Reviews, news, interviews and previews of THEATRE, COMEDY, FILM, MUSIC, ART, LITERATURE in Greater Manchester and the whole of the UK.
Friday 30 December 2022
PANTOMIME REVIEW: Dick Whittington - NWTAC Theatre, Moston. Manchester.
Thursday 29 December 2022
MUSIC VIDEO REVIEW: The Gleeman: I Love Christmastime
on - 29.12.22
Friday 23 December 2022
PANTOMIME REVIEW: Jack And The Beanstalk - Applecart Arts Centre, London.
The use of space on the production was contemporary. Set and Costume Designer, Alice McNicholas, used the fairly small box theatre to create an immersive set replicating the ‘quaint village of East Ham’. Large painted curtains of fabric made up the sky and the beanstalk which coupled with the green painted floor created an almost ethereal space. It was as though we had stepped into ‘cloud land’.
The costumes were designed in light blues and yellows. The careful colour pallet created a unity in the cast which was contrasted by the evil character, Fleshcreep, who was dressed in deep blue. This division of the characters from good and bad emphasised the ‘goodie’ /‘baddie’ tropes of the pantomime effectively.
A particular favourite of mine was the character of the Dame Tilly, Jack’s Mum. She was dressed in a beautiful blue gingham apron dress with a yellow shirt and yellow petticoat. She had an incredible yellow wig which created overstated yellow bunches matching her loud and dramatic characterisation by Tori Messenger. Messenger’s characterisation was hilarious and refreshing. Her thick Derry accent created such a warming character and she was able to charm audience members interacting and encouraging participation with both parents and children. It was refreshing to see a female Dame, something not traditionally done in pantomime. This casting decision paid off due to Messenger’s infectious energy and powerful stage presence. She was constantly engaged, quick thinking, and truly made the character her own.
The lighting design, by Will Alder, was striking. Throughout the production the effective use of lighting enhanced the costuming and brought the set to life. This was seen beautifully in Fleshcreep’s performances. The use of green and blue washes brought out the deep blues of her costume complimenting it deliberately. This extended her characterisation making her appear all the more evil and menacing. I, age 20, felt genuinely quite scared!
The lighting design was matched to the musical direction allowing shifts and jumps in the musical scape to be emphasised by transitions in lighting the space. This allowed for the cohesion of all the different creative elements of the production. The collaboration and complementing of each element made the panto a celebration of all the dramatic art forms.
The script was relevant and funny and felt personal to Newham. It was touching to see so many children feeling involved in the show. One of the benefits of having a pantomime in such an intimate space meant the audience really did become part of the show. It was inclusive, personal, and unlike many pantomimes I’ve watched before. Yellow Kangaroo Productions took the traditional eccentricities of panto and added their own diversity. They seem to be rewriting the nature of pantomime to promote inclusivity and acceptance bringing a new age of panto to the London theatre scene!
Reviewer - Grace McNicholas
on - 20.12.22
Thursday 22 December 2022
BALLET REVIEW: The Nutcracker - The Grand Theatre, Leeds.
The Northern Ballet have a reputation for giving ballet a modern feel, evidenced by recent productions of contemporary works such as ‘Casanova’ which appeared at The Grand earlier this year. With this production, there was no attempt to re-invent the wheel neither was the original score given a serious makeover, but there was nevertheless a feeling of fresh originality.
There was not a single tutu in sight during the whole show but the audience was treated to a vibrant display of costumes that was essentially ballet nevertheless. When lines of dancers suddenly emerged from each wing clad in red and gold dresses, it was as if a splash of colour had suddenly lit the stage. The battle between the Toy Soldiers and the Mice was a set piece of theatre, the mouse costumes looking remarkably authentic, particularly those of the child dancers. In the forest scene, the frostiness of the background was echoed in shimmering white dresses in contrast to the opening scene at the palace, which included a wide range of showy individual outfits.
The staging was remarkable with a huge array of sets, involving both sophisticated drop screens (including a working door) and impressive platforms, all of which were used to great effect. The overall effects were so good that virtually no suspension of disbelief was required to see a winter forest (where it was actually snowing!) or the ballroom of a palace, in which the ‘toy figures’ emerged one by one from a huge box. Many significant set changes occurred during dances, giving the effect to the audience that from having concentrated on the dances down stage that the backdrop had magically transformed into something else. There was comedy as well, such as the Mouse King posturing in his remarkable little house, built on a separate raised stage. The entrance of the Nutcracker soldier was also handled using impressive staging.
