 100 different ideas as to what to do from day to day.

Some freelance players do not meet in regularly formed orchestras – they are put together just for a particular event – and in this area we have roving stewards who keep us apprised as to what is going on where they have been working, what went well and what did not. They are able to carry out their duties in whatever work environment they find themselves in; a recording session, a freelance orchestra or band, a muddy field gig, depping on a theatre show or working as an extra in an established orchestra.

All of this information is used by our execu-tive committee and officials to help direct the work of the union on behalf of members. We also have several orchestra committees and run regular consultative ballots to ensure that we are representing the views of all of our members in the classical field.

The MU understands that a lot of our members want to go to their place of work and concentrate fully on what they do on stage without having to deal with the nuts and bolts of their existence. That is our role as a union: to work behind the scenes to ensure that our members get the best possible deal. As well as the individual issues which we give one-to-one support on, we also do a lot of work to keep the cogs turning in other ways – anything from our current discussions at ENO and Ulster Orchestra to our lobbying on BBC charter renewal to ensure that it does not negatively affect the BBC’s musical output, to battling on issues such as fair remuneration for streaming and for having your work recorded.

And of course all the while securing pay increases and better working rights for our members in the classical field wherever pos-sible. By its nature, much of this work is ‘silent’ and rarely shows up in the media.

What has the union ever done for me? I might also raise an eyebrow this time, along with that wry smile. CM

Wry smile: morris stemp

CM0716_041_R_MU.indd 41 13/06/2016 11:55:09


sound and music presents

New Voices can be described as an online yearbook where the discovery of emerging talent from

across the UK is the focal point. The project is an opportunity to showcase the excep-tional creative innovations of the composers and creators who have been involved with Sound and Music’s Embedded and Portfo-lio programmes, while providing a platform to introduce the artists to new audiences and raise their profiles. Our hope is to encourage the exploration of contemporary and experimental musics that enrich the society we live in today.

This year’s partners in association with both Embedded and Portfolio have ranged from the South London Gallery, BBC Sym-phony Orchestra and composer and tabla expert Kuljit Bhamra to the Open Data In-stitute, Café OTO, and Music Hackspace,

all of whom have supported the 25 New Voices of 2016 working in residence.

Working with such forward-thinking organisations and individuals empowers the composers to run with their ideas and work freely, without the prospective limitations that are often attributed to commissions. The results are outstanding. With such a profound focus on the composers’ own creative and artistic development, the spirit of ‘innovation’ thrives infectiously and is mirrored in the original and inspiring works of the composers themselves.

Many have gratefully remarked how their residencies have liberated them to experiment with their work in ways that they would not usually be able to do: Leslie Deere comments, ‘Working with Music Hackspace [Embedded] has been a great chance to explore cutting edge sound-mak-

Sound and Music’s Emma Sugarman introduces the organisation’s annual celebration of new music, back for its third year running and showcasing the most exceptional talent of 2016

New Voices ing in new and inventive ways,’ describing how for the first time in her professional career she was able to combine her back-ground in dance with the development of her live sound-making practices.

Alex McLean, live-coding composer and pioneer of Algorave, reveals how the Open Data Institute allowed him to take time to ‘reflect on what has been a busy couple of years, and develop a new strand of work’.

From electronic music, sonic art and field recording to audio-visuality, traditional Japanese Noh theatre and archiving at the British Library Sound Archive (BLSA), the diversity of expertise and adventures in sound is kaleidoscopic – and that’s with thanks to the exceptional array of creative opportunities and our partners. However, the residencies are certainly two-way rela-tionships: Andrea Zarza from the British Library Sound Archive divulges how she had been following the announcement of new partners for Embedded ‘with a lot of intrigue’ before finally deciding to host the programme at the BLSA itself.

The two composers selected were Aleks Kolkowski and Larry Achiampong, whose works were recognised for their potential to engage with the BLSA’s projects Save our Sounds and West Africa, which address the fragility of sound heritage and the aural traditions of Western Africa.

Describing how the works of the compos-ers Leslie Deere and Jack James are the embodiment of Music Hackspace’s values and community, programme producer Tadeo Sendon says: ‘As partners of the Embedded programme with Sound and Music we have seen our community grow and diversify in skills and background, creating an environment where people’s talent can be joined together in new and innovative combinations’.

The results of the residencies are warmly welcomed by the multiplicity of partners and artists alike, and Sound and Music continues to seek collaborative opportuni-ties with such diverse organisations.

At the end of the residencies, composers will have the opportunity to premiere their work/research at events and exhibitions hosted by the partners themselves. This year, some works have provided com-mentaries on societal climate and cultural relationships, while others have celebrated tradition, nature, technology or the endless opportunities in sound as a medium. High-lights so far include audio-visual artist and

emerging talent: the 25 new Voices of 2016

CM0716_042-043_R_SAM.indd 42 21/06/2016 15:51:18


sound and music presents

archivist Sally Golding’s London series, Unconscious Archives, which ‘explores and encourages an artistic discourse examining the synergies and dissimilarities which might define both live film art and sound art’.

McLean’s new crowdfunding campaign, Sponge Spicule, merges the creation of music and audience reception to integrate ‘process’ as a core part of the listening ex-perience, while also bringing coding to the forefront of contemporary music. Explora-tions in more diverse arts across the globe are also prevalent, with the mu:arts residen-cies occupied by both Andrew Thomas and Nick Morrish-Rarity. Their exploration of Noh theatre upholds the ancient tradition of the classical musical drama, bringing it to the attention of western audiences and enriching our understanding of Japan in the middle ages.

For more about these events and others, visit www.soundandmusic.org or hashtag #newmusic.

For a weekly snippet of what the compos-

PartnersXXBBc symphony orchestraXXBirmingham contemporary music groupXXBozzini QuartetXXBritish library sound archiveXXcafé oToXXCMMAS and Huddersfield UniversityXXHeart ’n’ SoulXXKuljit BhamraXX Lichfield FestivalXXmu:artsXXmusic HackspaceXXopen Data instituteXXred noteXXsounding motionXXSouth London Gallery

new VoicesAleks Kolkowski, Alex McLean, Andrew Thomas, Bobbie-Jane Gardner, David Coonan, Deborah Pritchard, Elo Masing, Georgia Rodgers, Jack James, Joel Cahen, Larry Achiampong, Laura Reid, Lawrence Dunn, Leslie Deere, Mari Ohno, Nick Morrish-Rarity, Patricia Alessandrini, Patrick Brennan, Paul Abbott, Pete Yelding, Robert Bentall, Ryan Latimer, Sally Golding, Sarah Hughes, Sarah Sayeed

For more information about the composers and creators of New Voices 2016, visit the British Music Collection website at: britishmusiccollection.org.uk

Registered Charity No. 208879

Support us nowTHE ROYAL SOCIETY OF MUSICIANS 26 Fitzroy Square, London W1T 6BT | 020 7629 6137

[email protected] www.royalsocietyofmusicians.org

We don’t just help with broken bones

ers have been up to, you can read our Q&A interviews available on The Sampler (http://read.thesampler.org/), exploring in detail the experiences and wisdoms of the com-posers themselves in their own words. Such

insight into the sentiments of the artists provides a truly fascinating understanding of the ethos of modern arts, bringing New Voices 2016 into the limelight of contempo-rary music culture today. cM

CM0716_042-043_R_SAM.indd 43 21/06/2016 15:51:32


‘There’s a slight sense that every-body expects to open the guide and find out it’s no longer taking

place at the Albert Hall, that it’s taking place in Paris, that there’s no classical music in it, there will be fireworks every night and there will be a big theatre piece running for five days in the middle of it all,’ says Proms direc-tor David Pickard, of the anticipation (or trepidation) surrounding the unveiling of his first season in charge of the 58-day festival.

‘My experience from where I’ve been be-fore, certainly at Glyndebourne, is that it just doesn’t work that way. You start with a vi-

sion and a set of ideals, but I personally think it will be wrong of me, and there’s certainly no pressure on me, to throw everything up in the air and put it back the other way.’

Pickard came to the Proms from Glynde-bourne, where he had been general director since 2001, towards the end of 2015. That meant arriving with a substantial amount of the 2016 season already programmed by his predecessor, Roger Wright, so it was in any case not a question of starting from scratch. But there was still a substantial number of gaps to fill, giving him at least some op-portunity to put his stamp on things. The

London caLLingAs new director of the BBC Proms, David Pickard has been handed one of the biggest toy boxes in the business, but is delving into it with caution. Toby Deller reports

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‘Proms At…’ strand is perhaps the most obvious example.

Separate from the now regular visits to Cadogan Hall, this innovation is a series of four one-off concerts at four separate venues around London, all very different from each other and each offering audiences and musi-cians slightly different perspectives on the music that will be performed there. As Pick-ard explains, ‘I do think there is something genuinely exciting about hearing music in a different space and in a space that somehow reflects the music you’re hearing. That was my starting point.’

With that in mind, the desire to use the Proms to commemorate the 400th an-niversary of Shakespeare’s death prompted Pickard to approach Shakespeare’s Globe with the idea of putting on a concert of Shakespeare-themed music (played by baroque ensemble Arcangelo) at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse there.

‘Hearing that music in there, just as going to see a play there, is very thrilling – and I should probably declare that I was on the board at the Globe for a few years, so I was very closely attached to that organisa-tion. Dare I say, hearing bits of the Fairy Queen or the Tempest in the Albert Hall, we could make it work, but it’s not going to have the same impact as sitting there watching it by candlelight.’

The other three pairings feature the London Sinfonietta at the Roundhouse in north London, Multi-Story Orchestra playing Steve Reich at the Bold Tendencies multi-storey car park in south London, and the BBC Singers singing Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle at the Old Royal Naval College chapel downriver from the Globe in Greenwich.

‘They all came about in different ways,’ says Pickard, ‘but by and large it was about the programme first and then where might be an extraordinary place to hear it. So, Shakespeare, we could put it in Cadogan Hall, we could put it in the Albert Hall, but where will be somewhere really fantastic? I think the Rossini is quite interesting, because although you could argue that it’s probably not absolutely the perfect period for that work, what we’ve gone for is, it is a stunning building to be in.’ As for the

PROMS 2016

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no pressure: David Pickard

The sam Wanamaker Playhouse hosts two concerts of music inspired by shakespeare on 13 august

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PROMS 2016

Roundhouse, it was after the death of Pierre Boulez and recalling his visits there in the 1970s that Pickard had the idea of return-ing. ‘We’d talked to the Sinfonietta about doing a concert in an interesting contem-porary space. I can probably say now that was the last [one of the four] to get fixed. I thought it was going to be the easiest thing in the world to find somewhere for the Sinfonietta to go, and actually there were

all sorts of reasons why various places we looked at didn’t quite work.’

The idea of including Multi-Story Orches-tra at its spiritual home in the now famous Peckham car park came after he attended a performance there last year. ‘Kate Whitley, who runs that, is very particular about where she performs. I had conversations with her: does it have to be that car park, or is there another one? And she absolutely

rightly said: This is a space we are used to performing in, it’s a space that I know works acoustically, it’s one that I know we can make work. What’s important for me is, of course the car park makes a good headline, but also it’s a very exciting young orchestra and we do need to be looking for new people. And they do this extraordinary education work. It’s so much more than just the car park, it’s an organisation.’

If the concert goes down well Pickard says he can certainly envisage working with the orchestra again: ‘I would hope we will be sit-ting down with them and saying: That was great, what are we going to surprise people with next year?’ Then there is the prospect of using the Royal Albert Hall space in future years too, although he says he wants to get the measure of the place with a season under his belt before going too far down that route.

‘I’m very keen that we think of the Proms as being something connected to the whole of London and not just South Kensington – it’s a big London festival as well. Now, where that will lead us, I just don’t know, but I’d love to think that there will be partnerships in the future with other arts organisations in London, and open out more.’ CM

andrew gourlay conducts the london sinfonietta at the roundhouse in a performance of a new piece by David sawer on 20 august

The BBc singers perform rossini’s Petite messe sollenelle at the royal naval college chapel on 6 august

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PROMS 2016

How does the Proms concert fit in with the Globe’s own artistic work?The list of world-class partners that have been collaborating with us at the globe has been growing in recent years. entities like the london Jazz Festival, the english concert, The sixteen and the Proms have provided remarkable opportunities for us to learn from the great musical wisdom london has in spades, and have allowed us to welcome an increasingly diverse array of approaches to our spaces. The Proms also share an increasingly omnivorous taste in music which we are keen to emphasise. We both also as organisations share a similar calculus: a natural base of classical art forms that shine the brightest when in robust dialogue with a myriad other influences and genres. We strive to be omnivorous in our taste and it’s been a delight to see the Proms doing the same.

What does the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse itself add to possibilities for music at the Globe?The Playhouse in its extreme intimacy has a wonderfully focusing effect on music. it enhances our dynamic range (literally and metaphorically), and fundamentally

makes music more visible, while elsewhere theatre music has generally tended to relegate musicians to unseen or marginalised positions in the space. in the Playhouse, like the globe, music is a partner rather than a subservient presence. The Playhouse is also an excellent venue for concerts and we have held over 150 of them in the three busy years since it opened.

The Prom focuses on Shakespeare – for you, what have been his main influences on music and musicians?musicians and composers in the last 400 years have seen shakespeare as their greatest inspirational ally by far, with so many thousands of concert works that it’s hard both to keep track of them and to easily understand why his appeal is so transcendent. no other literary figure comes close. This is also true in film, however (Shakespeare has over a thousand films on IMDB…), so the answer cannot only be because his poetry is naturally musical and lyrical, or that his characters so operatically large. somewhere in the alchemy of his immense eternal universalisms and the unique utterances of his characters lies

a terrain so expansive that apparently there’s enough for the Verdis and Wagners of the world, while also being approachable for the young composer to charmingly set a song.

Shakespeare has been at the centre of your career as a musician. What have you learned about him?To love your audience. Populism is not dumb, it is not selling out; it is about challenging all of us to do or feel something together. it is about eventfulness. look at John Williams: modern classical composers have long scoffed at those diatonic melodies but his appeal is inseparable from his integrity. shakespeare is both common and uncommon, both easy to grasp and immensely dense. Who are you writing for? What do they want and what do they want that they don’t know they want yet?

Thinking ahead, what musical changes might we expect to see at the Globe under its new artistic director Emma Rice?This summer we have created a concert series with lauren laverne and The Pool called Wonder Women, featuring explosive young female talent from london’s gig scene and giving both our spaces a taste of new songwriters, some electropop, throwback eighties afrobeat and high-concept disco. We are presenting róisín murphy alongside arcangelo and Jordi savall. more is more, i’d say.

Can you pick some musical highlights in the pipeline, whether concerts or as part of productions?We are bringing back our production of All the Angels: Handel’s First Messiah this christmas. it should be a delight to see that new piece again, and to have Handel treading the boards of the Playhouse. We also have a screening in the globe of the iconic 1928 silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc on 19 september with members of Portishead and goldfrapp. and on 20 november the london Jazz Festival will return to present another phenomenal day, to be announced. Hopefully a little something for everyone.

