Rating Guide
None = Unmissable
= Unwatchable
Check
out Carol's preview of the music at
this year's Fringe. And Colin's review of
Word
J S Bach's Six Harpsichord Partitas played by Iain
Simcock
Drams 
though a glass of cool French wine would have been more appropriate
Venue Harpsichords at St Cecilia's Hall (Venue 31)
Address Corner of Niddry Street & Cowgate
Reviewer Pat Napier
Outside, it was a torrentially wet, cool Edinburgh afternoon. Inside,
in that little-known gem of a perfect oval concert hall, the oldest
in Scotland and modelled on the Opera House at Parma, Italy, the most
famous harpsichord in the world was waiting to be played. The plain,
pale green case of the 1769 Taskin gave no clue to the sumptuous, brilliant
sounds which sang out in Iain Simcock's hands. This Englishman, now
resident in Angers, France brought to the three Partitas, particularly
in the slow movements, the aura of a warm, sensuous, almost Mediterranean
afternoon, making us forget the rain outside.
This year, being the 250th anniversary of Bach's death, there is, inevitably,
a veritable feast of his music on offer everywhere. The rarity of this
series of concerts lies in the opportunity to hear his music being played
on the very instruments of the period - in this case an instrument built
only 19 years after Bach's death.
Of the 6 Partitas, Iain Simcock played three: No. 1 in B flat major,
No. 2 in C minor and the largest, No.4 in D major. No. 1 in the bright
key of B flat major was played with consummate style and most clearly
evoked a French afternoon, with the slow movements describing languorous
summer drowsiness then, by a masterly use of register changes, bringing
us, in the trills of the Courante, the brilliant sparkles of sun on
shimmering water. No. 2 then plunged us into more contemplative dramas
invoked by rich textures and variety of an almost orchestral nature,
ending in a daring and taxing Capricco. No. 4 has the most developed
slow movement. This whole Partita, in Iain Simcock's words is "a wonderful
synthesis of French music" reminding us that the French were "remarkable
pioneers of dance", a tradition which exists even today.
In a stunning display of virtuosity in musical composition, Bach devised
these Partitas as volume 1 of 4 volumes of Keyboard Practice for harpsichord
and organ and published them as Opus 1 entitled Klavier-Übung. They
were his definitive statements on the keyboard suite. They were the
only compositions published in his lifetime and it is a measure of their
importance to him that they were published at his own expense.
In these works, Bach combines the very French, almost Romantic, essence
of dance with Germanic rigour in the counterpoint to create music which
rises above mere keyboard practice. This afternoon Iain Simcock 's playing
celebrated the flowing French aspect which complemented the magnificent
Taskin in the most memorable way.
Remaining concerts in this series: 22 August, 24 August, 26 August,
all at 3pm.
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The
Barber of Seville
Drams
Venue Crowne Plaza Hotel (Venue 39)
Address 80 High Street
Reviewer Pat Napier
Opera Piccola, a new London-based company of directors, actors and singers,
was formed in 1999 with the aim of bringing opera to a wider audience.
One of the ways of doing that is to present opera in non-traditional
venues. So the glossy, luxurious Crowne Plaza Hotel was the chosen setting
for the start of their first tour, which is to end at the Royal Opera
House's Linbury Studio in November 2000.
The company's inaugural production of the Barber of Seville in Islington
last March was such a success that Opera Piccola decided to bring it
- and their unique mix of high-quality opera and music theatre - to
the Fringe. The rightness of this decision is underlined by the news
that an extra performance was arranged for 24 August, which was broadcast
to New York.
The small frisson of apprehension at hearing opera in a hotel was more
than offset by the sheer delight I felt at being so close to the action
- so close that it felt as if I was the confidante of the enchanting
Rosina (Semeli Economou). The entire experience had an wonderful immediacy,
allowing conversationally-intimate facial and gestural nuances, rather
than the normally-exaggerated ones of the theatre. And this scaling-down
worked right across the whole production, even to the sextet orchestra
which was occasionally supplemented by the ever-talented Barber on violin.
