Sunday, 27 June 2010
Friday, 25 June 2010
Circulous at Magfest
Four shows by Circulous brought the festivities to an end.The gentle artistry of Acrojou's German Wheel contrasted with the slapstick ballroom dancing of Stickleback Plasticus and the high speed whirling of the Skating Willers. Get the Shoe combined martial arts with spectacular juggling whilst Fraser Cooper brilliantly and gently made use of children and adults from the audience. Bruce Airhead's act was amazing and entertaining but left you wondering why and how he came up with the idea.
A great bunch of people brought together for these four shows only by Magfest regular, Charlie Holland but sadly, once again, the circus has left town.
More pics at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/album.php?aid=2059673&id=1069925290
Monday, 21 June 2010
Photos from BBC SSO
Click here to see some photos posted on Facebook by the BBC SSO.
Sorry there's been much less action on the blog this Festival. I was struck down with flu, and our main contributor seems to be AWOL (both from this blog and from Twitter). Anyway, my thanks to Les for some great observations and excellent photos. Has it been a good Festival? I'd love to hear what you've thought of it in the comments here, or send me a longer piece if you want it published as a separate article.
The Table at Magfest
A darkened room. Four men enter and sit round a table. Not just any table, but a sophisticated musical instrument from which they coax an astonishing range of sounds and moods. The men are Polish group, Karbido and 'The Table' has one more showing tonight in the old Jewson's shed.
Compelling and dramatic stuff.
Sunday, 20 June 2010
Magfest
Mentally and physically exhausted but two great nights of Magfest in Jewsons Shed with the Bester Quartet from Crakow and Andy Cant. I say Andy Cant, but it was a cast of dozens with our stage proving just big enough for Kirkwall City Pipe Band, Liberty, Billy Jolly and Mixemup.
A small hiccup with heating (again). With a northerly gale blowing directly onto our front door and a huge drop in outside temperature, the heating system struggled to cope, but it has improved as the weather warmed slightly. Still wrap up warm. Midsummer in Orkney eh?
The Bester Quartet were more cool than cold. A wonderful Klezmer band from Crakow, they displayed breathtaking musicianship and are clearly well-respected by the other Polish musicians around the venue. Precise and controlled, with the stage smoke swirling in the wind, the atmosphere was tremendous.
Andy's show was a much less minimalist event: even featuring guest appearances by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and Nicola Benedetti. Sadly they were unavoidably detained at the last minute, but their stand-ins performed magnificently. There was plenty of audience participation and Andy was ably supported by his two backing bands: KCPB and Liberty. This was home-grown entertainment of the highest order.
The BBC turned up on Saturday to film Andy for a BBC2 Series to be screened in October.
More Photos Here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2059673&id=1069925290&l=5f6616aa11
Sunday will be spent setting-up for The Table. More sometime.Monday, 14 June 2010
Magfest 2010
Four days to go till Andy Cant's concert launches Magfest 2010. Over the last fortnight we've been busy converting the old Timber Store at Jewsons (left) into a venue.
We've been removing a century of dust and building staging and raked seating. Today the lighting goes in and we'll report on the transformation tomorrow.
Andy's concert sold out almost immediately, but there are still some tickets for klezmer band, the Bester Quartet at the weekend.
Sunday, 2 May 2010
Le Jongleur de Notre Dame Podcast from The Hebrides Ensemble
A podcast (a link to this was tweeted the other day by The Hebrides Ensemble) which looks forward to the Peter Maxwell Davies music theatre piece in this year's Festival:
"In this preview podcast, we speak to virtuoso circus juggler Chris Patfield about his role in Le Jongleur de Notre Dame and play you clips of the music. We’ll also hear from Hebrides Ensemble’s artistic director, Will Conway."
"In this preview podcast, we speak to virtuoso circus juggler Chris Patfield about his role in Le Jongleur de Notre Dame and play you clips of the music. We’ll also hear from Hebrides Ensemble’s artistic director, Will Conway."
