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Sound Census 4 - Fox, Cashian, Elias, Amissah, Payne, Mojsiejenka, Duddell, Wills: Endymion, Quentin Poole & Simon Wills (conductors), Hall One, Kings Place, London 6.6.2009 (CR)


This was the fourth concert in Endymion’s Sound Census series, celebrating the ensemble’s 30^th birthday. This concert contained premieres by a range of composers, from established professionals to school students who have taken part in Endymion’s educational workshops.

Endymion has a reputation for championing excellence British music, and this evening’s offerings were no exception. Opening with Christopher Fox’s hauntingly beautiful A Study in Daylight, the concert was highly enjoyable from beginning to end. Fox’s piece was my favourite of the programme, making imaginative use of colours and timbral variations in the ensemble of oboe, harp, horn, cello and trumpet. Cleverly orchestrated, Fox created links between the instruments, pairing, for example, oboe with muted trumpet, trumpet with horn and cello with harp to give subtle sonic variations on individual pitches. This was a piece which demonstrated mastery in its simplicity, and was deeply moving.

Similarly effective was Joe Duddell’s trio for flute, viola and harp, The Tree Carving, heard later in the programme. The three short movements explored different characteristics of this instrumental combination. The first created atmosphere through its simple textures, with a soaring melody heard over ostinato-style rhythmic patterns. The central movement was faster and more aggressive, with energetic viola writing, while the third movement was reminiscent in style of a Gymnopédie, with a sense of peaceful contemplation.

Philip Cashian’s contribution was the virtuoso Concertante, described as ‘a brief showpiece for clarinet, horn, viola and cello.’ A demanding work, the clarinet’s fanfare-like opening solo is heard over pulsating pizzicato strings. The melody is shared around the ensemble as the piece develops, with each instrument having an opportunity to display its expertise. Full of rhythmic drive and energy, this was a well constructed and enjoyable piece.

Impromptu by Brian Elias was similarly complex in its rhythmic energy, with the harp providing percussive attacks in its accented entries and a melodic dialogue emerging between flute and clarinet. This was an exciting performance, with some excellent playing, especially from the harp.

Two school students had works performed, selected from Endymion’s workshops. It was wonderful to hear these works given a committed professional performance and encouraging to sample the talent of the future. Robert Amissah, an A level student from the Grey Coat Hospital School, had a performance of his Lluvia, a duo for violin and cello. Strongly influenced by folk music, this showed a good understanding of structure and harmony and showed variety between the sections. The instrumental writing was effective and the lyrical melodies flowed well. Sophie Mojsiejenka’s piece, Red Shoes, was similarly folk-influenced, with strong rhythms and syncopation. The student from La Sainte Union school in Camden used violin, clarinet, cello and trumpet for varying textures and colours, and the tempo fluctuations throughout the piece gave a wonderful sense of a wild, uncontrolled dance.

The two remaining works on the programme were by Anthony Payne and Simon Wills. Anthony Payne’s From a Mouthful of Air takes its title from WB Yeats and uses a string trio with harp and trumpet. The trumpet takes on something of a solo role, and was expertly played by Bruce Nockles. The strings and harp provided a rich, lush backdrop, which felt like a worthy successor of the English tradition of Elgar and Vaughan Williams. There was a clear sense of structure and poise in the piece and the music was highly successful throughout. Simon Wills’ …without words is based on his opera, The Secret Agent, and serves as an aria for the central character, a mime. Using a large ensemble of flute, clarinet, string trio and harp, this was a characterful and enjoyable piece, with some extremely impressive flute playing by Helen Keen. The music took on something of a grotesque nature, like a distorted dance, and had a sense of ballet and perhaps also a hint of pantomime. The poignant ending with its fragmented melodies and harmonic resolutions was particularly enjoyable.

As a showcase for both Endymion and contemporary British Music this was an excellent event. The playing was faultless throughout, with perfect intonation and a true sense of ensemble. The musical material was similarly excellent, and these two elements combined to create a wonderful event. Good luck to Endymion for the next thirty years!

Carla Rees 


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