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English music from breakfast to tea
Nov. 1st, 2013 10:42 pmThe Guardian's review of the Full English is informative rather than ecstatic, and I can't fault it for that. It tells me things that were not made clear at the concert: that it was Fay Hield who was initially commissioned to create new arrangements from the digital archive, and that the project just grew from there - which may explain the slightly low key, bunch of friends getting together to play some stuff, impression. Martin Simpson was Martin Simpson, which is always good, Seth Lakeman was Seth Lakeman, which is less to my taste, Nancy Kerr sang a song which she had written, words which usually cause my heart to sink but on this occasion gave it no reason to do so, I enjoyed the evening and if it wasn't life-changing, well, they can't all be.
Links to hold on to: they saved the strongest song for the encore (The Man in the Moon). And the archive itself.
Back to the Sage on Wednesday for a 'Future Traditions' concert, the students of the Folk Music degree course learning about performance by doing it. These concerts are variable in quality, but we've heard some really enjoyable music over the years, and it's a rare occasion that doesn't offer something of interest. Last night began well - a Portuguese pipe and drum duo (and that's none of your penny whistle pipes, but the sort of instrument that involves tucking something the size and shape of a young pig under your arm), a Scottish murder ballad delivered with great relish - but showed signs of fizzling out into ensemble pieces in which the entire year group plays together for no better reason than that they don't want to play separately, pleasant enough but lacking focus, lacking impact.
Saved by the Teacups! A pleasant surprise, as we've been seeing them at these events for some time now, and thought they must surely have graduated (ah - it's a four-year course; perhaps not, then). So the concert was rounded off with some rousing four-part harmonies. They've clearly been doing a lot of performing since we last heard them, and are all over YouTube: The Country Life is a favourite; Ripples in the long grass is pretty (a setting by Alistair Anderson of a poem by Katrina Porteous, apparently). So that was fun, but it felt a bit like cheating.
Links to hold on to: they saved the strongest song for the encore (The Man in the Moon). And the archive itself.
Back to the Sage on Wednesday for a 'Future Traditions' concert, the students of the Folk Music degree course learning about performance by doing it. These concerts are variable in quality, but we've heard some really enjoyable music over the years, and it's a rare occasion that doesn't offer something of interest. Last night began well - a Portuguese pipe and drum duo (and that's none of your penny whistle pipes, but the sort of instrument that involves tucking something the size and shape of a young pig under your arm), a Scottish murder ballad delivered with great relish - but showed signs of fizzling out into ensemble pieces in which the entire year group plays together for no better reason than that they don't want to play separately, pleasant enough but lacking focus, lacking impact.
Saved by the Teacups! A pleasant surprise, as we've been seeing them at these events for some time now, and thought they must surely have graduated (ah - it's a four-year course; perhaps not, then). So the concert was rounded off with some rousing four-part harmonies. They've clearly been doing a lot of performing since we last heard them, and are all over YouTube: The Country Life is a favourite; Ripples in the long grass is pretty (a setting by Alistair Anderson of a poem by Katrina Porteous, apparently). So that was fun, but it felt a bit like cheating.
