A Florentine Hive of Activity at Waterford Writers Weekend

Lto R: R Coady, B Knowles, Marion Ingoldsby, J Loftus , P Sirr, M Roper, M Nolan,  J Ennis , E Sweeney , B Hanlon , N Crowley  M Coady upper Poets , composers, musicians

The ebb and flow of tides
and bedded silt
by wharves and quays
M Coady

Following fast on the heels of the Ennis Book Club Festival, I travelled to the South East for another literary event, the annual  Waterford Writers Weekend. As I drove down, I tuned in to Arena, the arts magazine programme on RTE radio1 where local producer, Jacqui Corcoran had assembled a gallery full of interesting guests in the semi public space of the the Book Centre, a bookshop housed in a former cinema, all with a connection to the festival . Beginning with academic and author, Brian Keenan,  he told presenter Sean Rocks in a compelling interview, why he returned recently to the Lebanon, where he was incarcerated for four and a half years. Will we ever forget a pale and gaunt Keenan emerging to address the media so eloquently after his release in 1990. Poets, Peter Sirr, Mark Roper and writing consultant and festival organiser Vanessa O Loughlin were among the writers who gave an insight into the festival. In contrast to the Ennis Book Club Festival the emphasis is clearly on the writer as opposed to the reader with a large selection of workshops facilitating active participation in the craft.

Gourmand et gourmets 

The Book Centre was also the venue for a discussion on food writing with popular local chef, Martin Dwyer now happily relocated to the Languedoc where he runs a Chambre d'hote . An active writer, Martin writes a very entertaining blog about his French experiences. Also on the panel were Catherine Cleary, restaurant critic of the Irish Times and author Jane Travers who did a good job of posing open questions to generate some good talking points although at times there was stiff competition from the nearby junior reading area.

Publishing Supremo O Loughlin

While they don't call it the sunny south east for nothing, the weather was simply stunning,  the sort of weather where your mother might hunt you out to play rather than sit in a corner reading a book, much less writing one. Nevertheless, there was full house at Vanessa O Loughlin's insightful 'Getting Published' workshop which was a mine of information on the whole business of publishing.

The real draw of the  weekend for me was the performance of the choral piece celebrating Waterford's enduring maritime tradition, specially commissioned for the opening of the Tall Ships Festival in Waterford 2011 and  one of my selected highlights of 2011 With all the international sailors returned home, there was a sense that this reprise was for Waterford people to savour . In the elegant space of the 18th century Christchurch Cathedral, the stirring and eloquent lines of five poets were heard clearly,  read by each poet in turn and then sung by the 200 strong choir with representatives from no less than 40 choral groups in the region, to settings by five composers. The original orchestral score was  reduced for piano to good effect . Finally there was a screening of a  short documentary by John Loftus with interviews with the poets and composers on their creative experience. (This is soon to be available on line, I am told)  A truly wonderful collaboration of the spheres of literature and music ,  one I was proud to be associated with at the first performance .   In the words of conductor Niall Crowley,  'Waterford was a veritable Florentine hive of activity' for  the  endeavour and the event was  a worthy finale to round off  a splendid Waterford Writer's Weekend.

My review of the first performance of 'Come the Sails' at the opening of Tall Ships Festival here

here, now, this very moment
in flowing time,
within this harbour
and this haven  Ml Coady

Roisin O 'Grady at Christchurch Cathedral Waterford.

 

Lagrime mie  Barbara Strozzi
From Rosy Bowers    Purcell
Lord What is Man   

Phobus eilt mit schnellen Pferden   BMV518   Bach
Bist du bei mir      BMV508

Ave Maris Stella       Nicholas de Grigny



Malcolm Proud and Róisín O Grady



 Oh ! for a quill, drawn from your wing
To write the praises of th'Eternal Love;
Oh! for a voice like yours to sing
That anthem here, which once you sung above
Hallelujah!
 from Lord, what is man Purcell

The sun was splitting the stones outside the lovely 18th century Christchurch Cathedral in  Waterford and there was an audience of around 70 to hear local soprano, Roisin O Grady  give a recital of Baroque arias accompanied by Malcolm Proud.   The performance by the duo would have graced any major international venue and was available to Waterford audiences for a very modest entry fee. Firstly full marks for providing texts and translations to each item. Roisin and Malcolm elaborated with succint spoken introductions which added much  to the enjoyment of the occasion. Her voice is very much suited to this repertoire, very clear and pure , effortlessly agile in the florid sections, every syllable clearly articulated and all delivered with her great artistry in conveying the emotion in the song.  I particularly enjoyed the Purcell numbers throughout whether at the harpsichord or organ , Malcolm Proud's accompaniment was just right .

Perfect!  This will surely be the recital of the year  for me.

Early evening French Baroque Music at Christchurch

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Although Ireland has had its own baroque period orchestra for sometime now, I had not heard this ensemble and I was looking forward to finally hearing  members of the Irish Baroque Orchestra under their artistic director and Grammy nominee Monica Huggett.  I went along to their tea-time performance at Christ Church Cathedral, Waterford.  Regrettably, I shall have to wait for another occasion to hear Huggett..  (If the PR material trails  a high profile performer, is it not reasonable that there is at  least an  announcement of a change of  cast?)

There were no programme notes but items were eloquently introduced by Lisa Beznosiuk who acted as leader.  The most vibrant aspect of the performance was David Adam's hapsichord  painted in vivid  peppermint green  embellished with eyecatching geometric shapes. As for the music by French early baroque composers Couperin, Rameau and Marais, I found the selection a bit dull and the playing overall a bit  clinical  and lacking in bite particulary from the strings. This may of course have something to do with my lack of familiarity with the baroque instrument timbre  but I can't say I was won over to early baroque instrumental music. I have on  rare opportunities enjoyed the different sound palette that period instruments have added to baroque opera performances but while the playing was polished and assured, I did not feel the players engaged particularly well with each other, seeming very focused on their own individual parts.

