Saturday 24th June: The Doric String Quartet
Bradfield Festival of Music has, as a key part of its charitable status, a passion to support and encourage young musicians. Every year, we offer a prize and a certificate to two local young artists who have excelled in their chosen genres. But more importantly, we offer a platform in our public concerts to show off their musicianship to a wider audience, performing alongside professional artists. And so, on Saturday, we began the concert with a performance by Cameron Wilson playing guitar and Nate Oslo, Saxophone, of two of their own jazz compositions supported by friends on electric bass and drums.
This may be the first time we have had our upcoming artists play jazz in the festival, though we have had, for example, Jacqui Dankworth and Charlie Wood perform in 2019 so it is by no means out of place. Their performance was just such a fine way to begin our 2023 season, as warm as the evening, ready to go into long sessions in late evening clubs, and proving that we have everything to look forward to in the musicians of now and tomorrow.
The musicians were presented with their certificates and awards by Colin Ross, Lord Mayor of Sheffield.
Changing the musical mood was no effort for the Doric String quartet. Indeed, this was an even greater change because the programme was completely revised at the last minute due to the illness of the principal violinist, Alex Redington. Of course, we wish him well and hope for his speedy return to the stage. Stepping in to these shoes was Johannes Marmen who is well known from his own Marmen Quartet as well and many other performances and associations.
The Doric opened their performance with the Haydn String Quartet No. 37 Op. 50 No.2, one of a set of 6 quartets dating from 1787. They ended their concert with another Haydn String Quartet: No. 50 Op. 64 No. 3, from another set of 6 quartets written in 1790. In between these was sandwiched the Beethoven String Quartet No. 11, “Serioso” Op 95. Throughout, the Doric had the ability to draw the audience into the music, playing with both emotional commitment and mutual precision. Given the late change of line-up, this is an incredible feat, without apparent effort showing the range of colour that Hadyn brought to the new chamber styles of the time and the intensity of the last of the Beethoven middle period quartets.
We were honoured to have Bachtrack review the Doric’s concert, and that may be read here.
Monday 26th June: The Galliard Ensemble
The thing about a wind ensemble is that each instrument has a unique timbre; it’s not like a string quartet for example where the differences in register, resonance and so on are overlapping between instruments, for mixed winds, the variety makes for an intimate orchestra in miniature. And so the Galliard Ensemble, with their (shhh!) number of years performing together, brought their brass and woodwind timbres to life in a fun and relaxed concert this evening.
An impression of the selection of works for this concert was that of the inspiration that aroused creativity in each of the composers represented. Starting with the familiar Rossini, “The Italian Girl in Algiers” overture, this both shows inspiration from Haydn some 50 years earlier, and by good fortune, continues the double Haydn experience of Saturday’s concert. Mozart regarded the K.594 Fantasie as one of his best tunes spoiled by the attempt to perform on state of the art mechanical instruments of his day. Inspired by and written as a tribute to Field Marshall von Lauden, the Galliard made it very apparent that this is indeed one of Mozart’s finest tunes.
Composers of the French baroque such as Couperin, Rameau, Lully, Charpentier and more have inspired many subsequent composers. In particular, François Couperin may be heard as echos in works from Bach to Respighi and beyond. One of the greatest such works is Ravel’s “Tombeau de Couperin,” and The Galliard performed both a short work by Couperin and three of the 6 pieces of the inspired Ravel side by side. This was so beautifully performed that I was left wanting to hear the Galliard perform the whole of the Tombeau, which, as far as I know, they have not recorded.
It seems that inspiring music students to reveal evidence of their commitment to practice was in the mind of Eugene Bozza. Here the Galliard demonstrated edge-of-the-seat enthusiasm with the interplay of four lines played in chromatic scales, that they were well on top of the challenge set by the composer.
