Bax & Glinka rarities WREN ENSEMBLE/Stephen Maw A splendid concert of music for ensembles, devised, introduced & conducted by Stephen Maw, who has built up a loyal lunch-time audience of c. 100 at the lovely library of Charlton House. I knew Bax's luscious Nonet, a deliciously 'heart-on-sleeve' work of yearningly lyrical melodies, in the '50s from a 78 r.p.m. shellac disc, and was keen to take the opportunity to renew its acquaintance (hear substantial extracts from the Hyperion recording). Gorgeous sonorities in Charlton House's perfect ambience and acoustic. Bax was followed by a novelty, Glinka's quite extraordinary Serenade on tunes from Donizetti's Anna Bolena, for septet featuring harp and piano, together with lower strings, horn & bassoon, each with rewarding solo spots taken in style. The concert is to be repeated at Trinity College Chapel and at Regent Hall in the West End. Try to catch it. Peter Grahame Woolf Bach/Webern, Dukas/Farrington, Nancarrow & Nancarrow/Mikhashoff), Sibelius/Farrington etc Ives, Adeste Fideles LSO St Luke's, London, 4 November 2011 Help Me ! * Later the same day, this bizarre "show", concocted by a committee it would seem, had at its centre several superb performances of pieces of music given by the expert players of Aurora Orchestra under their fine but complicit conductor Nicholas Collon, who surely has his sights on major international appointments? The ambience and the acoustics of St Luke's are gratifying, and there was a capacity audience determined to enjoy it all, despite a large graphic spread in front of them for the interval, reading Release Me !! Peter Grahame Woolf * Other reports of this unusual event would be welcomed? |