An great orchestral event in Wales
You may like to hear about a great event I attended last week, at the new Hoddinott Hall at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff.This recently opened Hall (named after the composer Alun Hoddinott who died recently) is the latest part of the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay to be presented to the public. It is a very pleasant, light space, with red (separate) chairs, and intricate panelling all round in varnished light wood. The platform spans the breadth of the hall, and just holds the full strength of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, whose lower brass can be heard with no holds barred, as the varnished wood makes the space quite resonant. The general acoustic is excellent.
On the 12th and 13th of March, two days were given over by the Orchestra and their guest conductor in chief, Jac van Steen, to music by living Welsh composers. A call for scores by the orchestra brought in a good number of scores, from which seven were chosen to be workshopped over the two days (the morning and afternoon of the Thursday, and the afternoon of the Friday). The Friday evening was given over to a concert performance of the four pieces workshopped in the afternoon, the four composers being Hilary Tann (The Grey Tide and the Green), Mark Bowden (Tirlun), Christopher Painter (Forest of Dreams), and Gareth Glyn (A Night at the Opera). For the Bowden piece, van Steen surrendered his baton to the promising young conductor Jonathan Mann. During the workshops, a bound copy of all the scores together was available for the audience to borrow, and owing to the care and clarity with which Jac van Steen conducted the proceedings, every single word spoken, whether to the orchestra or to the audience, as well as the music, was clearly audible.
Those able to attend are immensely in the Orchestra's debt for giving us this opportunity - actually free of charge! - to hear top line work by contemporary composers. The cost in money, time, goodwill, and care taken with the whole event, must be considerable. But even so, wouldn't this be an example for any orchestra to follow? If you know of a similar event, please let us know about it!
On the 12th and 13th of March, two days were given over by the Orchestra and their guest conductor in chief, Jac van Steen, to music by living Welsh composers. A call for scores by the orchestra brought in a good number of scores, from which seven were chosen to be workshopped over the two days (the morning and afternoon of the Thursday, and the afternoon of the Friday). The Friday evening was given over to a concert performance of the four pieces workshopped in the afternoon, the four composers being Hilary Tann (The Grey Tide and the Green), Mark Bowden (Tirlun), Christopher Painter (Forest of Dreams), and Gareth Glyn (A Night at the Opera). For the Bowden piece, van Steen surrendered his baton to the promising young conductor Jonathan Mann. During the workshops, a bound copy of all the scores together was available for the audience to borrow, and owing to the care and clarity with which Jac van Steen conducted the proceedings, every single word spoken, whether to the orchestra or to the audience, as well as the music, was clearly audible.
Those able to attend are immensely in the Orchestra's debt for giving us this opportunity - actually free of charge! - to hear top line work by contemporary composers. The cost in money, time, goodwill, and care taken with the whole event, must be considerable. But even so, wouldn't this be an example for any orchestra to follow? If you know of a similar event, please let us know about it!
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Permalink Reply by Louise on -
Oliver Knussen's recent RFH concert in the 'Music of Today' series was similarly inspiring. The works performed were his 'Ocean de Terre' Op 10, Variations Op 24 and 'Requiem - Songs for Sue' Op 33, performed by a chamber ensemble drawn from the Philharmonia Orchestra, with soprano soloist Claire Booth and conductor/pianist Ryan Wigglesworth. Interesting, too, was his pre-concert talk with Julian Anderson, discussing the pieces. And I especially appreciated his comment that, in today's climate, we need music more than ever.
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