After the interval, the common inspiration came from folk sources, either as actual tunes or as stylistically folksy influences. Many composers collected folk melodies as sources of inspiration – Vaughan-Williams, Holst, Grainger, Kodaly, Bartok, and many more were all very well known for this, and we owe so much to modern music for the dedication of such collection. Holst’s gentle and in the hands of the Galliard, totally engaging Op. 14 Wind Quintet has melodies that could easily be heard hummed in the streets if it had been based on a real folk tune. Percy Grainger’s Walking Tune, inspired by the rhythm of footfall while hiking and by the landscapes traversed was performed alongside Lisbon, a collected tune which was saved from inevitable aural-tradition loss by Grainger’s commitment.
The final work of the programme was inspired by folk songs of the west country and was written by Paul Patterson for The Galliard. The ensemble must have performed this hundreds of times, but the fresh statement of each tune and its elaboration was so like being in a pub session that several members of the audiences were themselves inspired to sing along, perhaps not quite with the precision of timing, intonation or pitch that the Galliard have, though undoubtedly with some of the passion!
Here I must make a special mention for the one singer inspired to join in with the ensemble whose timing was impeccable: thank you to the sheep who keep the grass under control in the churchyard, without you, the challenge of maintaining a reliable embouchure and a straight face would never have been so entertaining!
A final piece of fun as an encore, the Charleston movement number IV from Norman Hallam’s Dance Suite completed the whole entertainment for the evening. An orchestra in miniature, a fun-filled and inspiring evening from such excellent performers who know each other and the mood they want to bring so well.
Tuesday 27th June: The Linos Piano Trio
There was magic in the building tonight. There are performances where the astonishment comes from the artists, and there are greater performances that sends the audience into a state of mind where the musicians seem to disappear leaving only the music and its innermost reaction. Such was the magic of the Linos Trio tonight.
There has been a recent upsurge of interest in CPE Bach, second son of the great JS Bach, and the Linos have researched and taken it upon themselves to explore the Piano Trio repertoire. Before each of the four pieces tonight, the Linos Trio built a close rapport with the audience with introductions that were relaxed, amusing and erudite (and even provoked applause in themselves!). The intricate interplay of themes and fragments in the E flat major trio showed that this sense of confidence and relaxed rapport was at the heart of the Trio themselves. CPE Bach as an innovator, here originally for small, possibly amateur, groups was performed with the dynamic and brilliance with which the Linos are already well known.
Peter Cropper late of the Lindsay Quartet here in Sheffield had Beethoven at his soul. He was mentor to the Linos up to two weeks before his death in 2015, and to have this connection in the performance of the Op. 70 Piano Trio “The Ghost” is significant. I was fortunate to meet Peter Cropper, albeit in a symposium setting. His open and intense perspective on Beethoven had an impact on everyone around him. He regarded Beethoven as a life-long friend, and would become tearful and emotional when explaining how this relationship was just so complicated, never being sure where an argument would take you, how the colours would change, and yet always being supportive and by his side. It is very obvious that the Linos have taken on the full weight of this giant of the Beethoven chamber repertoire and presented it back to their audiences in such a luminous and emotionally charged performance. This work was the first time of two this evening where I almost forgot there were performers – the music itself was at the forefront of the experience.
By way of a little light relief, the collection of (mostly) dance movements in miniature from Rebel’s Les Caractères de la Danse was lively and joyful, sensual and dramatic, sometimes echoing drone instruments, sometimes brazenly portraying a mood. This was the Linos in intimate mode, an amuse-bouche preceeding the emotional journey yet to come.
The final programmed work was the Ravel Piano Trio from 1914. Its movements are funeral in name, and that relates to the imminence of the war in Europe just becoming impactful at the time. And yet the unbounded energy of Basque dance, Indonesian gamelan, and numerous other influences give this work a worldly breadth that was painted with such energy and tenderness by the Linos. This was an emotional journey, and the continued rapport with the audience here was palpable: there is no question that the performers and audience alike were in the same place, physically and emotionally. I spoke to Prach Boondiskulchok (piano) after the performance who was full of praise for the engagement and intent listening of the Bradfield audience and how they as performers felt this coming back to the platform as they themselves took us though this journey.