An expert on ballet would doubtless comment on the finer points but from a lay standpoint, the dancing whilst tightly choreographed (and displaying all the commonly associated exercises of ballet) seemed to have less formality than a typical ballet production. There were extensive solo spots for principles where there was a lot of free expression whilst towards the end the entire cast produced a massed display, ensuring virtually every square inch of the stage was used. There is a place for the strict traditions of state companies, be they from London or Moscow, but Northern Ballet excel in giving a modern, creative twist to established classics such as The Nutcracker.
It is difficult to follow a precise storyline with this type of production, unaided by programme notes, but once the premise was been established, the plot (such as it was) was of secondary importance. This was a showcase of excellence in dance, costume and stagecraft, keeping the audience enthralled from start to finish. It was a full house on a Wednesday night, proving the enduring popularity of dance as a genuine creative art in sharp contrast to the tawdry populism of shows like ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ This was the kind of show to take people with scant interest in the genre to, as a demonstration of just how much fun ballet can be.
Reviewer - John Waterhouse
on - 21.12.22
Wednesday 21 December 2022
PANTOMIME REVIEW: Aladdin - The Empty Space, Salford.
on - 19.12.22
THEATRE REVIEW: The Ocean At The End Of The Lane - The Lowry Theatre, Salford.
on - 20.12.22
Tuesday 20 December 2022
PANTOMIME REVIEW: Jack And The Beanstalk - The Prince Of Wales Theatre, Cannock.
Conveniently located in Cannock town centre, The Prince Of Wales Theatre is a modern building with a fairly basic auditorium seating just over 400. It is a friendly and welcoming venue with plenty of people on hand to ensure that everybody can find their way around.
The curtain rises, and we are transported to an eerie castle, high up in the sky, where a deliciously evil villain presides over the nocturnal goings-on. This is Fleshcreep (Stephen Donald) whose greenish pallor and fiendish cackle are entirely in keeping with his position as sidekick to a wicked giant who has, allegedly, overthrown the King and subjected the people of the valley below to such misery that they are only allowed one day of happiness per year.
Next, we meet Fairy Bee (Rebecca Avery) who is Fleshcreep’s diametric opposite: bright, sparkling and beautiful with a radiant smile and (of course) a magic wand. We learn a bit about the story’s roots in the Viking tale of Jack The Giant Killer before being introduced to the Dimplebottoms: Dame Dolly Dimplebottom (Keith De’Winter), magnificently ugly complete with outrageous wig, neon costumes and glittery Doc Martin boots, and her two sons Billy and Jack.
Silly Billy (George Critchley, also the writer, director and producer of the show) acts as the warm-up man with his catchphrase “Hiya kids!” each time he comes on. He is in love with Princess Jill (Morgan Hughes), but of course it’s his brother Jack (Michael Ruben) who is the hero and you don’t need me to tell you who is going to get the girl in the end. Oh no, you don’t!
The Dimplebottoms are poor, so poor in fact that as Billy tells us “when we go to KFC we have to lick other people’s fingers!”, and in the end the only thing for it is to sell their beloved cow Daisy. When Jack meets a French onion-seller on a bicycle who offers him a bag of gold for the animal, it seems too good to be true. Of course Jack takes the gold, not realising that the Frenchman is actually the villainous Fleshcreep in disguise and the nuggets are, in fact, (altogether now…) beans!
With a bit of help from Fairy Bee’s wand, the beans grow into a beanstalk and act one ends.
Sadly – and I genuinely hope this proves to be an aberration – the auditorium was only about half full for this Saturday evening performance which coincided with bitter weather and a major football match as well as the cost-of-living crisis which is frequently referenced in the script. This made it feel that the actors, especially Critchley, were working harder than they should to generate the right level of audience reaction. Pantomime depends on audience participation to a greater degree than most theatre and this had felt slightly flat at times.