Mozart would have enjoyed this production. The singing was was uniformly
excellent, enabling us to catch tantalising glimpses of The Marriage
of Figaro; the staging was well-thought out to take fullest advantage
of the constricting space, the costumes were generally good and it was
a lovely touch to put the orchestra into costume. The acting ranged
from Rosina's consummate performance in voice, gesture and fan-wielding
to the rather wooden Count Almaviva. Don Basilio, with his huge bottle-glass
spectacles and his Uriah Heep-like smile was memorable, while the ubiquitous
Figaro of Vince Shiels was a mixture of mischievousness and slyness.
A small niggle: on a hot, sticky evening we had to wait around until
8.35pm (no explanation was give for the late start). However, there
was no better place to wait than in the hotel's luxurious leather armchairs,
reading the day's newspaper during these unexpected moments. And the
audience was piccola enough for the hotel to accomodate us all vey comfortably
indeed.
Run ended.... 27 August 2000
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Martyn Bennett
Drams
Venue Liquid Room (Venue 173)
Address 9 Victoria Street
Reviewer Carol Francis
Roni Size goes tae Orkney! Moby Celtica! Edinburgh Tattoo at the Ministry
of Sound! Martyn Bennett plays foot-stomping trad pipe and fiddle music
over pummelling drum&bass and techo synth beats!
Huge crowd jumps up and down in (on?) ecstasy! Er, that's it really.
Oh, he wears a kilt, and disappears halfway though the first encore
when his computer crashes. Formulaic stuff with attention to volume.
Beyond this, I'm struggling…
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The
Best of T Break
Drams
Venue Liquid Room (Venue 173)
Address 9 Victoria Street
Reviewer Carol Francis
What a classic example of how poorly Scotland supports its own. These
were the five hand-picked bands chosen to represent the best unsigned
Scottish talent. In other words, the best of the ones who could be arsed
to send in a tape, show up and exude some enthusiasm when it was required.
Please excuse my cynicism. It's not that any of the bands were bad -
none of them completely blew my socks off either, but it's a miserable
state of affairs when the last (and most talented) band is competing
to the tune a of shrieking tableful of 'guests' far more intent on gobbing
lager over each other.
Spoonster's new wave/punk thrash-pop barked energy and showed promise
but ultimately lacked any kind of diversity, much like listening to
'Sound of the Suburbs' seven times in a row, with a guest appearance
from Elastica. Terra Diablo whooped the pace down about three gears,
combining the dreamier, swirlier guitar elements of Floyd and Coldplay
together with some un-dreary, less self-indulgent Mogwai (I know, hard
to believe, but it was actually pretty good). Now, here's where I have
to guess...CI State's vocalist may have sounded very much like Midnight
Oil's, although from where I was sitting, the sound was absolutely bloody
dreadful all night. Nice, tight combo of power pop and lazy ska with
a pleasing punch to it, also the first band of the night who varied
the tempo to any degree.
As for Remedy, I have no idea where they hail from, but as the cowboy
hat and yeehaw singing might have suggested, it certainly wisnae feckin'
Tennessee. Downbeat REM, a bit Crosby Stills and Nash….but yep, that
worked too, in a gentle, hay-chewin' kinda way. The Gents (a name which
has to be a marketer's nightmare) took final slot, snatching that wee
extra smidgen of class and sophistication over the rest. Their varied
repertoire, tight rhythm section and breezy popster confidence weren't
seriously challenged by any of this evening's earlier offerings, although
the more laid back tunes were probably ill-advised for this stage of
the night when people just wanted to rock 'n' roll…or daintily puke
beer over each other. A disappointing evening; but not a reflection
of the performers. The sound quality was muffled to oblivion; I barely
heard any lyrics or an intro during the entire show.
The turnout was embarrassingly small, despite the £4 entry. Worst of
all, what could have been a celebration of original Scottish unsigned
bands was ignored, even abused, by precisely the ones who'll next year
complain they aren't being catered for.