Friday, 19 March 2010
SMF2010 brochure launch
As more than one person said last night at the 2010 Festival brochure launch at the St Magnus Centre, Kirkwall: "It cannot be a year since we last did this!" Be that as it may, the brochure is out. As usual, festival supporters will receive theirs in the post, and Orkney residents through their letterbox - copies are also available at all good Orkney leaflet stands, and from the St Magnus Festival Office, Victoria St, Kirkwall.
It's time for all of us to start working out which tickets to order (and to promise ourselves, once again, that we will be early-bird patrons, getting those orders in to the SMF Office before 4 April). One of my favourite things at this time of year is carrying the brochure around, and agonising over what to see this year. Although Glenys Hughes, Festival Director, assures us again this year that it is just possible to see everything on offer, most of us have to acknowledge (with varying degrees of reluctance) that there will be other trivial commitments in Festival week (like sleeping, eating, working, family life, work, rehearsing and performing, as appropriate). There are so many things to do and see in the Festival these days that (even though ticket prices offer fantastic value compared with any similar event in Scotland, the UK or the world) financial reality is about the only hope of balancing a desire to do everything, with likely energy levels in June!
Choosing will be no easier than normal, as was clear when Glenys presented some of the highlights and themes planned for this, the last Festival before she hands over the Director's ...erm... baton to Alasdair Nicolson and Tanya McGill:
It's time for all of us to start working out which tickets to order (and to promise ourselves, once again, that we will be early-bird patrons, getting those orders in to the SMF Office before 4 April). One of my favourite things at this time of year is carrying the brochure around, and agonising over what to see this year. Although Glenys Hughes, Festival Director, assures us again this year that it is just possible to see everything on offer, most of us have to acknowledge (with varying degrees of reluctance) that there will be other trivial commitments in Festival week (like sleeping, eating, working, family life, work, rehearsing and performing, as appropriate). There are so many things to do and see in the Festival these days that (even though ticket prices offer fantastic value compared with any similar event in Scotland, the UK or the world) financial reality is about the only hope of balancing a desire to do everything, with likely energy levels in June!
Choosing will be no easier than normal, as was clear when Glenys presented some of the highlights and themes planned for this, the last Festival before she hands over the Director's ...erm... baton to Alasdair Nicolson and Tanya McGill:
- events bringing Polska! Year (presenting the best of Polish arts and culture in the UK) to a conclusion during SMF 2010
- celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Fryderyc Chopin
- a BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra residency (I wonder if they will share their experiences at SMF online, like the RNSO did last year on their blog and twitter feed?)
- a Hebrides Ensemble residency throughout the Festival, with involvement in the Orkney Conducting Course, running simultaneously with the Festival
- as in the previous 2 Festivals, there will be another music theatre piece by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, this time Le Jongleur de Notre Dame
- appearances by violinist Nicola Benedetti
- vocal ensemble I Fagiolini, with renaissance and contemporary music
- events as usual in many parts of Orkney, with visiting and local artists collaborating to present performances in Stromness, Deerness, Lamb's Holm (The Italian Chapel), Eday, Stronsay, Hoy (Gable End Theatre), Westray and others
- 7 concerts will be broadcast by BBC Radio 3
- the Festival will open with The Doctor and the Devils, a screenplay based on the story of Burke and Hare in 1830s Edinburgh, by Dylan Thomas; specially adapted by Vivia Leslie as a Festival community production, with music by Alasdair Nicolson (to transfer to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 9-15 August, Venue 45)
- Martyn Brabbins will conduct the BBC SSO and Festival Chorus on the Sunday evening, the Chorus this year with a record-breaking 140 singers
- the Orkney Schools Orchestra are collaborating with the BBC SSO in Side by Side, with young Orkney musicians integrated with, and playing alongside, BBC SSO members
I have not even mentioned the excitement of MagFest UP CLOSE, and their plan to build an entire temporary theatre, or the literature and visual arts strands of the Festival. Hopefully others will have something to say about them on the blog soon!