Act Two begins in the castle where Fleshcreep is holding Princess Jill hostage in the hope of securing a ransom for her release. Fleshcreep leads the cast in a performance of “The Timewarp”, showcasing Donald’s talents as a singer and dancer (not to mention his legs!) and giving the older members of the audience something to join in with.
The Dimplebottoms and Fairy Bee have a hilarious run-in with a ghost in the castle before settling down to the serious business of rescuing the Princess who may – or may not – be about to join the Giant for dinner, as it were. Up to now the Giant’s booming voice has only been heard from off-stage but now we see him for the first time, a remarkable creation about eight feet tall, brought to life by Lee Goode.
Who is really pulling all the strings? Is the Giant as terrible as he’s been made out to be? Will the hero save the Princess? Of course he will, come on, it’s a pantomime!
'Jack And The Beanstalk' is great fun for all the family but, more than that, it is a wonderful example of the magic of theatre and a lot of work goes on behind the scenes to make it happen. Costume designer Irene Whitehall in particular has excelled with some superb costumes – and there are a lot of costume changes in this show. The music, provided by Nikki Laurence and Sam Shaw is great too, mixing well-known tracks with original material. The young dancers from Studio 5 in Rugeley have to be congratulated too and I suspect that from amongst them will emerge some of the stars of the future.
It's obvious that the cast are all having great fun throughout – Avery in particular is never without a beaming smile – and the audience loved it too with lots of cheering and applause as the finale drew to its close. I hope that there will be plenty of full houses to enjoy this first-rate traditional entertainment over the Christmas season!
'Jack And The Beanstalk' is presented by PMA Productions and runs at the Prince Of Wales Theatre, Cannock, until 28th December 2022.
Reviewer - Ian Simpson
on - 17.12.22
Monday 19 December 2022
STUDENT CONCERT REVIEW: MUMS Festive Concert - The Martin Harris Centre, Manchester.
on - 15.12.22
PANTOMIME REVIEW: Potted Panto - The Apollo Theatre, London.
Jeff and Dan are as ridiculously funny as Ant and Dec used to be before they became mainstream. They clown around for the full 70 minutes, not many props are needed and there’s not the usual array of over-the-top panto costumes, but a real lively performance. In true panto fashion it’s exit stage left and enter stage right with non-stop action, fast-paced talking and audience participation. Potted Panto has previously been nominated for an Olivier award and well deserved. It’s clever, silly, festive and traditional all rolled into one.
The performance is full of jokes, innuendoes, and good old-fashioned fun. Jeff and Dan have been performing Potted Panto for twelve years now. I have seen it advertised many times and have never had the time or opportunity to see it. When you are faced with so many pantomime options in London, this seems like the real deal – seven pantos in one. We step quickly inside Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, Snow White, Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, Dick Whittington and end up in A Christmas Carol (not a real panto but a story about ghosts and Scrooge). You have to keep up with the pace as they are onto the next panto before you’ve realised. Lots of quick changes, wigs and running about the stage. Jeff and Dan are very energetic and fast talking. I would also like to mention the support actors and performers for their input Liam Jeavons, Kevin Yates, Charlotte Payne (the good fairy with the voice of an angel), Jacob Jackson. We have the usual topical gags, especially when sleeping beauty sleeps for 100 years and in just one year how many prime ministers and monarchs have we had? We consider whether it’s ok to kiss sleeping women and partially dead ones in coffins. Political correctness has changed how we view our old-fashioned fairytales. Should we steal the giant’s gold and then kill him? The original story-tellers – the brothers Grimm could not imagine that their un-Disneyfied harsh and somewhat scary stories could be seen as inappropriate in the 21st century.
To make sure that the audience are not dozing we all have to stand up and take part. We sing along and have a jolly festive good time. Go and see this for a bit of festive family fun. Set in the Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, with shows on at 11am this still leaves time to see the Christmas lights and do a spot of Christmas shopping or sale shopping afterwards. Great ticket price of £20 as well.
Before you go, practise the following words to the Merry Christmas Everybody song:
“So here it is Potted Panto,
It was seventy minutes long
And here’s our happy ending
A cheesy Christmas song”
Reviewer - Penny Curran
on - 18.12.22
CONCERT REVIEW: Kantos: Away In A Manger - The Stoller Hall, Manchester
on - 18.12.22
Sunday 18 December 2022
PANTOMIME REVIEW: Aladdin - The Lyceum Theatre, Crewe.
