THOROUGHBASS PRESENTS THE BIRCH TREE CONCERT @ ST LUKES CHURCH MOSMAN

Sydney Arts Guide

A very satisfying aspect of any Thoroughbass concert is artistic director Diana Weston’s adherence to a clear and cohesive concept or theme. It is very apparent that each concert is preceded by considerable preparation, arrangement-writing and pertains, as in the case with this concert, to this very fine ensemble’s release of a new CD.

The latest concert, THE BIRCH TREE, was no exception in this regard. As a creative and concert event it was devoted to modern music which develops or is inspired by folk music. It involved the writing, recording and concert performance of several arrangements for the ensemble as well as new works by Australian composers Ann Carr-Boyd and Elena Kats-Chernin.

The programme notes for the event at St Lukes Church were, as always, an enticing and informative accompaniment to the interestingly juxtaposed works. Four brackets of arrangements by the ensemble’s artistic director and harpsichordist Diana Weston making their debut in this concert plus the two new compositions utilised national music traditions from Renaissance England through colonial Australia to Hungary, Spain, Argentina and the Middle East.

Diana Weston once again assembled a group of fine musicians to join her harpsichord for both the making of the new CD and for this concert.

Gambist Shaun Ng and Joanne Arnott shone in Mary Mageau’s complex ‘Variations on Scarborough Fair’ and ‘Variations on Greensleeves’. Their reliable performances moved with satisfying forward direction and were excellently phrased. Their lines above the keyboard texture combined to create a rich tapestry.

The well-known Scarborough Fair theme on Ng’s viola da gamba was a beautiful, timeless opening expression to the first set of variations by Mageau. Joanne Arnott on recorder also presented a haunting Greensleeves melody which spoke to us with great shades of articulation before the imaginative intricacies of Mageau’s composition unfolded.

The harpsichord was showcased successfully in contemporary style with the premiere of Suite for Diana by Ann Carr-Boyd. Via Carr-Boyd’s inimitable style of harpsichord writing and setting diverse folksongs we heard historic music originally for English, Latvian and Arabic language contours developed into an effective modern work.

Throughout this premiere performance, harpsichordist Diana Weston maximised the possibilities for contrast, unity and character that this work provided. Weston’s playing and promotion of her instrument was at its best during this set.

Angus Ryan joined Diana Weston in two sets of folk music arranged by Diana from Hungarian and Slovakian inspired pieces found in Bartók’s ‘For Children’ cycle of piano pieces.

These sets of highly contrasted snippets were effectively arranged for cello and harpsichord. They were at all times colourful and amongst the most innovative of the programme’s original arrangement content.

Other Weston arrangements included the Argentinian Astor Piazzola’s ‘Invierno Porteňo’ for full ensemble to conclude the concert. Shaun Ng’s gamba playing was especially well stylised and highly lyrical in this piece.

The inclusion of cellist Lucy Cormack in the ensemble brought some commanding and powerfully precise performances of both arrangement works and newly composed music alike. Her well-projected solo tone brought directness and character to the works she played in and boldly filled the St Luke’s Church acoustic.

Cormack joined the harpsichord for Weston’s arrangement of Sarasate’s ‘Playera’. The cello part contributed to a highly characterised performance with suitable duende.

Cormack and Weston also successfully performed the title premiere work for the concert and CD, The Birch Tree by Elena Kats-Chernin. This gem of a work was instantly identifiable as pure Kats-Chernin in style. Elements of a folksong from the Russia of her youth were transformed into a concise morcel of timeless contemporary expression. It was a smooth and pleasurable sonic treat.

 The Birch Tree CD is now available on the Wirripang label (Wirr 068).

Daniel Kaan: ClassikON

The Birch Tree is the name of a Russian folk song which embodies the theme of growth and formed the theme for all the works in this concert by Thoroughbass inspired by folk song.

We began with the delicate and gentle sounds of the viola da gamba (Shaun Ng) and tenor recorder (Joanne Arnott) contrasted with the more percussive sounds of Diana Weston’s rich harpsichord in a charming setting by the Brisbane composer Mary Mageau of Scarborough Fair. Later in the program they played another set of variations on Greensleeves also by Mageau. Presented initially unaccompanied on the recorder, the melody was passed amongst the instruments with lovely countermelodies from Arnott and “leaning” expression from Ng that the gamba does so well. A solo verse from the harpsichord was also impressive.

We were then treated to selections of Bartók, For Children/Hungarian and Slovakian (Béla Bartók arr. Weston) – two series of short pieces and all folk-song based as is much of Bartók’s music. Weston’s arrangements for harpsichord and cello (Angus Ryan) added an interesting dimension to the works originally for piano, and her accurate playing and musicianship formed the backbone of this arrangement Slovakian folk song arrangements presented later in the concert alternated mournful minor melodies with lively dance tunes. All short and sweet as is often Bartók’s want; why do two verses when you can do one?

Suite for Diana performed by Diana barefoot with genuine intimacy

Suite for Diana (Ann Carr-Boyd) for solo harpsichord was commissioned by and dedicated to Thoroughbass director Diana Weston and sets folk songs. It is interesting to hear music by this composer written specifically for harpsichord. It has a character quite unlike her other music, especially as the harpsichord is such an “exact” instrument. Weston is of course right at home here, sitting barefoot at her warm sounding instrument with genuine intimacy in her performance. In Playera (Pablo de Sarasate, arr, Weston), Weston was joined by cello again, this time played by Lucy Cormack who plays with full vibrato and throws herself with earnest gusto into the Spanish music.