Q&A: Bill BArclAy, director of music, shAkespeAre’s GloBe

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CM0716_048-051_F_Cheltenham.indd 48 15/06/2016 12:07:50


‘I’ve got 15 premieres in one year, which is really crazy,’ Sally Beamish laughs. We have met for a chat the day after the

London premiere of A Shakespeare Masque, which had its Stratford premiere in April and is part of what Beamish calls an ‘explosion of work’ that continues throughout her 60th birthday year and beyond.

Largely self-taught as a composer, Beamish began her professional career as a violist and pia-nist, but the yearning to write music has burned strongly within her ever since her mother, the violinist Ursula Snow, taught her to read and write music when she was just four years old.

‘I started composing before I started play-ing. I learnt from studying violin and viola, and from playing the piano. And every new commission teaches me something, so it’s a continuous learning process.’

Although 2016 is mostly about new works, Beamish’s return to Cheltenham Music Festival this month is an opportunity to revisit some favourite pieces in a special 60th birthday showcase.

At the heart of it is The Sins, a semi-theatrical work for actor and ensemble, which was originally commissioned by retired scientist Gerry Mattock and his partner, Beryl Calver-Jones, in 2011. The text, by Phil Hind, is a new translation of the ‘seven deadly sins’ section from Langland’s 14th-century narrative poem Piers Plowman.

Two other pieces in the programme, Commedia and Piobaireachd for piano trio, date from 1990 when Beamish moved from London to Scotland.

‘Commedia is for quintet and it was the first piece of mine to be performed in Scotland after I moved there. The Hebrides Ensemble did it as part of their debut concert and it was

a turning point for me, so it’s nice that it’s in this concert.

‘I wrote Piobaireachd for piano trio soon after I moved to Scotland when I was just discovering about the bagpipes. Piobaireachd is the classical music variation form of the Highland bagpipes.’

Beamish’s next major premiere is Merula perpetua – ‘perpetual blackbird’ – a BBC co-commission with the Royal Philharmonic Society to be performed as a Proms chamber concert on 29 August by Lise Berthaud (viola) and David Saudubray (piano). The piece was inspired by a blackbird that sang constantly

outside her window shortly after her move to Glasgow from Stirlingshire in 2014.

‘The last thing I expected in a city was to be kept awake by a blackbird,’ she says. ‘But because I was restless myself and in a strange place, it seemed to echo my own sense of disorientation. The piece is about resolution – it starts off very tangled and restless, and it gradually settles and then you hear the song in its original form right at the end.’

Merula perpetua is dedicated to Peter Maxwell Davies, her friend and mentor, and was written on manuscript paper that he left at a friend’s house just before his death in March this year. The piece also marks Beamish’s return to playing the viola after a gap of 15 years. ‘Before I left London my viola was stolen and that was part of the decision to stop play-

ing and start composing. Then my daughter became an instrument maker. She did an apprenticeship in Amsterdam and came back with a viola, which had to be bought to pay for her tuition.

‘Now I have this beautiful instrument that my daughter made and it’s changed my life again. So writing this piece as a viola player again was quite a different thing. I’ve written three viola concertos, but not while I’ve been a player.’

Another ‘different thing’ for Beamish was writing the score for a new ballet, The Tempest, which has been choreographed by Birming-

ham Royal Ballet artistic director David Bintley. The company will premiere the ballet in Birmingham in October, with further performances at Sadler’s Wells.

To top off her 60th birthday year, Beamish has been appointed as the first composer-in-residence at the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, where she played the viola for several years and received some of her earliest orches-tral commissions from Sir Neville Marriner.

‘I’m writing two pieces for them but they’re going to perform other pieces of mine and I hope to be involved in other ways with the orchestra as well. I’ve got a really good relation-ship with them, so this is a lovely way of bring-ing everything together.’ CM

www.sallybeamish.com

CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL

First 15Sally Beamish is marking her 60th birthday year with a string of premieres and a return to the Cheltenham Music Festival. She talks to Nicola Lisle

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Now I have this beautiful instrument that my daughter made and it’s changed my life again. So writing this piece as a viola player again was quite a different thing

sally Beamish: ‘every new commission teaches me something’


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AlessAndriA Michele Pittaluga International Guitar and Composition for Classical Guitar Competitions “Premio Città di Alessandria”AucklAnd Michael Hill International Violin CompetitionAugsburg International Violin Competition Leopold MozartbAnff Banff International String Quartet CompetitionbArcelonA « Maria Canals International Music Competition »beijing Beijing International Music CompetitionbelgrAde International Jeunesses Musicales Competitionberlin International Max Rostal Competitionberlin « Grand Prix Emanuel Feurmann » International Cello CompetitionbesAnçon Concours International de Jeunes Chefs d’OrchestrebilbAo Concours International de Chant de Bilbao-Bizkaia « Pedro Mª Unaue »bolzAno Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competitionbonn International Telekom Beethoven CompetitionbordeAux Concours International de Quatuor à Cordes de BordeauxbrAtislAvA J.N. Hummel International Piano CompetitionbresciA International Violin Competition “Città di Brescia”bruxelles Concours Musical International Reine Elisabeth de BelgiquebuchArest George Enescu International CompetitionbuchArest Le Grand Prix d’Opera International Singing CompetitionbudApest Budapest International Music Competitionbydgoszcz Paderewski International Piano CompetitioncAlgAry Honens International Piano CompetitionchArtres Concours International d’Orgue « Grand Prix de Chartres »clevelAnd Cleveland International Piano Competitioncologne International Music Competitions ColognedortMund International Schubert Competitiondublin Dublin International Piano Competitiondublin Veronica Dunne International Singing Competitiondüsseldorf “Aeolus” International Competition for Wind Instrumentseindhoven Tromp International Percussion CompetitionepinAl Concours International de Piano d’Epinalfort Worth Van Cliburn International Piano CompetitiongenevA Concours de GenèvegenovA International Violin Competition “Premio Paganini”glAsgoW Scottish International Piano CompetitiongrAz International Competition “Franz Schubert and Modern Music”hAchioji Gaspar Cassado International Violoncello CompetitionhAMAMAtsu Hamamatsu International Piano CompetitionhAMAMAtsu Shizuoka International Opera CompetitionhAnnover Joseph Joachim International Violin Competitionhelsinki Mirjam Helin International Singing Competitionhelsinki Helsinki International Maj Lind Piano Competitionhelsinki Jean Sibelius International Violin Competition’s-hertogenbosch International Vocal Competition ‘s-HertogenboschindiAnApolis International Violin Competition of IndianapolisjAén International Piano Competition “Premio Jaén”jeju Jeju International Brass CompetitionkAruizAWA International Oboe Competition of JapankAtoWice Grzegorz Fitelberg International Competition for ConductorskAtrineholM Swedish International Duo Competitionkiev International Competition for Young Pianists in memory of Vladimir Horowitzkobe Kobe International Flute Competitionlichtenberg Henri Marteau International Violin Competitionleipzig International Johann Sebastian Bach CompetitionluxeMbourg Concours International de PercussionludWigslust Johann Matthias Sperger International Double Bass Competition

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CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL

you are highlighting the 150th anniversary of Erik Satie this year. Can you tell me about the Satie events and where your interest in him comes from?i wrote some sleeve notes for a cD years ago when i was living in australia, so i did quite a bit of research into his life then. i got fascinated by the extraordinary, unpredictable, rather sad nature of his biography. so when i realised that the 150th anniversary was coming up i thought it would be an interesting springboard to investigate his legacy.

There’s not a vast amount of satie’s music in the programme. There are two-and-a-half concerts out of 50-odd where his music predominates, but there are several other concerts where his legacy is investigated through more recent music. i was also interested in showcasing the massive diversity of his output and allowing an audience to encounter much more than just the Gymnopédies and the Gnossiennes. i’m not making any claim that he is a great composer, but i think his musical and cultural significance is well worth focusing on in his anniversary year.

Can you tell me about some of the premieres at this year’s festival?one piece i’m really excited about is the concert premiere of Howells’ cello concerto, two-thirds of which was written in the 1930s and then recently completed by Jonathan clinch, who’s based at the university of Birmingham.

Howells was at the royal college and he grew up musically in gloucester cathedral, so it feels absolutely right to present this piece in such a great building.

i’m also looking forward to the Jonathan Dove’s new work for melvyn Tan. it’s great to welcome melvyn back to cheltenham in his 60th birthday year and to co-commission this Dove work with him. He’s performed at the festival a number of times, so it’s exciting to have him premiering Jonathan’s work alongside Beethoven and liszt.

Then, veering away from this focus on British composers, we have the orchestra of st John’s presenting the premiere of christian lindberg’s concerto for him and evelyn glennie, which will be very different musically from some of the other things in the festival, and the combination of those two supersize musical personalities is an irresistible prospect. We also have the world premiere of a piece lindberg’s written for himself and pianist roland Pöntinen, called Black Hawk Eagle.

Do you think the festival setting encourages audiences who might otherwise not consider going to a classical music concert?Yes, although compared with the other three festivals in cheltenham the music festival is perceived as less festival-like because it takes place in lots of different venues around town and beyond, unlike

the science, literature and jazz festivals, whose single sites create a focal point that the music festival regrettably lacks. our venues are wonderful, though. and i’m not happy to make compromises about where the music takes place. i’m always going to programme a concert in a venue that suits the music acoustically, and also consider the general experience and atmosphere that that music will create in that venue.

What are your main considerations when planning events?i’m always trying to create events that aren’t a standard format. There are all sorts of ways that we can make the concert experience more compelling and more varied, and i’m always thinking about how we can create experiences with music at the heart of them that draw people in from other interest groups.

Do you share resources with the other Cheltenham festivals?We have shared marketing, fundraising, education and finance staff. The full-time team for the music festival is just the two of us out of an overall staff of 50. But when things ease up at certain times of the year for different festival teams then we’re in a position to help other colleagues, and that can prove really interesting and rewarding for us all.

Cheltenham Festival 1-17 July 2016www.cheltenhamfestivals.com

Q&A: Meurig BowenThe director of the cheltenham music Festival talks to nicola lisle about this year’s 17-day event

cheltenham runners and riders (from left): evelyn glennie, erik satie, director meurig Bowen, and Pascal and ami rogé, who play satie on 6 July

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NATIONAL YOUTH CHOIR OF SCOTLAND

W hen the National Youth Choir of Scotland (NYCoS) joins Sir John Eliot Gar-

diner, his Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique and the Monteverdi Choir to perform Berlioz’s Romeo and Juliet at the Proms on 30 July, it will be one of many 20th-anniversary highlights this year. Such a birthday usually marks a coming of age for an organisation, but NYCoS founder/artistic director/conductor Christopher Bell says there is no prospect of him or any of the staff feeling jaded as the forever young choirs under the NY-CoS banner continually reinvent them-selves and go from strength to strength.

‘Look at the 2014 Proms, when NYCoS sang in Mozart’s Requiem with the BBCSSO conducted by Donald Runni-cles. It was an outstanding concert with a world-renowned conductor performing a mainstream piece and the choir sounded amazing on the stage, they really held their own. Prior to that if you’d asked

me if I’d imagine NYCoS getting this far I would have said yes. I’d heard a good youth choir and knew what it should sound like so I was determined Scotland could create one of the finest around.’

Furthermore, when Gardiner person-ally invited the choir to take part in the Proms this year, Bell took it as proof that the conductor believes NYCoS can deliver. ‘The key is education in the early years through the area choirs, then giving singers opportunities through training if the standard is good enough. For the main f lagship choir we have very capable and enthusiastic singers, they come to each piece of music completely fresh. We’re working on Beethoven Nine and 98% of them have never sung Beethoven before. For the Berlioz performances, we have a French coach as John is ferocious on the language, so it’s an integral part of what we do. By providing technical input on how to sing things, from teachers at the residential courses, we’re able to create a high-quality product.’

Last summer NYCoS joined Gardiner

Forever youngThe National Youth Choir of Scotland is marking its 20th anniversary with a high-profile appearance at the BBC Proms. Susan Nickalls reports

in at the beginning: christopher Bell

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and his orchestra for performances of Ber-lioz’s Lélio at the Edinburgh International Festival and Festival Berlioz in France. The choir will also perform Romeo and Juliet at Festival Berlioz in August follow-ing its Proms performance.

Other events this year include an American tour which starts in Chicago on 4 July, Independence Day, with a concert broadcast live by WFMT and subsequently syndicated to 22 other radio stations across the US. This will serve as a warm-up to the Wyoming performances in July at the Grand Teton Music Festival where NYCoS has been invited to sing by Runnicles, the music director. The choir will give an a cappella concert of works by MacMillan, Copland and Whitacre alongside two performances of Beethov-en’s ninth symphony.

‘Ten years ago I would have never put the choir forward to sing Beethoven Nine,’ admits Bell. ‘They would not have had the vocal stamina, and we didn’t have a tenor section that could sing it. None of that applies these days as the group’s vocal stamina is quite remarkable.’

But Bell does carefully guard his young voices, refusing Runnicle’s request for them to sing Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis. ‘It’s a murderous, ridiculous piece and few choirs in the world can sing it. However, NYCoS has sung Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast and Britten’s War Requiem and I’d


On the road: Since the first residential course in 1996 (top left), NYCoS visits have included Chicago, Hungary and Germany

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love to hear them sing Verdi’s Requiem. Next year we’re going to attack Brahms’ Requiem. There’s a two-piano version of it I think the NYCoSians would do really well. The singers have been asking for it and the singing staff think they’re ready for Brahms.’

Before the 20th-anniversary year has even run its course, Bell and his team are already looking to put together a programme over the next four years to take NYCoS to its 25th anniversary. One particular project, Singing Champions, is looking to train up the next generation of singing teachers and choir trainers to se-cure the future of the organisation. They are also looking to replicate a project they did in Perth earlier this year where they visited every primary school in the region listening to boys sing and then putting together a 500-strong choir to perform Tartan Terrors. The new commission from composer Tom Cunningham, set to texts by Derek Roberts, features mythi-cal Scottish creatures such as kelpies, the Loch Ness monster, Wild Haggis, the Wee Gigelorum and Bogle Boogie.