PANTOMIME REVIEW: Sleeping Beauty - The Grange Theatre, Hartford. Northwich.
on - 17.12.22
THEATRE REVIEW: Claus, The Musical. - The Lowry Theatre, Salford.
Friday 16 December 2022
THEATRE REVIEW: Realms Of Glory - 53Two, Manchester.
on - 14.12.22
Wednesday 14 December 2022
THEATRE REVIEW: The Snow Queen - The Storyhouse, Chester.
on - 13.12.22
MUSIC REVIEW: Franck Carducci And The Fantastic Squad - Venue 229, London.
The support act came in the form of Dec Burke - Burke is a former guitarist/vocalist with acclaimed U.K. progressive rockers group, Frost*, an English neo-progressive rock supergroup. As well as his work with Dilemma, Audio Plastik and Darwin’s Radio, Burke is establishing a strong solo career, and released the album, “Life In Two Dimensions” in 2021. He certainly got the room wide awake and alive with his impressive set, and I was especially taken with the track “Energy” an edgy explosion of exquisite songwriting, and the title track from the album “Life In Two Dimensions” was also an emotional, musical gem!
Now it was time for Carducci and his Fantastics to step up onto the stage, and with bucketloads of energy and a firey spirit boldly step onto it they did! With just the right amount of glittery eye makeup, black nail polish, sparkly flares and partially opened silk shirts to spark my intrigue, Carducci and his squad treated us to some of his greatest songs and we had the impressive “Love Is The Answer” one of my absolute favourites - an amazing progressive rock tune. There are definite layers amongst this ProgRock genre of spell-bounding folk music and it wasn’t just a musical extravaganza but a light effects one too! From green lights to reds to pinks, to purples, this really was a show to entertain and stimulate the senses! When it was time for the captivating Reynaud to sing a song she composed herself “The Angel” - she was exquisite. We also had her leave the stage and treat the audience, who were encircling her to a sensual and mystifying dance routine. The way she incorporated her magnificent LED-light-up-angel-wings costume into the dance had everyone entranced. It was a magical moment in time. Reynaud is particularly impressive and exquisite on the theremin (an electronic music instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer) and certainly wowed the audience with her impressive skill and physicality with the theremin, a particularly difficult instrument to master. When Carducci was leading the ceremonies on stage we were treated to more musical delights such as “Mr Hyde & Dr Jekyll” and as Carducci himself says this one is about people with a double personality, sometimes nice to you, sometimes really not. “Torn Apart” which is the title track of Carducci’s 2015 “Torn Apart” album, (and also features special guest Steve Hackett (Genesis) on a track on the album “Closer To Irreversible”) is an absolute Prog Rock dream! You really have to immerse yourself when watching Carducci and his Fantastic squad, a rock ‘n' roll circus where we’re all invited to be our true selves and I would say each and every audience member was thoroughly enjoying every single moment. It was my first time seeing this band, however I would definitely go and see them again and many of the audience members I spoke to were true die-hard fans - this was an intimate gig, which for me makes it all the more special and connecting. There was a lovely moment where the audience sang a cappella a bit of Pink Floyd along with Carducci “How I wish you were here, we’re just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl”
The band played so well together - you can really tell they are enjoying their time up on that stage and have the audience in the palm of their hand at every note! It cannot be highlighted enough the talents of the troop as a whole, Sky on his guitar was a true artiste and entertainer and extremely talented on that guitar to boot. Selzer, although a little more reserved in his showmanship on the keyboards, still thoroughly entertained and certainly had stage presence, Fernandez on drums was so watchable - she created a warmth and likeability with her drum moves which were spot on, and her understanding of musical timing is just perfect! Finally, Reynaud really impressed with her multi-talented creativity. I really liked that Carducci gives time for his Fantastic Squad to really shine in their own light - a true team player! Back to Carducci himself and meeting him briefly before they played, he is just as I imagined him, warm, witty, energetic, very French, charismatic, quirky, engaging and a true entertainer. The walls were literally shaking at this gig and I am so glad I have experienced the one and only Franck Carducci & The Fantastic Squad, a musical and creative journey, a fantasy, where no audience member can escape from being fully captivated!