With the involvement of the Orkney Traditional Music Project, performers for the Johnsmas Foy, local bands playing in the Festival Club, the Festival Chorus, the Orkney Schools Orchestra, and local actors and technical crew in the community theatre production Orkney residents (as has been the case at the St Magnus Festival for over 30 years, and this year at least 400 of us) have the chance to work collaboratively with world-class visiting artistes in June: that all this has kept going (and developed as it has) has been thanks to the vision and hard work of Glenys and her predecessors, supported by Angela Henderson, George Rendall, and hundreds and hundreds of volunteers in Orkney (and by an impressive and bewildering array of sponsors, all of whom can be seen on the back cover of the brochure). Each of us who has been involved along the way owes each of them an enormous debt of gratitude.
What do other island communities do at midsummer?
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Festival Chorus begins rehearsals for Poulenc's Gloria
Rehearsals bagan on Monday for this year's performance, which will be in the Pickaquoy Centre on 20 June: Gloria, by Francis Poulenc , with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Martyn Brabbins. This will be the 31st appearance in the Festival by the Chorus, which has also presented a December charity concert some years. Usually there are about 130 singers in the Chorus, drawn from all parts of the Orkney mainland and linked islands (and occasionally one or 2 from the other islands).
Rehearsals are on Mondays at 7.30pm, at the King Street Halls, Kirkwall.
Are you singing in the Chorus this year? Why not let us know how it's going, by leaving a comment here, or on the St Magnus Festival friends Facebook wall? Alternatively, use the #stmagfest hash tag in twitter to update us with what is happening (but not when you should be looking at the conductor, or hitting that high/low note, please!!)
Rehearsals are on Mondays at 7.30pm, at the King Street Halls, Kirkwall.
Are you singing in the Chorus this year? Why not let us know how it's going, by leaving a comment here, or on the St Magnus Festival friends Facebook wall? Alternatively, use the #stmagfest hash tag in twitter to update us with what is happening (but not when you should be looking at the conductor, or hitting that high/low note, please!!)
Friday, 12 February 2010
New Festival Manager appointed, as the Chorus starts rehearsals for the 31st time
Tanya McGill will be the new Festival Manager from July 2010, working alongside Festival Administrator, Angela Henderson, in the Festival's Kirkwall office. With Alasdair Nicolson, the newly appointed Artistic Director, the continuity of the Festival's staffing is assured, as Glenys Hughes steps down from her long-standing role after this year's Festival.
Tanya has worked as cultural co-ordinator manager for Orkney Islands Council since Janueary 2008, previous roles she has had include:
Usually there are about 130 singers in the Chorus, drawn from all parts of the Orkney mainland and linked islands (and occasionally one or 2 from the other islands). Rehearsals this year start at 7.30pm on Monday 15 February, at the King Street Halls, Kirkwall.
Tanya has worked as cultural co-ordinator manager for Orkney Islands Council since Janueary 2008, previous roles she has had include:
- Northern Ireland Development Manager for the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA)
- Development Manager and Lottery Director for the Arts Council of Northern Ireland
Usually there are about 130 singers in the Chorus, drawn from all parts of the Orkney mainland and linked islands (and occasionally one or 2 from the other islands). Rehearsals this year start at 7.30pm on Monday 15 February, at the King Street Halls, Kirkwall.
Monday, 25 January 2010
Alasdair Nicolson to be new artistic director of SMF
Composer, performer and animateur Alasdair Nicolson has been appointed (from among an international field of 65 candidates) as the new artistic director of the Festival, when Glenys Hughes stands down after the 2010 festival. As The Orcadian reports, he is already the director of the St Magnus Composers’ Course which runs alongside the Festival.
