Leeds College of Music. The Venue. Leeds.

In recent times, Hallowe’en has slowly been catching on as an event somewhat divorced in meaning from the original Pagan celebration, which was perhaps rooted in the Celtic ‘Samhain’. Related to the end of Summer and the harvest festival, some believe it to have originally involved the  stock-taking of supplies in preparation for the winter. Now, it has expanded beyond children’s apple-bobbing into an excuse for adults to carouse and revel; and, of course, there are commercial advantages. This gradual expansion of the festival into what, perhaps, one day, will be granted a bank holiday, owes its germination to the influence of American culture. How appropriate then, that the musical programme at The Venue, Leeds College of Music, on Wednesday 31^st had its particular origins in the music of the Americas. A happy consequence of the influence of North American, economic and cultural expansionism, and through this influence the amplification of South American culture, the work performed spoke of diversity and was considerably contrasting. The featured performers were Michael Ladley on the flute, and Declan Forde on the piano. Both are alumni of Leeds College of Music.

Ladley was accompanied by pianist, Angela Lloyd-Mostyn, whose interpretation and accommodation spoke of perfectionsim. Their Latin American offering was Mower’s ‘Sonata Latino’. In the first movement – Salsa Montunate – Ladley ‘s unaccompanied, bare, staccato introduction arrested the ear, which was satisfied by the piano entry of bare, salsa, rhythmic reinforcement. This sense was compounded when the accompaniment was fleshed out harmonically. Occasional melodically convoluted and energetic flute runs were reflected competitively by the piano in a sort of call-and-response battle of complexity: technically, most impressive. Fine phrasing, expressive of the merriment of the dance, was sculpted through well blended dynamic contrasts with infinitessimally tight rhythmic execution. Extended instrumental technique came in form of piano string hand-dampening and tonguing on the flute. This section provided extra rhythmic sharpness but seemed slightly unbalanced. A more meditative portion toward the close of the movement saw soloist and accompanist in unison.

The second movement was a Rumbango. The unaccompanied, rubato flute introduction spoke meanderingly, without resolution, of uncertainty, anxiety and fear. This was highly effective. Resolution came with the piano entry, which maintained syncopated regularity throughout the movement, often incorporatting a spooky descending seventh figure. Sustained passages, at times lugubrious, were intersprersed with well executed, complex, energised agitiation. A comically simple, and more positive, ending amused for its impertinence.

We had a Bossa Merengova for the third movement. Fortunately for the assembled, the impulse to dance did not overwhelm this reviewer. Regularity in the accompaniment made the journey through partial cycles of fifths with a descending element below excellent, neuron-firing complexity performed with great accuracy in the flute. Toward the close the main theme returned with arpeggiated, descending harmonic sketches in the piano. The rhythmic and melodic execution combined to produce highly expressive phrasing, which accommodated graceful dynamic contrasts.

Following our foray into South America we made substantial inroads into the North with two jazz piano duets. As mentioned, Declan Forde was featured. On the other piano was none other than Les Chisnall. Their first piece was an arrangement of ‘For all we know (we may never meet again’ by Coots & Lewis. The root and fifth neutality of the initial ostinato with sustain slowly set the pace of the piece and gradually introduced the full arpeggiation. Highly expressive dynamics pierced the room at times. Although fairly sparse and Impressionistic the power of the semitonal shifts in the jazz harmony imparted a strong sense of melancholic nostalgia with a tincture of hope. Perfect and  complimentary synchronisation allowed for well measured and balanced dynamic contrasts compounding the expressiveness of the rhythmic execution. A passage near the close became somewhat contrapuntal evoking a degree of formality and was extended with regular one-note repetitions. The decay of the sustained chord at the end of the piece might have been prolongued further owing to the sense of emotional gravity.

Next came ‘Body and Soul’ by Green. Chisnalll began with irregular dissonces, rhythmically spikey and with no apparent resolution forthcoming. With a sense of atonality this became more agitated. For a brief moment, Forde broke the feeling of uncertainty with a running, chromatic passage. Forde’s following entries seemed to be a sort of additive ostinato as Chisnall increased the sense of unresolved uncertainty with dissonant attacks. This was a graceful expression of uncertainty and, perhaps, anxiety. Eventually, a degree of anchoring was introduced with two-note alternating regularity, highly expressive of polytonal, sparse meanderings. What had become a regular ostinato (or riff) might be seen to have been to suggest the titular, bodily housing of the soul – and by no means a harmonious coupling – although the original piece was sensible for the most part. The unresolved uncertainty became more tranquil toward the close with suspensions gradually resolving more and more. A sense of inner peace, gracefully executed and paced, was the extemely moving end result. A highly expressive and moving journey rendered with great measure.

