Galliard Ensemble Concert ReviewsBlackheath Halls. 15th April 2007 A perfect summer morning in mid April and a near perfect concert in the recital room at the Halls, which can be stiflingly hot even on the most moderate of days and the brave decision was taken to open the windows. The music was augmented by the occasional sound of sirens, car horns and stereos from Blackheath Road. This only really intruded into the concert during the quietest of the Arnold Sea Shanties and it actually added a moment of fun to round off of the encore, the Waltz from Norman Hallam's Dance Suite. The first half of the programme was performed in exemplary fashion. The Figaro Overture was the perfect start, but whose arrangement for wind ensemble is it? The unsigned programme notes told us little we needed to know, and although the musicians took turns to introduce the items, with wit and charm in every case, this splendid arrangement remained as by ‘anon’. The Ensemble had worked with Ligeti when they were students and gave a spot on performance of the Bagatelles, pieces that have entered the Wind Quintet repertoire comprehensively in recent years (this was probably the fifth time I have heard them in the last three or four years - they are particularly popular with student ensembles). This performance struck me as definitive with its colouration and rhythmic energy. One was reminded also, particularly in the second piece, how beautiful Ligeti’s music can be. It was inevitable that the Nielsen Quintet, a true chamber masterpiece, would provide the emotional core of the entire recital and this proved to be the case. The beauty, the playfulness, the formal and technical skill of the writing and the references to the personalities, foibles and musical strengths of the original Copenhagen dedicatees all came out in this wonderful performance. The second half was at a slightly less exalted level but started well with a well crafted piece by Barber evoking a hot summer’s day (something of a speciality of his) and an excellent performance of the classic Arnold Shanty arrangements - what a clever piece of work. The concert finished with the Berio Opus Number Zoo. This is a slightly problematic music theatre piece as scored, requiring the players to declaim the text whilst playing. The Galliards entered into the theatricality with a fine silent film style tableau in the fourth tale. The difficulty is that despite their efforts to enunciate clearly, the words are mostly indistinguishable more than five or six rows back. However this minor quibble aside, a wonderful recital from this first class ensemble. Mark Dennis For wind ensembles, it's not enough to be fine exponents of their instruments: the paucity of repertoire means players must also be inventive with programming. At their concert in St Peter's church in Goodwick, the Galliard Ensemble struck a clever balance between old and new, original and arranged. Giulio Briccialdi was a contemporary of Rossini and his quintet - betraying his prowess as a flautist and his opera house connections - was a lively curtain-raiser that proved the credentials of these Radio 3 New Generation artists. Their combination of virtuosic technique and expression was further apparent in the arrangement of Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin and in Barber's Summer Music. John McCabe's Postcards is an elaboration of eight miniatures first written for two clarinets. Though developed into more substantial missives, the pieces remain succinct and elegantly constructed, capturing the essence of each instrument as well as the dynamic of a quintet. Paul Patterson's Westerly Winds was another recasting, this time scaled down from an orchestral suite based on West Country folk tunes. It was brilliantly executed, but almost too densly layered. For sheer wit and panache, nothing could beat the ensemble's performance of Berio's Opus Number Zoo, with each player alternating the verbal and musical phrases of the cartoon-like tales with consummate skill. Rian Evans, The Guardian, August 2004, Fishguard Festival "The Lively playing of the Galliard Ensemble made this an especially memorable evening" Cheltenham Echo July 2004 (The Cheltenham International Festival) "the variations movement was splendidly controlled... Also impressive was their intonation and conductorless unanimity" Richard Morrison, The Times Jan 04 (Mozart Serenade at St Lukes, EC1) "Top calibre performers shining the beam of their musicality on an unequivocal masterpiece". Barry Millington, London