Finally, what else could be performed as an encore but the Ravel Pavane pour une infante défunte, beautifully performed in their own arrangement. If anyone ever wanted to witness how in-tune the audience and performers were here, the long silence as the last chords died away in the transparent acoustic of St Nicholas’ Church was held for a full twenty seconds before finally interrupted by a standing ovation and rapturous applause.
One frequent visitor to the festival was heard to remark that this was the best concert he had ever enjoyed in Bradfield – and we have had many great performances over the last 26 years. I have to agree, and how fitting it is that this was the last concert sponsored by the late Barbara Holder, who has been a friend of the festival for many years and who died earlier this year.
Wednesday 28th June: The Armonico Consort Soloists
The fourth concert of the festival series was dedicated to the voice. In this programme, a huge range was covered by the Armonico Consort Soloists in age with works from 16th to late 20th century, in performance from 5-piece a capella ensemble to solo voice with piano accompaniment and in style, from sacred to early social commentary and to modern settings of much earlier poetry. The concept binding this together was a poetic rather than musical one – that of the heavenly allegory used to express love and delight in the natural world.
This package is undoubtedly ambitious, and was something readily anticipated, especially after the three prior evenings that could not have provided more enjoyment and satisfaction to audiences and performers alike. This is not a new programme for the Armonico, but did it work in the festival?
The opening works from 16th century composers were sung in ensemble and it was apparent that they had not found the sweet spot in the balance or responding to the church acoustic. The soprano voices were tense and there were frequent exchanges of glances between tenor, bass and the ensemble director which betrayed the fact that there was some level of preparation either with the venue or with performing readiness that was not quite right. The balance between the soft precise bass of Gregory Bannan and the characterful and powerful tenor of Ben Thapa were not presented well in the placement of the artists among the arches and pillars of the 15th century St Nicholas’ Church with frequent pulling back required to achieve some sort of balance. The madrigals that followed, again 16th and 17th century, are beautiful works, but again, not performed in a relaxed manner, here with solo voice, with piano accompaniment. Áine Smith took the first solo madrigal with her fresh soprano voice, and the refined voice of Jennifer Cearns, the second, returning with a more mezzo register in the Schubert just before the interval. David McGregor, singing counter tenor – a voice I am particularly moved by – had his solo outing in a familiar work from Purcells’s Ode to St Cecila, and here, though his falsetto voice was lovely, he unfortunately broke back into his head voice when descending into lower registers.
There is humour, poignancy and insights into previous social norms and pressures in all of these works, and announcements by each of the performers gave the audience insights into this world. But when it came to the performances, the performers took their art very seriously with a pretty consistent style throughout.
After the interval, the programme turned to part songs and excerpts mostly from the 19th and 20th century. Perhaps the artists had some time to relax – our locally produced ice-cream may be a factor here! – or maybe they figured out the way to perform in the revealing acoustic of St Nicholas’ Church and to me, this was the more enjoyable half of the evening.
Some highlights here included the Duparc “L’invitaton au voyage” performed by the solo bass voice of Gregory Bannan and the Rebecca Clarke “A Dream” by the soprano Jennifer Cearns which were unfamiliar and showed these performers in a more relaxed style.
The penultimate work was by John Joubert. He was Reader in Music at my Alma mater and his works were frequently included in local programmes when I was at university, though this particular setting of “There is no rose” was not familiar to me. Apparently his choirs dreaded his conducting style and temper! This one work was performed in the remote end of the nave and had a much more integrated sound. This was interesting and to me indicated that, there was some disparity between the performers and the acoustic that was not resolved prior to the performance.
The most enjoyable work of the evening for me was the except from Haydn’s creation where the power and character of Tenor Ben Thapa’s voice could let rip. And it was clear that the joyous sound of this ensemble performance was to Geoffrey Webber’s liking as this was substantially repeated as an encore.
