Review Details
RECITAL On the occasion of the Publication of the book: KING’S COLLEGE ABERDEEN: HISTORY, BUILDINGS AND ARTISTIC PORTRAYAL KING’S COLLEGE CHAPEL, By Derek Ogston and Margaret Carlaw
Alan Cooper
13 May 2009
King's College Chapel
With the close of the current session’s concert season virtually upon us, Wednesday evening’s recital by students of the Music Department to celebrate the launch of a magnificent new book, “King’s College Aberdeen: History, Buildings and Artistic Portrayal” provided a splendid sense of occasion to cap what has been a uniquely successful year of music making at the University. Professor Derek Ogston and Margaret Carlaw, joint authors of the book were gracious hosts of the event and a witty cheerful Dr Paul Mealor introduced the ten attractively contrasting items performed by just a few of University Music’s most gifted students.
To open the concert, pianist and former Ogston Prizewinner Petra Paskova reprised one of the pieces with which she delighted the audience during the judges’ deliberations at this year’s Ogston Music Prize: Smetana’s Le bonheur éteint from Dreams. The sudden changes of pace and of melodic or harmonic colours were skilfully handled by one of the University’s most delightful and entrancing performers.
The Clarinet Sonata No.2 in Eb Op.120 by Brahms was heard from a completely new perspective as the instrument used for this performance was the bass clarinet, not quite what Brahms had imagined. Michelle Yarnell is a most accomplished exponent of this rather unusual solo instrument. With Christine Moore as her accompanist, she preserved much of the lyrical élan of the opening movement while seducing us with the instrument’s richest plummiest depths.
A startling change of mood and soundscape brought us a young and talented tenor Cole Bendall accompanied by pianist Christopher Beaumont in Britten’s celebrated arrangement of the archly suggestive folksong, The Foggy, Foggy Dew. This is a song which requires acting as well as singing abilities and Cole Bendall gave it the full treatment raising more than one laugh from an appreciative audience.
Another radical mood switch gave us a gentle performance of Massenet’s beautiful Meditation from Thais with violinist Bethany Logan accompanied by pianist Liam Baillie.
Almost half way through the concert already and some of the University’s finest vocal talents were about take over the performance and delight us with the stunning impact of their singing. Andrew McNeill’s rich and surprisingly mature baritone voice brought warmth and tenderness to the Cradle Song by Vaughan Williams. He was accompanied by Anne Herbert whose sensitive piano playing stood in for the orchestras in the five opera favourites we were about to hear.
AmyBeth Smith was a teasing Musetta from Puccini’s La Bohème. High powered singing and flirtatious delivery took us to the heart of this particular scene from the opera. “Aspects of Love” was the theme of this piece and of all the other opera excerpts. From the verismo of Puccini to the worldly wise social commentary of Mozart and one of his most sublime creations, the trio from Cosi fan tutte: Soave sia il vento. For this AmyBeth Smith, our Fiordiligi was joined by Heather Ireson as Dorabella and Andrew McNeill as Don Alfonso in a beautifully smooth flowing performance that mirrored the movement of the boat that seems to take the girls’ lovers out to sea.
Mozart again but in a more fantastical mood brought us Andrew McNeill as Papageno and Rebecca Queen as Pamina in Bei Mannern welche liebe fuhlen as they meditate together on the difficulties of finding and keeping love.
A move back to the world of romantic opera and the French love of the exotic orient brought us the gorgeous Flower Duet from Lakmé by Delibes sung superbly by Heather Ireson and Rebecca Queen. Then, to draw the concert to a close Andrew McNeill summoned up his most seductive vocal charms as Don Giovanni to entice Heather Ireson’s Zerlina into his amorous clutches.
This was a most enjoyable concert with a warm atmosphere bringing the season almost to its conclusion. It would be a good idea to have something like this in following years too. We had not one, not two, but three superb sopranos in AmyBeth Smith, Heather Ireson and Rebecca Queen; what about the trio from the final act of Der Rosenkavalier next time. I really believe these three could do it.