- Alasdair Nicolcson appointed director of St Magnus Festival (Scottish Music Centre)
- Alasdair Nicolson's website
- New St Magnus Festival artistic director appointed (The Orcadian newspaper - scroll down to find the piece)
Thursday, 24 December 2009
Friday, 18 December 2009
Wednesday, 1 July 2009
Arts and Business Scotland nomination, plus more stuff from the web
St Magnus Festival/Talisman and National Theatre Scotland/Scottish Power have been nominated in the Arts & Business Scotland awards.
Elsewhere in the press and on the web:
Saturday, 27 June 2009
Blogging and twittering towards next year's Festival
Before the Festival recedes, like it does every year, into pleasant and sustaining memory, I am trying to gather my own thoughts about how Web 2.0 might interact with the Festival in particular, and events (in Orkney and elsewhere) in general.
David Rendall, in a previous post commenting on Joyce McMillan's review of Mixter Maxter (and other events) in The Scotsman newspaper, humorously suggested that we might aim to configure the Festival as an alternate reality game (ARG): this is probably at an extreme end of at least one spectrum!
If you are reading this, and have some views, PLEASE comment here!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
There are 2 official Festival online manifestations:
1. http://www.stmagnusfestival.com/
The official SMF website
2. St Magnus Festival friends
The official SMF Facebook page
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This year 2 "unofficial" Web 2.0 channels sprang up, experimentally:
1. http://www.stmagnusfestival.blogspot.com/
This blog!! An unofficial outlet for news, gossip, reaction and pictures from the Festival.
2. http://twitter.com/stmagnus
An unofficial information and alert feed from the Festival, trying to bring together and make visible any and all mention of the Festival, and its participants, on twitter
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
As in previous years, various artists and projects appearing in (or part of) the Festival have online presences. This year, notably:
1. http://rsnoatstmagnus.blogspot.com/
The travel diary of the RSNO's participation in the Festival
2. http://www.kgsorkney.co.uk/mixtermaxter, http://www.youtube.com/mixtermaxter
The blog and YouTube channel for the Transform Orkney: Mixter Maxter project,
led by The National Theatre of Scotland Learn (see also NTS's Facebook page)
in association with SMF, Kirkwall Grammar School, Determined to Succeed and Scottish Power Learning
supported by 9 charitable organisations in addition to
Orkney Islands Council, the Albert Hotel, Kirkwall, Clark Thomson Insurance Brokers, Lows Orkney, McAdie and Reeve, JEP Robertson & Son, WHB Sutherland and Tods of Orkney
3. Psappha
4. http://twitter.com/RSNO,
http://twitter.com/elspethmurray (of the Puppet State Theatre Co),
http://twitter.com/cubecheat (featured in the Moulin Rouge show)
Twitter feeds of festival companies and artists
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
David Rendall, in a previous post commenting on Joyce McMillan's review of Mixter Maxter (and other events) in The Scotsman newspaper, humorously suggested that we might aim to configure the Festival as an alternate reality game (ARG): this is probably at an extreme end of at least one spectrum!
If you are reading this, and have some views, PLEASE comment here!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
There are 2 official Festival online manifestations:
1. http://www.stmagnusfestival.com/
The official SMF website
2. St Magnus Festival friends
The official SMF Facebook page
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This year 2 "unofficial" Web 2.0 channels sprang up, experimentally:
1. http://www.stmagnusfestival.blogspot.com/
This blog!! An unofficial outlet for news, gossip, reaction and pictures from the Festival.