Currently close to 2,500 young people take part in singing activities run by NY-CoS: 1,800 in 14 area choirs, 110 in the main NYCoS choir going to the US, 60 in the one at-home with 50 in the training choir plus 150 in the national boy’s and 110 in the national girls’ choirs, with 50

NYCoS HigHligHtS 1996-2016XX �NYCoS�Chamber�Choir�presented�the�choral�finale�at�the�opening�of�the�Commonwealth�Heads�of�Government�Meeting,�Edinburgh�International�Conference�Centre�in�the�presence�of�Her�Majesty�the�Queen�(1997)XX �First�NYCoS�international�concert�took�place�in�Dublin,�Ireland�(Lauridsen�Lux Aeterna)�(2000)XX �NYCoS�performed�during�half-time�at�a�packed�Murrayfield�for�Scotland�v�England�international�rugby�match�(2002)XX �NYCoS�accompanied�Christina�Aguilera�at�the�MTV�Europe�Music�Awards�Ceremony�in�Edinburgh�(2003)XX �Members�of�NYCoS�Edinburgh�and�West�Lothian�Choirs�took�part�in�the�official�opening�of�the�new�Scottish�Parliament�Building�in�the�presence�of�Her�Majesty�the�Queen�(2004)XX �First�performance�at�BBC�Proms�in�London,�performing�with�BBCSSO�–�a�documentary�of�the�choir’s�preparations�was�filmed�for�BBC�Two,�Singing for Scotland (2006)XX �NYCoS�became�the�first�youth�arts�organisation�to�win�a�Royal�Philharmonic�Society�Music�Award�in�the�Ensemble�category,�given�in�celebration�of�outstanding�achievement�over�the�previous�year�(2012)XX �NYCoS�performed�with�Eric�Whitacre�at�Glasgow�2014�Commonwealth�Games�Opening�Ceremony�to�a�global�audience�of�1.5�billion�(2014)

PUBliCAtioNS XX �First�NYCoS�education�publication�published,�Singing Games and Rhymes for Early Years (1999)XX Singing Games and Rhymes for Tiny Tots and Rhythm Flashcards for Early Years (2002)XX Go for Bronze (part�of�musicianship�programme),�Rhythm Flashcards Set One and Rhythm Flashcards Set Two (2004)XXSinging Games and Rhymes for Middle Years (2005)XXSingbronze, Singsilver, Singgold Songbooks and The Saga of the Seven Days�(2006)XX Seven Planets and a Cosmic Rock, I Landed with Seven Men, Go for Silver musicianship�programme,�and�Rhythm Flashcards Set Three�(2008)XXSingbronze 2, Singsilver2, Singgold2 Songbooks (2009)XX 3-4-5 Note Songbook, Going for Gold: A Sports Cantata,, Go for Gold musicianship�programme,�and�Rhythm Flashcards Set Four (2011)XX Games and Rhymes for Ages 9 to 99 (2014)

each in the training choirs. The list of alumni is also impressive, with former NYCoS singers in the choruses of Scot-tish Opera, ENO, WNO, Glyndebourne and numerous European choirs.

Bell believes there is scope for more outreach work, particularly around recruitment for the NYCoS area choirs. ‘We rely on teachers and local authorities to distribute our information but this method usually ends up with the leaf let languishing in a pupil’s bag, if indeed it gets that far. What works best for us is having a team of people to hold a work-shop in a school to identify the talented children and then write a letter directly to the parents saying, “Your child is tal-ented, we would love them to try out for the choir”.’

While a lot of this ongoing activity could be described as the ‘same old, same old,’ says Bell, it is vital to the lifeblood of the organisation. ‘It might be the dull, unglamorous side, but our mission is to go into schools to recruit young people for the area choirs to feed the pyramid and keep the opportunities coming. On one level the job will never be done, which is daunting, but there are always new people and their energy keeps us going.’ CM

Prom 20, Saturday 30 July at 7.30pm, Royal Albert Hall, Berlioz’s Romeo & Juliet, soloists Julie Boulianne, Jean-Paul Fouchécourt and laurent Naouri, orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, Monteverdi Choir, National Youth Choir of Scotland, conducted by Sir John Eliot gardiner

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HANDEL AT VAUXHALL

Abusy traffic gyratory, the menac-ing bulk of the MI6 headquarters (beloved of recent James Bond films),

and the bustle of an alternative and increasing-ly trendy and vibrant part of London – these are the sights and sounds to greet the modern visitor emerging from the depths of Vauxhall tube station.

Transport yourself back to the 18th century while heading up north on Kennington Lane: imagine a grand parade in place of the high street and feel the excitement build on seeing the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens and the river. Nowadays, an open urban park bears the floodlit steel banner ‘Vauxhall Pleasure Gar-dens’, and viewing the altar in nearby St Peter’s Church (built on the very site of the original Fireworks Tower) helps to make the scene even more vivid.

Conductor, harpsichordist and Handel scholar Bridget Cunningham has been unearthing the musical culture of Vauxhall in conjunction with leading historian David E Coke (co-author with Alan Borg of Vauxhall Gardens: A History) for a new series of Handel recordings for Signum Records. Handel at Vauxhall Vol 1 reconstructs, for the first time ever, the first part of a musical evening at Vauxhall in the 1740s. The CD contains unrecorded music and an introductory essay (with poetry and illustrations of the time) by Cunningham and Coke delving deep into this highly significant, fascinating but under-celebrated aspect of musical England.

Cunningham fills in the background: ‘The phenomenal success of Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, the most significant and splendid of all the Georgian gardens, was due to Jona-

Mainly for pleasureA new series of Handel recordings for Signum Records is unearthing the musical legacy of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. Organist Daniel Moult offers some background on the project

than Tyers, who rejuvenated and transformed the gardens into a wonderful cultural attrac-tion. He showcased high-quality concert performances of music written by British composers, and employed the finest British musicians and singers in town. He commis-sioned new buildings, artwork and sculptures in the newly landscaped and illuminated gardens, embracing the inspiration of the musician and honorary Englishman George Frideric Handel and the artist William Hogarth, based on the Arcadian visions of the poet John Milton. Such luminaries made these gardens world-famous.’

Given Vauxhall Gardens’ location just south of the River Thames, many people would arrive by boat for an evening’s entertainment. Each night songs, dances, instrumental pieces, organ solos and concertos (including many new compositions) were performed in the new and ornate bandstands. The public would listen and promenade in the illuminated gardens, while admiring the arched walks, sumptuous paintings, statues and other adorn-ments, including the prized Roubiliac statue of Handel (now in the Victoria & Albert Museum), commissioned by Tyers.

Vauxhall’s music was the best and most original that England had to offer, both in terms of composition and in its performance by some of the most outstanding musicians of the time. Despite the prevalence of the Italian style and language in London’s theatres, Vaux-hall Gardens was responsible for continuing the tradition of songs written in English by British composers.

In 1737, Jonathan Tyers installed a large new organ at Vauxhall Gardens, possibly built by Richard Bridge with the assistance of John Byfield the Elder. It was unveiled to a large and elite audience with an overture reported as having had ‘a delightful effect in the various parts of the Garden’, reminding us that the new instrument could be heard well throughout the site. The organ was therefore a good economic investment, as it did the job

an engraving of 1794 derived from an original of 1751, to show the ‘company’ gathered around the orchestra – e rooker after canaletto

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HANDEL AT VAUXHALL

of several musicians and also allowed in-house composers such as John Worgan, Thomas Arne and Thomas Gladwin to showcase their latest compositions.

A special building had been constructed purely to house this organ. Known as the or-gan building, it was designed in the sub-Pal-ladian manner as a square structure behind the orchestra building; together, they formed the most innovative and extraordinary installation by Tyers at Vauxhall. The organ building had three levels: the pipes and possibly the main organ console were on the first floor; and the belfry contained louvred semi-circular open-ings in all four façades, projecting the sound to the far distant corners of the gardens. Circum-stantial evidence suggests that there was a ‘long movement’ installed in the adjacent orchestra bandstand, so although more research needs to be done, there is the possibility that a second-ary organ console was installed alongside the other musicians of the band. This would have made ensemble playing easier for the organist, rather than his remaining alone in the actual organ building.

A tremendous output of new music for Vauxhall was undertaken by in-house compos-ers, who were employed to write for the organ, band and singers. Much solo organ music was performed, such as that by James and John Worgan, Thomas Gladwin and John Stanley. John Worgan succeeded his brother as organist in 1751, as well as being director of the music for a year and an in-house composer. Both Worgan brothers were responsible for making the organ an indispensable part of Vauxhall’s music, and combined with the band, it typified the sound

Bowles & carver, A View of Vaux Hall Gardens, shewing the Grand Walk at the entrance, engraving. This print was created c 1780, but shows the gardens as they were in 1751; the grand Walk, with supper-boxes on the left, is to the left of the grove, where the orchestra, organ and Turkish Tent all stand

H roberts after samuel Wale, The Inside of the Elegant Music Room in Vaux Hall Gardens, engraving, hand-coloured, (1752). a view of the rotunda, from the indoor orchestra stand, looking towards the Pillared saloon, and out to the chinese Pavilions

J s muller after samuel Wale, A General Prospect of Vaux Hall Gardens, engraving, hand-coloured (1751). The Proprietor’s House in the foreground, with the main entrance to the gardens at its front door. Beyond that, to the left, is the conical roof of the rotunda, with the chinese Pavilions beyond, and, in the centre, the three buildings in the middle of the grove – the orchestra in front, with the organ, and the Turkish Tent, with its ogee roof, behind both. Handel’s statue, in its semi-circular ‘piazza’ can be seen to the right



HANDEL AT VAUXHALL

of the pleasure gardens from 1737 onwards. Handel is widely attributed as remarking:

‘[John Worgan] plays my music very well at Vauxhall.’ Given that Handel and the Worgan brothers were all accomplished improvisers and keyboard players, the CD includes an organ improvisation in the style of John Wor-gan and Handel, with a segue into Handel’s stunning Organ Concerto op 4 no 2 in B flat major (HWV 290). Organ concertos were an integral part of an evening’s concert at Vaux-hall Gardens at the time, showcasing their new and splendid instrument.

This new CD puts the music of Geor-gian London into a historical context, and Cunningham emphasises that it ‘dispels the myth that the music at the gardens was easy-listening and merely a background attraction.

Much of this sophisticated music was new and performed at the gardens in order to civilise people. It is important to focus on Handel the man as well as this beautiful music, which was very similar to the music being performed at the London theatres and concert halls, but in English! This new series of recordings provides musical snapshots and captures significant musical moments in Handel’s life through the full compass of his travels.’

The planned Handel at Vauxhall Vol 2 contains music by Stanley, Boyce, Lampe, Gladwin and Handel, with more works for the choir and organ.

As time went on, novelty stops were added to the Vauxhall organ, including a much admired ‘symphony of singing-birds’ and a carillon: ‘They were possibly heard for the very

Handel at Vauxhall Vol 1, with London Early Opera, Daniel Moult (organ), and directed by Bridget Cunningham, is available on Signum SIGCD 428Coming soon: Handel at Vauxhall Vol 2, containing music by Stanley, Boyce, Lampe, Gladwin and Handel

first time in a widely reported programme of 7 May 1739,’ says Cunningham, ‘when the Prince of Wales visited the gardens and “Hush ye pretty, warbling choir” from Handel’s Acis and Galatea was played on the carillon, ac-companied by the artificial birds.’

As English organ expert Dominic Gwynn reports, there are no such precedents or surviv-als in 18th-century English instruments; so, says Cunningham, ‘We designed a bird whistle which, when combined with the sopranino recorder, chamber organ, harpsichord and orchestra, helps reflect the sound of the organ and captures the essence of Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens.’ CM

Information on Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens music is reproduced by kind permission of Bridget Cunning-ham and David E Coke. An extended version of this article appears in the July/August issue of Choir & Organ magazine, www.choirandorgan.comDaniel Moult is a freelance organist, performing and tutoring throughout Europe and Australia.www.danielmoult.com

J s muller after samuel Wale, Vauxhall Gardens, shewing the Grand Walk at the Entrance, engraving, detail (1751). Handel’s statue can be seen to the right of the orchestra, where the band is accompanying a soprano

george Bickham jnr, The Adieu to the Spring-Gardens, engraving (1737), showing some fashionable company at supper, with the orchestra behind them



MAX BAILLIE

‘Essentially, when you open your mouth and have a conversation,’ reckons Max Baillie, doing just that, ‘you’re

improvising. What you are saying adheres to the rules of grammar but there are a million ways of saying what it is you want to convey. The same is true of music: the notes that you can find on your instrument and the order in which you choose to bring them out is very similar [to talk-ing]. But sometimes people are fearful of that because they are so used to reading.’

You certainly would not describe Baillie as fearful. ‘I suppose in the grand scheme of things I’ve had a less than conventional career, but I would question what that convention is, where it has come from, because I think things have changed a lot in the generations. Particu-larly with regards to improvisation.

‘In Bach’s day, for example, and until much later, being a musician and being able to impro-vise went hand in hand. They might not have been able to sit down and improvise a fugue the way that Bach is reported to have done. But think of figured bass: that leaves all the voice leading to the person reading the page. And it got me thinking that composition and improvi-sation come from the same place. They describe the same thing, which is a creative process, and the distinction between them is really a matter of scale and time. But actually they are so much more closely bound than we have been led to believe in our performance and music culture.’

Exploring the creative process is at the heart of all Baillie’s work. He is developing a series of online violin tutorials (Es Muss Sein), including archive footage: ‘Underpinning those tutorials is the sense that the best kind of training that we get is training that allows us to be our own

teachers, that gives us problem-solving skills and an awareness of what we’re doing.’

As principal viola with the Aurora Or-chestra, he has a prominent role to play in its questioning approach to orchestral music, and is co-curator of its current post-concert Lock-In series. This recently saw him improvising with a frequent collaborator, Gambian kora player Sura Susso, and will feature him performing his cycle of folk tales with musical and visual accompaniment The Willow Baby and Other Tales in December.

Then there is ZRI, a project to explore the folk roots of Brahms’ clarinet quintet that began in 2011 – the group takes its name from Zum roten Igel, the Viennese tavern where Brahms would go to listen to gypsy musicians. Its most obvious innovation is the inclusion

of accordion (Jon Banks) and santouri (a hammered dulcimer, played by Iris Pissaride) in the line-up, at the expense of a violin and viola. Clarinettist Ben Harlan, who leads the project, and cellist Matthew Sharp complete the quintet. With this instrumentation, the musicians take material from Brahms, veering away from his score on Zigeuner-style flights of fantasy. And now, following the release in 2014 of Brahms and the Gypsy, the band has, perhaps even more controversially, turned to another landmark of the chamber music repertoire: Schubert’s string quintet.

‘I think people associate the music of Brahms with gypsy music, because of the Hungarian Dances and things like that, quite easily. But when it comes to Schubert, we’ve encountered a lot more resistance. We’ve had a couple of quite extreme reactions, actually, people saying: you can’t do that to Schubert. But actually, when

you listen to that piece, it’s full of Hungarian themes. And the ones that aren’t Hungarian are kind of like Kaffeehaus music in Vienna. People don’t really think of it as such because it’s become deified in this canon of the sacred great masterworks of the classical repertoire. I think that’s a shame because actually this is music that comes from the roots of folk culture.’

The way ZRI create its version puts it very much at the kind of intersection between composition, improvisation and reading mentioned earlier. Rather than being wholly pre-composed and then rehearsed, the arrange-ments are worked out by the group together based on preparatory ideas brought by each player, and it allows for improvisation when the music branches into its klezmer episodes.

‘We had a good few solid days over a few months – four long days of rehearsal – to get the arrangement sorted. So there was a lot of trying out, a lot of trial and error. It’s such a useful way of doing it. You’ve got all the instru-ments there and you are free to try everything out as it goes along. You very quickly work out what works and what doesn’t.’

