FESTIVAL REVIEW
FESTIVAL MUSIC
HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK
I Greek (EIF). Leith Theatre. Ferry Road. Thursday 25. Friday 26. Saturday 27 at7.30pm. £5/£7 (£2.50 on day). Credit card sales 225 5756. Steven Berkotf's powertul and controversial drama set to music by the young British composer Mark Anthony Turnage (see photo). who was one oltheleatured composers in Iastyear's Musica Nova. Another young talented Brit. Sian Edwards. conducts. Story is based on a horrortype version ofthe Oedipus legend set in modern London.
I Lady in the OarktElF). UsherHall. Wednesday 31 at 8pm. £3.50--£11. Credit card sales 225 5756. Scottish Opera Orchestra and Chorus in Kurt Weill Broadway musical. Forbes Masson of Victor and Barry tametakesthe Oanny Kaye role. remembered particularlyfor its Tchaikovsky patter-song.
I The Cat Cinderella (EIF). King’s Theatre. Leven Street. Thursday 25. Friday 26 and Saturday 27 at 7.30pm. £4.50--£12.50. Credit card sales 225 5756. British premiere of the early 17th century Neopolitan version of Cinderella. with music composed by Roberto de Simone.
I Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (EIF). UsherHall. Sunday 28 and Monday 29 at 8pm. £4.50--£15. Credit card sales 225 5756. Kurt Masurconductstwo programmes. both of pretty standard tare such as Beethoven‘s 7th. Mendelssohn‘s Scotch Symphony and Rachmaninov's Paganini
Variations. IGarau-MilletGuitarOuo (Fr). StJohn's West End.
§ Princes Street. Thursday
j 25--September2(notSun) atlpm. £3(£2). Classical
guitarmusic by Argentinian duo.
I RSAMO Junior Oept Orchestra (Fr). Central Hall. Tollcross.Thursday1 at 7.30pm. £3 (£1.50/tree). 229 7937. The youth
orchestra festival continues with anotherexcellent
team.who premiere Edward Harper'sVivaldiana. '; specially writtentoryoung
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Mark Anthony Turnage (See Highlights)
musicians.
I Waverley Singers (Fr). St John's West End. Princes Street. Sunday 28 at8pm. £3 (£2). Outstanding young Edinburgh girls' choirwith music by Mozart. Schubert. Bliss. John McCabe and Kenneth Leighton.
DANIEL AND THE LIONS
In cyery festiy'al there are one or more shows which take you by surprise with their excellence: to base moderate expectations sw ept aside by a superb production is one oftlie thr‘illsof festiyal-going. Such an experience was proy ided by the New York Iiiisemble for Iiarly .‘yliisic's production of ‘I)aniel and the lions. one of the earliest sury iy'ing liturgical dramas. written in the IZth century for Ilcauyais (‘athedral
The original musical matcr'ialisbare alatin text set to plaiiisong btit in the hands oftliis company it took life and show ed surprising dramatic qualities. l-ine singing with total commitment to the text. subtle rhy thmic nuance and effectiye ornamentation were backed up by real y irtuoso play ing on a w ide range of medicy al instruments. The staging was simple btit always effectiy'e. crowned by a wonderful
‘ I
lion who towered user the audience before being subdued by an angel. Perhaps not a historically authentic performance. but one whose feeling for both music and drama make a compelling case for more such productions. Do try and see it. (Noel ()‘Regaiil
I Daniel and the Lions [IiIH (ireyfriars Kirk until 25 August (3pm and 8pm). £0.
LINDBERG PREMIERE
‘I am a child of the times I like things that are complicated. Thus the young Finnish composer .‘ylagnus Lindberg describes himself and it is an appropriate description too of his work 'Kraft'. given a rousing reception at its I 'Is' premiere by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in the I ‘slicr
I Iall on Sunday last.
'I’he piece w as composed with the aid of a computer. as a result of lindbcrg's work at IR(‘A.\I. the Parisian electronic sttidio directed by Pierre Boulez. The orchestra was surrounded by six percussion players using ey cry conceiy able instrument aridsoinc such as pails of water not normally heard? The audience in turn w as surrounded by a barrage of speakers through w hich the music was amplified and spread around the hall yia a synthesizer.
The effect was oy‘eryy helmingly percussiy c. the piece starting and finishing with cataclysmicforce. .\lost effectiy'e yy ere some quieter middle sections. whc re small groups of instruments placed around the hall engaged in dialogue with each other. One beautiful moment w as proy'ided by a group of soloists coiiy'ergingon
Magnus Lindberg
the stage from the stalls playingtiriy gongs. like Buddhist monks. 'I‘his theatrical aspect. paralleling the movement of sound around the hall. iny oly ed the audience in what might otherwise liay'e been a rather unrelenting aural experience.