2. http://twitter.com/stmagnus
An unofficial information and alert feed from the Festival, trying to bring together and make visible any and all mention of the Festival, and its participants, on twitter
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
As in previous years, various artists and projects appearing in (or part of) the Festival have online presences. This year, notably:
1. http://rsnoatstmagnus.blogspot.com/
The travel diary of the RSNO's participation in the Festival
2. http://www.kgsorkney.co.uk/mixtermaxter, http://www.youtube.com/mixtermaxter
The blog and YouTube channel for the Transform Orkney: Mixter Maxter project,
led by The National Theatre of Scotland Learn (see also NTS's Facebook page)
in association with SMF, Kirkwall Grammar School, Determined to Succeed and Scottish Power Learning
supported by 9 charitable organisations in addition to
Orkney Islands Council, the Albert Hotel, Kirkwall, Clark Thomson Insurance Brokers, Lows Orkney, McAdie and Reeve, JEP Robertson & Son, WHB Sutherland and Tods of Orkney
3. Psappha
4. http://twitter.com/RSNO,
http://twitter.com/elspethmurray (of the Puppet State Theatre Co),
http://twitter.com/cubecheat (featured in the Moulin Rouge show)
Twitter feeds of festival companies and artists
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Friday, 26 June 2009
The day that the Circus left town
Wednesday was finale night with the Orkney Camerata concert followed by Kathryn Tickell.
The Camerata are a group of talented local musicians, most of whom teach in some capacity, which perhaps explains why young Orcadian musicians are beginning to pop up all over the place in the national music scene. This was a lovely concert. The Bach was great, with soloists Elizabeth Way Sullivan and Christina Sargent. I particularly enjoyed the John Rutter piece which finished the concert, with a lovely lush sound to the strings.
Then to the Arts theatre where Kathryn Tickell's band brought the Festival proper to a close in rousing style. Great fun.
Meanwhile at the Festival Club 'the Chair' were going down a storm with their high-energy set as the last Oiseau Rouge show finished up to leave the tent free for votes of thanks and the announcement of next year's programme: headline Nicola Benedetti. I finally got home from the Spiegeltent wrap party at around 3am.
Yesterday was spent emptying the Spiegeltent and returning the stuff that we begged, borrowed, hired and salvaged to make it all happen.
Today Klessens took down the tent. I had to go back to work although the first hour was spent on the beach at Billia Croo for EMEC in t-shirt weather, so don't feel too sorry for me. I dropped by the site for a last visit around 3.30pm, just in time to see the last couple of frames come down and wish Tom Klessens a safe journey back to Belgium. That's it.... now, I need a holiday.
The Camerata are a group of talented local musicians, most of whom teach in some capacity, which perhaps explains why young Orcadian musicians are beginning to pop up all over the place in the national music scene. This was a lovely concert. The Bach was great, with soloists Elizabeth Way Sullivan and Christina Sargent. I particularly enjoyed the John Rutter piece which finished the concert, with a lovely lush sound to the strings.
Then to the Arts theatre where Kathryn Tickell's band brought the Festival proper to a close in rousing style. Great fun.
Meanwhile at the Festival Club 'the Chair' were going down a storm with their high-energy set as the last Oiseau Rouge show finished up to leave the tent free for votes of thanks and the announcement of next year's programme: headline Nicola Benedetti. I finally got home from the Spiegeltent wrap party at around 3am.
Yesterday was spent emptying the Spiegeltent and returning the stuff that we begged, borrowed, hired and salvaged to make it all happen.
Today Klessens took down the tent. I had to go back to work although the first hour was spent on the beach at Billia Croo for EMEC in t-shirt weather, so don't feel too sorry for me. I dropped by the site for a last visit around 3.30pm, just in time to see the last couple of frames come down and wish Tom Klessens a safe journey back to Belgium. That's it.... now, I need a holiday.
Thursday, 25 June 2009
SMF in the press and on the web #6
In contrast to the poorly-written critique from the Herald the other day, I found this review from Joyce Mcmillan for the Scotsman to be well-structured and written with some style. Although the author does fall into the Orkney = 'world according to George Mackay Brown' trap, the review of the Mixter Maxter installation is spot on, describing it as "one of the finest pieces of youth project artwork Scotland has ever produced". I particularly liked the following bit, which I don't necessarily agree with but is surely food for thought given the originality and artistic success of the multi-disciplinary high(ish) tech Mixter Maxter:
St Magnus needs to consign this sort of ageing crowd-pleaser to the bin; and strike out boldly into the newly-emerging borderlands between classical music and a dozen other art-forms less stuffy than mainstream poetry, and far less concerned about the old social hierarchy of art – from posh to popular – that the 21st century is scattering to the four winds, in Orkney as elsewhere
I can certainly agree with that last statement. Next festival as an ARG anyone...?