All in all, it was very welcome to have a concert with a focus on the voice alone. The Armonico sandwiched this between other engagements where they performed the large scale 1610 Monteverdi Vespers, and we are most grateful to have them here. For me, and I listen to a lot of early music for voice, this particular programme did not fulfil the expectations set by the current concert series, and whether that was due to platform layout, choice of material to illustrate the poetic theme, or the suitability of the church acoustic to this ensemble is unclear. Undoubtedly the Armonico are great and accomplished performers who could and should have come over better. The audience were as ever attentive listeners and appreciative of the evening, but for me, I remained a little disappointed that the promise of the ambitious program and the capabilities of the performers were not fully realised tonight.
Thursday 29th June: Bones Apart
The all trombone, all female quartet “Bones Apart” were due to perform at the festival in 2021 and we have all been eagerly awaiting the their return to since that inevitable postponement. I say return because they were here last in 2014 – a season that unusually included two brass concerts. Now in their 25th year as an ensemble, they brought a programme to Bradfield inspired by Shakespeare. Those inspirations were focused on five plays: Henry V, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet and The Taming of the Shrew. They cast their nets wide to find music included in the plays, or at least, would have been relevant at the time Shakespeare was writing, to film music written for classic productions, to jazz and to musicals that were themselves inspired by these plays.
In encompassing this brief so widely, the range of music spanned close to 600 years with the concert opening with the earliest of these – The Agincourt Carol with its familiar l’homme armé refrain which was first mentioned in the early 15th century, and peaking with Tim Jackson’s “Three Shakespeare Songs” from 2008.
The scene for a great evening was set by the Agincourt Carol – brilliantly performed on the three tenor trombones played by Helen Vollam, Becky Smith and Jayne Murrill and the bass trombone expertly tamed by Sarah Williams.
Another early work in this opening Henry V set dated from the late 16th century, the Broadside Ballad “Watkins Ale”, was referenced by Shakespeare and mentioned by numerous composers, but most often sourced these days from the Fitzwilliam Virginals book where William Byrd’s record is found (with period-appropriate bawdy words!). But alongside these were works by William Walton, a logical choice from his film music of 1944, and Duke Ellington whose connection with Shakespeare was forged with the “Such Sweet Thunder” recordings of 1957.
And so it went on – cleverly selected works inspired by Shakespeare, some readily coming to mind (Mendelsohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Tchaikovsky’s ‘Hamlet’) some unfamiliar (Amy Beach’s, “Over hill, Over dale” and Jason Carr’s, “Poem Unlimited”) all performed with a range of sororities and dynamic lesser players could not imagine for these instruments
After the interval, Cole Porter’s “Kiss Me Kate” (“The Taming of the Shrew”) and Bernstein’s “West Side Story” (“Romeo and Juliet”) were mined for familiar classics transformed for performance on four trombones, and in the middle, more jazz sources from John Dankworth (and echoes of Cleo Laine) sparkled like the spotlights on the bells of the trombones.
From the first note played in this concert to the last, the audience were rapped, and as we have now become so familiar, listened with great engagement, understanding exactly when applause was due and allowing sets to flow from work to work when that was the intent of the performers. The audience were rewarded with an encore that continued the transcriptions from West Side story, and Bones Apart were entreated to the standing ovation and foot stamping of an audience that were fed to the soul with music they loved, performed by such engaging musicians.
I have here a personal confession. I attended this concert as something of a personal challenge. I have never enjoyed listening to pure brass ensembles. Maybe this is because many brass instruments are “in search of a repertoire” and in doing so have erred into removing the character of transcribed works to get everything to fit. Or maybe there is just so much enthusiasm for playing brass, especially here in Yorkshire, that the quality of the performers is, shall we say, sometimes more passionate than excellent. Or maybe there are just certain playing styles or techniques that are beloved of brass bands, and that win competitions and musical examinations, that are less concerned with the music and more with demonstrations of ability. No matter – the question of myself was: “If you distil the essence of brass playing with the aid of some of the most musical, most personable and most able performers, could I be converted?”