(‘ci'tainly a coiiiposei' with something tosay and lllll marks to the International I-estiy al for letting us hear his work. sadly the only new piece on this year's programme. (Noel ()'Regan)
I Kraft w as performed for the first time in the I 'Is' at the I'sher I fall. Iidinbltrgh as part of the International I'iestiyal by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra on II Aiigtist.
OPERA RESTOR’D
Dubbed the ‘iew cl of the l’r'inge‘ by one critic two years ago. ()pei'a Restor'd returned this year with their early musicfcstiyal which included a new production of a forgotten Iinglish riiiiii-opera: \Villiam Boycc's ‘I’eletls and 'l‘hetis'_ Written around I‘M». it contains some yciy beautiful and cl'lcctiy e music w hile lacking the dramatic character ol Iltiyce\ famous contemporary. llandcl.
'l'hcr'e w cre lust four singers. allot whom performed admirably. with Andrew Knight particularly effectiye as Jupiter and Michael Sanderson an appealing l’clctis. I lie early classical church ofSt Andrew 'sand St ( ieoi'ges proy idcd an appropriate setting which did how ey er t'estt'ict sets and staging; this was in large part oy ercorne by the Use ofsoinc iiiagiiiliccnt costumes and by .lack Itdyyai'ds' skilltil tlileeltiilt.
'l'lic orchestral playing by 'l'hc l’arlcy of Instruments. tisirig authentic baroque instruments. w as beautifully controlled by director Peter I lolmaii at the harpsichord. Altogether. another triumph for ()pcra Restor'd. l Noel ( )' Regan l I Opera Restored were at the ( lunch of St Andrew ’s and St ( ieoigc between l5 and I“ August.
THE LITTLE RATS
Among the world premieres at this \cat 's I'L‘Slf\tll is the \ational
\ ottth \liisic I hcatrc's
‘ l he I ittlc Rats'. with a yoiithliileast singing. daiicingaiid .ictirigthcii way through the show toa hiin standard at all times. Set against a background
of lS-lll'sl’arisian ballet andtheatre.this ‘ (‘indcrella-like story tells
of the ‘Rats‘. child dancers at the Paris ( )pei'a's Ballet School. who come from poor families unable to
afford shoes except ballet
shoes. Played by younger members of the company. they proyide sortie of the more comic interludes particularly the amusing Vegetable Ballet.
the adults are played by older children all of w hom giye L‘tilly'lnc‘lflg performancesespecially Richard \'er'gette as .‘ylonsieiir Albert. the kind lighting engineer. and Rachel Sanders as the
abandoned mother unsure
if she sliotild let her daughter.Mariette the charming Laura'lristram become a little rat. l’r'ciieh folk songs. street music and ballet music iiitcrwcaye with the original score by Peter Allwood w hich helps to create the right atmosphere. ()n the w hole the drama moy es at a good pace. well staged with an cflectiye tiseol limited space and well chor‘eiigi'aplied crowd scenes. In spiteof occasional unclear diction and a few shaky moments. “llie I.ittle Rats' isa lugth polished production suitable for all the family. (Bridget (‘aldwclll I The Little Bats t Itlf'l National Youth Music 'I‘heatrc. ( 'ieorgc Square ‘l'heatrc. 25. 3" Aug at ” 15pm;2”Aiigat~lpiii. Lb l L3). ("i'cdit card sales hos jolt)
SHOSTAKOVICH STRING QUARTETS
'l'lie performance of all of I
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the fifteen Shostakovich string quartets is without doubt the main attraction to chamber music fans this festiyal. With orily'one performance remaining (Friday at l lam) it isthe final chance to hear these pieces played by the ()uartct bearing the composer‘s own name. Three of the ()uartct have know n each other" since childhood. studying together in the same class at school and leading to their first performance as a quartet in 1%? at the Moscow (’onseryatory. Since then they liayc won many international competitions.
.Iiidgiiig by last w eck's performance the ()uartct w ill continue to giy'e their all. consistently producing the entire spectrum of dy iiainics and emotions constantly demanded by Sllostakoy‘ielt from complete calm to innocent good humour to the characteristic biting sarcasm and sardonic w it.
Despite their large repertoire if is with the music of Shostakovich that the ()uartct haye felt the greatest affinity and this is the factor which continues to shine through in these fine readingsof the musicfl‘he final concert in this series ison I-"riday morning and isot the final two quartets Nos l4 and 15.
lo sum up. the opening concerts last week were. in a word. excellent. let us hope that the ()uartet w ill be making another 'welcomc return to ltdiribiirgh in the near future. (Stuart Hope)
I Shostakovich Quartets ()iiecn‘s I fall. 20th August at llam. 'I‘iekets {3.5” U. (‘rcdit card sales 335 575(i.
Shostakovich Quartet