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Ian
Brown
Drams Everyone except Ian Brown;
Ian Brown;
Venue The Corn Exchange (Venue 77)
Address 11 Newmarket Road
Reviewer Carol Francis
Afro-baggy groove-meisters Buffalo 66 proved consummate replacements
for Utah Saints with an electric Blake Grape-meets-Dust Junkys set;
whip-cracking percussion, funky wah guitars, retiring in a dignified
fashion having made several new pals. And then Ian Brown, integral quarter
of a chemical reaction that arguably own the 90's, a legend in his own
lifetime. "Shi shi! Shi shi!" he hisses. And again. And again.
Every spare moment he has is taken up hissing into the microphone. It's
either a reference to his Monkey Man image (although I'd be curious
as to which particular species makes this noise) - or a flimsy shroud
for his utter inability to sing. Manically danceable baggy funk/bop
with a Leftfield thump, the band succeed in belting out some contagious
stuff, though it's frustratingly thwarted by the relentless, repetitive
droning of a tone-deaf buffoon, who appears to delight in vocally defecating
upon his own tunes - and others. Including encore, two grim covers (Billie
Jean & Little Wing - now *that's* a big double-ooch) and a repeat of
his opening number, it lasts barely an hour - 'Ian Brown' would have
been glorious without Ian Brown, yet the white hats and hooded tops
throw themselves around in worshipful bliss, and don't seem to feel
at all swindled. "Shi shi! Shi shi!" Yeah, like, with a silent 't',
mate.
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Cappella
Nova Concert
Venue St Giles Cathedral (Venue 187)
Address High Street, Royal Mile
Reviewer Pat Napier
Sopranos: Michaela Haslam and Rebecca Tavener; Altos: Sandy Chenery
and Anne Lewis; Tenors: Gavin Cuthbertson and Clifford Lester; Basses:
Paul Carrier and Nicholas York-Jones. Director: Alan Tavener.Company
International Association of Music Libraries. (IAML). Sponsors: Macmillan,
publishers of New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
Because this concert was sponsored by Macmillan, the publishers of the
New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians and was offered as part
of the IAML International Annual Conference, celebrating their first
visit to Scotland, the internationally-acclaimed Early Music vocal group
Cappella Nova became the bargain of the Fringe 2000.
Indeed, Macmillan made this a very special event by choosing the IAML
conference to launch their new Electronic Grove Online - which will
become generally available in November 2000. The concert programme carried
a preview of the article on the important Scottish composer Robert Carvor
(Carver c 1484-1586).
Cappella Nova have a very special relationship with this composer, having
done so much to re-introduce his music to today's audiences. His 4 part
Mass L'Homme Armé closed this fine concert. Carvor and Byrd were both
associated with Chapels Royal: Carvor at Stirling in James IV's reign
and Byrd some 70 years later in the England of Queen Elizabeth I.
The group began with William Byrd's Mass for 4 voices of 1592-93, his
hommage to his admired predecessor John Taverner, who died when Byrd
was 5 years old. Nonetheless, the music is all Byrd, full of felicitous
sounds blended together, contrasted by the anguish of the sufferings
of the Lamb of God in the Agnus Dei and resolving into glorious peace
in the Sanctus.
As with the Byrd, the Carvor is a magnificent sound tapestry of gold
shot through with brilliant vocal colours interweaving and contrasting
to produce a bewitching sound world soaring up into the Gothic ceiling,
just as originally intended.
Inserted between these two ancient Masses, the short piece by IAML's
distinguished patron Sir Peter Maxwell Davies One Star, at Last commissioned
by King's College Choir in 1984, provided a luminous interlude and a
beautiful setting of the poem by George Mackay Brown.
Run ended.
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Lucy
Carolan Solo Harpsichord Recital
Company
IAML
(International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation
Centres)
Venue St Cecilia's
Hall
Address Niddry
Street
Reviewer Pat Napier
This solo harpsichord recital in St Cecilia's
Hall was given before a full house of 220 of the 400 delegates of the
international community of music librarians, who were in Edinburgh for
their Annual Conference - the first time they had ever visited Scotland.
