The Off-Stage Brass
I went to this concert at the Bridgewater Hall last night to mark the 21st World AIDS Day. Jackie Kay and the Halle Orchestra teamed up with an international collection of composers to perform 'Walking Along the Red Dust Road', a story suite of seven songs with libretto by Kay; following the premier was a performance of Faure's 'Requiem', a very famous, delicate piece of music.
To say that I didn't enjoy the performance as much as I would've liked is as honest and diplomatic as I can get. I can't fault the orchestra for the performance they gave: by turns stirring and strident; soulful and soft, I felt they worked really hard to engage to audience.
Kay's libretto however, and the composers' difficult, sometimes atonal compositions, didn't sit so well together. The music was in the vein of contemporary classical, and the few times I've encountered contemporary classical music I've found myself wishing there was more of a tune to it, or at least something approaching an atmosphere. It's possible I've just heard bad examples of the genre (if anyone could make a recommendation, it would be very welcome). I think it was expecting a lot of an audience who (at the risk of generalising) probably don't listen to much of the stuff, myself included, to sit through meandering vocal solos for seven minutes at a time and enjoy it.
The libretto fell short of my expectations too (which to be frank, weren't that high). I've never been much of a fan of Kay's poetry and I found her contribution too prosaic to be affecting, and stuffed with cliches, lines like 'my own personal Hell', that sort of stuff.
Now I'd like to make a clear distinction at this point that I'm criticising the art, not the cause. Objective comments made on art done in the name of charity can sometimes draw knee-jerk reactions which I don't want to invite. Principally, I went in support of a foundation that works hard to publicise the need for constant awareness of and research into a still incurable disease. It was very heartening to see such a strong turn out for the performance, and the concert itself was not without its highlights either: there were passages in 'Walking Along the Red Dust Road' that I thought hit the mark and Foure's 'Requiem', I piece I hadn't heard before, was a real pleasure. Still, I think feedback on the evening, both positive and negative, should be aired, if only so few future events can draw bigger crowds to even more successful performances.
To say that I didn't enjoy the performance as much as I would've liked is as honest and diplomatic as I can get. I can't fault the orchestra for the performance they gave: by turns stirring and strident; soulful and soft, I felt they worked really hard to engage to audience.
Kay's libretto however, and the composers' difficult, sometimes atonal compositions, didn't sit so well together. The music was in the vein of contemporary classical, and the few times I've encountered contemporary classical music I've found myself wishing there was more of a tune to it, or at least something approaching an atmosphere. It's possible I've just heard bad examples of the genre (if anyone could make a recommendation, it would be very welcome). I think it was expecting a lot of an audience who (at the risk of generalising) probably don't listen to much of the stuff, myself included, to sit through meandering vocal solos for seven minutes at a time and enjoy it.
The libretto fell short of my expectations too (which to be frank, weren't that high). I've never been much of a fan of Kay's poetry and I found her contribution too prosaic to be affecting, and stuffed with cliches, lines like 'my own personal Hell', that sort of stuff.
Now I'd like to make a clear distinction at this point that I'm criticising the art, not the cause. Objective comments made on art done in the name of charity can sometimes draw knee-jerk reactions which I don't want to invite. Principally, I went in support of a foundation that works hard to publicise the need for constant awareness of and research into a still incurable disease. It was very heartening to see such a strong turn out for the performance, and the concert itself was not without its highlights either: there were passages in 'Walking Along the Red Dust Road' that I thought hit the mark and Foure's 'Requiem', I piece I hadn't heard before, was a real pleasure. Still, I think feedback on the evening, both positive and negative, should be aired, if only so few future events can draw bigger crowds to even more successful performances.