Light, shade and sunshine - Chiaroscuro String Quartet and Gesualdo Six

Another new year, another hectic start! However I have found some time for concerts. The January edition of Skipton Music featured trailblazers Chiaroscuro String Quartet. The quartet perform with gut strings but that doesn't mean they're old fashioned! They generally perform standing up and certainly there is a lot of movement and vibrancy in their performances.

The programme was:

BEETHOVEN    String Quartet in D major Op.18, No. 3
MENDELSSOHN    String Quartet in E flat major, Op. 12
SCHUBERT    String Quartet No.14 in D minor, D810

I have a love/hate relationship with the Schubert 'Death and the Maiden' quartet (much like the Brahms piano quintet) and I have to say I wasn't expecting to enjoy it... but in fact this was the best performance of the evening.

There's another review on the Skipton Music page here.

Just as spring seems to be coming (judging by the bright blue sky outside my window), I have come back from a Leeds University School of Music lunchtime concert featuring the Gesualdo Six. I had clean forgotten who was performing and just about made it in time, for an hour of 'Fading': pure, clean, beautiful singing. Not normally my thing, but the Six are really superb and their programme of candlelight and compline - related music was a real freshener.

The programme - some of which I think is available on the group's website or Spotify - was:

Thomas Tallis (c.1505 – 1585) – Te lucis ante terminum
William Byrd (c.1540 – 1623) – Aspice Domine
Jonathtan Harvey (1939 – 2012) – The Annunciation
Thomas Tallis – If ye love me
Gerda Blok-Wilson (b.1955) – O Little Rose, O Dark Rose
Hildegard von Bingen (1098 – 1179) – O Ecclesia, occuli tui
Arvo Pärt (b.1935)- Morning Star
Owain Park (b.1993) – Phos hilaron
Francis Poulenc (1899 – 1963) – Seigneur, je vous en prie
Cheryl Frances-Hoad (b.1980) – The Promised Light of Life
Luca Marenzio (c.1553 – 1599) – Potrò viver io più se senza luce
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525 – 1594) – Io son ferito, ahi lasso
David Bednall (b.1979) – Put out into the deep
Josef Rheinberger (1839 – 1901) – Abendlied

I really really liked 'O Little Rose, O Dark Rose' - thought that was just fantastic lyrically and musically.

Pigeon Funk

Notes on a very random purchase. Earlier today I acquired Venetian Snares 'Rossz Csillag Alatt Sz ü letett ' purely on the basis of the language and artwork. Its certainly something different - and most definitely not pop. After a bit of searching: Venetial Snares is, according to Wikipedia, the performing name of Aaron Funk, who seems to specialise in experimental tracks in odd time signatures. Article here . The sleeve notes for this album (whose title is Hungarian for 'Born under a bad star') poses the question: what if, for just a day, we could both be pigeons? Interessant. Apparently this concept (a day in the life of a Hungarian pigeon) is non-typical of Venetian Snares sound, but one could ask, does Mr Funk do 'typical'? On first listening, the sound of this CD mixes classical/traditional Hungarian sounds and breakbeats. but aside from that? Definitely a 'listen for yourself' artist; try the website , fan site or myspace .

Piano salons

Catching up on LinkedIn after a vacation, I came across a link for The Saturday Piano Salon . This caught my eye as I organise and attend an adult amateur piano group here in Ottawa. The Saturday Piano Salon, based in London, is an impressive step up from our friendly afternoons, giving amateur (and semi-professional, according to their site) pianists an opportunity to perform on a Steinway Model D at Steinway Hall. I read the review of their first Saturday event with interest. Maybe next time I find myself in London...

Bits and bobs

Bit of a gig lull these past few weeks but we did go and see Walk The Line, the new film about Johnny Cash. Really enjoyed the film - even if you're not a Cash fan its a good story (and need I mention about the Oscars?) Something else to add to my list when next browsing! Back to new music, recently acquired the new Arctic Monkeys (me too) and Kooks albums (on vinyl). Not quite got all the songs stuck in my head yet but I would recommend them (despite the hype). Bonus disc with the Kooks is an acoustic session of their album recorded at Abbey Road, which I really like as acoustic that's not James Blunt!! Final bob (fraid its unrelated to music): http://www.no2id.net/. I'd like to keep my rights!

PrettyInScarlett

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