Junior Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Leeds College of Music…

Quarry Hill was once the site of a superlative bastion of corporation-led, atomised domesticity: Quarry Hill flats. The piece-meal demolition of this residential maze in the 1970s was much lamented by the father of this reviewer, despite his involvement in the planning of its destruction. We were given to understand that refuse tubes from every level of the flats took the raw material of rubbish to a base level incinerator that also acted as a common source of heating. Impressive indeed. Impressive, however, is that this site now acts as a cultural enclave within the Eastgate locale. Here is the West Yorkshire Playhouse, the BBC, the Aagrah Restaurant, and, of course, Leeds College of Music. And just as those refuse tubes were drawn around an efficient converter of mass into energy, so, now, the music college draws towards itself the raw material of musical burgeoning and generously radiates the heat of proficiency. Such proficiency and, indeed, talent was much in evidence at The Venue on Wednesday. This time it came, not in the forms of Leeds College of Music students, but in that of their counterparts from the Junior Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Clearly, here was exceptional talent. Three students performed: Kate Cooper (Trumpet), Robin Brandon-Turner (Oboe), and Daniel Silcock (Piano). Owing to the temperamental deficiency of the public transport system, no report can be provided on the first piece given by Cooper. The tale-end was full of multi-tonal jauntiness and increased the mental confusion of embarrassment caused during the reviewer’s bumbling entrance to the auditorium, following his sprint. Thanks a lot, Firstbus! Cooper’s second offering was ‘Trumpet Sonata: I Sarabande’ by Hubeau. Piano accompaniment, supplied with great subtlety by Anne MacGregor, aptly spoke of the Mediterranean by imitating the broken-chord strumming of a guitar. Cooper’s blended dynamic contrasts coupled with delicious phrasing suited well this, at times modal, at times diatonic sarabande. Sections played rubato were nicely balanced. The first movement – Allegro poco moderato – of Horovitz’s Trumpet Concerto came next. A lengthy, bitonal offering, Cooper’s rhythmic and melodic execution was shown off for its elegance. Where there was conversation between trumpet and piano around twisting, bitonal accompaniment, the effect was one of measured, meditative, reflection. New tonal areas were introduced with the interjections by the piano, as Cooper’s technical versatility was given full vent. Although very short, Bernstein’s ‘Rondo for Lifey’ was very difficult, in which regard Cooper pleased the audience with agility and excellent dynamic execution.

Now it was Robin Brandon-Turner’s turn to charm the assembled. He gave us all three movements of Albinoni’s Oboe Concerto in D minor. The piano introduction of the Allegro e non presto, in which bass line and melodic line conversed contrapuntally with many flourishes, prepared the way stylistically. Measured and finely phrased, the dynamic contrasts were laudable in the sequential descending and ascending passages, as was the dynamic blend in the sustained, sequential suspensions over partial cycles of fifths. Antiphonal, sequenced mimicry was well executed in terms of phrasing between oboe and accompanist. The sparseness of the solo interjections indicated great accuracy of timed attack. Next came the famous Adagio. A beautiful, pure tone gradually pierced the auditorium over the positive, innocent arpeggiations of the accompaniment. The trills were finely balanced with grace and well blended. This movement seemed to crystallize into an aural state of mind as sense of pure, innocent passion. The third movement Allegro, which was initially and convincingly fugal, was highly complex resulting in descending sequential passages above, again, partial cycles of fifths. Although slightly dragging in the rhythmic execution here, Brandon-Turner performed excellent dynamic detail through very moving and expressive phrasing.

David Silcock came next. His first offering: Chopin’s Scherzo No.1 in B minor. A highly amusing and diverting performance, complex running ascents and descents showed off considerable abilities of technical execution. Perhaps in keeping with the titular, comedic intentions, this interpretation was heavily pulled about, to the extent that the overall rendition seemed quite unbalanced. Amusing nonetheless. This work was followed by Sonata in E major, K20, by Scarlatti, wherein both technical ability and shear stamina shone. The sustain was applied with great discretion through initial passages contrasting at turns on the one hand with much energised agitation, and on the other with prolongations. Phrasing and dynamic contrasts were well balanced throughout. What was most impressive was the homogeneously interpreted accuracy in the pianism coupled with the physical range covered – a few times, arpeggiated, descending, diminished seventh passages led to the dominant and employed the entirety of the keyboard. These passages were usually led to via much agitation. A slower, tranquil section spoke with compassion and sagacity and was conveyed with considerable maturity. Toward the close, energised, convoluted, throbbing arpeggiations were executed with such verve as to create an impression of pulsation. The cadenza-like declaration of finality drove home the message of virtuosity.

These lunchtime concerts start at 1.05pm every Wednesday at The Venue, Leeds College of Music, for which payment is made on a voluntary basis.