SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Reich, Biehl, Feshareki,  from the soundhouse: Oberg Quartet, Victoria Royce (piano), Emily Smith (harpsichord), Michael Oliva (electronics), Concert Hall, Royal College of Music, 14.11.2007 (CR)

This innovative programme took place in the Concert Hall of the Royal College of Music, as part of from the soundhouse, a termly series of music for live instruments and electronics under the direction of Michael Oliva, the RCM’s area leader in electroacoustic music. Such an enterprise is to be applauded, and as one of the RCM’s few contemporary music evening performance slots, it was well supported by staff, students and the general public. The young performers plated with conviction and an obvious enthusiasm for the chosen repertoire.

Even before the music began, the ambience in the hall promised an interesting evening; the stage was plunged into darkness, with the performers illuminated only by two lamps and lit music stands, creating interesting and evocative shadows on the walls. The effect was simple but dramatic, demonstrating that nothing had been forgotten in the preparation of this event.

The opening work of the concert was Claes Biehl’s Into the Dream, composed in 2007, for live string quartet with electronics. Despite this being a difficult work for the performers, the effect was beautiful, emotive and highly atmospheric. In two movements, the work makes use of different intonation systems, including just intonation, and microtones. There is significant scordatura in the string parts, and the quartet is required to play to a click track. This was a highly convincing performance, with the Oberg quartet seeming comfortable with repertoire of this nature and the difficulties within it.  There was a good balance between the electronics and the live instruments, and the blend between parts was excellent. Biehl has shown himself to be an assured composer with a mature style, perhaps more so that one would expect from a PhD student. His music is polished and well thought out, with an obviously considered structure and excellent understanding of the instruments he is writing for. He has challenged his performers, but the overall effect is one of simplicity and emotional depth.

This was followed by a work from another student composer. Shiva Feshareki is currently in her third year of a bachelor's degree at the RCM, studying with Mark-Anthony Turnage and Howard Davison. Her piece, Schizophrenic was an exciting display of imagination and energy. Feshareki is a self-assured and strong-minded composer, with a clear idea of her musical intentions, which in turn communicate well to her audience. Her biography states “I set myself no boundaries, unless they’re there to break. At aged 20, I aim to produce music which is accessible as well as intelligent and thought-provoking.” There is no doubt that this has been achieved in Schizophrenic. The pounding rhythms follow constantly changing pulses, depictive of a barrage of information in an over-complicated and daunting world. Scored for piano, harpsichord and electronics, the harpsichord provides a distortion of the piano, both in sound, harmony and rhythm. The electronics, effectively produced in surround sound, further distort the acoustic music. This was performed with panache by Victoria Royce and Emily Smith, and was thoroughly engaging throughout. This is the music of today’s younger generation, and, in the hands of Feshareki, the future of contemporary music is exciting. She is a composer to watch out for, and one who will, in all likelihood, be able to engage with her own generation.

The final piece in the programme was Steve Rich’s Different Trains, a substantial and well known work which was well programmed on the day that the new Eurostar terminal opened at St Pancras! The rhythmic and melodic patterns of the music are taken from speech patterns heard in the electronic part and then mimicked by the live string quartet. The words were at times indistinct but this never detracted from the overall performance. The backing also includes pre-recorded string quartet material, played by the Kronos Quartet. The Oberg Quartet once again played the live material with precision and excellent synchronisation with the backing tape. Particular credit should go to Edmund Smith, the viola player, who held confident lines while often going against the material in the other parts. This was a hypnotic and compelling performance, drawing the listener in to explore Reich’s sound world. Different Trains is a long piece, but it constantly held my attention and the atmosphere in the hall was exhilarating.

All in all, this was an excellent concert, demonstrating the high standards of contemporary music performance achievable at the Royal College of Music. Michael Oliva’s unerring dedication to the promotion of electroacoustic works should be both recognised and celebrated; without his determination and the support of the RCM studios, I have no doubt that this concert would never have happened. Look out for further concerts in the series – www.rcm.ac.uk

Carla Rees


 

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