You also find yourself rethinking your ap-proach to playing Schubert’s written version. ‘When we got the arranged parts through, they didn’t have a lot of the original mark-ings – dynamics, bowings and things like that. What was great was approaching it without a knowledge of what the original had in it. Where you have very Hungarian melodies, I would naturally slur them in a way that emphasises the off-beats and rhythmical ten-sions within it. What I found was some of the bowings [in the original] are very strait-laced. That was really enlightening. It’s fun knowing both of them and when I go back to playing the original, maybe I’ll bring a few of the ZRI elements in.’ CM

www.maxbaillie.com

To The MaxSchubert’s string quintet with accordion, anyone? Violinist and violist Max Baillie makes a case for it. Toby Deller listens in

We’ve had a couple of quite extreme reactions, actually, people saying: you can’t do that to Schubert

exploring the creative process: max Baillie

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A good year for the Fidelio Trio culminated in a shortlisting for a Royal Philharmonic Society award

in May. Up against the National Youth Orchestra (eventual winners), the Chineke Orchestra, and the RLPO in the ensemble category, the trio was in the spotlight by vir-tue of its entirely different scale. What got it there, and indeed has been the lifeblood of the group since it formed, is commitment to contemporary music – the RPS hailed

‘faithful champions of today’s composers’ – and also, reciprocally, to expanding the repertoire available for piano trio.

‘It was exciting to be recognised for our work and contribution to this field,’ says Darragh Morgan, violinist.

‘When we formed, the piano trio seemed to be a medium that wasn’t so in vogue with contemporary composers – certainly not to the same extent as the string quartet – so right from our earliest South East Arts com-

missions of Deirdre Gribbin’s How to make the Water Sound we wanted to develop a new body of work for piano trio that would show it off in its best light with all the amaz-ing array of colours that can be achieved from the combination of two string players and piano.’

And the ‘faithful champions’ label is appro-priate for a crucial reason: ‘We are passionate about the concept of repeat performances rather than the general obsession with the

High fidelityIn advance of its Rhinegold LIVE concert at Conway Hall, the Fidelio Trio talks to Kimon Daltas about life on tour, a taste for new music and forging a lasting artistic partnership

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world premiere. We have been lucky to work closely with such a diverse and eclectic range of composers from Toshio Hosokawa to Luke Bedford, Johannes Maria Staud to Michael Nyman,’ says Morgan, plucking some names from a repertoire list as long as his arm, with many works in regular rotation.

A particular favourite, Bulb, a commis-sion from Irish post-minimalist com-poser Donnacha Dennehy, as well as being recorded by the trio for NMC Recordings, has featured in at least 50 concerts. For a composer in the 21st century that is a rare and wonderful treat.

‘Every commission is different and that’s one of the exciting things about receiving a new work in the post. Often composers come to try out material with us mid com-position process even now often via Skype. We try to give composers as blank a canvas as possible when commissioning them so they can feel free to write what they think will work best.’

Meanwhile, during the course of 2015, ‘We recorded Mark Bowden’s Airs No Oceans Keep for NMC as well as an Irish

Rhinegold liVe

CD titled Dancing in Daylight of pieces by John Buckley, Fergus Johnston, Rhona Clarke, and Seóirse Bodley for Metier Divine Art Records, which received excel-lent reviews.

Although the Fidelios are based in Lon-don, Darragh Morgan and pianist Mary Dullea are both Irish – and indeed married – which leaves the newest recruit Adi Tal, who took over the cello chair in 2014, as the odd one out, though very happily so. Born in Israel in 1986 and educated in Cleveland, the RNCM and the Guildhall, Tal is very much a citizen of the global musical village.

‘It has certainly been a big change in my pace of life since joining the trio. We have been constantly on the road in a relatively short time, with frequent trips to Ireland for the residency we had in St Patrick’s College and our Winter Cham-ber Music Festival in Dublin, the tours to India, USA, Europe, and the educational work we do around the UK – it has been very intense and rewarding. More than anything, the vast ever changing repertoire this group has under its belt, which I have never played before, has been very exciting to work on and perform.’

This is of course always alongside the great masterpieces of the form, as Morgan says: ‘We have never seen ourselves as a specialist group solely in 20th/21st-century music but are always keen to find interesting programme combinations including more

standard repertoire placed next to music being written right now.’

Indeed, for the upcoming Rhinegold LIVE recital, the Fidelios aren’t straying into the 21st century at all – along with a single movement each from trios by Dvořák and Beethoven, in fact, they only make the 20th due to a technicality, with the 1934 trio arrangement by Eduard Steuermann of Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht.

The lush late romantic landscape of pre-serial Schoenberg is fairly well known in the

original 1899 string sextet version, but the piano trio version offers a different take and is ‘a great favourite of ours,’ says Morgan.

‘We recorded it for Naxos in 2013, and performed it at our Wigmore Hall debut,’ adds Tal. ‘We enjoy scheduling it in many of our concerts as it has such a deeply felt subject.’

Transfiguration is in the title of the work and it ‘receives another element of transfor-mation simply by it being arranged for piano trio,’ continues Tal.

‘In this transparent arrangement by Steu-ermann, the piano part adds to the fragile, delicate yet highly emotional characters, and is mixed so brilliantly within the texture that it never covers the strings. One could view the violin and cello as the protagonists acting in this drama, while the piano sets the mood of the scenery for both solo strings to make their journey together through the dark forest in the moonlight.’

As for future plans, there’s certainly no standing still. Following the group’s three-part St John’s Smith Square ‘French Focus’, there’s a recording of the Ravel and Saint-Saëns trios for the Resonus label which will be released later this year. Upcoming performances include a tour in September to Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Brunei, as well as concerts at National Concert Hall Dublin, the Sound Festival in Scotland and a tour of USA in February 2017.

And in December, the Fidelio Trio Winter Chamber Music Festival in St Pat-

rick’s College Dublin returns for its fourth edition, in collaboration with soprano Joan Rodgers. Further one-off dates around the UK and Ireland are on the schedule too, so catch them where you can – or indeed join us at Conway Hall for a glass of wine and a double dose of transfiguration. CM

The Rhinegold LIVE recital takes place at Conway Hall on 19 July. The event is free but ticketed – booking at www.rhinegold.co.uk/livewww.fideliotrio.com

Faithful champions: Fidelio Trio

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classical next

Whether record labels are still necessary in an era of streamed music divided speakers on the

subject at Classical:NEXT.Clemens Trautmann, president of

Deutsche Grammophon, said it was early days for streaming, currently used by between 5% and 20% of various countries’ classical audience. Labels are ideally placed to provide the expertise needed for the platform, offering marketing, rights management and A&R in ‘a one-stop shop’.

‘It is no surprise that seven out of ten artists want to be with a label,’ he added.

But Till Janczukowicz, founder and CEO of new classical streaming service Idageo, when asked whether he needed a record label part-ner, responded ‘I don’t need anything’ and said 90% of the deals he did were licensing music. ‘Orchestras produce music, festivals produce music, young musicians produce themselves and then they seek partners.’ What Idageo offered, he said, was a growth plan – using Facebook, Twitter, offering live concert list-ings to engage consumers. Equally important was that streaming services collect data. ‘We desperately need data at a time when other subscription lists are beginning to decrease.’

He added, though, that DG does bring brand value to the partnership.

Trautmann pointed to DG’s new partner-

ship with Apple Music which would see the label curate nine playlists on dedicated Apple Music pages ‘that will present upcoming tracks of future album releases’. While Apple brought 30 million users to the alliance, DG was ‘a brand trusted by 80% of the classical audience’.

‘Ultimately it is DG’s mission to serve as the lighthouse of quality in the vast ocean of digi-tal content as the yellow label brand has served for 180 years in the physical world.’

His concluding advice to the industry: ‘Stay tuned, stay hungry and stay paranoid, because as we know, only the paranoid will survive.’

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra violinist Catherine Arlidge found strong support at a Classic:NEXT conference for her assertion, aired previously in a CM opinion piece [CM July 2015], that orchestra members are becoming ‘violin operators’ rather than ‘evangelists for our art’.

‘Most of my career I have sat next to someone who is doing the same thing as me, day after day,’ she said. Orchestral musicians were told when to arrive, what to wear and what to play.

She contrasted the CBSO with the self-gov-erning ensemble created by some of its players, the Stringcredibles. ‘The flavour and feeling in the group is very different to the operation in the big orchestra,’ she said.

In a video contribution, Sir Simon Rattle backed Ms Arlidge, stressing that orchestral players should have leading roles in all activi-ties, particularly when it came to educational programmes. Orchestral players as individuals had a lot to give, he said.

‘The more the players are involved, the more it goes back into the music. It can make a difference and contributes to the health of the orchestra. The idea of “them and us” is long gone.’

Syncing – the use of music in film soundtracks and television commercials – is a major revenue source but there is no magic formula guaranteed to produce that wealth, a panel of experts concluded.

Oliver Davis, a prolific composer for film and tv who is moving back towards classi-cal concert works, said minimalist music is popular because it has a rhythmic pulse which is easy to edit and to lay a voice track over.

That was verified by conference moderator Steve Long, who pointed out that his Signum label had two albums of Mr Davis’ music, which earned more from sync than all the other 400 or so titles in his catalogue.

Look to boost revenue from licensing, sponsorship and public performance rights, as revenue from CD and digital sales

One-stOp shOpThe 2016 Classical:NEXT industry pow-wow took place in Rotterdam at the end of May, with all things digital predictably exercising various panels in the conference element. Phillip Sommerich was there

streaming in: classical:neXT delegates (centre) heard from director Jennifer Dautermann (left) and Dg president clemens Trautmann

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continue to decline – that was the advice from Naxos founder Klaus Heymann in a Classical:NEXT interview with Gramophone editor-in-chief James Jolly.

In a wide-ranging discussion, he revealed that digital turnover in the US last year for Naxos and three or four labels he distributes exceeded that for CDs. ‘But physical does not make any money, while digital sales are all profit.’

That eased the impact of a gradual decline in download sales, he said, from 59% of overall turnover in 2014 to 51% last year and 47% in the first quarter of this year.

He insisted that the revenue model for streaming had to change. ‘The streaming business will only become viable if the revenue from classical is not lumped in with the rev-enue from pop.’

He described YouTube as ‘the most danger-ous digital platform because they don’t ask you for licences’, and it reduced income from other streaming services. Naxos worked constantly on issuing takedown notices for illicit use of its content but he also recognised that the platform offered huge marketing opportuni-ties for artists – his violinist wife’s recordings on YouTube got five million views last year.

Mr Heymann also revealed that Naxos, which distributes the majority of classical DVD labels, would probably start its own audiovisual productions in Europe, as well as distributing two catalogues it has bought. ‘Video is becoming more and more important,’ he said.

He insisted that the CD would survive but said it would do so on the Arkiv Music model of pressing discs on demand. In two or three years’ time, he said, the standard pressing run would be 100 discs – 50 for the artist and 50 for promotion, then pressing two or three at a time in response to consumer demand. At present an initial product run could be as few as 300 discs, with re-pressings down to 100.

When using digital to communicate with the audience, remember that it’s about the music and not the technology – that was the advice to orchestras from a conference titled Press Play.

Luke Ritchie, the Philharmonia orchestra’s digital director, said the ensemble had made 350 videos since 2007 which had attracted 8.2 million YouTube views last year. Few perfor-mances were filmed because of the cost, venue restrictions and the relatively static nature of the result. ‘But what the public really wants to hear is the players talking,’ he said.

classical next

Exemplifying orchestra-member involve-ment was Sarah Willis, horn player with the Berlin Philharmonic who has become a televi-sion star. It began when she watched one of the orchestra’s Digital Concert Hall relays and found ‘the interviewer didn’t ask the questions I wanted answers to’.

Working on the theory that ‘musicians talk more easily to other musicians’, she launched a Horn Hangouts series of online interviews and performances. So successful were they that Deutsche Welle channel made a tv series titled Sarah’s Music.

‘I wish more musicians would get involved in this technological explosion,’ she said, chal-lenging her colleagues to follow her example.

James Davis, who moved from the Tate gallery to work on Google’s cultural platform, stressed it was early days for online arts: ‘We don’t yet know what happens when culture and technology meet.’

A rare outburst against streaming was voiced vehemently by Paul Baxter, managing direc-tor of Delphian Records, speaking from the podium for a session on Streaming – the Chal-lenges and Opportunities.

He had devoted his energy to building Delphian as a brand that produced one or two releases a month, often of relatively little known contemporary music. ‘I don’t give away my titles for free.’

The only solution for classical music, said Robert von Bahr, of BIS Records, was if streaming services separated out payment to classical companies based on the number of streams they attracted.

Mr Baxter agreed that streaming could be ‘absolutely fabulous’ if the revenue model was reformed and Mr Anderson pointed out that 90% of streamers are not paying anything.

People in the UK – and particularly the younger generation – are becoming increasingly interested in contemporary classical music, according to Alan Davey,

controller of Radio Three.‘I think the audience is developing, particu-

larly among the younger generation, who have all kinds of interests,’ he added. ‘Audiences are getting more open minded – there is change in the air in the UK.’

Mr Davey said he planned to schedule more contemporary music, including a pro-ject later in the year to repeat certain works across the schedule.

Qobuz, the France-based streaming service fo-cused on offering high-quality audio delivery of classical music, plans to expand across Eu-rope and into the US next year, it announced at Classical:NEXT.

The operation launched by Yves Riesel in 2008 was taken over by digital entertainment provider Xandrie last December after falling into administration. Qobuz will be retained as a brand and continue to offer top audio quality, album reviews, artist interviews, smart playlists and other features. It was working on improving its hi-res 24-bit audio stream – which it says makes it a world leader – before international expansion.

Classical:NEXT closed with the announce-ment that Germany’s Ensemble Resonanz, which presents concerts in a club atmosphere in Hamburg, mixing classical music, guest soloists, DJs and electronics, was winner of the Innovation Award.

The four finalists selected by 3,500 profes-sionals on C:N’s online networking platform also included the UK’s Erased Tapes, Nova et Vetera of Colombia and Human Requiem by Berlin Rundfunkchor (a semi-staged perfor-mance of Brahms’ German Requiem).

At the closing ceremony it was announced that the event attracted more than 1,000 delegates from 45 countries and 150-plus per-forming artists (not counting a performance by the Rotterdam Philharmonic), a 20% increase on last year. The expo area contained 220 exhibitors on 76 stands. CM

syncing or swimming: Delegates ponder the future

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CM0716_064-065_F_Classical Next.indd 65 21/06/2016 10:35:10

RESERVE YOUR FREE TICKETS AT RHINEGOLDLIVE.CO.UK

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Champions of classical and contemporary repertoire alike, the Fidelio Trio were shortlisted for the Ensemble prize at this year’s Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards – one of the highest recognitions for live classical music-making in the UK. On 19 July they take to the Rhinegold LIVE stage to perform piano trios by Beethoven and Dvořák, alongside Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht.

This concert is followed by an informal Q&A which will be conducted by Kimon Daltas, editor of Classical Music magazine.

Russian-born soprano Ilona Domnich is a rising opera star, chosen by Opera Now in 2014 as one of ‘a new generation of sopranos who are destined to have impressive careers.’ In this recital, Ilona will explore the characters and musical interpretations of her operatic heroines, as celebrated on her recent disc from Signum Records, Surrender: Voices of Persephone.

