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Review: Orchestre d'Auvergne & Red Note Ensemble

Music Hall, Aberdeen

Friday 24 October 2014

by Alan Cooper

sound has in the past made connections with other festivals specialising in new music outwith the UK. This year sees the fruition of collaborations between sound and Musiques Démesurées a French festival of contemporary music held in Clermont-Ferrand, one of Aberdeen’s twin cities. The Orchestre d’Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand’s virtuoso string ensemble joined forces with Red Note Ensemble, sound’s Associate Ensemble for a concert of four contemporary works including three World premieres and one UK premiere. Three of the composers were present at the performance and two of them, Laurent Cuniot and William Sweeney took part in a pre-concert conversation. Both of their pieces were influenced by the composers’ reactions to the hundredth anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War. Such responses lay at the heart of the music. All the same, I was attracted by Laurent Cuniot’s comment that although his music was indeed profoundly influenced by its theme, it has its own musical identity that goes beyond the piece’s starting point. I felt that what was really important in listening to all four new works was their form, instrumentation, colours and musical identity. We were about to hear four truly singular works with potent musical personalities bursting with instrumental colour.

Brian Irvine was in the audience to hear the World premiere of his new work, Of the breathing land, performed by the eleven members of Red Note Ensemble. The piece in three conjoined movements opened with clean motifs played with buoyant clarity by a woodwind choir of two clarinets, bass clarinet and flute. The entry of a brass trio of horn, trumpet and trombone along with marimba and vibes, violin and cello saw the music develop a biting energy that drove forward until fast repeated notes created a kind of shimmering or glittering effect and then longer held notes led to a glassy conclusion played by a single clarinet. The title of the work comes from a line in a poem by Seamus Heaney and in his programme note Brian Irvine explains that the poem and therefore the music also have resonances of the First World War. More important though were the contrasting instrumental colours, rhythms and pacing of the music which grabbed my attention and held it firmly throughout. It worked as a splendid overture to the concert.

After an overture what better than a concerto and Ňawpa by Thierry Pécou was very much that though perhaps in a more radical format. Violin soloist Léonie Delaune was absolutely fantastic and she was more than ably supported by the fabulous Orchestre d’Auvergne strings. Léonie opened the work with what had all the impact and fiery intensity of a cadenza. Extended string techniques ran throughout her part in the music and her playing was echoed distantly by offstage players who soon joined the rest of the Orchestre d’Auvergne strings. Their playing in groups or full ensemble echoed the virtuosity of the soloist. There were some magical touches like the two double basses placed at opposite sides of the orchestra one hitting the body of his instrument to provide a percussion effect the other filling in the sound with pizzicato. The orchestra produced keening or weeping which then metamorphosed into chimes. This was a marvellous adventure in string sonorities.

Laurent Cuniot in his note talks a great deal about the musical colours in his piece entitled Just Before. It is inspired by the idea of a First World War soldier about to “go over the top” out of the trenches. The music began with ominous blows from the bass drums. The strings were initially muted adding to the sense of tension. There was muted brass too then the sounds opened up and there were what could have been cries of voices, strange whispering cellos and a terrifying oboe solo. A sense of angst or nervous tension pervaded the music but what was really powerful was its development of instrumental colour. This seems to be an important feature of much French music. You only need to go back to the early organ composers to hear how important the idea of timbre was to them.

William Sweeney’s new piece Absence was jointly commissioned by sound, Musiques Démesurées, Red Note and L’Orchestre d’Auvergne with support from Creative Scotland and Diaphonique. One of its important features was its use of a Piobaireachd entitled Lament for Captain MacDougall. In his talk before the concert William Sweeney spoke about “Scottishness” in music and how with the works of some composers (no names, no pack drill) it can seem something that is tacked on and thus somehow false. I felt this was not the case with Sweeney’s music. The Scottish element did come to the surface but it was always fully digested and came across as wholly incorporated into the music and playing a genuine part in the structure of the work. Strings sometimes just murmuring would then blossom fully into rich melody. It all made sense. An array of gongs at the back of the orchestra introduced a lovely violin solo beautifully played by Jacqueline Shave of Red Note sitting in with the French orchestra and her compatriot Robert Irvine provided the equally beautiful cello solos. The alternation of sweeter and more angular music was perfect, each element helping to throw the other into high relief. I only wish I could write music like that. It made a fine conclusion to a performance that from beginning to end was a real adventure in listening.

© Alan Cooper, 2014