There are also a couple of reviews from Hi-Arts: a nice piece about Trio Medieval in the Cathedral which echoes the opinion of other people I've spoken to; and the Stromness Parish Church with Andrew Motion. Both reviews are well-written and manage to convey a more accurate sense of what Orkney is like, at least in my experience*: respectful of the place they live in, placing great value on local knowledge, but without all that mystical stuff about communing with nature and history.
* My experience: born and raised here. Went away for 20 years then came back.
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Super Tuesday
Three concerts today.
The lunchtime concerts at the Cathedral are often hidden gems of the Festival and much easier to get tickets for than in the evenings. This one featured Psappha and Kathryn Tickell with a varied programme from Mozart's Oboe Quartet, via a selection of pieces by György Kurtág to Max's 'Kettletoft Inn. The Quartet was only spoiled by a slight hiccup at the end, although no-one was hurt and it ended in smiles. The Kurtag pieces (which included works for Hungarian national instrument, the 125 string cimbalon) were very quiet and I wonder how they were heard further back in the Cathedral. Northumbrian piper, Kathryn Tickell played from her own repertoire before joining Psappha for Max's piece, composed for her. Very much in the vein of 'Orkney Wedding with Sunrise' thsi had a particularly lovely final section.
On the bus then to Birsay for Trio Medieval's folk concert, again with Terje Isungset. Sometimes the CD can sound very clinical because of the purity of their voices, but great warmth in live performance. I hadn't been to a Birsay concert before, but the excursion is completed with a picnic tea where we bumped into old friends from Norway.
Finally, having hung around Ivy Paige's establishment in the Spiegeltent all week I finally became a paying customer last night: the show has got tighter and tighter and Steve the Juggler no less funny as the week has gone on. Was given permission to take pictures so look out for (edited) highlights on Facebook.
UPDATED 7.25pm 26/06/09: St Magnus Composers' Course and Orkney Conducting Course Concert
[Updated: 1925 26 June 2009]
The last lunchtime Cathedral concert of this years Festival gave us Psappha performing brand new music for violin, viola, cello, double bass and percussion
from 7 composers under 8 conductors, including a collaborative theme and variations by all 7 composers!
All 8 pieces were composed during last 10 days, at the St Magnus Composers' Course, which was directed by Alasdair Nicolson & Sally Beamish, and included sessions with Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. The composers worked with Psappha in developing and rehearsing these new pieces, and much of this process has been open to the public to observe.
Each piece was conducted by a participant in the Orkney Conducting Course, which was directed by Martyn Brabbins, with Charles Peebles. The participants had sessions (many of them open to the public) with the RSNO, Psappha, & the Festival Chorus, with guests the Huddersfield Choral Society, along with Orkney Conducting Course pianists, Liz Burleigh and Michael Bawtree.
[Added 0800 26 June 2009]
Composer and flautist, Gemma McGregor, attended many of the public sessions. Her review of Psaphha's performance of Max's The Lighthouse appears in this week's Orkney Today. After the St Magnus Composers' Concert, Gemma provided the programme notes below for the blog, and commented:
Concert Programme
(Notes from Gemma McGregor)
Robert Baker: Sharp Edges
Christian Baldini, conductor
An intriguing study of texture created through the use of extreme dynamics. The bass marimba notes and double bass slap pizz notes cut through the cleverly interlocking sustained arco string sounds – an effect that worked particularly well in the cathedral acoustic.
Kirsty Blackwood: Automatic Oomph!
Gordon Bragg, conductor
A programmatic depiction of cogs in a machine – was greatly aided by the rhythmic precision of her conductor and the fine tuning of the string players. Marimba tremolos were an exciting backdrop to the repetitive string riffs.
