Cellophony at St Georges in Bristol review
Posted on: 2015-01-10
Our rating:
You'd never have thought that Monty Norman's James Bond theme would have transcribed well for the instrument, but you'd be absolutely wrong - it was an exuberant, fun finale to an idiosyncratically enjoyable evening.
St George's hall is the perfect venue for intimate gigs and small ensembles, and Friday night showcased the discernible musical talents of the diminutive but supremely talented eight-piece cello group, Cellophony.
Eight cellos is an unusual grouping, and the evening's selections had been specially adapted for the instrument. Wagner's Prelude to Tristan and Isolde kicked of the programme with slow passages punctuated by brief, silent pauses before incrementally building up in pace and volume and culminating in a blissfully orgiastic release of the sumptuous, heartbreaking main theme. Schubert's Three Songs from Schwanengesang, written by the composer when he was seriously ill just before died at the age of 31, were an intoxicating mix of reflective, woebegone memories and elegiac musical musings.
The group's UK premiere of Edward Nesbit's To Dance on Sands was an unexpectedly intriguing diversion into a thoroughly contemporary milieu: atonal, dissonant, crammed with piercing higher-register stretches and fiery, syncopated pizzicatos, it was a thrilling toe-dip into musical waters that was cerebral, intense and challenging for players and listeners.
Mendelssohn's Ave Maria unfolded with a gorgeous, passionate religiosity, and Liszt's La Lugubre Gondola - written out of the composer's obsession with Venice's iconic boats and often cited as a musical premonition of Wagner's final gondola journey - is intense, tortured and dark, and brought out the tragic, plangent and funereal sonorities of the cellos.
The concert might have only been around 70 minutes with no interval, but there was an astonishing array and diversity of music being performed. Familiar, not-so-familiar, classic, traditional and contemporary pieces weaved throughout the evening's repertoire and effortlessly blended in a way that never made one piece seem incongruous to the next.
The cello itself is often a plaintive, mournful and rather melancholy-sounding instrument, but the group put it through its paces with an sundry aural pick 'n mix of familiar, fun and unexpected music that showcased their abilities to the max. After each piece everyone swapped seats so each performer had a shot in the solo spotlight, but every player was impeccable and Cellophony as a group is indubitably an A-list cello octet.
And you'd never have thought that Monty Norman's James Bond theme would have transcribed well for the instrument, but you'd be absolutely wrong - it was an exuberant, fun finale to an idiosyncratically enjoyable evening.
4/5
Reviewed by Jamie Caddick for www.365Bristol.com - the leading events and entertainment website in Bristol
Article by:
Born and raised in the suburbs of Swansea, Jimmy moved to Bristol back in 2004 to attend university. Passionate about live music, sport, science and nature, he can usually be found walking his cocker spaniel Baxter at any number of green spots around the city. Call James on 078 9999 3534 or email Editor@365Bristol.com.
