The Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) has a vast, and ever growing lunchtime concert series, ranging from solo recitals, through to the RNCM Sinfonietta, and whilst travelling to today's concert, I assumed I would be one of a handful of people sat in the audience watching, but, much to my surprise, and delight, I was grossly underestimating the popularity of the RNCM Lunchtime series, as there were well over 150 people in the RNCM’s beautiful concert hall today. I was very excited to hear this group play, as I am a percussionist myself, and have been for over 20 years, so I was looking forward to what the new kids of the block had to offer!
When the group came on stage, one of the performers announced that the concert would be through performed, and that it was a collaboration with art students from Manchester Metropolitan University, who had all produced videos and art collections to accompany the music that would be performed today.
The lights were dimmed and the performers were only lit by the giant screen hanging from the roof, and by the stand lights, which were there for them to see their music. The first group of performers all stood around a drum, which was on its side. They also had a glockenspiel and a set of crotales, they are both high-pitched metal keyboard instruments. The quartet then went on to play a very rhythmic and exciting piece of music by composer, Jason Treuting called ‘Extremes’ which had the players an exciting groove followed by interspersed soft high beautiful chords, then back to the fast paced, and so on. Once finished, they segued into Peter Martin’s ‘Bend’, a completely contrasting piece by the American composer. Played by a second quartet, this piece excited me as it used techniques of getting new sounds out of marimbas (a large sonorous wooden keyboard instrument), including using the butt of a mallet, using hands as drum sticks, also using 'cello bows, to bow the notes to make a soaring note and also a harmonic, which was a beautiful sound. The piece was very meditative, and I would easily be able to drift away while listening to it! The artwork on screen was very bold colours, and stills of artists works, zoomed in and focussing on dramatic parts of a piece.
After yet another segue, all composed from the previous material, the next quartet started to hum a drone. The pictures changed and the players this time were equipped with a tape recorder, and their hands to make sounds from a marimba, a set of crotale bells and a vibraphone (large metallic keyboard instrument) the piece was entitled ‘A Palmful of Stars’ by student composer Philip Rousiamanis, and was a very dreamy and lullabaic piece with lots of wonderful sounds, made from the instruments, interspersed with recordings of voices and people chatting, on the tape recorders. I can only assume that they were recordings of celebrities talking, to accompany the title, but I cannot conform this!
Just as I was ready to sleep, the next group of players started clapping, in a Steve Reich way, waking the whole auditorium up, and then smashing their way through a brilliantly lively Latin/Spanish feeling piece which was full of vibrance and colour, using everything you could think of finding in a composer’s mind, when writing for a percussion ensemble! Aurél Holló’s piece was the highlight of todays performance for me. Played with such confidence and commitment, and they also ended by drumming on an acoustic guitar, which made me chuckle.
The final piece of the day was the long awaited (in my head) loud drummy piece, which involved a final quartet stood in a square formation, and smashing some drums. David Skidmore’s ‘Ritual Music’ involves the use of tomtoms, bongos, tambourines, congas, a djembe, snare drums, a marimba, and a brake drum (yes, as in a drum brake from a car)! What a way to finish a brilliant concert that with a lively and dramatic percussive explosion. This piece had it all. Fast drumming, 4-way synchronisation, the quietest of dynamics, the loudest of dynamics, players changing instruments, sounds coming from everywhere within the square. It was thoroughly exciting.
Once they had finished this, conductor, and director of percussion (and highly renowned percussionist), Simone Rubello stood the entire ensemble up to accept the audience's well deserved applause. After appreciating contributing artists and composers, the group all left the stage, and that was it.
I say that as if it was just like water off a ducks back.
Todays concert was an excellent example of student musicianship, showing their talents to the world, and the people of Manchester were very grateful for it. After speaking to a friend (whom I happened to see in the auditorium also) he mentioned the popularity of the series was growing, and I think it will continue to flourish if the performances all stand up to the high class of today's concert. Excellent work guys.
Reviewer - Simon Oliver
on - 28/2/19
No comments:
Post a Comment