Brighton’s Youth Celebrate Sir John Tavener
Brighton Youth Orchestra
Brighton Festival Youth Choir
Sunday, May 18, 5pm at St Bartholomew’s Church, Ann Street, Brighton
Tavener – Ekstatis (written for Brighton Youth Orchestra)
Elgar – Enigma Variations
Schubert – Unfinished Symphony
Bach – Suite No 2 in B minor
with Charlotte Barbour-Condini Recorder
Brighton Youth Orchestra (BYO) celebrated the life and music of Sir John Tavener as part of the Brighton Festival. Sir John Tavener wrote a specially commissioned work for the Brighton Youth Orchestra in 2001 titled Ekstasis which was included in the program and which took full advantage of the particular acoustic properties of St Bart’s and which was a sublime rendition. The Bach suits alas suffered with the same acoustic and smothered the delightful precision of Bach’s Suite No. 2 although recorder soloist Charlotte Barbour-Condini managed to pierce the smoothed out tones with her elegant touch perfect playing and demonstrate why she was made the finalist of young musician of the year in 2012.
Hymn to Jerusalem was the best piece of this afternoon’s recital, full bodied and with an inner conviction and rigorous strength that is sometimes lacking in this most ethereal of composers but we were transported by the careful balance of voice and orchestra that this talented young group of people presented. We were seated right in front of the Brass section which was placed at the back of the church and this added an element of surreal northern brass band to this otherwise subtle and elegant piece, not something which wholly detracted from the music and I rather enjoyed the blareing brass overtones. It made Hymn come alive in a way I’ve not experienced before.
For full details of the concert, CLICK HERE:
A bit of an odd mix of music in the selection. I felt the clash of pompous Elgar and sublime Taverner irritated me, but overall the musical quality was top notch, the choice of venue excellent and the production values of the Youth Choir and Orchestra superb.
It’s always a pleasure to listen to Taverner, when the air is misted with the scent of frankincense the high eerie brick vaults pierced through with the rays of a setting sun and massed voices rolling around a sacred space then it’s a highlight and serious delight,
Taverner can often feel a little hollow to me, lacking in real spiritual depth but the added fugue of the St Bart’s space joined with the purity and well-rehearsed Youth Orchestra and Choir presented an afternoon of superb and sublime musical entertainment.
I think John was looking down from his soft Orthodox sofa in heaven, nudged Mother Thekla and smiled at us all.
You must be logged in to post a comment.