Cultural contrasts with Daniel's Beard and Katrina Nimmo

Another day, another concert with Daniel's Beard, accompanied by the wonderful soprano Katrina Nimmo. Variety and contrast appears to be the theme with this programme. There is beauty in every piece despite the assortment of sounds, this is a truly expressive programme.

The performance will begin with Schubert's 'Auf Dem Strom'. My initial reaction to this piece was an awareness of a rolling sound, rising and falling in equal measure. This may result from the culmination of voice, piano and horn being played with a lightness to produce quite a holistic and integrated sound. I was particularly fond of the breaks between the vocal and instrumental parts allowing for the appreciation of each sound individually and as an entirety. However, the harmonising between the vocalist and instruments at points brought a richness and clarity to the overall sound. Singing in a foreign language must be quite an accomplishment, particularly due to the different linguistic sounds and mouth shapes which are not necessarily used or even in existence in the performers mother tongue. I suppose that it makes more sense to sing a piece in the language which the composer intended due to rhythm, sound and translation.

A selection of Beethoven's Schottische Lieder is a beautiful and relevant addition to this programme. The sweet sounds of Scottish song raise a sense of patriotism in many of us and I'm not talking bagpipes here. I am astounded and puzzled to find that Beethoven produced over 30 Scottish songs, some set to the words of great poets including Burns, Sir Walter Scott and a few women including poet and playwright Joanna Baillie. All of the elements which I would associate with traditional, Scottish folk music are translated into a more sophisticated production. Perhaps it relates to the quality of the vocalist and addition of the elegant  swirl of piano but this seems to be quite a dressed up depiction of Scotland. I heard great beauty in these excerpts and would be moved to witness this performance in the settings of Cottiers Theatre.

Horn Trio Op. 40 by Brahms begun with the familiar soft lilt that were characteristic in some of Beethoven's Schottische Lieder excerpts. Yet the tone of this was far from similar to the previous piece. The second part of the Horn Trio has a wonderfully choppy character which is brimming with energy and contrasted with the interspersed long and slender notes from the violin. Moving into a much lazier speed with a despairing tone, it strikes me how much contrast exists in this diverse program. Within this piece, the highlight for me was the final segment. The violin and horn seem to speak to one another as if answering questions.

I reckon that there will be rather a lot of emotion in this performance as I felt compelled to listen closely and that was in the confines of my home. I am particularly excited by Beethoven's Schottische Lieder and the Horn Trio with it's sparks of electricity and smooth counter balance.

Daniel's Beard and Katrina Nimmo will perform on the 7th of June at the Cottier's Theatre. To purchase tickets click here or visit the Cottier Theatre Box Office.

Music played by friends

A running theme which I have encountered during my experiences of chamber music is the significance in the role of 'friends'. Due to the small-scale set up I imagine that the majority of people attending and preforming in chamber music groups were generally acquainted. The ensemble which I am looking into today is a prime example of the sociable nature of this musical genre.

Playing Schubert's Piano Trio in E flat D.929 are pianist Alasdair Beatson, violinist Alexander Janiczek  and cellist Philip Higham  who made the decision to perform together as good friends and regulars of the chamber scene. I imagine that they will have performed together many times and be very aware of the individual styles which merge to produce an exceptional trio with compatibility and mutual understanding. From an outsider perspective I cannot imagine that such complex and intricate music could be performed by passive and disengaged parties. Group dynamics seem to be essential.

Upon listening to this I was initially struck by the focus of the piano. Yes, I am aware that the title is piano trio but the majority of the pieces which I have encountered so far have been centred around strings and wind instruments so I found this to be a nice change. This was an attractive, light piece which flowed beautifully. There was quite a quick pace, highlighting the dexterity of the pianist, again, this seems quite obvious as it is a piano based piece, nevertheless, it appealed to me as I hadn't come across anything similar. Towards the end the piece becomes choppier and more detached, with what seems to be more focus upon the stringed instruments. There is a liveliness throughout and I found the piano trio to be an upbeat and animated piece. I have leaned that this was one of the last pieces that Schubert wrote before his death so there is a lifetime of knowledge and experience behind the notes which are played.

Beatson was critically acclaimed as being "one of the best chamber music pianists in the business" by Herald critic, Michael Tumelty, following his performance as last years Cottier Chamber Project. This is one for the diary and should prompt further rave reviews for the 'band of friends'.

Beatson, Janiczek and Higham will perform at the Cottier's Theatre on the 3rd of May. You can purchase tickets here or from the Cottier Theatre Box Office.