Lucy Carolan, a distinguished graduate of the University of Edinburgh,
played the most dramatic, distinguished and beautiful instrument in
the Russell Collection of Early Keyboard Instruments: the Goermans Taskin
of the black, red and gold chinoiserie case, knee-lever action and sumptuous
sound.
In a delighful compliment to the conference, Lucy Carolan's first piece
introduced the members to a few of the distinctive mid-18th century,
Scottish tunes by James Oswald (1711-69), who had gone to live in London
in 1741, the year before these pieces were composed.
These were contrasted by the first performance of a brand new piece
for the harpsichord by the Edinburgh composer Neil Mackay called Wild
and crazy, a rollicking, virtuous piece which brought smiles all
round. Lucy Carolan says that the title is a phrase frequently used
by her American friends. While many people found references to the Purcell
Mad songs, the composer says that his main inspiration was a W B Yeats
poem A crazed girl. In all, an attractive piece which, it is
hoped, will be played many times in the future.
After these Scottish delights, we were
back into the mainstream of harpsichord music, with a portion of François
Couperin's splendid suite or Ordre no. 3 followed by Lucy Carolan's
hommage to Bach with two pieces from the Four duetti (BWV 802-5)
prefacing his Clavierübung
suite or Partita no. 5 in G major (BWV 829),
which expores the traditional dance
suites in a stunningly virtuosic manner.
The whole evening was a memorable feast of music with the soloist sharing
the spotlight with the marvellous instrument.
For more information, go to:
www.lucycarolan.co.uk/
www.music.ed.ac.uk/russell/index.html
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Craig
Charles and his Band
Drams
I'd buy the awesome band a round though
Venue Pleasance (Venue 33)
Address 60 The Pleasance
Reviewer Carol Francis
Waiting an extra 30 minutes for technical problems to get fixed, then
being seated near a chronic farter did not get things off to a good
start, and matters didn't improve much after that. The man in question
staggers on resembling a dishevelled, squinty, obsessively hair-smoothing
detective Columbo - sweats and fidgets constantly, rasps and strums
through his collection of self-penned ditties which you can wager have
improved much since the band got hold of them. Within seconds it's painfully
apparent our wee hamster-cheeked comic is completely, utterly twatted.
He pleads 'hungover' but my money's on 'rat-arsed' - swaying like an
MFI wardrobe* - nowt wrong with that if you can deliver the goods though,
is there? You'd hope.
Stand-up becomes sit-down as he appears physically unable to oblige
to the former. He's infectiously uncomfortable. Every joke he regurgitates
bar one has been emailed to me in the last year. The one that hasn't
gets repeated three times. He mentions 'Red Dwarf' once and fourteen
people pee their pants. What this truly excellent group of musicians
are doing with Craig Charles escapes me. I admire him for making a stand
and doing what he wants rather than what's expected, and whilst the
songs aren't bad, the almost overnight transition from Robot Wars presenter
to spectacularly mediocre smoky cabaret diva defies credibility.
He seems to sense the disappointment as he says defensively towards
the end; 'It's our first night and it isn't getting any fucking better…this
is what I'm doing now so fucking get used to it'. Oohhh….smeg… *Cheers
John Cooper Clarke.
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Leon
Coates Organ Recital: Thursday 24 August 2000. Organ Recital Series
Drams
Venue Cluny Parish
Church
Address Braid road,
Morningside
Reviewer Pat Napier
For the duration
of the Festival, Cluny Parish Church, built and dedicated as St Matthew's
Church, offers a series of short organ recitals by various distinguished
organists from around the city. Both the church and its organ have been
created by famous men.
The church is by
Hippolyte Blanc who built other churches such as the one at nearby Holy
Corner: Christchurch. Cluny "is composed upon the best lines of the
medieval church, and is designed throughout in the style of the late
13th century". It is a most pleasing interior.
The organ is by Henry 'Father' Willis and is, in fact, the last of his
to be built in Scotland. Sadly, he died just two weeks before its first
playing: a service commemorating Queen Victoria in 1901, so he never
had the opportunity to hear its voice. Today, its voice is still "very
fine, full, warm and rounded, especially when heard from the nave."
