Early 17th century Italian music

Castello, Sonata Terza; Sonata Prima
Rognoni, Sonata Seconda
Virgilano, Ricercata per Flauto (recorder)
Fontana, Sonata settima
Frescobaldi, Toccata Decima
Uccellini, Aria sopra la Bergamasca

Naomi Okuda Wooderson/ recorder;
Maya Enokida / baroque violin;
Nathaniel Mander / Wooderson harpsichord

Charlton House, London SE7, 15 June 2012

A great surprise, having spent a morning reviewing a wonderful CD of early 17 C brass music played on sackbuts and cornettos, to fnd this early music group was playing music by Italian composers of the same period.

It was a highly professional concert, indeed one of the best of this important series heard in the acoustically ideal Old Library of Charlton House, and enjoyed by a large audience of people mostly unused to the rich repertoire of chamber music of that era (one which I tend to prefer to its 18 C successors).

It was good to see that as they took their turns, those not playing sat at the side, so that continuity was not delayed by comings and goings.

This programme will be repeated for a Lunchtime Recital at Regent Hall (TheSalvation Army) in London W 1 (Oxford Circus) on Friday, 22 June 2012 and is highly recommended.

Peter Grahame Woolf

Naomi Okuda with Kenji Sano (archlute) have a charming CD of English recorder music of a little later, taken from the Airs Anglois collection whch was published in Amsterdam during the first decade of the 18th C. Immigrant musicians in England during this tumultuous time for Europe included such as Bingham, Finger & Keller, much of their music of modest difficulty and suitable for amateur recorder players too.
English Music for Recorder and Harpsichord from 17th and 20th century by G.Finger, W.Croft, J.van.Eyck and others will be played by Naomi Okuda and Nathaniel Mander at Schott's Music Shop 30 June & 20 September, where the Airs Anglois CD [EMC Records-0016] will be on sale.

Bax & Glinka rarities

WREN ENSEMBLE/Stephen Maw

Charlton House, London 4 Nov 2011

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
Bach (arr. Webern) Ricercar a 6
Berio, from Duetti for 2 violins
Saint-Saëns, Preambule from Septet
Varese Octandre
Legrand (arr. Farrington) Les Moulins
Dukas (arr. Farrington) The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Nancarrow Study for Player Piano No. 7
Schubert Gretchen am Spinnrade
Kats-Chernin, Cadences, Deviations and Scarlatti
Nancarrow Study No. 7 (arr. Mikhashoff)
Sibelius, Valse Triste (arr. Farrington)

Aurora Orchestra/Nicholas Collon
Catherine Hopper (mezzo-soprano)
Rex Lawson (pianola)
Ian Farrington (arrangements)

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 !!

Most notable in this mish-mash was the Bach/Webern with which it all started, a splendid Sorcerer's Apprentice (one of Ian Farringon's expert arrangements for the Auroras) and a rare chance to hear live the Varese Octandre, which had first excited me in Slonimsky's 1938 recording (on an ancient 10" 78 shellac compilation The Columbia History of Music) and it still does...

The Auroras vindicated Yvar Mikhashoff's belief that instrumentalists were to become capable of playing Conlon Nancarrow's rhythmically intricate studies for player piano, which had not been envisaged by the composer, who punched them out on paper rolls. Lachenmann pupil Kats-Chernin, previously enjoyed in chamber music, was in her orchestral piece here too long and too loud.

Peter Grahame Woolf

* Other reports of this unusual event would be welcomed?
The critcal fraternity was not conspicuous by its presence, but look out for a likely appreciative review in The Times, unfortunately now only available on the internet by subscription.