Late autumn musical harvest: Hafdis Huld and Clare Hammond

Hafdis Huld

General Sherman

The culmination of a very busy week at the end of October (although I am so rarely not busy...) saw M and I back at the Old Cinema Launderette to see Icelandic singer Hafdis Huld. Partly booked because we couldn't get to see the ever amazing Ólöf Arnalds during her short October tour; and partly out of sheer curiosity. Even more so when I discovered the show was sold out!

The evening started with an interesting set from Middlesbrough band General Sherman. Their first few songs reminded me a little of another Icelandic band, Amiina; lo-fi mellow meanderings. A few songs felt a little too ponderous, but overall positive.

Carrying a tour wound (a broken finger) and accompanied by partner Alisdair, Hafdis sat on one of the washing machines and instantly wove a spell. She held the audience for the full length of her set with her witty manner - jokes, song introductions and more -  as well as her songs. The aforesaid busy schedule precluded a little prior listening, but the set comprised a career selection, from new songs 'Queen Bee', 'Lucky' and 'Wolf' from current album Home, to older songs 'Synchronized Swimmers', 'Kongulo' and 'Ski Jumper'. A super evening!

Fast forward a few weeks and we were back in Darlington on 9th November for the next in Darlington Piano Society's season. Clare Hammond was in town presenting a varied programme, from Bach to Malcolm Pointon, with lots of unusual (for me) repertoire.To me, Clare's musical conviction was immediately more apparent in comparison to last month's Maria Marchant recital. Clare, who is known for programming 20th century works, knew throughout what she wanted to convey and her performance remained excellent throughout.

Less impressed with the opener, Bach's Italian Concerto BWV971, I really enjoyed the performance of Scriabin's Prelude and Nocturne for the Left Hand, Op. 9. Dreamy but with a definite atmosphere. 

I liked the concept of Sibelius' Five Pieces for Piano, Op. 75 'The Trees' - rarely performed - but somehow the works felt less striking than the preceding Scriabin, with the exception of 'The Lonely Pine' which was a super piece, full of austere grandeur. Similarly, I admired the programming of Dinu Lipatti's Sonatine pour piano (main gauche) but found it difficult to engage with the characters of the movements.

After the interval, Clare continued with selections from Mendelsohn's Songs Without Words: Op. 67 Nos 2 (allegro leggiero), 5 (moderato) and 4 (presto). Lovely. In total contrast, Five Epigrams and an Epiphonema (1970) by Malcolm Pointon were short sections of sound, alternating sharp and floating. Really really interesting and full of humour. I felt like there was a sort of floaty link between 1,3 and 5 of the Epigrams; the Epiphonema was a very condensed last laugh.

In performance terms, the closing section, with Chopin's Études Op. 25 (complete) was very intense and impressive, but felt almost too much! A little Handel at the close was a lovely aural refresher.