“We know what we are, but know not what we may be.“
Friday 30th June: ZRI Presents: “Brahms at the Red Hedgehog Tavern”
So you are a Brahms scholar and want to explore the time and place that the great composer experienced to produce the no-redundant-note compositions of technical sophistication for which he was and is so admired? This concert is not for you. If you want to sample the atmosphere of Gypsy, Klezmer and many other folk and traditional musics that were a part of late 19th century life in Vienna as Brahms was composing the Clarinet Quintet in Bad Ischl, then you are in the right place!
The Brahms Clarinet Quintet does contain a few gypsy melodies and the fusion of his use of these tunes with their vigorous performance and further exploration is the concept behind ZRI’s evening of entertainment. This was an evening of joy and humour, a celebration of a mix of cultures and an embedded performance of the quintet in this complex and frankly exhausting world. Originally, Brahms scored the quintet for clarinet and a conventional string quartet (two violins, viola and ‘cello) ZRI have taken a much more folksy line-up, replacing the viola and second violin with accordion and santouri (a dulcimer-like instrument), between which the original parts are shared. And so the scene was set for a unique experience.
The solo violin of Max Baillie, often played Sul Ponticello and Sul Tasto, opened, with atmospheric music of gypsy origin. It was not long before the searing announcement of the clarinet played by Ben Harlan heralded in the full ensemble with the most joyous sound to open a concert. The chemistry and showmanship (especially of Ben) was obvious, and the very full audience was immediately appreciative with fulsome applause! We were immediately transported to the Roten Igel tavern, where session musicians and, bowls of dumplings and goulash, and no doubt flowing beer and dancing were being enjoyed. As for the Brahms quintet, the Allegro and Adagio were to form the core of the first half, and the Andantino and Con Moto variations after the interval. Throughout, the Klezma and Gypsy music flowed in and out of the Brahms both between and within movements. The changes between each of these was filled with humour, accomplished adjustments of pace and emotion, and there was even one of the Brahms Hungarian Dances thrown into the mix (between the Andantino and the variations) itself suffused here with music of Jewish origin – a play within a play – that made me laugh in the surprise of the changes.
There is really little that can be said to say to convey the atmosphere of this concert; it was all about the unique experience of an evening of traditional mid European, often gypsy influenced music merged with a much more conventional work in the classical tradition with which influences were shared. You had to be there. Rounding off was the full showmanship of Ben Harlan dancing through the audience playing Taylor Swift à la Klezma for an encore. As Emperor Joseph II supposedly said of Mozart, were there too many notes in the exuberant playing of the clarinet? For sure showmanship was part of the evening. Was this a great interpretation of Brahms? I don’t think even ZRI would put that at the head of the intention here. Was this the most wonderful evening of fun entertainment, with slightly more serious undertones of how musical influences, from native and immigrant cultures enrich life and lead to greater things? Without doubt it was the most fantastic evening of entertainment and left all those questions, so relevant to modern life, in the mind.
Just look at the faces of the musicians: Iris Pissaride playing santouri never lost her smile, the camaraderie between Jon Banks (accordion) and Matthew Sharp (‘cello), the showmanship of Ben Harlan (clarinet) and the virtuosity of Max Baillie on violin. Congratulations ZRI for this unique experience, and I, like our very full audience in-the-round tonight will not forget this for a long time.
Saturday 1st July: The Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chamber String Ensemble
And so to the last concert of out festival for 2023: the much anticipated return of this illustrious ensemble, postponed from 2021. The Academy of St Martin in the Fields was originally formed as a string chamber ensemble, and this configuration, essentially a double trio of two violins, two violas and two cellos as much as a sextet, “Fresh” from performing in Colorado, arrived at the platform to a warm and extended applause.
