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| Take 85 for Brubeck |
REVIEW - Dave Brubeck and LSO
The Barbican
IT has become one of fixtures of the London music scene, the
appearance of Dave Brubeck to celebrate his birthday with the London
Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican every five years.
The 85-year-old’s classical training and inspiration from French
composer Darius Milhaud (Brubeck named one of his sons Darius in
homage) it is no surprise that his music and quartet slip in snugly
with an 80-piece orchestra.
The audience were obviously Brubeck fanatics and treated to some
back catalogue favourites, including Blue Rondo a la Turk and Take
Five, written by former quartet member Paul Desmond, both from the
seminal album Take Five.
The former track was especially powerful, with bold syncopated orchestral
passages reminiscent of Stravinsky.
Other treats included Salute to the Count, a tribute to Count Basie,
Mr Broadway, a 1960s-style theme tune to a detective programme and
the pleasingly grating London Flat, London Sharp.
The only gripe was with the orchestration. Despite searching the
programme I could come up with no name and presume it must be Brubeck
himself.
There are times when the development between full orchestra and
quartet is far to abrupt and clunky, not as smooth and professional
as work by that great jazz orchestrator Gil Evans. Overall, the
concert was a huge success. With Bobby Militello, on alto sax and
flute, his large frame swinging to the music, Michael Moore on bass,
and Randy Jones on drums, the quartet was excellent.
With such a vocal audience there were two encores and even a piano-shaped
cake. Brubeck is physically frail now, but how much would this cheering
crowd give to see him return in five years for a 90th birthday extravaganza?
Mulling lifts vocals
REVIEW - Hampstead Chamber Choir
Emmanuel Church by Jane Wild
CAROL concerts have begun and in Hampstead Chamber Choir’s
final concert of the year, they performed a variety of festive tunes
old and new, the familiar and the lesser known.
As the audience settled into the pews the choir began the evening
in contemplative mood with two works by the 15th-century English
organist and composer Thomas Tallis. There was not long to get comfortable
before everyone rose to sing O Come, O Come Emmanuel.
This, and the later congregational moments were the only points
where ubiquitous staples like O Little Town Of Bethlehem, In the
Bleak Midwinter, and O Come, All Ye Faithful were heard. It was
refreshing to hear less familiar works, such as the lovely Myn Lyking
by RR Terry.
All the excitement of the interval’s charity raffle along with
the mince pies and mulled wine must have warmed the vocal chords,
as the second half was sung with renewed vigour. Under the competent
direction of Eamonn Dougan and accompanied by organist Mark Denza,
the audience were regaled by the carols of John Rutter, Arnold Bax
and Peter Warlock. The hearty Sir Christemas by William Mathias
was a firm favourite, earning it a rousing encore.
Levon on Shostakovich
THE much sought after Chilingirian Quartet, led by violinist
Levon Chilingirian (pictured), is making an appearance in the London
Chamber Music Concert series.
The quartet has been one of the most respected in the country since
it was established in 1971 and on Sunday they will join the Sacconi
Quartet in a celebration of Shostakovich’s work as a young
man.
So we have his two pieces for String Octet, Op 11, a fascinating
work with terrific interplay between the instruments, as well as
Brahms’ Sextet in G, No 2 and Mendelssohn’s Octet in E
Flat.
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Don't waste your finest on relatives
DO you enjoy or endure Christmas? It isn’t only that we’re
bullied into spending money we haven’t got.
FULL STORY
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