A welcome return to the Vale Of Glamorgan Festival: whilst I missed a lot of online events last year, it’s wonderful to be able to sink our teeth back into live concert-going. With a USP being the music of living composers (students and professionals), the choice of repertoire is usually has a focal artist each year. We will hear the music of John Luther Adams, with deeply rooted attention to nature, reaching its zenith in Bute Park with his large outdoor work Inuksuit. Promising stuff.
With the first concert, BBC National Orchestra Of Wales (who never disappoint) saw composers young and old with world premieres and new orchestrations. David John Roche, familiar to pre-pandemic audiences promised a “loud” new piece entitled Waves Of Love. With his rock background, there were moments of metal, though the piece felt very showy, it could only ever be a concert opener. Something interesting happened in the strings towards the end, quite tangy and harmonically pleasing. The brass and percussion had fun in this near soundtrack veneer. I enjoy David’s work, but I crave more boundary pushing – something he is clearly able to do.
It appears David did not stop, having then gone on to orchestrate John Metcalf’s Calm (the founder of the festival). Metcalf’s piece proved to be a lush few minutes, David adding extra layers to it, well met as the middle piece in the programme. Huw Watkins followed with his Spring, a fairly attractive and well-mannered work. Huw’s time spent with BBC NOW gave a trio of pieces related to nature and other themes, though I might just enjoy his piano playing a bit more than his music per se. Conductor Jac van Steen – frequently with this orchestra – fluttered and strummed along to the new music, his furies conjured quite frequently.
Another premiere from Sarah Lianne Lewis had the influence of dance/club music, giving the percussionists a workout in her Tourmaline. A type of stone may have influenced the music; certainly, it had charm and gusto, and we’ll be hearing more from Sarah soon.
Though dead for 45 years, the influence of Grace Williams over Welsh composers still looms large. In this final offering, Clare Hammond on piano joined forces with the orchestra for Grace’s Sinfonia concertante. This proud, blustery set held a conservative nature, though an agreeable, flowing ease followed along it. Hammond, ever the form of grace has golden hands that play eternal, her commitment to female composers is also noteworthy. Grace’s ghost seemed to approve and stole the limelight from our living composers.
Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Thurs 22 Sept
Vale Of Glamorgan Festival continues till 30 Sept in Cardiff & Penarth. Info: here
words JAMES ELLIS
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