Archive for year: 2012

An extraordinary, fascinating and rewarding few days working on Curlew River, with a wonderful team of talented and generous Japanese performers joining our English director (David Edwards), musical director (Dominic Wheeler), production team, and chorus.  An absolute highlight for me was watching the performance of Sumidagawa, the Noh play by which Britten was bowled over in Tokyo, and which inspired him to write Curlew River.  The stillness and dignity of the Noh performance was utterly captivating, and the pacing and musical gestures, as well as very obviously the plot, made an enormous amount of sense of Curlew.  To present this double-bill in Orford Church, where Britten premiered Curlew River, and to have in the audience people who were in the audience at the very first performance and who were directly related to some of the original performers, was an honour indeed.  

The Japanese and English teams are finally in one place for this week's performances of Curlew River –  an Anglo-Japanese collaboration involving student instrumentalists and professor singers from Tokyo University of the Arts, alongside our chorus of English students and professionals, for whom I have been responsible in rehearsal.  The intergration of the performers who have so far been rehearsing separately in London and in Tokyo now needs to happen very speedily this week!  The performances will be given in a double-bill with Sumidagawa, the Noh play on which Curlew River was based –  in London on Friday and in Orford (where Britten premiered Curlew) on Sunday.  See the Sumidagawa / Curlew River site for more information on this extraordinary project.

Back from a wonderful first visit to Dartington International Summer School.  As one of their resident accompanists, the job entails playing for a full schedule of masterclasses all week –  in my case, mostly for singers, who were taught by James Gilchrist and Lee Bisset, but also occasionally for oboes and cellos!   Alongside this it was a joy to play a couple of concerts in the three-a-day lineup –  particularly a recital of Berg and Rachmaninov with Lee Bisset, but also other appearances such as a six-pianist piece by Percy Grainger!  Dartington is known for its rare bringing together of professionals and amateurs: it was fascinating finally to see this in action and be a part of it!

After an intensive rehearsal weekend on Stephen McNeff's A Voice of One Delight with Clare McCaldin (mezzo) and Joe Austin (director), it's the week of techs, dress rehearsal, and opening night.  The piece now has a real shape on the stage, and the music is captivatiing.  It's been an intensive and complicated project, with a superb team: Simon Kenny (design), Steve Mayo (sound design), Adam Young (AV design), and Petra Söör (choreography).  Can't wait to see it all come together!  Opening night is Thursday, as part of the buzzing Tête à Tête festival at Riverside Studios.

Currently preparing an unusual recital programme for this weekend: Feminine Charms with Diana Moore is an exploration of the much-neglected repertoire of songs by women composers.  Diana has been researching this programme for some time and there are some absolute gems, ranging from the nineteenth century to the present day: two of the composers (Elaine Hugh Jones and Lynne Plowman) will be present at the performance!  The concert is part of the Celebrating English Song festival in Tardebigge, this Sunday afternoon.