REVIEW: Carpe Vitam - The Stoller Hall, Manchester.

A disappointingly small turn-out this evening at Manchester's wonderful Stoller Hall, deep in the bowels of one of the UK's most prestigious music schools, Chethams. I had gone to listen to two new choral works, one of which being a world premiere and the whole evening dedicated to, about, and indeed written by women. In fact it was the first concert in a series of performances and conversations under the title #ThisWomansWork which will bring wonen's musical voices to the fore. Celebrating women, their power and their genius, and their absolute equality with men, is something being promoted and shouted about all over at the moment, especially since we are in the centenary year of The Representation Of The People Act (1918), giving women the right to vote.

The first half of tonight's concert saw Chetham's Vocal Ensemble performing 10 songs, only one of these was the complete ensemble, as they sang unaccompanied the hauntingly beautiful hymn, 'Jesus Christ The Apple Tree' with music by Elizabeth Poston. The other 9 songs were taken by 9 different soloists and accompanied on the piano. Each soloists gave a brief introduction to the song before they performed them. All were 20th century composers except for one Baroque piece which found its way in there; Barbara Strozzi's operatic 'Che Si Puo Fare' (1664), beautifully sung by Alisa McTernan. This section ended with the wonderful Music Hall song of Liza Lehmann declaring that 'There Are Fairies At The Bottom Of My Garden', a delightfully interpreted story-telling by Charlotte Potter.

Each of the soloists from Chetham's Vocal Ensemble were absolutely superb. Their control, dexterity, sonority, and indeed insight into the texts was something to behold; their voices sounding much more mature than their young ages belied. Their introductions were somewhat quiet and would have benefited from a microphone, but once they started to sing, their resonant projection filled the auditorium superbly.  I think my favourite piece in this section simply had to be Saffron Doherty singing Shakespeare with music composed by Elizabeth Machoncy for 'Ophelia's Song'.

Before the interval we then listened to the first of two new choral works. With music by Lucy Pankhurst and text by Helen Pankhurst. The family of suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst are keeping her spirit and memory alive with their choral work, 'The Pankhurst Anthem'. The work is in two parts which are sung continuously. The first takes parts of a speech made by Emmeline Pankhusrt in Hartford, Connecticut in 1913 which gives way to 'Anthem', which speaks for itself. Conducted a capella by the highly animated Tammas Slater this was an interesting piece but in some places it was impossible to hear the lyrics, especially when some members of the choir - The Chetham's Chorale - were tasked into stage-whispering certain words underneath the melody. A little confusing and hard to distinguish. The second part of this anthem however was much more comprehensible and despite its brevity, very enjoyable and excellently sung.

After the interval and we reassembled to hear the title piece of this concert, the world premiere performance of Carpe Vitam [Seize Life], by Laura Rossi with a ten-minute ending called The DerbyshOramCoda by electronic 'sound-sculptor' Henry Dagg.

From the programme..."Carope Vitam goes on a journey documenting women making their own way in he world, including footage of 100 years ago, women working during WW1, the struggle for women's rights to work and votes for women, through to present day with video / projection art created from new and archive footage of great female role models".

The piece was performed by The Chetham's Chamber Choir (and despite their name, they were a large choir!), along with speakers (2 from the choir and two tutors), violin (Sophie Langdon), cello (Miriam Lowbury), electric guitar (Mike Outram), piano (Laura Rossi), and a table full of electronic gubbins operated by Henry Dagg. There was also a live camera operator who filmed the ensemble and choir and overlayed over-exposed black and white 'ghost' images of them performing on top of the multitudinous images already being shown on the large screen behind the choir.

It was a lofty and pompous work, which, trying to accomplish too much and trying ultimately to be too clever, didn't really cohere. The images on the screen were far too busy, unfocused and unclear, whilst the electronic side of Rossi's composition was kept to a minimum and the majority of her music was surprisingly lyrical and harmonic it lacked focus. Singing, speaking, video footage with live overlay, placards with women's names on them, simply diffused the music and the message each time. The text was once again very hard to distinguish in this melee of sensual overload, except when they were spoken. I am informed that the entire lyrics of this piece are taken from quotes and poems from the inspirational women from the names on the placards - which unfortunately I couldn't see at all since the lady camera operator was standing in front of her the whole time.

The final 10 minutes of this piece got even weirder. I am unable to critically analyse this section of the piece since it is beyond my musical understanding and interest. It started with what sounded like bird song on 'oscillators'  which turned into screeching and catawauling which then gave way to an electronically produced choir and a rather jointy jolly melody, before changing again into what sounded like the opening music to Jeff Wayne's War Of The Worlds, then more screeching, more manipulation, a hand held megaphone-shaped gong, and diminuendo to finish. It was all extremely weird, extremely experimental, and undoubtedly highly proficient and clever, but completely out of my sphere!

Sadly Carpe Vitam failed to impress, and after a hugely enjoyable first half, this was at least for me, a let down. I left feeling unfulfilled by this new work, but gladdened that I had been present at its premiere, and knowing that the students of Chethams would have given this work its definitive performance! There are many more concerts at The Stoller Hall in the #ThisWomansWork festival, which runs until mid March next year, and there truly is something for everyone, so if tonight;'s concert wasn't your thing, the next concert may well be!

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 15/11/18