PANTOMIME REVIEW: Goldilocks And The Three Bears - The Epstein Theatre, Liverpool.
For a start, ‘Goldilocks’, whilst being a well-known children’s fairy tale is a refreshingly rare choice for a panto, perhaps in part because of the inherent problem of presenting three bears convincingly as characters. Secondly, most pantos start with a few routines where the characters interact with each other. In ‘Goldilocks’, after an initial singing and dancing number, the Dame, Silly Billy and later the villain Baron Von Vippenhall are each given considerable time alone on stage, dependent on effective interaction with the audience with no-one else to spark off, akin to old-fashioned Music Hall and requiring considerable skill. This was potentially risky but succeeded with this show. Another notable difference was that often pantos involve well-known pop songs effectively given light weight treatment. With this show, the volume was turned up with powerful singing and dancing giving the feel of a rock concert. There were musical number as well with ‘There’s No Business Like Show Business’, the whole cast doing a Tiller-girl style line; again a bit different and it worked well.
The show dispensed with old stalwarts like a messy cooking scene and created fresh and original comedy. A scene involving Silly Billy with the Baron dressed as a bee was at face value ridiculously childish and inane but it had the whole audience repeatedly laughing their heads off; no mean trick to pull off! Again, a very simple gag involving a prison door was performed so well it got a round of applause. There were other several demonstrations of great comedy achieved simply through great timing and professionalism.
Apart from the actual Bear’s house, which only appeared briefly, the staging relied on just a few backcloths and drop-screens but this was all that was needed because the generous stage was used to full effect. The dancers wore a stunning array of costumes ranging from brightly coloured long dresses to skimpy outfits that would not have looked out of place at the Moulin Rouge. There was also genuine spectacle. A circus scene involving a genuine high-level acrobat and a fire-eater brought a sense of danger to the show rarely seen in panto, providing an effective contrast the buffoonery.
The principle players in ‘Goldilocks’ deserve mention. Olivia Sloyan in the title-role was relaxed and confident, unusually for a principle girl having directed the show as well. David Tag as the Ringmaster was out of his usual comfort zone but was the ideal straight man whilst displaying a honed and muscular physique in an often self-deprecating way. Importantly, he seemed to be enjoying himself. Brandon McCaffrey brought nothing new to the role of Silly Billy but performed energetically and built a genuine rapport with the audience. The big departures from tradition were firstly having Mama G as the Dame, actually looking like a woman and frequently wearing sexy, alluring dresses, displaying disturbingly good legs! Think of the 1970’s star Danny La Rue with added panto outrage; a real asset to the show. Another marked difference was having a villain who regularly had long, solo engagements with the audience and also a ludicrous Germanic accent (think of the Baron’s Henchmen and the Child-catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang rolled into one). Timothy Lucas was truly a memorable villain. Credit must also be given to the excellent dance troupe performing and dancing in a great variety of outfits and also the three bears (effective costumes and an amusing trio).
STUDENT OPERA REVIEW: Die Fledermaus - The RNCM, Manchester.
The Royal Northern College of Music does modern-dress productions of classical opera very, very well. And that delight also extends to Strauss operetta. 'Die Fledermaus' (The Bat), performed in English with a new libretto and dialogue by David Parry and Stephen Barlow, is a lively, amusing update set on Millennium Eve in 1999 that still hits all the champagne notes during its most famous songs.
During the Act I overture, the backstory was set up. Following a very drunken Halloween party, London posh blokes Falke (dressed as Batman) and Eisenstein (dressed as The Joker) wind up on a bench inside a tube station. Falke passes out. Eisenstein pours water onto Falke’s crotch and gleefully disappears. Falke awakes to the police, rush hour commuters, and a scandalous article in The Sun. This is the beginnings of 'The Bat’s Revenge'.
Designer Yannis Thavoris had a wonderful time with this update. Act I is a luxurious flat by the Thames, with a framed Tatler cover of Eisenstein’s wife Rosalinde on the wall. Act II is the yacht of Russian oligarch Prince Orlofsky, complete with hot tub and a view of the Millennium Dome over the water. Act III is a gleamingly new police station. The party on the yacht particularly featured a blaze of 1990's fashion among the chorus, which included celebrity guests The Spice Girls and Boris Johnson. And having a DJ booth with “DJ Strauss In Da Haus” on it was an extra special touch.