Tea time seems like a very good time to have a short performance. There was a relatively small turnout although the idea of combining a ticket with local restaurant offer seemed like a good one.  Local cognoscenti in the audience included  Liam Daly, newly appointed as conductor of University of Limerick Orchestra and his wife Maureen of Barrack Street Concert Band and flautist  Gerry Dower

New Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra of Cologne at Christchurch, Waterford

The Chamber Philharmonia of Cologne presented an attractive and diverse programme of baroque and classical repertoire at Christchurch Cathedral Waterford Saturday 20th August.  Comprising seven strings and augmented with oboe for some repertoire, the ensemble played with verve and finesse and looked as though they were enjoying themselves on the platform with good interaction between the players.  There was a freshness to the performance that gave no hint that they were in any way weary of the repertoire that they have performed countless times in many different venues all over the globe it seems.  This group really gets around, an internet search indicated that a group under this name also performed in Christchurch, New Zealand.   The repertoire is familiar but not hackneyed. There was a Vivaldi concerto, Tempesto di Mare, a concerto grosso by Handel  , a divertimento by Mozart. A Bach sonata  featured an  excellent oboeist which added a refreshing stringency to the string timbre although delivered minus  hallmark keyboard part. The soloist credentials of the cellist were very evident in the Tchaickowsky serenade which was perfect programming for a summer evening.  In a programme of masterpieces, it was a charming string serenade,( the second work of the evening bearing the title Tempesta di Mare) by  a youthful Rossini  for string 2 violins, cello and bass that  drew  the strongest audience reaction of the evening . For their encore, the ensemble made a foray into 20th century repertoire with the Gardel's tango Por Una Cabeza familiar from the dance secene in the film  Scent of a Woman. The rendition featuring the viola  had more of a air of a genteel salon ensemble   than  a bordello slum band about it. This is the seventh visit by musicians under the aegis of New Philharmonic Orchestra of Cologne and one is impressed not only by their excellent musicianship and charm but also their ability to grow their audience. Waterford afficionados present included theatre director and arts critic, Pat McEvoy and Colm Long anchor man of Waterford Sea Shanty Group, Hooks and Crooks  just returned from successful appearances at Festival du Chant Marine in Brittany. The confluence of elegance, both musical and architectural, in this beautiful 18th century neo-classical cathedral with the resonance created by a large appreciative audience made this a most enjoyable occasion.

Movies in Christchurch Cathedral

As part of the Spraoi festivities the Christchurch team  mounted a showing of an old silent movie to live accompaniment on their fine  recently restored organ. I had heard great reports about a similar production last year and  this  rare event was high on my list of must see events. The film was a  German 1930's production of Faust by Murnau.  The show started at 10pm presumably to optimise the light conditions and ran for almost two hours.  The centre aisle pews were respectably full and certainly the audience  appeared mesemerised throughout by the rendition of this dark fable .  The performance of organist Morgan Cooke was quite a feat of stamina and skill and he faithfully reflected the shifting moods on screen with organ , some auxilliary percussion and at one point some vocalising . Celestial heights, depths of hell  and all manner of earthly things were captured with a shifting palette of colours  at the console  from deep bass pedals,  bells,  jagged dissonance and jaunty rhythms.  Even the most demanding operatic or concerto role will allow some time for the performer to draw breath,  but in this marathon performance there is no time to pause and I thought Cooke did a wonderful job in stimulating and sustaining our interest throughout.   Not having seen very many silent films , this was fascinating glimpse into the art from another era and while a modern day film and its easily reproducible soundtrack will give a standardised experience wherever it is shown, there is something beguiling about the ephemeral nature of this improvised performance.  Well done to Joan Dalton and the team at Christchurch on their imaginative programming and I look forward to the next one.

Exeter Cathedral Choir at Christchurch

Exeter Cathedral Choir in Christchurch

One of the bastions of the English Anglican choral tradition, Exeter Cathedral Choir came to perform at Christchurch Cathedral, Waterford earlier this month. Although I didn't post near the date, such complexity and excellence of the performance in this most ambient setting should not go without acknowledgement in the list of posts. Making a splendid sight in brilliant  red cassocks,  there was less of the ancient and more of the modern in their nicely balanced programme.  A progarmme listing was supplied and Andrew Millington introduced the sets with additional notes. The  choir began with Palestrina, the musical voice of the Counter Reformation moving on to Byrd and Tallis and later to more modern settings mostly from the English tradition including a lovely modal setting by director Stephen Tanner, A Celtic Psalm.  Dublin born stalwart of the tradition Stanford is included with works by Chilcott and Britten. The singers had time to draw breath during two fine organ solos by David Davies. Benedictus by Reger seemed to cast a spell on the listeners and no applause seemed a fitting acknowledgement to conclude. In contrast, the exuberant Carrillon-Sortie by intriguing  post Romantic French composer Mulet which drew enthusiastic applause form the good sized crowd gave Davies the opportunity to pull out all the stops on the Elliot organ. 
For an encore the choir  drew again from the 20th century well in Hymn to the Mother of God by John Taverner. The choir sang with a brio and finesse that one would expect form their excellent reputation .  The range of dynamics  was a striking feature and the Cathedral almost seemed too small for the huge forte they made when at full throttle.
While the state and form generally of cathedral choral styles  is a cause of concern and debate, one hopes that the Exeter Cathedral Choir will survive  for another 800 years and demonstrated very clearly that while a stronghold of the tradition, they also are an important platform for 20th century and contemporary work.