In a beautifully-crafted programme, Leon Coates, organist and choirmaster
of St Andrew's and St George's Parish Church in George Street, Edinburgh
made Father Willis' organ sing its most enticing songs. Only the Mendelssohn
piece Prelude and fugue in G was composed earlier than the organ.
César Franck's beautiful Pastorale was followed by Parry's Chorale
prelude and Vaughan Williams' Hymn prelude 'Rhosymedre'.
His recital closed with a piece from, Six short preludes and postludes
by C V Stanford.
The music brought out the best in both the organ and the organist. The
sound was, indeed, all that was predicted from my position in the nave.
Only in the quieter passages could the gentle (unavoidable) clacking
of organ's tracker action be detected.
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Crusade
Drams
Venue Greyfriars Kirk (Venue 131)
Address Greyfriars Place, Candlemaker Row
Reviewer Pat Napier
Mix
together a true but not widely-known story set in the 13th century,
a young, talented Australian theatre company and an absolutely perfect
setting and you get a very unlikely hit musical show.
Crusade tells the moving and tragic story of the French Children's Crusade
of 1212, at a time when religious fervour and idealism was at its height
throughout Europe.
This medieval tale, telling of love - sacred as well as human, of a
charismatic leader, of bitterly poor, innocent children, of evil predators,
and of optimism and despair, works a powerful magic on both performers
and audience in the wonderfully appropriate setting of Greyfriars Kirk.
Craig Christie, who wrote the book and lyrics, developed Crusade out
of a show he wrote as Artist in Residence at a Melbourne girls school
into this polished, professional musical. The cast, which includes a
number of children, is mostly British. The music is sensitively integrated,
with an impressive percussion section, including Owen Gunnell, one of
this year's Young Musician of the Year Competition finalists.
Act 2 is a sustained and powerful drama. Act 1 is just a little too
sunny and serene for what follows. The action is creatively emphasised
by occasional images thrown onto the church's rose window wall at important
points. Less successful was Suzanne as the innocent convent girl but
who became much more convincing when disillusioned.
What are the highlights of this European Premiere? Stepehn singing Jerusalem,
which left me wanting to hear it again - but didn't; Catherine's soliloquy
No matter which way; Michael and Catherine together; the evil trio giving
us shivers. And much more besides. The children acted their hearts out
and seemed to love every moment of their experience. Truly a show to
remember. Hurry to see it while you can.
Run ends 24 Aug
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Neil
Dixon
Drams None - Not even a swig of Lilac wine…
Venue Bar Fez
Address Queen Street
Reviewer Carol Francis
Neil Dixon is arguably the best resident singer/ songwriter/ musician
Edinburgh boasts, an over-achiever in each of these fields, and it's
something of an curiosity to many of the local musical fraternity that
he's not better known outside his regular gigging haunts about town.
He's been playing at various venues during August, and if you want to
hear one of the purest voices you've heard sing some startlingly good
original material, it would be a smart move to make a note in your diary
for next year - or pop along and find him next time you're in town.
Comparisons to Jeff Buckley irk him sometimes (yeah, I can understand
anyone being a bit pissed off about that…) and on first few listens
there are similarities in the vocal range and style - a kind of Christmassy
warmth - that can't be overlooked. Neil has, however developed his own
niche and tends more towards the 'folk camp'. Not that he's a diddly-dee
merchant (God forbid); he even has his own band now, Automatic Earth,
although you won't see them for a while as the double-bass player has
had the untimely audacity to get pregnant.
It's a tough call to write a one-off gig about an artist who never fails
to make you gasp so I won't bother; his is a genuine, natural gift which
I would love more people to discover for themselves. And incidentally,
I don't give plugs for mates.
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A
Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Drams
Venue Augustine's (Venue 152)
Address George IV Bridge
Reviewer Claire Devlin
Whilst watching this I couldn't help thinking of the early Carry On
Films - I was just waiting for the immortal line, "Infamy, infamy, they've
all got it in for me!" This, however, is Stephen Sondheim's take on
Ancient Rome, apparently based on the plays of Titus Maccius Plaitus,
the alleged inventor of low comedy. As you'd expect, the dialogue is
silly, the characters are silly, the songs are silly, heck, even the
costumes get in on the act... camp man in a pink tunic, anyone? The
show is packed full of as many double entendres, knowing looks and as
much farcical running as one can just about take.