Olivia Tringham shone grandiosely as Rosalinde. Her warm soprano rolled effortlessly over Strauss’s score, particularly when she was singing about her fake Hungarian homeland in mock Eurovision style while in disguise as “Miss Budapest.” And she’s a genuinely good comic actress. Bonnie Callaghan also shone as Adele, the chambermaid who sneaks into the party disguised as a pink-gowned starlet. Her crisp soprano sparkled with every soubrette note. Matthew Secombe had a light touch as Eisenstein, and a good sense of clowning. His delicate baritone playfully engaged with the score. Adam Jarman as Falke has a lyrical baritone that was particularly suited to Falke’s softer and more melancholic moments (i.e. when Falke had had too much champagne.) Henry Strutt as Alfie, Rosalinde’s secret lover, gave his Northern-accented plumber a toolbox full of charm, and had a glowing tenor voice to match. Dominic Morgan as Blind, the lawyer, used his silvery tenor to perfectly pernickety effect, and made the most of being stripped down to a gown and Union Jack underpants towards the end. Sarah Winn blasted her strong mezzo-soprano all over Prince Orlofsky’s role, and had a dynamic stage presence. No-one else could have handled those enormous Russian security guards with such silently bored power. Taylor London brought her lively soprano and glittering belly-dancing costume to the role of Ida, Adele’s sister. Patrick Osborne’s rich bass-baritone crackled its way through Frank, the head policeman. Osborne also had a rather nice touch as a comic actor.
And the uncredited young woman who had the speaking-only role of Police Officer Frosch – first of all, why isn’t she in the programme? And secondly, her air of petty bossiness was the perfect frame to Act III, particularly when she was struggling with her antique-looking computer and other technologies.
Beautiful work from the Chorus, who also supported the guest appearance of real-life diva Kathryn Rudge when she dropped by Prince Orlofsky’s yacht to sing a bit from “Carmen” – as you do.
THEATRE REVIEW: A Christmas Carol - The Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prescot. Liverpool.
The cast of four took the audience on a frenetic journey of music, song and spectacle over a two hour show which included entrances from baskets, under beds and elsewhere, making full use of the theatre’s extensive range of trap doors. This was not just a very physical show but asked for (and received!) a fair amount of audience participation, which (just about) never went down to the banality of pantomime. The show managed to remain completely faithful to the Dickens story whilst displaying considerable flair and originality.
None of the four actors were ever off stage for very long as the familiar Dickens tale was re-set in Prescot whilst retaining a fully Victorian look and feel. This was a true actor/musician show with each actor playing a variety of instruments including accordion, bass, clarinet, guitar, violin, and saxophone. With such a variety of sounds, there was a remarkably varied amount of music. None of the songs were memorable but that was not the point; much of the styles were akin to 1920’s Berlin cabaret, designed to enhance or compliment the performance, at times in a very Brechtian manner. The actors would seamlessly swap instruments as they alternated between singing or playing whilst often dancing around the stage.
All the cast played a wide range of roles with the exception of Zoe West, who was Eliva as well as the central character Scrooge. The notion of a young, dark haired woman playing the normally grizzly old man seen in so many films at first glance seems incongruous but it unquestionably worked, because the characterisation (and costuming) was all there with even West’s curly hair lending itself to a Victorian style. A joke well into the play about Scrooge being ‘a bad lady’ was funny precisely because it demonstrated the audience’s acceptance of the male Scrooge presented to them. The star turn for each of the other members of the cast was playing one of the three ghosts. Jessica Dives was a lively Ghost of Christmas Past, in nice contrast to other roles of largely prim and proper Victorian types. Abigail Middleton gave a comic twist to the Ghost of Christmas Present (no spoiler here!), again in sharp contrast to roles such as a street beggar. Eddy Westbury was not just a very funny Ghost of Christmas Yet-To-Come (developing into a set-piece involving all the cast in a superb tangential departure from the norm) but was also very memorable as Scrooge’s deceased business partner Jacob Marley.
Monday 12 December 2022
PANTOMIME REVIEW: Robin Hood: The '80's Panto - The Contact Theatre, Manchester
on - 11.12.22
Saturday 10 December 2022
MUSIC REVIEW: The Manchester Camerata with The RNCM - The RNCM, Manchester.
