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Alan Cooper reviews: Dr Roger B Williams, organ

Music in the University in association with sound TEXTURES AND RESONANCES Roger B. Williams, Organ A recital including new music for organ and electronics King’s College Chapel, Aberdeen Tuesday, 04 November 2014 Tuesday’s recital of new along with some old music for organ was the ninth such event for Aberdeen University Music with sound givenby […]

Alan Cooper reviews: Encouraging New Opera

Scottish Opera, Aberdeen University & sound festival MARISCHAL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA CHRISTOPHER GRAY: Conductor LUCY HOLE: Soprano JOSH BAXTER: Tenor MATTHEW OLIVER: Baritone MORVEN LIND: Mezzo MATTHEW RICHARDSON: Director JOHNSTON HALL, ABERDEEN UNIVERSITY Sunday, 02 November 2014 Joe Stollery & James Leonard: Nature’s House Mark McNamee & Ruth Potts: Solace Any opera project requires a huge […]

Alan Cooper reviews: Mr McFall’s Chamber

REMEMBERED/IMAGINED Mr McFALL’S CHAMBER MAEVE MACKINNON ANGUS PETER CAMPBELL THE LEMON TREE Saturday 1 November 2014 When I arrived at the Lemon Tree for Saturday evening’s performance, the upstairs Studio was not yet open but the bar offered a friendly welcome. Just as well I went in because the performance really kicked off in there. […]

Alan Cooper reviews: Ensemble Thing

ENSEMBLE THING with JOHN DE SIMONE: Composer ABERDEEN ART GALLERY Saturday, 01 November 2014 Independence, a new work by the Glasgow based composer John De Simone was supported by the Katherine McGillivray Get a Life Fund and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. The work was premièred in Glasgow on the 17th September – the night […]

Alan Cooper reviews: Fiddles, Harps and Electronics (double bill)

ŞIRIN PANCAROǦLU: Harps ERDEM HELVACIOǦLU: Electronics BRITT PERNILLE FROHOLM: Hardanger fiddle SARAH JANE SUMMERS: Fiddle WOODEND BARN, BANCHORY Friday, 31 October 2014 Friday’s Double Bill concert offered performances by experts on two relatively exotic instruments. The çeng (pronounced cheng?) or Ottoman harp is these days an exotic instrument even in its home country of Turkey […]

Alan Cooper reviews: Juliet Fraser, soprano and Maxime Echardour, percussion

COWDRAY HALL Thursday, 30 October 2014 Thursday’s concert, a cooperative enterprise between Aberdeen University Music and sound, featured two astonishingly proficient musicians. The first was soprano Juliet Fraser. Her performing range includes early music by composers such as William Byrd and Don Carlo Gesualdo as well as contemporary repertoire from the far outer reaches of […]

Alan Cooper reviews: Christina McMaster, piano

COWDRAY HALL Thursday, 30 October 2014 Pianist Christina McMaster has been described as a dynamic and vivacious performer. Having enjoyed her virtuoso performance at today’s Lunchbreak Concert given in association with sound 2014, I would have to agree wholeheartedly with that description. Born in Worcestershire, she now lives in London where she studies and works […]

Alan Cooper reviews: Sounding Motion

SOUNDING MOTION: IMMERSION IN PLACE DANCERS: IMOGEN BLAND, KIRILL BURLOV, KLAUDIA FRANZISKA WITTMANN and ONDREJ KREJCI MUSICIANS: STEPHEN UPSHAW: Viola, CALIE HOUGH: Percussion CITY MOVES DANCE STUDIO Sunday 26 October 2014 Another of the themes highlighted in the opening weekend of this year’s sound Festival was dance. DanceLive, the Festival of Contemporary Dance began on […]