Britten Sinfonia premiered three new works this weekend from composers Anibal Vidal, Alex Groves, and Eden Lonsdale. All three were part of the orchestra’s learning and participation programme headed up by celebrated composers Dani Howard and Raymond Yiu.
Attended by an attentive 200+ audience, the 75-minute concert at St Giles Cripplegate acted as a survey for where contemporary classical is at the present time: telling thought-provoking stories with compelling distinctive musical language.
Each work shone in different ways, tickling the senses of the evidently curious and creative crowd in attendance.
Vidal’s music – fragments of Haydn’s Creation and Trumpet Concerto brought together in a fun musical mosaic was a treat for the eyes and the ears – was thought provoking. Bringing
Lonsdale summoned a more primal and monastic sound world with his concerto for voice and chamber ensemble. Of the three Lonsdale takes the more purist approach, stepping back from contextualising his work, allowing the audience to make up their own minds. This humility is charming though not entirely necessary. The material is highly engaging, teasing the listener by conjuring a distant time period, deftly subverting expectations with subtle yet unsettling harmonic shifts.
In Groves concerto written for friend violinist and Manchester Collective co-director Rakhi Singh, infectious rock-infused syncopations are contrasted with a second movement pastoral come-down expanded on with a both unexpected and gratifying musical sunrise bursting with colour, texture and warmth. This followed by an inventive concluding movement showcased what emerges when creativity, craft and passion combine. Thoroughly Good has followed the path of Alex Groves for as many years as the blog has been in existence. That this is the composer’s first concerto, only heighten the appetite for more.
Britten Sinfonia’s learning and participation programme confidently positions a much-loved classical brand in an exciting space as a champion for new voices and new sounds, underscoring its newfound image of courage and the defiance. Britten Sinfonia have been dealt quite the hammer blow in recent years. Long before any note sounds it demonstrates an unfailing ability to generate warmth and enthusiasm for its creative committments amongst players and audience alike. It needs to go the extra mile and secure industry recognition for these achievements. Blogs can only go so far.