This concert is followed by an informal Q&A which will be conducted by Ashutosh Khandekar, editor of Opera Now magazine.

Fidelio TrioTuesday 19 July 20166.15pm drinks reception | 7pm recital | Conway Hall, London

Ilona DomnichTuesday 6 September 20166.15pm drinks reception | 7pm recital | Conway Hall, London

CM_July_2016.indd 66 20/06/2016 09:53:12


FILM MUSIC

►

You have now scored 15 films for David Cronenberg. This impressive list includes A Dangerous Method, Naked Lunch, Dead Ringers, The Fly and more recently Maps to the Stars, all of which spans a working partnership of 36 years. How did this collaboration begin?I grew up in a neighbourhood in Toronto and David lived close by and he was a few years older than me. David could drive and I would see him on his beautiful Ducati

motorcycle. I saw his 8mm and 16mm films in underground film festivals on weekends in Toronto as I was growing up. So I knew of his work and we had some mutual friends and acquaintances but it was many years before I got up the courage to approach him. I had done one film before and I asked if I could score his film The Brood. That was in 1978. He had not worked with a composer at that time and I had not worked with a director of that calibre, that depth.

It is interesting you mention The Brood, which is a very dark, dissonant score, perhaps more resonant of Bernard Hermann or Jerry Goldsmith than the Howard Shore we know.Yes, that was first my first live recording, written for 21 strings. It definitely had a Hermann influence and I was using some extended techniques, experimenting really with that size group. The recording was done rather quickly, it was six or seven hours I

Canadian rhythmsNearly 40 years in the business has seen Howard Shore win every award going,

including three Oscars for his music for The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He talks to Amit Sen about collaborations, inspiration and his latest film, Spotlight

Directors’ choice: Howard shore

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CM0716_067-069_R_Film Marianelli.indd 67 21/06/2016 10:37:30

BARRY DOUGLASPLAYS BRAHMSCOMPLETE WORKS FOR SOLO PIANO

‘A triumph of Brahmsian thoughts’‘Douglas’s tone is a deep velvet cushion,

the legatos full of affection and the rhythms galvanised with great energy’

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think. It was guerrilla film making. But this was the film where I recorded and conducted with a live orchestra for the first time. It was all pretty new. At that time I was very interested in experimenting and I didn’t have access to studios, which I really wanted. Film was a great way to work on music with live musicians and David allowed us a great deal of creative freedom.

You’ve said that you read the books before you wrote a single note of music for The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Did the book inform the score?I am a firm believer in the words of the piece I’m working on. I’ll often go back to the origi-nal words on which the story is based, like JG Ballard’s Crash and William Burroughs’ Naked Lunch, both of which I scored. So fi-nally with Tolkien I had this great novel of the 20th century to work with and the words were very important to me. I had the novel open on my desk all the time. To me, the heart of it in

FILM MUSIC

worth a listen The Ivor Novello awards include a category each for Best original Film score and Best Television soundtrack. This year they were

XX Ex-Machina composed by geoff Barrow and Ben salisbury. a highly effective electronic score for this tense drama

XX London Spy composed by Keefus ciancia and David Holmes. impressionistic, lyrical score for one of this year’s major tv drama features

How would you describe the changes that have taken place in the approach to film scoring since you first started?I think there are changes in recording techniques, orchestration and even changes in the way music is used in film. I mean it changes all the time. If you’re in a differ-ent room and your tv is on and you hear a film from the seventies or the eighties you can almost locate the time period not only from the recording of the music but also from the recording of the sound. How the dialogue sounds, how the effects are. I did a film with Martin Scorsese, After Hours, in the eighties and there’s a scene with a dog and there’s one track of the dog barking. Then if you go forward about ten or 12 years into a movie I did with David Fincher again with a dog barking and there’s maybe 20 tracks of the dog. I mean you hear his tail wagging, his paws on the table and so on. So the amount of technology changed the way you could produce scores and the way they sounded in films and technology has affected the way we record and mix music – and it keeps progressing.

I would say that every six months there is a change in how music is used and in the sound of films. CM

a longer version of this interview appears on the Classical Music website

the music always goes back to the intention, to the original ideas in the story itself.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a mammoth piece of work. How much music did you write?The Lord of the Rings, I think, is about 12 hours and The Hobbit adds about another eight or nine. The joy of it now for me is that almost all of that music is now being played, it’s being performed and it has a life. I was able to put the scores together so they could play on concert stages with the film and that’s the ultimate beauty of it because you’re hearing the music with the story.

Was this also the approach to Spotlight? Your score is rather unusual in that it seems to address transitions and montages rather than being a full-throated underscore.It’s very thematic. The director Tom McCarthy and I decided on very specific themes and motifs to describe the ideas in the story. Because the script had such detail to it, we talked about writing music to the thematic ideas: like the pressure of the church, investiga-tive reporting, legacy journalism, deference and complicity – and the children who the victims of this particular story, the pain and anguish they went through. Also a theme to describe Boston, a city on the hill. So I didn’t write to the framework of the film initially, I wrote to these thematic ideas and used them in different ways in the film with a ten-piece chamber sized group. It’s a different way to approach a film. You’re going from the internal workings of the story and creating music from the ideas and applying that to the action.

It really is one piece. The themes are very interlocking in their counterpoint, their har-mony, the use of different tempos, metres. I was trying to create a bit of a puzzle to it in the same way that the story is a bit of a puzzle. Spotlight is an uncovering of the truth, of facts. It is a bit of a thriller so working in this way I created a structure I felt could define the film.

BiographyXX 1975-1980 musical director of Saturday Night LiveXX 1979 First David Cronenberg film score, The BroodXX 2001 academy award, best original score, for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingXX 2003 academy award and golden globe, best original score, for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingXX 2003 academy award and golden globe, best original song, for ‘into the West’ from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingXX 2004 golden globe, best original score, The AviatorXX 2008 His opera The Fly coproduced by the Théâtre du châtelet in Paris and los angeles operaXX 2012 academy award nomination, best original score, Hugo

CM0716_067-069_R_Film Marianelli.indd 69 15/06/2016 12:43:41

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The UnitiQute 2 of course has a high-quality amplifier built in, and this is one of the main features that distinguishes it from its rivals. With its 43 years of experience building amplifiers, Naim can do this better than nearly all others, using technol-ogy from the more expen-sive range of amplifiers

(Nait 5i), all for the modest outlay of £1,295.

As a hub for the modern home, the Uni-tiQute 2 also has two analogue inputs, one located on the rear panel, the other on the front. Typically these could be used for play-ing CDs through. However, there are � ve S/PDIF inputs (two optical Toslink, two coaxial RCA, one front panel mini-Toslink), so you could also connect a CD player digi-tally, if the player allows this, and use the internal DAC of the Naim, which would in many cases be a signi� cant upgrade on the internal DAC of the CD player.

You can select all the features of the unit using a well-designed remote control unit, or by downloading and installing a smartphone app. I used the UnitiQute 2 with my iPhone, and found its handling a breeze. � e app contains Tidal internally, and this is really well integrated. Volume, source, even the ability to use the USB from my Astell & Kern music player, and to see on the Naim’s display the contents of its hard disk. You can access and stream music wirelessly from another computer or from a NAS drive. You could rid yourself of CD boxes by ripping all your CDs to a drive, and playing them through the UnitiQute.

SOUND QUALITYUsing some Q Acous-tics 3050 � oor standing speakers and a healthy FM roof-mounted aerial, the UnitiQute 2 shows

AUDIOFILE BY RAFAEL TODES

Naim Audio is one of the UK’s most successful audio companies. Founded in 1973, it has won the

Queen’s Award for export, and apart from catering to high-end British Audio, it has recently stormed the likes of John Lewis with its Mu-so, Mu-so Qb, wireless speak-ers, controllable from a smartphone.

But the UnitiQute 2 is not a wireless speaker. It is a single unit, which plugs into an external set of speakers and can play or do nearly everything that a modern digital unit would ever be required to do. It is a ra-dio, playing conventional high-quality FM, DAB, and internet radio. It can stream virtually any digital � le, so this includes music stored on a hard disk, on another computer, connected wirelessly, but above all, it has Spotify and Tidal built in.

Where Spotify is a cheaper rental option, and is compressed (so it is equivalent of streaming mp3 quality), Tidal is a CD-qual-ity streaming service, albeit costing more, but providing a huge catalogue of great mu-sic which can be selected on the UnitiQute 2 using a smartphone App. � is is the huge game-changer, because with a UnitiQute 2 and Tidal subscription, you can play a mas-sive range of CDs with a pair of speakers of your choice, and no other kit required.

Naim’s UnitiQute 2 streams, plays, delivers radio and a whole lot more besides. We take it for a road test

Cute and easy

how much sound you are getting for your pound. � e sound is gutsy, fast and has a warmth which is thoroughly engaging. I get far better results on FM for Radio 3 than I experience with DAB or internet radio. It’s cleaner, with more resolution and more life to it. Unsurprisingly when I connect a stand-alone classic Naim tuner to the UnitiQute, there is an improvement, but one should remember that the price of the Naim Tuner 20 years ago is not far from the price of the UnitiQute 2 now.

� e UnitiQute 2 really excels when it is fed by a top-quality digital source, using an Astell & Kern mini player (AK120). Play Sinopoli’s Philips recording of the prelude from Verdi’s Macbeth optically into the Naim and suddenly you feel the turbo-quality of the internal DAC and power ampli� er. � e music is gripping, it has very fast transients, a huge amount of control. � e sound is dynamic, punchy and with the combination of speakers there is a mellowness to the sound.

� e UnitiQute 2 a� ords the listener a � rst leap into the early steps of high-end audio, for a relatively modest outlay, and with staggering convenience. It is hand-somely built, is fun to use, and has the abil-ity to be upgraded with a dedicated power ampli� er at a later date. It ticks every box with panache and deserves an unquali� ed recommendation. CM

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outlay of £1,295.As a hub for the modern home, the Uni-

tiQute 2 also has two analogue inputs, one located on the rear panel, the other on the front. Typically these could be used for play-

source, even the ability to use the USB from my Astell & Kern music player, and to see on the Naim’s display the contents of its hard disk. You can access and stream music wirelessly from another computer or from a NAS drive. You could rid yourself of CD

www.naimaudio.com

Impressive: UnitiQute 2

CM0716_071_R_Audiofile.indd 71 21/06/2016 15:53:10


recording news from the studios by phillip sommerich

T he European Music Archaeology Projects exhibition Aerchaeomu-sica opened in Sweden last month

and over the next 18 months will visit Spain, Slovenia and Italy – but not the UK, although the University of Huddersfield and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland are project partners.

That omission is being offset to some extent by a series of five albums from Edinburgh-based Delphian Records featur-ing ancient instruments and their putative repertoire. Spellweaving was released in May, followed by sounds from the Viking era this month performed by Sweden’s Mare Balti-cum Ensemble.

Next up, in September, will be Dragon Voices: The Giant Celtic Horns of Ancient Europe, followed by bone flutes from the stone age and sounds from classical Greece and Rome (the water organ still under construction).

September’s album features trombonist John Kenny performing his own solo works for the carnyx, the dramatic, monster-headed brass instrument that is believed to have had ritual use from 200BC to 200AD.

Kenny’s association with the ancient instrument began in 1991 when musicolo-gist John Purser knocked at his door and produced from a briefcase photographs of the bronze dragon’s head from a carnyx

found at Deskford, Banffshire, in 1816. After producing an epic radio series on the history of Scotland’s music, Purser consid-ered it ‘a national disgrace’ that the find languished in the vaults of the National Museum of Scotland.

With funding from the Glenfiddich dis-tillery, a team of Purser, archaeologist Fraser Hunter, acoustician Murray Campbell, met-als artist and blacksmith John Creed set out to re-create a playable instrument.

‘We only had the head of the instrument, so we had to postulate the rest,’ says Kenny. The first version hammered out by Creed looked fine. ‘It was beautiful, but a musi-cal instrument it wasn’t,’ Kenny adds. ‘You know when an instrument is alive it gives you something back when you work on it.’

Creed spent 400 hours hammering out a version of even thinner metal and 1993 Kenny became the first person in 2,000 years to play a carnyx.

That performance and his advocacy have produced a stream of music for the ancient instrument, from jazz to sonatas, and it has sounded on several film scores, including Centurion, Eagle of the Ninth and Ironclad.

The discovery of an intact carnyx at Tintig-nac in the Corrèze region of France provided reassurance and a puzzle. ‘The head had enormous ears, like Dumbo with a dragon’s head.’ But the tubing and mouthpiece were

Here be dragonsAncient instruments sound out from the past on a series of releases from Delphian

remarkably similar to those intuited by the Scottish team. In the heads of both instru-ments, a moving jaw and soft palette acted ‘like a resonance chamber’.

However, the French instrument had to be held horizontally to be played, while the Scottish version was held vertically, emulat-ing the only known engraving of the instru-ment at work, on the Gundestrup cauldron.

From other finds in Scandinavia and Italy, Kenny suggests there was a family of carnyx instruments, providing a range of sounds and requiring various playing stances.

He will be able to test that theory, because thanks to another Glenfiddich grant, Creed is making a Tintignac-style instrument for him, which should be ready in September, when Dragon Voices is released. The latter has 21 ‘essentially dance theatre pieces drawn from Scottish, Irish and Welsh mythology’, with Kenny playing solo or multi-tracking with himself.

He and Ian Ritchie have also set up Carnyx & Co, a charity that fosters works for the instrument as well new players of it, and music project for people with disabilities.

Several of Kenny’s trombone students have also taken up the carnyx and his son Patrick played it, accompanying the Caius Choir for the premiere of Kenny’s work The Deer’s Cry in London in May. That work is to be recorded in September.

www.carnyx.org.ukwww.emaproject.eu

Taming the monster: John Kenny and carnyx

CM0716_072-075_R_Recording.indd 72 13/06/2016 12:30:26



Costa Pilavachi has sailed away from the recording industry – literally – by retiring as senior vice-president

in charge of classical A&R at Universal Music but he is already charting the future course of classical music.

A looming 65th birthday and the illness that led to the departure of Max Hole, his immediate boss at Universal and an enthusiastic champion of classical music, persuaded Pilavachi to take the step he had pondered for years. He left Universal in May and within days was on board his 41ft yacht for a two-month voyage to his native Greece.

But this is a man renowned for radiating charm in three languages, as well as deep knowledge of and enthusiasm for classi-cal music. He has successively occupied presidential seats at Universal’s Philips, then Decca – after overseeing the fusion of the two labels – then in 2006 at EMI Classics, before moving back to Universal in 2010.

So it is no surprise that he will be back at Universal later this year as an A&R consultant. From somewhere off the coast of Brittany, he enthuses: ‘Talent scouting is what I’ve always loved most of all and I’ll continue to do that.’

But that new role may take him to places very different from the glitter of traditional concert halls that have been his haunts over four decades.

Pilavachi defies classical music’s doom-mongers: ‘The thing about classical music is that it does not normally suffer from boom or bust, it is a quite a steady business. Of course it is not as healthy as it was in 1990 or 2000 in terms of the figures but you cannot say the musical life is not interesting in our big cities, it is probably more interesting.