So what happens when you mix six of the finest and most accomplished chamber musicians with a world-wide reputation, with an elegantly conceived programme, a clean church acoustic and a warm, welcoming and sophisticated audience? You get one of the most enjoyable and rewarding climaxes that a small festival such as ours could ever hope for.
All six players performed in the opening Bach Ricercar a 6: a familiar 6 part fugue from The Musical Offering. This is a complex work with the the lines of the fugue entwined between the instruments, and you might think that this as an first work in the programme with the musicians “cold” and some no doubt still jet-lagged would be a risky, but of course, this was just stunning. The acoustic allowed all the voices of the fugue to be heard clearly and was met by more exuberant applause.
The Academy being the Academy were always going to introduce some surprises: they did when they were last at the festival in 2013, and here we had a little Percy Grainger and more Bach either side of the Schubert B flat Trio. The Grainger, an early work: “Arrival Platform Humlet” published in 1916, was played on viola by Robert Smissen and was an entertaining comparison to the Grainger in Monday’s concert. The Bach was a sublime performance of the Prelude from the first of the solo cello suites, performed by Will Schofield. Schubert true to form only wrote one and half movements of the second String Trio, but enticing in the hands of the Academy nonetheless.
The last work before the interval showed off the lyrical and dance-like sororities of the Academy now back to full forces in the two completed movements of the Borodin String Sextet.
The whole of the second part of the concert was taken up with a performance of the Brahms early B flat major sextet. I have heard this work a few times, but never with so much emotion and urgency. And yet the delicate tintinnabulation in the second movement, ably highlighted by Fiona Bonds on Viola, and the conversational Scherzo third movement were able to draw in the Bradfield audience to strain for more detail, note by note until the shattering conclusion of the Rondo finale.
This was another beguiling concert, as have been so many this year. And like others, there is often a subtext underling the performance. For the Academy, the cellist who should have been performing for us in 2021 sadly died due do COVID complications related to his cancer treatment. Martin Loveday was in the hearts and minds of the ensemble as they were finally able to play here in Bradfield, and no-doubt the intensity and engagement of this concert were indeed in part a tribute to their friend and colleague.
Throughout this festival, the artists have remarked on what a wonderful acoustic the church has, what a beautiful setting it is in and what appreciative, engaged and sophisticated listeners the audience are. And of course, the comments shared in interval discussions, between people who may not have known each other previously but with a common musical passion, have been a pleasure to share and witness.
The extent to which the artists enjoy coming here has been reflected in their words and those of their agents, and we hope that audiences and performers alike will continue to enjoy the Bradfield Festival of Music.
Linos piano trio: “It was such a pleasure to play to your wonderful audience, thank you for looking after us so well!”
Bones Apart: “Thank you so much for inviting us to perform again at the Bradfield Festival, we had a lovely day. Such a gorgeous church and setting and a really warm and appreciative audience; what more could we ask for! Thanks for all your hospitality yesterday and the help over the past few months organizing our visit.”
“We loved our visit to the Bradfield Festival of Music! What a beautiful place!”
“We had a great time! Thanks for inviting us and hope we can return in the future.”
“Many thanks for having us – we loved playing in such a beautiful setting ❤️”
ZRI: “Thank you again for your hospitality, lifts, and that wonderful audience last Friday. It was great to return to Bradfield and feel the warmth of all those people who’d been to see us before and came back for more! Thanks also for booking us into the hotel, which was ideal.”
“Can’t believe we’ve played almost 100 gigs together now as a band.. thank you to the musical fam @zrimusic for so many adventures 
and to Bradfield Festival for having us last night! 
” “Thank you Bradfield Festival of Music! 
“
“Thank you so much! And thank u everyone at #bradfieldfestivalofmusic! We had a fantastic time! What an incredible place and the warmest most embracing audience! ❤️”
Academy of St Martin in the Fields: “We really enjoyed playing for you and your lovely welcoming audience @BradfieldMusic – thank you”