Gareth Peredur Churchill: Echni
Simon Crawford-Phillips, conductor
Created a very beautiful sound world of sul pont strings and bowed cymbals that gave a suggestion of fragile desolation, with the melancholic phrases from David Aspin’s expressive viola finally meeting the other strings in a unison agreement at the end only to fade to nothing.
Lewis Forbes: Auld
Roger Kalia, conductor
Displayed a strong affinity with his Scots tradition containing hints of pibroch grace notes and a suggestion of drones that maybe linked with the piping of himself and his father before him. Lewis used complex groupings and cross rhythms that propelled the players through the piece – fortunately his conductor was masterful in allowing it freedom but keeping it under control.. The clock chimes of the tutti crotales and marimba added to the impression that this piece was a meditation on the nature of tradition passing and what it leaves behind.
Edmund Hunt: The Bright Sun Will Blacken
David McCallum, conductor
Used forte glissandi in opposing directions to create a nervous energy that contrasted well with the violent sound of the unison Bartok pizz and the querulous drumming of fingers on the stringed instruments. Psappha journeyed through the tones in their choice sections led by an intuition that only comes from people who have played together for long enough to replace the consciousness of the self with that of the group. An apocalyptic finale was suggested by the Varese-like flourishes on crotales.
Michael LaCroix: Ecliptic
Hans Petter Maehle, conductor
Was systems music of the pulse-raising variety that was shockingly energetic in performance – thanks no doubt to the dedicated perfectionism of Psappha and the faster tempo chosen by the conductor. Tim Williams was inspiringly masterful in his improvised four part marimba solo.
James Stephenson: The North Road
Juan Ortuno, conductor
Had a very complex part for bass drum with extremes of dynamic markings that worked surprisingly well in the resonant acoustic of the cathedral. The string writing was lyrical and compelling with effective use of harmonics. The sound world of each player was personalized by giving each instrument their own particular timbre – the violin had the hysteria of being at the extreme high end of its range with phrases initiated by neurotic leaping grace notes, the viola was also high but sweet, the cello was warm in its mid-range bowed phrases (lusciously played by Jennifer Langridge), and the double bass was menacing with its low pizz notes and pp sustained harmonics. The combination of these sounds amounted to an unusual but effective ensemble sound that appeared to describe a mood of anticipatory fear combined with a determination to continue.
Ae Fond Kiss
For Alasdair's Birthday
Robert Tuohy, conductor
Theme: Ae Fond Kiss, Gareth Peredur Churchill
Var. 1: Dancing, Lewis Forbes
Var. 2: Melancholic, Michael LaCroix
Var. 3: Con Fuoco, James Stephenson
Var. 4: Still, Robert Baker
Var. 5: Elegant, Kirsty Blackwood
Var. 6: Vivo, Edumund Hunt
The last lunchtime Cathedral concert of this years Festival gave us Psappha performing brand new music for violin, viola, cello, double bass and percussion
from 7 composers under 8 conductors, including a collaborative theme and variations by all 7 composers!
All 8 pieces were composed during last 10 days, at the St Magnus Composers' Course, which was directed by Alasdair Nicolson & Sally Beamish, and included sessions with Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. The composers worked with Psappha in developing and rehearsing these new pieces, and much of this process has been open to the public to observe.
Each piece was conducted by a participant in the Orkney Conducting Course, which was directed by Martyn Brabbins, with Charles Peebles. The participants had sessions (many of them open to the public) with the RSNO, Psappha, & the Festival Chorus, with guests the Huddersfield Choral Society, along with Orkney Conducting Course pianists, Liz Burleigh and Michael Bawtree.