‘And finally there is an interest in new music among the public. You just have to go to the Barbican for a composer weekend and see how many younger people are at-

Wind in the sailsThere is a new role at Universal Music for Costa Pilavachi, but first he has to tie up his yacht

►

tracted to those things.’ Composers such as Max Richter and Ólafur Arnalds – who he championed at Universal – are in the van of where classical music is going, he says.

‘Not necessarily the types who are com-missioned by the major orchestras, but absolutely relevant composers who write music for film and television, for dance and ballet, and commercial use as well – these are people who are attracting a completely different public and a far younger one than traditional classical one. That will be a prior-ity for us.’

He is equally sanguine about performers: ‘Nobody can manufacture a great artist, these things happen in a natural way. I hate it when people say, “She is the next Martha Argerich” or “He is the next David Ois-trakh”. These people are so unique and can-not be repeated, but there will be new ones. There is this 14-year-old violinist Daniel Lozakovitj – he is the first Daniel Lozako-vitj and there is not going to be another one like him, at 14 he is already unusual.

‘If the musicians keep on coming we will have an art form that is flourishing and will need managing.’

His experience in fostering such tal-ent began in an unlikely way. In 1973 as a student in Canada, he decided to call in to his favourite record shop. ‘The store manager, who knew me as a classical customer, came up to me in hysterics and said her classical guy had left in a huff that morning and there was the guy from Philips in the back room and could I help her place an order. So I said I would love to do it. I got along great with the Philips guy too, and she offered me the job.

‘It was a great job and I still have people from that era who are friends and remem-ber me selling them records on a Saturday morning.’

A man who has been a friend and adviser to masters such as Pavarotti, Brendel and Bernstein, as well as crossover artists such as Andrea Bocelli and Hayley Westenra, who persuaded the conservative Philips establishment to embrace Point Music, a joint-venture label with Philip Glass, is unlikely to find cruising the Med keeps him away from music for long.

universal line-up: costa Pilavachi (centre) with (from left) Dickon stainer, Paul moseley, ranaan meyer, Juan Diego Florez, elizabeth sobol, nemanja radulovic, nicolas Kendall and zach De Pue

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Gothic come-backAfter nearly a decade’s absence from the recording studio, Gothic Voices are back

Early music vocalists Gothic Voices have returned to recording after nearly a decade’s absence, under a new

label but with little underlying change.Most of the ensemble’s 23 previous re-

cordings were for Hyperion but September sees its first release under the Linn banner, Mary Star of the Sea. The Scottish label’s engineer and producer, Philip Hobbs, was a devotee of the artists as producer for most of their previous albums. ‘They are excep-tional musicians,’ he says. ‘The stuff they do is really hard but they do it seamlessly and easily. They have always been in the forefront of not just scholarship but they make the music live.’

The group’s survival seemed in jeopardy, though, when founder and director Christo-pher Page left in 2000. The line-up of Julian Podger, Stephen Charlesworth and Steven Harrold has been constant since 1995, with

Room for improvementA new recording from Martyn Shaw unveils the mysteries of the Nicholson flute

A historic moment in the evolution of the flute is captured in sound on Omnibus Classics album The

Nicholsonian Effect.‘Theobald Boehm said in his memoirs that

had he not heard Charles Nicholson on the London stage in 1831, he would not have gone on to make the modern flute,’ recalls Martyn Shaw.

Shaw, playing his Nicholson ‘improved’ flute made by Thomas Prowse, and Jonathan Gooing on Erard piano, play works by Nicholson, Drou-et, Hummel and Clinton on the recording.

‘What is different about the Nicholson flute,’ explains Shaw, ‘is the enlarged embouchure hole – the hole that you play down – and enlarged tone holes. These facilitated Nicholson’s style of playing, which was associated with varied tone colour, four types of vibrato – using the breath, using the fingers, using the keys and shaking the instrument.’ Nicholson was fond,

too, of portamento, ‘the glide’. He would also employ a breathy embouchure, emulating the errors of novice flautist, to produce a raw effect. Nicholson was thus able to evoke a wider variety of sounds and effects than the modern, keyed instrument can achieve.

‘I cannot imagine in the modern day that a flautist – or even audiences – would be open to the idea of sounding like a beginner to cre-ate different sound worlds. It is amazing how open-minded they were and interested in ex-panding what instruments could do. Perhaps it was related to the industrial revolution and pushing expectations of audiences and even the composer.’

About 4,500 Nicholson flutes were made between 1820 and 1845 before giving way to the keyed instrument.

Shaw had to study Nicholson’s tutors to learn how to play his instrument, dating from 1839 and made of rosewood. ‘It has its own system of

fingering and unusual ideas like harmonic fin-gering. I try to do as little to it as I can because it has its own characteristics.’ CM

www.martynshawflute.com

Catherine King arriving in 2014 after Leigh departed, but activity slowed.

‘Since Chris left we have governed our-selves. There has been no official music direc-tor,’ Podger says. ‘We didn’t want the group to fade away.’

Each member has delegated responsibilities and Podger, who is in charge of program-ming, admits that change has been gradual in that area. ‘For a long time we were going with our familiar repertoire but now we are going with contemporary pieces.’

Mary Star of the Sea intersperses English medieval music devoted to the Biblical matri-arch with contemporary works by American composer Joanne Metcalf and English-Nor-wegian artist Andrew Smith.

The following recording, of works by Dufay, will also bring in instrumentalists and a guest vocalist, mezzo Clare Wilkinson.

The intriguing question is whether the group can repeat its success of 30 years ago, when its recording of works by Hildegard of Bingen, A Feather on the Breath of God, not only ‘rediscovered’ the music of the medieval mystic but also became one of early music’s biggest-ever sellers.

making music come alive: gothic Voices

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All albums available in Studio Master from www.linnrecords.comDistributed in the UK by RSK Entertainment www.rskentertainment.co.uk

Markus Däunert director • Richard Watkins french horn Allan Clayton tenor • Máté Szücs viola • Lorenzo Soulès piano

This international ensemble of crack musicians reveals the next generation’s star soloists. Together they deliver fresh and energetic performances of some of Britten’s fi nest music for string ensemble.

‘Both Clayton and Watkins are characterful and winning in the Serenade, while Szücs is deeply impressive in the orchestral version

of Lachrymae, one of the last projects Britten was able to undertake. Best of all is Soulès in a suitably dazzling Young Apollo, a work we

hear all too little.’ CLASSICAL MUSIC

‘The Aldeburgh Strings’ urgently communicative performance of the Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings is the icing on this

four-layer Britten cake.’ THE GUARDIAN

Fusing French and Japanese infl uences, SE’s new recording features works by Takemitsu and Debussy, two composers who share an

instinctive feeling for instrumental colour and sensuous textures. SE combines the intimacy and unity of a string quartet with the force

and power of an ensemble in this unique and beautiful recording.

‘...the Debussy [was] a successful orchestral exercise that revealed the revolution around the corner...SE’s playing was dazzling.’ THE HERALD

‘The restful sentimentality of Nostalghia – with melting solo violin melody – had a magical calm. The quirky jazziness of Music of Training and

Rest pushed the musical temperature up a notch.’ THE SCOTSMAN

BENJAMIN BRITTEN ANDPETER PEARS’S LEGACY LIVES ON THROUGH ALDEBURGH STRINGS

NEW DEBUSSY ARRANGEMENTSCREATE FRESH COLOURS

Scottish Ensemble

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reviews BY GUY weATHerALL

cds

Britten: Serenade*; Lachrymae**; Young Apollo***allan clayton (t) & richard Watkins (hn)*, Máté Szűcs (va)**, Lorenzo Soules (pf); Aldeburgh Strings, Markus DaunertLinn CKD478

A welcome coupling of well- and less well-known Britten. Both Clayton and Watkins are characterful and winning in the

Serenade, while Szűcs is deeply impressive in the orchestral version of Lachrymae, one of the last projects Britten was able to undertake. Best of all is Soules in a suitably dazzling Young Apollo, a work we hear all too little. The orchestral playing is fresh, lacking only the last degree of polish.

Schubert: LiederBenjamin Appl (ba), Graham Johnson (pf)Wigmore Hall Live WHLive0082

Much of Wigmore Hall’s ambitious project to perform all of Schubert’s Lieder is appearing on disc and this recital, from

March last year, is a valuable highlight. Appl possesses both penetrating insight and an enviable control of tone and colour, both laid squarely at the service of the music: the sense of line in Am Bach im Fruhling, for example, is remarkable. Der Zwerg is terrifying, an opera in miniature, yet with nothing over-done; Im Abendrot is a model of restrained simplicity; one could go on. Johnson is a stylish, eloquent partner throughout and the recording is demonstration quality.

Vierne: Violin Sonata; Piano QuintetJudith Ingolfsson, Rebecca Li (vn), Stefan Fehlandt (va), Stephan Forck (vc), Vladimir Stoupel (pf)Accentus ACC303712

Scarcely known, these are both epic works which brim with ideas: the energetic opening motif of the sonata enthusiastically

reworked and revisited, the slow movement Franck-like in its grave beauty. Premiered in 1908 by no less an artist than Ysaÿe, it is a tricky work to bring off, a feat the current artists achieve with aplomb. The quintet is even more rapt, dedicated to Vierne’s late son, and again the performance here more than does it justice. With warm, clear recorded sound this is enthusiastically recommended.

Liszt: Sonata; Schumann: Kreisleriana; Chopin: Etudes Opp.10/10 & 10/12Nicholas Angelich (pf)Erato 9029597436

A gimmicky programme? The Schumann dedicated to Chopin, the Chopin to Liszt and the Liszt to Schumann?

Well if so, this reviewer cannot wait for Angelich’s next gimmick. Without a hint of barnstorming or virtuosity for its own sake, each work is focused, poised and full of life: the Liszt sonata is especially impressive, more expansive than we have become used to of late, allowed plenty of time to breathe and to glow. The playing time is as generous as the recording is excellent.

Haydn: Concertos in G & D,etc; Ligeti: Concerto, etcShai Wosner (pf); Danish National SO, nicholas collonOnyx ONYX4174

An inspired idea to couple Ligeti with Haydn: both composers deftly moving from humour to seriousness, from

darkness back to light in the twinkling of an eye. It helps that they are helped by an artist of the calibre of Wosner, whose technique, control and musical instincts are second to none. Both Haydn concertos are superb with lithe, period-feel accompaniment from the Danish players; Ligeti’s concerto starts off at a tremendous lick and the tension never lets up until the quicksilver finale. Essential listening. cM

EDITOR’S CHOICE Leoncavallo: ZazaErmonela Jaho, Stephen Gaertner, Riccardi Massi, etc; BBCSO & Singers, Maurizio BeniniOpera Rara ORC55 (2CD)

A favourite of the composer’s, Zaza enjoyed early success among verismo lovers who

relished a rich, vibrant score capturing the onstage and backstage highs and lows of the French music hall scene Leoncavallo knew so well. As she previously showed in La traviata (Verona) and Suor Angelica (Royal Opera), Jaho is a fresh, engaging artist who absolutely owns the title role: we need to hear more from her. As the two contrasted men in her life, Gaertner and Massi are close to ideal and Benini is hugely impressive in what is clearly a labour of love.

CM0716_077_R_Reviews Cds.indd 77 21/06/2016 16:14:34

CM_July_2016.indd 78 20/06/2016 09:53:35


reviews

EDITOR’S CHOICE Encounters with British Composersandrew PalmerThe Boydell PressHardback, £25

each of the 39 ‘encounters’ in this 500-page book is prefaced by a summary of both the preparation for, and the circumstances of, the interview – most of them conducted face-to-face, some chiefly by

email. andrew Palmer bases his interviews on a sequence of standard questions relating to working methods (pencil or computer?), perceived Britishness, desire to communicate with (or please) an audience, etc, and of course he receives many similar answers. To give some idea of the range of interviewees, i would select Birtwistle, maxwell Davies, goehr, saxton, Tavener, rutter, macmillan, Wiseman, Beamish, musgrave, goodall, Frances-Hoad, Phibbs, coult and Weir.

many composers here are perfectly happy if a listener imagines an unintended picture or a story in their piece of music. as John mccabe says, ‘it shows that there’s something in it that they respond to, and that they’re being creative with it.’ robin Holloway was delighted with ‘oh, we just loved the bit with the alligators!’ after a performance of his third concerto for orchestra had been introduced by michael Tilson Thomas as ‘inspired by a visit to south america, and this and that sight’.

Two interesting points emerge from the question of supposed British or english qualities in these composers’ music. most of them found this element very difficult to define, whereas foreigners hear national connections between, say, Vaughan Williams and Birtwistle that we overlook.

non-musicians generally will have little idea of the tremendous struggle, regular loss of confidence and diverse frustrations which make up the life of a composer – just like that of any creative person. David matthews provides a painful reminder: ‘at the beginning of every new piece, i wonder how i ever wrote any of my music … i think i can’t do it any more – i feel i really don’t know how to compose.’

The appendix has ‘advice for the Young composer’. unsurprisingly, many composers emphasise above all ‘Be yourself’, but also we find ‘Keep writing – don’t wait for inspiration’, ‘make friends with performers’, but, less predictably, one composer warns ‘don’t take any advice’.

PHILIP BORG-WHEELER

Orchestrating the NationBy Douglas W shadleoxford university Press, Hardback, £35.99

The birth of the american symphony in the 19th century was fraught, with creative egos, feuding critics, political intrigue and frustrated ambition adding to the pains of its protracted labour. With orchestras, audiences and critics steadfastly in thrall to the dominance of european music, american composers had to

fight tooth and nail to argue the case for the indigenous American symphony. realising the ambition proved even harder.

it was an unequal task, one that became more pronounced as the century progressed and the symphony acquired sufficient prestige to usurp opera’s pre-eminence and popularity. The form itself was witnessing a remarkable extended birth. even as the ink was drying on putative ‘american’ symphonies, europe, with a venerable musical tradition as its hinterland, was producing the symphonies of Beethoven, Brahms and schumann and the orchestral extravaganzas of liszt and Wagner. There was simply no one in the new World to compare – or to compete – with the giants of the old World. But that didn’t stop american composers trying.

Douglas W shadle’s pioneering Orchestrating the Nation charts the turbulent course of ‘The nineteenth-century american symphonic enterprise’ (as its subtitle has it) with scholarly detail and illuminating commentary. He estimates around 100 symphonies were produced by american-born or domiciled composers during the century. initially derivative of their european counterparts, successive generations went to the land, to native folklore and to politics to source an authentic sound.

The book is alive with the efforts of John Knowles Paine, george Frederick Bristow, William Henry Fry, robert stoepel, George Whitefield Chadwick, Anthony Philip Heinrich, Louis moreau gottschalk and a host of others to fashion the american symphony. many are now all but forgotten and some deserving of greater attention.

Ironically, it concludes with the ‘Bohemian prophet’ Dvořák’s New World symphony. With its borrowings from native american melodies and african-american spirituals, it returned a disputatious century at its end to its beginning and in doing so paved the way for the maturing of the american symphony.