Cormack and Weston then played The Birch Tree by Elena Kats-Chernin, one of my favourite composers. There is nearly always fun and humour implicit in Kats-Chernin’s music. This namesake of the concert is based on a Russian folk song Kats-Chernin learnt as a child which tells of using branches of the birch tree to make flutes and a balalaika. Invierno Porteño (Astor Piazzola, arr. Weston) was played on harpsichord, cello (Cormack), Gamba and treble recorder. This passionate piece works a little strangely on early instruments although Piazzola also uses unisons to very powerful effect. I have attended quite a few of Thoroughbass’ concerts now and I am always impressed by their interesting and innovative programming. There are always surprises and challenges for the listener.

Daniel Kaan for ClassiKon.

ClassikON

Loud Mouth/ The Music Trust: CD The Birch Tree. Music based on Folktunes.

PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2, 2016CHILDREN'S SONGS, CLASSICAL, FOLK, NEW MUSIC

Artist/s: Throroughbass: Diana Weston (harpsichord), and Anna Fraser (soprano), Shaun Ng (viola da gamba), Joanne Arnott (recorder), Angus Ryan (cello)
Category: Children's songs, Classical, Folk, New Music
Label: Wirripang Wirr 068
www.AustralianComposers.com.au
Reviewed by Gwen Bennett

“The most unusual aspect of this CD is the rare sound of Béla Bartók’s piano music played on a harpsichord, sometimes with cello, and surrounded by contemporary Australian compositions.”

The Music Trust

From two volumes of Bartók’s collections of Hungarian and Slovakian folksongs entitled For Children, Diana Weston has selected 27 pieces, in two sets. Mostly songs and dances, usually around a minute long, they vary in mood from sombre, poignant or whimsical to lilting, energetic and jolly. The robust sound of the harpsichord suits the music well and Weston plays with verve and skill. The unexpected presence of Angus Ryan’s cello reinforces rhythm in about half of the pieces and also provides some lovely solos to chordal accompaniment from the harpsichord. These little pieces represent much effort on the part of their collector and transcriber, reminding us to reflect on the life and work of this great composer.

The opening track on the CD is Mary Mageau’s Variations on Scarborough Fair, written in 1982 for the now defunct Brisbane Baroque Trio. The tune is subtly altered yet always recognisable in these lyrical and poetic variations, which are beautifully performed by Joanne Arnott (recorder), Shaun Ng (viola da gamba) and Diana Weston. While this setting does not use the words, the opening lines of the famous tune are well known:

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. . .

Weston’s liner notes inform us that the words have a “submerged meaning. Fascinating studies on the methods of contraception used in medieval times – both herbal and mechanical – reveal that the parsley, rosemary and thyme are not just culinary flavours . . .” That snippet of information certainly provides a new notion of why a person might be going to Scarborough Fair!

Inventiveness and joy imbue Four Children’s Songs by May Howlett. This composer easily enters into a child’s fantasy world – she wrote both words and music to a descriptive quartet of pieces entitled “The Littlest Dragon”, “The Cat”, “The Dog” and “Flutter-by, My Butterfly”. Howlett has had a long career in performing, teaching and composing and knows much about how to write for voice. She has given the soprano some vocal challenges, but the masterly Anna Fraser has no trouble with those – her interpretations are great fun, with the occasional roar, purr or woof! She is accompanied by Shaun Ng, Diana Weston and also by Joanne Arnott in “Flutter-by, My Butterfly”.

Suite for Diana was commissioned by Diana Weston and composed in 2014 for solo harpsichord by Ann Carr-Boyd. Three movements inspired from different folksong sources are separated by “Interludes” as breaks between the songs, to be inserted, omitted or repeated at the discretion of the performer. “The Wild Colonial Boy” opens the Suite in a brisk, spirited rendition of this Australian/Irish song. The second movement consists of two contrasting Latvian folksongs. Carr-Boyd introduces the tunes then takes us on a delightful imaginative journey of an improvisatory nature, with scalic passages, trills and flourishes of diverse types, before the recapitulation. The third movement is based on a traditional Arabic song called “Gulumkan”. Over a repetitive bass line, Carr-Boyd provides some interesting writing for the right hand, with more trills and flourishes which ally aurally to earlier sounds.  A concluding “Interlude” acts as a coda. This Suite is an excellent addition to the body of Australian music written for solo harpsichord.

The final track gives its name to the CD – The Birch Tree by Elena Kats-Chernin, written in 2014 for cello and harpsichord and recorded here for the first time. It is based on a famous Russian folk song: “In the fields stood the birch tree, it was curly . . .” Kats-Chernin comments: “I had very, very curly hair as a child and I felt like that birch tree . . .” This concept ties straight back, in a most satisfying way, to the imagery of Howlett’s Children’s Songs. The repetitive nature of the piece is mesmeric and quite evocative – I had a vision of a group of Russian women in long skirts and headdresses performing a round dance, although a few modern jazzy bits creep in from time to time.

Diana Weston is founder and director of Thoroughbass, a group dedicated to presenting innovative programs of early and contemporary music, as this CD amply demonstrates. She should be commended especially for commissioning new Australian music. The recording was made in Studio 301, Sydney by engineer Ross A’Hern and Diana Weston.

Wirripang continues on its exemplary path of support for such projects.