The production only manages to get away with it thanks to the sheer
enthusiasm of the cast. You can tell that even the bit-part soldiers
are giving it their all: witness the rather unusual and hilarious salute
given when the soldiers come to town. (Although I feel it owes more
to Third Rock from the Sun than Gladiator...) The central theme of this
musical is the attempt of a slave, Pseudolus, to unite his master, Hero,
with the girl of his dreams, thus earning freedom. However, both Hero
and his beloved, Phelia, are so bloody wet that you couldn't give a
damn about them. Pseudolus, as the protagonist of "A Funny Thing Happenned..."
is competent if relying too much on his "cheeky cockney chappie" routine
for my liking. Thus the audience looks to other members of the cast...
and lo, we find Eliot Alderman, who steals the show, playing two pivotal
roles, the father of Hero, and the soon-to-be husband of Phelia. With
a lovely, rounded voice and some cracking lines, Alderman is the master
of the stage. This is cheap but cheerful stuff, and if you're at a loose
end in the afternoon, you could do worse than see this production.
Running until 28th (not 14th or 21st), 14:35
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David
Gray
Drams Just a
to stop you dehydrating
Venue Liquid Room (Venue 173)
Address 9 Victoria Street
Reviewer Carol Francis
He's a sneaky wee radge this one. Just when you stand there all cynical,
thinking he's just going to regurgitate his hit, showcase the album
and shoo us home smug in the knowledge he can do it live blah blah blah.suddenly
he gives you a hefty thwack on the back of the head with a few well
chosen riffs and it finally dawns on you why just one stint on Later
has launched David Gray to the top so quick. It's 'cos he's feckin'
great! Welcome to Mr Gray's own brand of road music: more Western than
Country, a niff of Bruce Hornsby and vocals not unlike Bob Dylan - although
Dylan never actually sang this well.
Despite the lived-in voice, he tends to resemble a shy bewildered busker,
vaguely suspicious at the fawning horde, sly cheeky grins giving away
that he'd probably rather you ripped the piss out of him or lob over
a couple of pesetas than fall at his feet as the crowd did tonight;
all the adulation just appears to make him uncomfortable. That said,
the entire place is jumping well before 'Babylon', and two generous
encores later he seems delighted to screw up the intro to the final
number. It doesn't matter though; you just *know* you've arrived in
singer/songwriter Hall Of Fame when you can add something fresh and
dynamic to a well-thumbed genre, dodge the misery-monger label - and
incorporate that 'twangy ruler' sound effect into your set. Top notch
stuff.
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The Internet
Orchestra
Drams
+ ,
a half Bottle even.
Venue
Canongate Kirk (Venue 60)
Address Canongate, Royal Mile
Reviewer Pat Napier
The Internet Orchestra billed
as< musicinmind.com> and advertised as webcasting to the world
a premiere of a show "bringing classical music to life for the
new millenium" consisting of contemporary interpretations old favourites
and new works. This
show's run: 6-28 August 2000.
For the classical music reviewer for a website, what could be more alluring
than to do a review of this show?
What indeed? But... two attempts to review, even spending hard-earned
money on a taxi to get there in time, ended in total failure. The venue
was firmly locked up and not a notice in sight. Many other people, presumably
equally mystified, lingered on both occasions outside the church.
Finally, I managed to get to the Fringe Office (the Fringe Press Office
having just closed) and speak to a nice young man at the desk who went
away to enquire.
The word is: there never was such a show. The company (if indeed
there is one) simply didn't show up.
Why the other, unprecedented
5 drams? Well while waiting for this news, I checked a desk copy of
the Scotsman's daily shows' news to find that - on 23 August
- it was still included in their listings. And neither the Scotsman
nor the Fringe Office seemed to know of this no-show.
Big notices needed all round to save extreme audience frustration.
Run ended.... Before it began