With a companion website offering musical excerpts of works discussed, this is an invaluable introduction to a woefully neglected aspect of american music making. CM

MICHAEL QUINN

BOOks

CM0716_079_R_Reviews Books 1 page.indd 79 14/06/2016 09:28:34

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interview

Like many who end up with conducting as their careers, the Singaporean Kah Chun Wong admits to first waving his

arms to music as a young child – in his case, larking about with his primary schoolmates during breaks from music practice (he was a trumpeter). Fewer see these initial efforts start to blossom in the armed forces.

‘I think I really started considering becom-ing a professional conductor when I was in the military,’ he explains, referring to his two years’ mandatory military service that he spent as a bandsman. ‘From then, I started to write my own music, and of course when you write your own music you have to find a conduc-tor, and it wasn’t so easy to find someone who wanted to conduct some young composer’s first pieces of music. So I had to be the one responsible for all the rehearsals. This became something I was very curious to explore.’

The composing he developed as an un-dergraduate at Singapore’s Yong Siew Toh Conservatory before, in the absence of a programme there, he decided to look overseas to tackle conducting. ‘I wanted to go to the States to study, mainly because usually the schools in the US have scholarships available. So this is actually quite an embarrassment to mention, but I auditioned for a number of schools in the US and I didn’t get into any of them – I flunked my entrance examina-tions. It just turned out that when the results were announced, I think it was at the end of March or the beginning of April, I went online to see whether there were any more schools that I could apply to. I found the Hanns-Eisler Musikhochschule.’

He made the trip to the Berlin college to au-dition, taking the opportunity for some musi-cal tourism in Dresden and Leipzig at the same time, and was accepted, going on to study with Christian Ehwald and Hans-Dieter Baum. ‘Being in Berlin makes a big difference to any young conductor because the Berlin Philhar-monic is there, the Konzerthaus orchestra is there, the State Opera, the Deutsche Oper is

Military service was the catalyst for the young conductor who took first prize at this year’s Mahler Competition in Bamberg. He talks to Toby Deller


Meet the Maestro Kah Chun Wong

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iga

CM0716_036-037_R_Maestro.indd 36 15/06/2016 10:19:10

DIGITAL: FROM £17.49 WAS £17.9912 digital issues a year available on PC, Mac and mobile devicesPromotion code: CMJULY16D

ike many who end up with conducting as their careers, the Singaporean Kah Chun Wong admits to first waving his

arms to music as a young child – in his case, larking about with his primary schoolmates during breaks from music practice (he was a trumpeter). Fewer see these initial efforts start

‘I think I really started considering becom-ing a professional conductor when I was in the military,’ he explains, referring to his two years’ mandatory military service that he spent as a bandsman. ‘From then, I started to write my own music, and of course when you write

-tor, and it wasn’t so easy to find someone who wanted to conduct some young composer’s

responsible for all the rehearsals. This became

dergraduate at Singapore’s Yong Siew Toh

programme there, he decided to look overseas to tackle conducting. ‘I wanted to go to the States to study, mainly because usually the schools in the US have scholarships available. So this is actually quite an embarrassment to mention, but I auditioned for a number of schools in the US and I didn’t get into any of them – I flunked my entrance examina-tions. It just turned out that when the results were announced, I think it was at the end of March or the beginning of April, I went online to see whether there were any more

He made the trip to the Berlin college to au-dition, taking the opportunity for some musi-cal tourism in Dresden and Leipzig at the same time, and was accepted, going on to study with Christian Ehwald and Hans-Dieter Baum. ‘Being in Berlin makes a big difference to any young conductor because the Berlin Philhar-young conductor because the Berlin Philhar-young conductor because the Berlin Philharmonic is there, the Konzerthaus orchestra is there, the State Opera, the Deutsche Oper is


reviews BY GUY weATHerALL

cds

Britten: Serenade*; Lachrymae**; Young Apollo***allan clayton (t) & richard Watkins (hn)*, Máté Szűcs (va)**, Lorenzo Soules (pf); Aldeburgh Strings, Markus DaunertLinn CKD478

A welcome coupling of well- and less well-known Britten. Both Clayton and Watkins are characterful and winning in the

Serenade, while Szűcs is deeply impressive in the orchestral version of Lachrymae, one of the last projects Britten was able to undertake. Best of all is Soules in a suitably dazzling Young Apollo, a work we hear all too little. The orchestral playing is fresh, lacking only the last degree of polish.

Schubert: LiederBenjamin Appl (ba), Graham Johnson (pf)Wigmore Hall Live WHLive0082

Much of Wigmore Hall’s ambitious project to perform all of Schubert’s Lieder is appearing on disc and this recital, from

March last year, is a valuable highlight. Appl possesses both penetrating insight and an enviable control of tone and colour, both laid squarely at the service of the music: the sense of line in Am Bach im Fruhling, for example, is remarkable. Der Zwerg is terrifying, an opera in miniature, yet with nothing over-done; Im Abendrot is a model of restrained simplicity; one could go on. Johnson is a stylish, eloquent partner throughout and the recording is demonstration quality.

Vierne: Violin Sonata; Piano QuintetJudith Ingolfsson, Rebecca Li (vn), Stefan Fehlandt (va), Stephan Forck (vc), Vladimir Stoupel (pf)Accentus ACC303712

Scarcely known, these are both epic works which brim with ideas: the energetic opening motif of the sonata enthusiastically

reworked and revisited, the slow movement Franck-like in its grave beauty. Premiered in 1908 by no less an artist than Ysaÿe, it is a tricky work to bring off, a feat the current artists achieve with aplomb. The quintet is even more rapt, dedicated to Vierne’s late son, and again the performance here more than does it justice. With warm, clear recorded sound this is enthusiastically recommended.

Liszt: Sonata; Schumann: Kreisleriana; Chopin: Etudes Opp.10/10 & 10/12Nicholas Angelich (pf)Erato 9029597436

A gimmicky programme? The Schumann dedicated to Chopin, the Chopin to Liszt and the Liszt to Schumann?

Well if so, this reviewer cannot wait for Angelich’s next gimmick. Without a hint of barnstorming or virtuosity for its own sake, each work is focused, poised and full of life: the Liszt sonata is especially impressive, more expansive than we have become used to of late, allowed plenty of time to breathe and to glow. The playing time is as generous as the recording is excellent.

Haydn: Concertos in G & D,etc; Ligeti: Concerto, etcShai Wosner (pf); Danish National SO, nicholas collonOnyx ONYX4174

An inspired idea to couple Ligeti with Haydn: both composers deftly moving from humour to seriousness, from

darkness back to light in the twinkling of an eye. It helps that they are helped by an artist of the calibre of Wosner, whose technique, control and musical instincts are second to none. Both Haydn concertos are superb with lithe, period-feel accompaniment from the Danish players; Ligeti’s concerto starts off at a tremendous lick and the tension never lets up until the quicksilver finale. Essential listening. cM

EDITOR’S CHOICE Leoncavallo: ZazaErmonela Jaho, Stephen Gaertner, Riccardi Massi, etc; BBCSO & Singers, Maurizio BeniniOpera Rara ORC55 (2CD)

A favourite of the composer’s, Zaza enjoyed early success among verismo lovers who

relished a rich, vibrant score capturing the onstage and backstage highs and lows of the French music hall scene Leoncavallo knew so well. As she previously showed in La traviata (Verona) and Suor Angelica (Royal Opera), Jaho is a fresh, engaging artist who absolutely owns the title role: we need to hear more from her. As the two contrasted men in her life, Gaertner and Massi are close to ideal and Benini is hugely impressive in what is clearly a labour of love.

CM0716_077_R_Reviews Cds.indd 77 14/06/2016 09:26:31

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‘I’ve got 15 premieres in one year, which is really crazy,’ Sally Beamish laughs. We have met for a chat the day after the

London premiere of A Shakespeare Masque, which had its Stratford premiere in April and is part of what Beamish calls an ‘explosion of work’ that continues throughout her 60th birthday year and beyond.

Largely self-taught as a composer, Beamish began her professional career as a violist and pia-nist, but the yearning to write music has burned strongly within her ever since her mother, the violinist Ursula Snow, taught her to read and write music when she was just four years old.

‘I started composing before I started play-ing. I learnt from studying violin and viola, and from playing the piano. And every new commission teaches me something, so it’s a continuous learning process.’

Although 2016 is mostly about new works, Beamish’s return to Cheltenham Music Festival this month is an opportunity to revisit some favourite pieces in a special 60th birthday showcase.

At the heart of it is The Sins, a semi-theatrical work for actor and ensemble, which was originally commissioned by retired scientist Gerry Mattock and his partner, Beryl Calver-Jones, in 2011. The text, by Phil Hind, is a new translation of the ‘seven deadly sins’ section from Langland’s 14th-century narrative poem Piers Plowman.

Two other pieces in the programme, Commedia and Piobaireachd for piano trio, date from 1990 when Beamish moved from London to Scotland.

‘Commedia is for quintet and it was the first piece of mine to be performed in Scotland after I moved there. The Hebrides Ensemble did it as part of their debut concert and it was

a turning point for me, so it’s nice that it’s in this concert.

‘I wrote Piobaireachd for piano trio soon after I moved to Scotland when I was just discovering about the bagpipes. Piobaireachd is the classical music variation form of the Highland bagpipes.’

Beamish’s next major premiere is Merula perpetua – ‘perpetual blackbird’ – a BBC co-commission with the Royal Philharmonic Society to be performed as a Proms chamber concert on 29 August by Lise Berthaud (viola) and David Saudubray (piano). The piece was inspired by a blackbird that sang constantly



Merula perpetua is dedicated to Peter Maxwell Davies, her friend and mentor, and was written on manuscript paper that he left at a friend’s house just before his death in March this year. The piece also marks Beamish’s return to playing the viola after a gap of 15 years. ‘Before I left London my viola was stolen and that was part of the decision to stop play-



Another ‘different thing’ for Beamish was writing the score for a new ballet, The Tempest, which has been choreographed by Birming-



‘I’m writing two pieces for them but they’re going to perform other pieces of mine and I hope to be involved in other ways with the orchestra as well. I’ve got a really good relation-ship with them, so this is a lovely way of bring-ing everything together.’ CM


CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL


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sally Beamish: ‘every new commission teaches me something’


36 classicalmusicmagazine.org

interview

Military service was the catalyst for the young conductor who took first prize at this year’s Mahler Competition in Bamberg. He talks to


Meet the Kah Chun Wong

© c

ezar

Bul

iga


a turning point for me, so it’s nice that it’s in

for piano trio soon after I moved to Scotland when I was just discovering about the bagpipes. Piobaireachd is the classical music variation form of the

Beamish’s next major premiere is Merula – ‘perpetual blackbird’ – a BBC

co-commission with the Royal Philharmonic Society to be performed as a Proms chamber concert on 29 August by Lise Berthaud (viola) and David Saudubray (piano). The piece was inspired by a blackbird that sang constantly



is dedicated to Peter Maxwell Davies, her friend and mentor, and was written on manuscript paper that he left at a friend’s house just before his death in March this year. The piece also marks Beamish’s return to playing the viola after a gap of 15 years. ‘Before I left London my viola was stolen and that was part of the decision to stop play-and that was part of the decision to stop play-and that was part of the decision to stop play



Another ‘different thing’ for Beamish was writing the score for a new ballet, The Tempest, The Tempest, The Tempestwhich has been choreographed by Birming-which has been choreographed by Birming-which has been choreographed by Birming



‘I’m writing two pieces for them but they’re going to perform other pieces of mine and I hope to be involved in other ways with the orchestra as well. I’ve got a really good relation-ship with them, so this is a lovely way of bring-ship with them, so this is a lovely way of bring-ship with them, so this is a lovely way of bringing everything together.’ CM



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CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JULY 2016 £5.50 40th

ANNIVERSARY YEAR

Late nights and lock-ins

MAX BAILLIE

SEE PAGE 60

PLUS: CLASSICAL:NEXT | NAIM’S UNITIQUTE 2 | HANDEL AT VAUXHALL

CHELTENHAM FESTIVALPremieres and anniversaries

Contrasting venues in London-wide promenade

PROMS AT LARGE

NYCOS AT 20Scottish youth on song

FIDELIO TRIORhinegold LIVE preview

MEET THE MAESTRO

Kah Chun Wong

CM0716_001_F_Cover.indd 2 17/06/2016 15:37:19

CMSUBS.indd 84 20/06/2016 10:58:36CM_July_2016.indd 80 20/06/2016 11:48:28


broadcasting by ricHard FaWKEs

Afew years ago, it was announced that some of the Proms were going to be moved from the Royal Albert

Hall to the Roundhouse. It was a move that caused much spluttering in the tea cups. The Proms, as everyone knew, took place in South Kensington. A Prom staged in Camden could not possibly be a real Prom. So what would Apoplexy of Tunbridge Wells make of this year’s programme with concerts being staged away from the traditional venue, one even in a Peckham car park? Add in tributes to David Bowie alongside tributes to Peter Maxwell Davies and you have the ingredients for much indignation.

But supposing you do want to experience what is on offer and you’ve missed out on buying a ticket? There are plenty of other ways people can participate in the world’s largest classical music festival. Every concert, whether in the Royal Albert Hall or not, can be heard live on Radio 3. That’s more than 90 concerts over an eight-week period performed not just by British artists but by major musicians from around the globe.

Radio also provides audiences with a chance to listen again with concerts available online for 30 days from the first performance. All you need is a BBC iPlayer app or now, a smartphone.

‘What we’re trying to achieve digitally,’ says Andrew Caspari, head of speech radio and classical music interactive, ‘is to give people multiple ways of consuming the Proms so that if it’s available to find, it’s easy to find. If people just want to read about it they should be able to read about it. If they want to listen on the train to work or on a plane heading off on their holidays, they can.’

Do you have to be a computer whizz kid to find these sources? No, says Caspari emphati-cally. ‘Two things we’ve discovered about the Proms audience and indeed Radio 3’s audi-ence, is they are more technically savvy than you might think. We tend to think computers are for young people, but when we did a survey a couple of years ago, of all the BBC radio stations, Radio 3 was the biggest user of tablet. Mobile devices were already being used by members of the audience.’ The Proms website,

which has been revamped, will contain all the information you are likely to need. Although you will require an app, you won’t have to buy one: they are free from your phone store.

For those who prefer more traditional ways of listening or watching, there is always the live concert every evening, plus the chance to watch concerts on television or on iPlayer with its 30-day availability. The Prom booklet contains details of what is being broadcast and when.

The digital Proms are becoming more signif-icant every year. Last year saw a 50% increase in viewing and listening online and there were 340,000 unique browsers every week during the season. By the end of September 2015 there had been 3.2 million requests for content from the Proms. ‘For people who already love the Proms,’ says Caspari, ‘the digital offer is becoming more and more important. It’s also becoming more important to us in terms of the way people consume the Proms. Go back a few years and the only way to consume the Proms was if a concert was on the telly or on radio. That was it. We’ve expanded enormous-ly since then.’

