By Juliet Williams :
The Hebrides Ensemble's EIF
recital today combined the playing of
established repertoire with pleasing lightness, such as the excellent
account today of Mozart's Oboe Quartet K 370; with characteristic boldness of
choice of new and innovative works. Capturing the Festival mood, this
performance involved ritual hand washing, a delay whilst the flautist adjusted
his face mask...... and an instrument created by a US statesman.
Joining the Ensemble was Thomas
Bloch, a rare instrument specialist who demonstrated the glass harmonica – a
period instrument and a novel addition, being created in the seventeenth
century in its present form, although taking inspiration from timeless
techniques such as Tibetan singing bowls, or using glass containers of varying
sizes to make tuned sounds. It has the distinction of being created by American
politician and polymath, Benjamin Franklin. It consists of 20 to 54 blown
crystal or quartz bowls fitted
concentrically onto a rotating rod controlled by a pedal reminiscent of a treadle
sewing machine. Sound is created by the player rubbing their wetted fingers on
the edges of these.
Mozart, with the encouragement of
his father, took an interest in this instrument after hearing it performed by a
blind musician, Marianne Davies, who specialised in its use, being introduced
by her opera-singer sister whilst he was rehearsing Idomineo. He went on
to create the short solo work Adagio
K356/617a for it, which today gave an excellent showcase for the
instruments distinctive and subtle sound; and an Adagio and Rondo K617 which
includes it amongst a chamber ensemble with flute, oboe, violin and cello. Also
performed was an arrangement by New Zealander Lyell Creswell of the Fantasia
K594, originally composed to include a tuned mechanical clock, but here scored
for glass harmonica, flute, oboe and violin.
Hearing the glass harmonica, it
is hard not to think of the Ondes Martinot, which Bloch, a pupil of Loriot,
also plays. Both were of their time new and innovative and create distinctive
sounds, but have not sustained a lasting role in the orchestral cannon.
Also perhaps somewhat of its time
is the work which closed the concert, George Crumb's Vox Balaenae. It's
one of a number of works created around 1970, shortly after biologist Roger
Payne discovered the communication of whales by sound, and recorded this in
1967 – to the inspiration of musicians
working across a wide range of genres. One example being American-Amernian Alan
Hovhaness , who incorporated whale song recordings into a work for large
orchestra, '…....And God Created Whales'. Here in the UK, one thinks
inevitably of John
Taverner's The Whale, which the London Sinfonietta was formed to
play. Happily, the Sinfonietta has gone from strength to strength, and has gone
on to play and commission many other works.
One link between Mozart, whose
music opened the concert and provided much of its concert, and Crumb, whose
music closed it, is that both wrote 'Nightmusic'. Crumb's second Nightmusic,
also titled 'Four Nocturnes' is a series of delicate miniatures for violin
and piano, both being asked to use considerably extended techniques,with a
'prevailing sense of 'suspension in time'. Performed to close the first half,
they provided a refreshing contrast to
the earlier works in the programme, and a broader view of the wide output of
George Crumb, from whom we heard more later (see above). The playing was as
pleasing as it was virtuostic, and this although short was one of the
highlights of the programme for me. The other outstanding contribution I would
pick out was the oboe playing of the opening work.
The concert was broadcast live on
BBC Radio Three and remains listenable for the next seven days. Tomorrow
morning's recital from the Queen's Hall in Edinburgh is from the Arditti
Quartet and is also broadcast live. Look out for coverage here too.
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