A thoroughly interesting premise buoyed further by thoroughly interesting music
Explained by conductor Geoffrey Patterson to be a showcase of neo- or non-classical interpretations of – and interactions with – older works, the idea of the Ensemble’s selection for the performance is immediately intriguing. The bringing together of separate, and sometimes disparate, pieces under this theme seems at once obvious and yet also an astonishingly difficult task in terms of curation of the pieces and their interplay. As ever, though, Ensemble 10:10 and the skilled staff behind the scenes seem to have managed it well.
Opening with the world premiere of Nneka Cummins’ Flow State, the performance begins slowly, softly, but with a unique and gripping array of sound. Making extensive use of all the instruments available these three movements together push the boundaries of musicality to deliver an impressive ten minutes replete with rich sounds and tonalities beyond even what you may expect from such a relatively small ensemble. The composition is delicate and exacting whilst managing to feel anything but and this short ‘introduction’ proved to be a real highlight of the concert.
This was followed by a small encore performance of the first movement – Ease In. Whilst a strange choice from an arrangement perspective (as the name implies, it is a slow and scattered piece reminiscent almost of an orchestra warmup) it easily proved my favourite of the three movements and indeed I was more than pleased to hear it again.
Goehr’s Sinfonia, whilst a lovely piece, felt unfortunately like something of a stopgap in the evening than something that had been more carefully selected; unfortunate as special mention had been made of Goehr earlier in the evening. The mellifluous, though sometimes strident, back and forth of brass and wind – supported with aplomb by strings when needed – was certainly performed to perfection yet at many points failed to stand on its own amidst the uniqueness of Flow State or the more nuanced tonalities of the later Schumannliebe.
Memorialé proves yet another short yet incredibly interesting piece. Almost tentative, with skittish winds and querulous plucking of strings, it rises almost without falling for whole performance – building to something approaching a sense of anxiety. Appropriately dedicated to flautist Lawrence Beauregard this five-minute piece is truly a showcase of the flute itself and puts it front-and-centre in an admirable way.
Widmann’s Schumannliebe – listed as the title piece, though truthfully all have their own share of a claim to that title, is last. It is comprised almost entirely of the contents of Schumann’s Dichterliebe with an added epilogue; however, the orchestration has been almost entirely reworked. Making use of more advanced playing techniques the ensemble create a lively, yet still rich tonality to back the excellent baritone of Benjamin Appl. This is the piece that really allows the ensemble to showcase a range, as well. Not only are there periods of softer backing from the brass, but fervent runs with strings when the vocal performance drops away on occasion.
A memorable selection of pieces, though with maybe a few pacing issues, and, as always, excellently performed by Ensemble 10:10 – though the true standout without a doubt is Flow State; which is possibly one of the more daring and self-assured compositions I’ve seen performed orchestrally.