One of the UK's most versatile and 'get-up-and-going' music ensembles has to be Manchester's own Camerata. It doesn't matter what is thrown at them, they are more than happy to give it their best shot. And they are just as at home with Baroque as they are with contemporary experimental, always happy to use whatever musician configuration necessary from solo instrument to a small concert orchestra.
This evening they welcomed internationally renowned accordeonist Martynas Levickis to join them in their celebration of dance music throughout the ages.
The evening felt much longer than it actually was, or even needed to be. Two 20 minute intervals separated three sections of music lasting only approx 20 minutes each themselves, and so this did drag things out somewhat. Not only this but there seemed to be an awful lot of 'faffing' between each small piece as technicians and stage-hands came on and alterted the seating, music stand and microphone configurations constantly. This became very distracting and time-consuming. Surely there was one single optimal position for ALL the items and just leave everything on stage the whole time?! Furthermore, I really failed to understand the need for microphones at all in such a small and intimate venue. Maybe the sound was travelling straight up into the flies of the stage rather than out towards the audience, and if so, fair enough; but otherwise, it didn't make any sense.
Anyway, let's turn to the music...
Part one (the first 20 minutes) was devoted to Baroque music, in particular that of Johann Sebastian Bach. First we heard Hannah Roberts perform his Suite No 1 in D Major for solo cello. A short pieece in three movements played skilfully by Roberts. This was followed by excerpts from his second Orchestral Suite (B minor) which saw Levickis play the accordeon with harpsichord and strings. An odd combination and one which wouldn't have been available to Bach in his lifetime [the first accordeon is credited as being invented in Germany in 1822]. However, the arrangement was nice and Levickis' playing delightful, playful and superb.
The second part was dance music from a much more recent time. Still with classic composers, but taking a huge jump from Bach (who died in 1750) to 1915 and Bela Bartok's suite of short Romanian Folk Dances (arranged for accordeon and violin duet by Simon Parkin). This was followed by the Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla's haunting and emotive tango for accordeon and cello duet. And finally in this section, a suite of Bulgarian dances by contemporary accordeonist,. composer and teacher Vyacheslav Semyonov. For me, this section of the three was definitely my favourite - classic music whose roots are firmly fixed in the traditional folk music of their own or others' countries, where melodies are the order of the day and stamping your feet and extemporising on the themes is most definitely a part of the whole experience. It was also in this section where Levickis seemed to be both at his best and most at home. His playing was simply brilliant.
The third and final section was, for me at least, something of an anti-climax.. and since they had already covered contemporary dance, I didn't really know where else they could go, unless it was to the Classical or Romantic eras of music. Sadly there were no programmes, and so we were completely in the dark about the whole evening. To be fair. yes, the information is on the website, and yes, there was a poster in the hallway before entering the theatre, but this was really not suffient at all. A single A5 freesheet would have been much more welcomed. Instead, we were left having to guess. Levickis did also announce some of the pieces, but often AFTER they had been played and if you are unfamiliar with a certain composer or style, this was insufficient for one to truly understand. However.... for this third section they did not go back in time, but instead stayed with the contemporary repertoire, and turned to pop music.
First was a highly contemporary piece of classical composition by Daniel Nelson. The only piece in the evening's programme to have been written for accordeon (this one with string quartet). It was an interesting and rather experimental piece called, 'My Inner Disco', which broke up the melodic and rhythmic patterns of the dance in odd and unexpected places, as if the organs of the body were trying to control the music themselves and not being able to co-operate fully with each other.
This was followed by 2 pieces from the pop repertoire. The first, a love ballad by Donna Summer (with a rather surprise ending) was followed by Daft Punk's 'Get Lucky'. Perhaps not the best way to finish a concert of dance music through the ages, but certainly the most original!
It was also during this third section that the lighting became noticeably bizarre. In the first two parts the lighting had kept itself to doing what it should have been doing - making sure the musicians were lit. However in the third section, we were "treated" to some very odd colours and shadows. Quite strange. The mirror ball was a nice idea for the Donna Summer piece but it was unnecessary for the Daft Punk.
All in all a very enjoyable evening in the company of some very talented musicans. Martynas Levickis was a hugely enigmatic and personable presence on stage and his playing was second to none this evening obviously enjoying himself greatly.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 29/5/19
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