Kicking
off the evening was a newly commissioned piece by Carmel Smickersgill entitled
“Birthday Card To A Stranger”, an audio/visual piece written for the 50th anniversary of the RNCM. Conducted by Agata Zając, this highly atmospheric piece
of music employing the full talent of strings, with some voice too, aided by sentences
appearing on the screen above combines to create a deeper message about how we
may approach our own birthdays and those of others. The music was certainly fresh
and contemporary, a perfect start to the evening before our stepping back in
time. The use of a legato portamento drove the mood of the music and gave it an
almost film soundtrack-like feel, making it feel almost out-of-body, again
driving this existentialism which birthdays and anniversaries bring to some of
us. Smickersgill’s passion and talent for composing was fully evident in the roaring applause from the
audience at the end of the piece, being further heightened when they appeared
in front of the musicians for the bow.
A
change in conductors with additional musicians, and the appearance of the podium
followed as the Camerata’s Conductor, Gábor Takács-Nagy, took the helm for
Elgar’s Cello Concerto featuring the Camerata’s Principal Cellist, Hannah
Roberts. Roberts’ performance produced a wonderfully velvety rich sound which
filled the concert hall and set the bar for the rest of the orchestra to
compliment. Both soloist and conductor were equally animated in their positions,
with vigorous gestures and foot stomping as the music swelled and tempo
increased. Elgar’s Cello Concerto is an incredibly poignant piece of music,
originally written in the aftermath of the First World War, it has transcended
the last hundreds years to become a celebrated staple of British music, which
remains as poignant even today. Roberts’ command of the cello was first class,
being as delicate and forceful as the music, and conductor, required. It was
hard to not keep our eyes off the cello, and any glances away to the rest of
the camerata were short as attention would be brought back to the bow along the
strings and Roberts’ fingers traversing the neck of the instrument with an ease
that seemed almost hypnotic. The piece itself was beautifully simplistic, yet
multidimensional and evocative; with a dash of Mahler’s Fifth in there? The
acoustics of the hall carried the orchestra’s sound beautifully, and the Elgar
was the perfect piece for that.
Following
a brief interval, the audience settled down one last time as the camerata was
welcomed back on stage with Takącs-Nagy introducing Beethoven’s 6th Symphony “Pastorale” along with the conductor’s interpretations of the
movements. The composer’s love of the outdoors is perfectly captured in those
opening bars; we all picture a different variation of the same thing in our
mind, for myself, a wood with bluebells in early Spring. Beethoven’s Pastoral
Symphony really was the cherry on top of an already delicious and rich dessert.
Time ceased to exist during this part of the night, as the great composer’s
work carried the audience away, and most likely the musicians too. The trio of
woodwind performing the birdsong was delightful, and special mention must be
made to the woodwind section as they stole the show during this piece. The
thunder storm of the 4th movement was as dark and powerful as real
life and like a bolt of lightening, zapping the audience's attention who had
been enjoying such a comfortable and tranquil stroll through Beethoven’s countryside.
In his introduction, Takącs-Nagy expressed his thought that Symphony No.6 was
Beethoven’s declaration of love to nature, which was created to bring the
composer out of a long period of depression. He further elaborated that he
believed the final movement to be a vote of thanks not only by the shepherds
and villagers represented in the piece, but also from Beethoven himself for
life. Takącs-Nagy's introduction really elevated the enjoyment of the piece and
contrasted with the previous poignancy of Elgar’s Cello Concerto, lifted the
mood and brought a ray of sunshine and joy for the audience.
Manchester
Camerata have the presence and sound of a full scale orchestra. Correction, the
Camerata as well the students of the RNCM! Were it not for some grey hair and
the odd baby face, it would be impossible to distinguish between the masters
and the learners. The audience was incredibly receptive to the performance,
culminating in a standing ovation for many and repeated rapturous applause and
cheering as the orchestra bowed with gleeful smiles multiple times. The order
of the evening, juxtaposing the new composer with the old created the perfect
upward curve to the sensational climax and buzzing atmosphere which left the
audience with pep. Perfect for a bitter winter’s night!
Reviewer - Daryl Griffin
on - 9.12.22