Reviewed by Andrew Buchanan-Smart
Hannah Darroch (flute) and Justin DeHart (percussion) gave a wonderfully varied programme containing works by contemporary and 20th century composers.
Lou Harrison’s First Concerto for Flute and Percussion (1939) was the earliest work while Celeste Oram’s Notes on a Nocturne Tradition (2023) was the most recent piece.
Harrison’s rhythmic ostinato throughout the first movement provided a limited tonal palette, allowing the beautiful full-bodied timbres of the flute to take centre stage. The poignancy in the lower registers’ hues were captured beautifully in this masterful composition by Harrison. Toro Takemitsu’s Toward the Sea with marimba and alto flute encapsulated a wonderfully warm soundscape with rich tonal hues and incorporated flutter-tonguing. The duo was well balanced and were very responsive to the other’s performance. Oram’s work for marimba was a musical response to Alison Glenny’s poetry The Bird Collector. A very beautiful and virtuosic work, hopefully capturing elements of the poetry, which were difficult to hear over the marimba. Gareth Farrs’s Kembang Suling: Three Musical Snapshots of Asia was an enlightened combination of musical traditions, masterfully interwoven into a single unified work with Balinese minimalistic elements to frenetic South Indian rhythms and haunting dark hues from Japan.
Helen Fisher’s Te Tangi a te Matui was imbued with an evocative beauty where the waiata and the flute became one birdsong. In David Land’s lend/lease for piccolo and woodblock, the percussive element mirrored the piccolo with hypnotic effect. Daniel Corral’s Heptomino cleverly allowed the flute’s seven chosen notes to be paired with seven metallic tones. The result was a frenetic mix of timbres that combined into a well crafted and enjoyable work. In Andy Williams’s Cineshape 1 the percussion sometimes punctuated the narrative of the flute, while occasionally it augmented the flute’s attitude. Both sonority’s dialogue captivated. Andy Akiho’s Karakurenai captivated with an inspired combination of both Trinidadian and Japanese elements.
The acoustic of this superb venue gave the sounds a warm hue that enhanced the performance of this very enjoyable concert.