Evening Standard Jan 2004 (Mozart Serenade at St Lukes, EC1) "The Galliard Ensemble sparkled with every hue in their brilliant concert on St Valentine's Day in Haslemere. A very distinguished band indeed who added something of themselves to every piece without ever obscuring the original work of the composer" Raymond Harris, Haslemere Herald - Feb 2004 The Galliard Ensemble gave a satisfying, well balanced programme of Portuguese wind quintets and solos for clarinet and flute there, which is replicated, with additions, including , in their generously filled disc. All three CDs are well recorded and are worth exploring. Brass and percussion enthusiasts (and players) will discover interesting new repertoire, and the general listener should perhaps go first for The Galliard Ensemble's collection; they are going from strength to strength with regular exposure as BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists and must be congratulated on exploring this field. (Atlantic Waves Festival of Portuguese Music – Purcell Room) Peter Graham Woolf, Musical Pointers Nov 2003 "A virtuoso performance by Galliard... A fine belnd of virtuosity and musicianship" Alan Macdonald, Morpeth Herald Nov 2002 "The Galliard Ensemble gave a distinguished recital of music for wind quintet. Its programme centred on the 20th century, when the combination of flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn enjoyed a renaissance, but an adaptation of Mozart's B flat major Adagio K411 (originally for clarinets and basset-horns) caught the music's solemn serenity. Elsewhere, in Ibert's Trois Pieces Breves, Ligeti's Six Bagatelles and Nielsen's Quintet, it was the Galliard's vivacity, polish and well-harnessed energy that gave the recital such a boost. There was keen rapport here in music that is basically good-natured but makes diverse demands, and the Galliard's way with it was wily and winning" (BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert) Geoffrey Norris, The Daily Telegraph Oct 2002 "One of the highlights (of the Presteigne Festival) this was the Galliard ensemble" Paul Conway, The Independent (Aug 2001) "Deftly pointed" The Daily Telegraph "Taut and well rehearsed" The Financial Times "Birtwistle's Refrains and Choruses makes demands that were easily met by the Galliards: the capricious textures were handled with the same assurance they brought to Ligeti in the beguiling Six Bagatelles." The Times "One of the 10 chamber groups in the world to keep an eye on" Classic CD "All five young musicians demonstrated so clearly the art of ensemble playing, almost breathing as one .. a thoroughly enjoyable recital given by a group of versatile and committed musicians who deserve every success" Pan "The Galliard Ensemble are like angels sent from heaven. What more could a composer want than to have his music performed so superbly by such a talented group of young musicians of incredible sensitivity and musicianship." Paul Patterson - Nov 2000 "Outstanding musicians of their generation" Neil Black OBE "A performance so sharp, sardonic and vividly coloured that they sounded really quite special ... mercurial brilliance" The Herald (Glasgow) "Remarkable performances.. as good as I've heard anywhere" Paul Patterson "Beautiful delicate and fluent playing....Flautist Kathryn Thomas had her moment in the lime light playing Ibert's Aria for Flute and Piano which she did with effortless smoothness and captivating charm." Alan Cooper, Aberdeen Press & Journal Nov 2000 "The enthusiasm of youth combined with exceptional instrumental skills made for an evening's entertainment of first-class quality." West Somerset Free Press Nov 2000 "What a pleasure it was to hear the defined texture of the Mozart and Beethoven, contrasted by the lyrical defined texture of the Saint Saens and the massive impact of the Poulenc chording and complex rhythmic patterns. To the Jacques Ibert, well that was sheer delightful Gallic fun as was intended by the composer, such a 'grand plaisir' for both audience and players." (Ross International Music Festival) Trevor L Sharpe, The Ross Gazette "The Galliard Ensemble, well remembered from their successes as Park Lane Group Young Artists and more recently at the Proms, gave a well balanced programme. Their originality and promise for the future shone through. Birtwistle's Five Distances, immaculately prepared, also gained from the players standing well apart as instructed by the composer." (The Huddersfield Festival) Dr Peter Graham Woolf, Seen & Heard 1999 |