[Added 0800 26 June 2009]
Composer and flautist, Gemma McGregor, attended many of the public sessions. Her review of Psaphha's performance of Max's The Lighthouse appears in this week's Orkney Today. After the St Magnus Composers' Concert, Gemma provided the programme notes below for the blog, and commented:
The honing of some pieces and the transformation of others through careful observation of the five musicians responses to the scores proved a challenging task that was ably accomplished by tutors, Alasdair Nicolson and Sally Beamish. The levels of expertise and experience varied greatly between the seven student composers but all were encouraged to focus on what they wanted to say with their piece and what would be the most effective way to dialogue with the musicians to bring about the sought after score and performance. “Psappha”, led by percussionist Tim Williams are an extremely accomplished group who were single minded and tireless in their devotion to creating this brand new music and assisting the composers with notation and techniques peculiar to their instruments. Workshops given by Tim Williams to describe cimbalom and James Crabb to describe button accordion were informative and well-received.
Concert Programme
(Notes from Gemma McGregor)
Robert Baker: Sharp Edges
Christian Baldini, conductor
An intriguing study of texture created through the use of extreme dynamics. The bass marimba notes and double bass slap pizz notes cut through the cleverly interlocking sustained arco string sounds – an effect that worked particularly well in the cathedral acoustic.
Kirsty Blackwood: Automatic Oomph!
Gordon Bragg, conductor
A programmatic depiction of cogs in a machine – was greatly aided by the rhythmic precision of her conductor and the fine tuning of the string players. Marimba tremolos were an exciting backdrop to the repetitive string riffs.
Gareth Peredur Churchill: Echni
Simon Crawford-Phillips, conductor
Created a very beautiful sound world of sul pont strings and bowed cymbals that gave a suggestion of fragile desolation, with the melancholic phrases from David Aspin’s expressive viola finally meeting the other strings in a unison agreement at the end only to fade to nothing.
Lewis Forbes: Auld
Roger Kalia, conductor
Displayed a strong affinity with his Scots tradition containing hints of pibroch grace notes and a suggestion of drones that maybe linked with the piping of himself and his father before him. Lewis used complex groupings and cross rhythms that propelled the players through the piece – fortunately his conductor was masterful in allowing it freedom but keeping it under control.. The clock chimes of the tutti crotales and marimba added to the impression that this piece was a meditation on the nature of tradition passing and what it leaves behind.
Edmund Hunt: The Bright Sun Will Blacken
David McCallum, conductor
Used forte glissandi in opposing directions to create a nervous energy that contrasted well with the violent sound of the unison Bartok pizz and the querulous drumming of fingers on the stringed instruments. Psappha journeyed through the tones in their choice sections led by an intuition that only comes from people who have played together for long enough to replace the consciousness of the self with that of the group. An apocalyptic finale was suggested by the Varese-like flourishes on crotales.
Michael LaCroix: Ecliptic
Hans Petter Maehle, conductor
Was systems music of the pulse-raising variety that was shockingly energetic in performance – thanks no doubt to the dedicated perfectionism of Psappha and the faster tempo chosen by the conductor. Tim Williams was inspiringly masterful in his improvised four part marimba solo.
James Stephenson: The North Road
Juan Ortuno, conductor
Had a very complex part for bass drum with extremes of dynamic markings that worked surprisingly well in the resonant acoustic of the cathedral. The string writing was lyrical and compelling with effective use of harmonics. The sound world of each player was personalized by giving each instrument their own particular timbre – the violin had the hysteria of being at the extreme high end of its range with phrases initiated by neurotic leaping grace notes, the viola was also high but sweet, the cello was warm in its mid-range bowed phrases (lusciously played by Jennifer Langridge), and the double bass was menacing with its low pizz notes and pp sustained harmonics. The combination of these sounds amounted to an unusual but effective ensemble sound that appeared to describe a mood of anticipatory fear combined with a determination to continue.
Ae Fond Kiss
For Alasdair's Birthday
Robert Tuohy, conductor
Theme: Ae Fond Kiss, Gareth Peredur Churchill
Var. 1: Dancing, Lewis Forbes
Var. 2: Melancholic, Michael LaCroix
Var. 3: Con Fuoco, James Stephenson
Var. 4: Still, Robert Baker
Var. 5: Elegant, Kirsty Blackwood
Var. 6: Vivo, Edumund Hunt
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