Check the Proms official guide and website for details of all Proms’ coverage: bbc.co.uk/proms CM

Digital PromsThe world’s largest classical music festival is at the forefront of digital broadcasting1 July

XX R3 live from the Hoddinott Hall in cardiff a BBc national orchestra of Wales concert of music associated with composers who fought, died or were in some way connected to the Battle of the somme. The programme includes Gordon Jacob’s first symphony, Herbert Howells’ Elegy for viola, string quartet and orchestra with Paul Dukes as the viola soloist, Delius’ requiem, a piece by albert roussel and an ave Verum by Francis Purcell Warren. adrian Partington is the conductor

5–10 JulyXX R3 live from leeds, the sell-out opera north production of Wagner’s Ring with Kelly cae Hogan as Brünnhilde and mati Turi as siegfried. The conductor is richard Farnes. The production is also being recorded for streaming later in the year

15 JulyXX R3 live from the royal albert Hall, the first night of the Proms. The BBC symphony orchestra conducted by sakari oramo performs Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet overture, elgar’s cello concerto with sol gabetta as soloist, and Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky cantata. The complete concert can be heard live on radio 3, with the first half also available on BBc Two and the second half on BBc Four

16 JulyXX R3 live from the Proms at the royal albert Hall, mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov, sung in russian. Bryn Terfel takes the title role and the cast also includes John graham-Hall, ain anger and David Butt Philip. antonio Pappano conducts

listen out for

lucky numbers: Proms online

CM0716_081_R_Broadcasting.indd 81 21/06/2016 10:40:07

82 classicalmusicmagazine.org juLY 2016

enigma

crossword

1 Prerogative of piper funder (4,3,4)

10 Fauré’s song, or Lipowska? (5)11 Major second (5,4)12 Dance with French Scottish

girl? (9)13 Bonny boat? (5)14 I get no fancy footwork at

Mairi’s Wedding (6)16 To overcome by Tavener’s

Flood of Beauty (8)18 Tarquin was the last such king

of Rome (8)20 Working class in Brave New

World (6)23 Wagner’s cycle takes a turn to

regret (5)24 Composer of The Long

Christmas Dinner (9)26 Home of Grand Ole Opry (9)27 Property, according to

Proudhon (5)28 Author of Zorba the Greek (11)

seT BY FuSTIS

across dowN2 Books to listen to (5)3 Connection could be

dangerous (7)4 Ukelele island (6)5 Final reduction on opera? (8)6 His symphony is

inextinguishable (7)7 Pears supplied the

greengrocer’s boy in first production (6,7)

8 Eg brown-eyed gene (8)9 Kind librettist of this Weber

opera (3,10)15 The recording of The Lost

Chord was (8)17 Where Wotan leads the gods

(8)19 Andrés got muddled, so I gave

a fresh arrangement (7)21 Orestes stirs treacle for his

sister (7)22 Nicest upset Cio-Cio-san, for

example (6)25 Boudicca’s tribe (5)

WIN a CD gooDIe bagFor a chance to win, send a copy of the completed crossword to

Enigma, Classical Music, 20 Rugby Street, London WC1N 3QZ, or email a scan/photo to [email protected]

Take your time! The closing date is 15 July

This month’s winner is Alexander Simms, Aldershot

JUNE soLUTIoNqUIz

ANSWERS 1 Debussy. 2 Bruckner. 3 Worcester. 4 Worcester, Gloucester, Hereford. 5 Snape. 6 A malt house (maltings). 7 The Roundhouse. 8 Berlioz (Le chant des chemins de fer). 9 Murder on the Orient Express

1 Who is the composer pictured on this 1997 French 20 Franc note?2 And on this 1954 Austrian 1,000 Schilling note? 3 Which cathedral shared with Elgar the £20 note which was withdrawn from legal

tender in 2010?4 Which cathedrals share the Three Choirs Festival?5 Where is the Aldeburgh Festival based?6 And what did its main concert hall use to be?7 Which UK venue used to be a railway engine shed and turntable?8 Whose cantata was written for the 1846 opening of the Paris-Lille railway line and featured at

the 1994 Eurostar launch?9 Richard Rodney Bennett wrote the music for which 1974 train-based film?

21

CM0716_082_R_Enigma.indd 82 15/06/2016 12:50:38


Sheku kanneh-MaSon Man of the moment

YouTh aRTIST FoCuS London Music Masters YCAT St John’s Smith Square City Music Foundation Youth Orchestra of Iraq

TouRS & TRaVeL The music specialists

MeeT The MaeSTRo Jules Buckley

DaVID WheLTon Reflections on a life in the arts

São PauLo SYMPhonY oRCheSTRa Perseverance in adversity

nexT ISSueauguST 2016

Search for a job...

Search a wide range of music and performing arts jobs, from performing contracts to teaching positions, and administration roles to conducting vacancies.

Keep an eye on our website as well as our Twitter and Facebook feeds for the most up-to-date list of job vacancies!

CM0716_083_R_Next issue.indd 83 20/06/2016 11:51:17

THE MANCHESTER MID-DAY CONCERTS SOCIETY

AUDITIONS

will be holding auditions for its 2017/2018 series at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

on Wed. 16 November, Tue. 22 Nov. and Wed. 7 December 2016.

Applications are invited from emerging instrumentalists and singers – both soloists and ensembles – to be considered for inclusion in this prestigious and

long established chamber music series.

N.B. It is generally expected that applicants have acquired considerable recital experience and have reached at least post graduate level unless they have an exceptional cv.

Application forms available from The Administrator at [email protected]

Closing date: October 14th. 2016. Late applications will not be accepted.

N.B. The Society regrets it is unable to provide an official accompanist or travel expenses

CLAS

SIFI

ED

King Henry VIII Senior & Prep Schools are seeking to appoint the following:

Head of Brass (Temporary Appointment, to cover maternity leave, to start November 2016)

A dynamic brass teacher (all specialisms considered) to work with pupils across the ability and age range. � e role combines some piano tuition at mostly beginner level; ability to teach piano is therefore essential.

� is is a full-time, term time only appointment.

Visiting Saxophone Teacher (To start September 2016)

A dynamic saxophone teacher to work with pupils across the ability and age range. � e successful candidate will run the Senior School Jazz Band and should be able to improvise as well as teach good, basic improvisation techniques

to his/her pupils. 2 days of teaching is currently available, including some extra-curricular responsibilities.

Previous applicants need not apply.

To apply, please send a CV with a covering letter to Alistair Kennedy, Head of Instrumental Studies. Email: [email protected] by Friday 15th July.

School website addresses are www.khviii.com and www.khps.co.uk

King Henry VIII School HP V2.indd 1 21/06/2016 11:41:07

BLUTHNER grand piano 5’6”, mahogany, 1935.

Serial 120141. Restored 1992, properly maintained, gorgeous tone,

sensitive action.

Professionally owned, now retired. Insured for £23,000;

asking price £18,000 ono.

Location Cornwall; lovely accommodation available for viewing.

Negotiable re transportation costs. 01326 290399.

FOR SALE!

CM_July_2016.indd 84 21/06/2016 11:42:46

CLASSIFIED

The Ouseley Church Music Trust maintaining high standards

The Ouseley Trust has supported the Anglican choral tradition for over 20 years by making grants totalling more than £2½ million to parish churches and choral foundations.

Please help us continue this vital work by sending a donation to: The Ouseley Trust, PO Box 281, Stamford, Lincolnshire PE9 9BU

www.ouseleytrust.org.uk

A Registered Charity

Alexander Pullinger MMus LRSM

www.alexanderpullinger.com

All ages welcome

Email [email protected] call 07747 016 947 to arrange a free consultati on

SINGING LESSONSLONDON

Alexander Pullinger EP.indd 1 16/02/2016 09:14:42

The John Kerr Award for English Song

2016 competition Saturday, 8th October 2016 - 2pm

St. Lawrence Church, Church Lane, West Wycombe,

Buckinghamshire, HP14 3AH

This exciting and unique event for singers celebrates the rich variety of English Song.

All vocal ranges are welcome, age range 18 - 35

Accompanists of all ages welcome, but 35 or under to qualify for the Accompanist Prize

This international competition is presided over by a panel of distinguished judges :

Neil Jenkins (tenor), Julie Kennard (soprano) and Christopher Grant (ex-Royal Opera House répétiteur)

The following prizes will be awarded in the 2016 competition.The First Prize - £2,000The Christopher Ball Second Prize - £1,000The Smallfield Place Audience Prize - £500Accompanist Prize - £500Individual song prizes of £125 each for the best 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th/21st century song

TICKETS : £20 including afternoon tea and general refreshments

Contact The Competition Administrator for tickets and details :

Clifton Coach House,Camden ParkTunbridge WellsKent TN2 5AA

Tel : 01892 530049

Email : [email protected]

The John Kerr Award website : www.johnkerraward.org.uk

MCPS recommended

Over 30 years experienceGraphic design, colour printLarge and small run specialists

Excellent quality and presentation

1000 CDs with Booklet+Inlay c.£600Quality CDR/DVD copies from 51pCD/CD-ROM Mastering £70phDVD, CD-audio, enhanced CDs

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Visitors welcome by appointment

Repeat PerformanceMultimedia

50 Fordhook AvenueEaling CommonLondon W5 3LPTel. 020 3286 4018

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EPTA UK is a registered charity No.293698www.pianoteacherscourse.org

October 2016 - June 2017 now booking

Comprising three residential weekends, three single Sundays and independent study spread over the academic year, the course is for:

• Those new to the profession

• Piano teachers and student teachers who wish to enhance and develop their teaching skills

• Advanced players wishing to add a teaching component to their professional portfolio

Piano Teaching for the 21st CenturyEnhance your professional teaching skills

For all enquiries please contact... Jennie Parke Matheson, PTC Administratoron 07831 164430 or [email protected]

Course Venue...The Purcell School of MusicAldenham Road Bushey Herts WD23 2TS

CM_July_2016.indd 85 20/06/2016 09:54:08


MICHAEL WHITE

I can’t remember when I last spent time in Folkestone but it must have been a long, long while ago because Yehudi Menuhin

was alive and taught me how to do a yogic head-stand after breakfast in the Metropole Hotel. A bad idea as things turned out. Never be lured by legendary violinists into being upside down on a Full English, even if the sausages are vegetarian.

Menuhin was gracing Folkestone with his violin competition, which in those days flourished at the Leas Cliff Hall. What the town has now in terms of music-making, I don’t know – except for one thing: a small but perfectly formed festival of chamber music run by the Sacconi Quartet. And I’ve just been to it, to hear the premiere of a song cycle for voice and strings commissioned from Jonathan Dove.

Called In Damascus, and adapting Syrian texts that told with cool, spare, dignity the wretchedness of living in a war zone, it had irresistible emotional appeal. And musically there was a lot to like: Dove writes with easy, open lyricism, honest feeling, and a way with words – all qualities that the Sac-conis and their soloist Mark Padmore made the most of.

But I always think that Dove composes like a Glyndebourne picnicker who shops at M&S. There’s style and elegance but pre-packed – in a grazing box with bites of Brit-ten, Broadway, and a Minimalist dressing. As ingredients go they’re fine. But where, you wonder, is his own voice? In the catchy choral

music and big stageworks for community performance that he writes so brilliantly, the missing ‘me’ isn’t a problem. In the scrutiny of chamber works, it is.

Considering myself a liberated sort of guy, I love the Jersey Liberation Festival – although it isn’t what the name suggests. Largely devoted to nostalgia, it commemorates the end of oc-cupation by the Nazis during world war two, and is a fine excuse for people to dress up like Trevor Howard in Brief Encounter and play Churchill’s wartime speeches from loudspeak-ers on the seafront.

But there’s music too, with a peculiar spe-ciality of organised excursions that combine fresh air and exercise with music at strategic points en route. This year, as in the past, the music was provided by a wonderfully inven-tive duo – Harriet Mackenzie, violin, Miloš Milivojević, accordion – with a choir, the Liberation Vocal Consort. And although it rained (it always does), the scenery around the church and manor of St Ouen (pronounced ‘when’: they collect obscure saints in the Chan-nel Islands) was a joy.

A drier, under-cover pleasure, though, was the discovery of a violinist I had never heard before, called Boris Brovtsyn. He was playing Saint-Saëns’ third concerto with the Jersey Chamber Orchestra. And though the Saint-Saëns isn’t over-virtuosic, Brovstyn made it shine – with the unforced and effortless liquidity of old-school Russian giants. His technique is disarming. And the only reason

I can think of for his lack of stardom is a charmless platform manner. Looking like a convict on the run, he isn’t glamorous. But he’s a master, which is more important.

Everything about awards ceremonies is a lottery – from who gets the prizes to who you sit next to over dinner. The worst I know are the Inter-national Opera Awards, which are pointless and excruciating. The best are the Royal Philhar-

monic Society Awards, which are worthwhile and fun. And though they went on a bit this year, with a keynote speech by Graham Vick so apoplectic you feared for his blood pressure, the RPS hit target as usual. Good people were acknowledged for doing good things. Roddy Williams, nicest man in music (official), got the voice gong; Kings Place, the concert series award. And best of all, my old boss at the Inde-pendent, Michael Church, was honoured for his ground-breaking book on (as it’s called) The Other Classical Musics. Nothing to complain about … except that when dessert came round, I didn’t get much. Like I said, a lottery. CM

Our wandering music critic remembers headstands with Menuhin in Folkstone, gets liberated in Jersey, and wants more pudding at the RPS Awards

Extended Intervals

Folkestone fiddlers: Sacconi Quartet

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Graham Vick’s keynote speech was so apoplectic you feared for his blood pressure

Disarming: Boris Brovtsyn

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Awards lottery: Just desserts?

CM0716_086_R_Intervals.indd 86 14/06/2016 09:31:35

www.lisbonmusicfest.com

july

2016

OPENAPPLICATIONS FOR 2017

NOW

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CM

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CMY

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CM_July_2016.indd 87 21/06/2016 09:55:21

Saturday 9 July 2016, 7.30 pmCHELTENHAM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRADavid Curtis, ConductorBach, Liszt, NickellPittville Pump Room East Approach Drive, Cheltenham GL52 3JETICKETS www.cheltenhamtownhall.org.uk or 0844 576 2210

Sunday 10 July 2016, 6:00 pmORCHESTRA OF THE SWANDavid Curtis, ConductorBach, Britten, Matthews, Nickell, Walton Stratford ArtsHouse, 14 Rother Street Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire CV37 6LUTICKETS www.stratfordartshouse.co.uk or 01789 207100

Saturday 16 July 2016, 7:30 pmLONDON PREMIEREPiano Concerto, Op. 111 by David MatthewsORCHESTRA OF THE SWANDavid Curtis, ConductorBach, Britten, Nickell, WaltonKings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9AGTICKETS tickets.kingsplace.co.uk or 020 7520 1490

Tickets from £9.50

www.thomasnickellconcertpianist.com @thomas_nickell

P I A N O

THE ARTIST AT SEVENTEENTHE ARTIST UK Debut

CM_July_2016.indd 88 20/06/2016 09:54:25

Classical music -_july_2016

Education

Transcript of Classical music -_july_2016