Fragile at The Forum

It was a short walk from The Undercroft at Norwich Marketplace to Millennium Plain outside The Forum on Sunday 19th May 2013 to see Tilted Productions perform Fragile at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival. This performance featured Tightwire artists, dancers, a trampoline duo and a dancing clown searching for the beautiful in the fragile and the fragile in the seemingly beautiful.

Maresa von Stockert's latest work combined contemporary circus, dance and physical theatre. Fragile's architectural set created the illusion of the performance being on a rooftop. Imagine a flat concrete roof where someone has put up a garden with a few plants in pots and some grass.

One layer of the piece exposed the microcosm of human activity taking place in this garden. It looked at the lives of those who visited the roof terrace and explored what the garden meant to them. For the creator of the garden it may be an oasis or even an obsession. Others made it their hide-away; a place where they escaped reality.

Some saw it as a playground, others as a forbidden space. For one person it may have resembled paradise, for another a foreign world of green discomfort, bewilderment and fear. While intricate relationships tenderly and brutally entwine, a strange transformation happened to the garden itself enhancing the sense of a warped reality and other worldliness outside The Forum.

This Sixty minute performance at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival was incredible and created an amazing spectacle in Millennium Plain. The trampolining and tightwire walking thrilled the large crowd outside The Forum who were spellbound by the movement and the unique story of Fragile. I very much enjoyed this outside event at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival which proved to be a big hit in Norwich City Centre.

Black Clouds at The Undercroft!

After my visit to The Assembly House on Sunday 19th May 2013 I visited Rhona Byrne's It's All Up In The Air at The Undercroft behind Norwich Marketplace. This installation for the Norfolk and Norwich Festival was created using more then three thousand black balloons that were blown-up and woven together to form five black clouds.

Black clouds are immediately recognisable as a comedic emblem of misery and pessimism but there was a fun side to this installation as the clouds hovered over bright colourful islands made out of carpets. You could say every cloud has a silver lining or always look on the bright side of life as the comical and happy element of It's All Up In The Air was there for all to see.

I enjoyed my visit to The Undercroft which is a space that is normally hidden away but was brought to life for the Norfolk and Norwich Festival. The black clouds looked amazing and filled the space perfectly. Rhona Byrne said that they were like cartoon drawings of a squiggle over your head.

The Bartholdy Quartet at The Assembly House

On the afternoon of Sunday 19th May 2013 I attended the Royal Academy of Music concert at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival featuring The Bartholdy Quartet and Kei Takumi at The Assembly House, Norwich. This annual visit from the Royal Academy of Music is a vital and much loved feature of the Festival.

The programme consisted of String Quartet No.25 in C Op.20 No.2 - Haydn and Piano Quintet in G minor Op.57 - Shostakovich. The Bartholdy Quartet are Tessa Ho - violin, Marisol Lee - violin, Ricardo Gasper - viola and Raphael Lang - cello. Pianist Kei Takumi studied with Vera Gornostaeva and Hironao Suzuki at the Yamaha Music School.

Joseph Haydn composed the six string quartets from Op.20 in 1772 and are among the great works that earned him the nickname 'the father of the string quartet'. At the time of these compositions Haydn's musical ideas were influenced by the ongoing shift in European philosophical and political thought.

Piano Quintet in G minor, Op.57 was composed by Dimitri Shostakovich in 1940. It was written for the Beethoven Quartet and was premiered by them with Shostakovich himself at the piano on 23rd November 1940 at the Moscow Conservatory, to great success. In 1941, it was awarded the Stalin Prize.

This was a wonderful afternoon performance from The Bartholdy Quartet who after playing Haydn's String Quartet were joined by pianist Kei Takumi for the Shostakovich Piano Quintet. This is the part of the Festival where we get to hear the classical music stars of tomorrow and based on the music played at this concert, The Bartholdy Quartet and Kei Takumi have a bright future ahead of them.

The Aurora Orchestra declares war!

On the evening of Saturday 18th May 2013 I was back at St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich to see the Aurora Orchestra at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival performing their Battle programme which combined break dancing and orchestral music. The Aurora Orchestra were conducted by Rory MacDonald with Thomas Gould - Leader and Max Baillie - Viola. The Dancers were from Bboy's Attic and Company Decalage.

The programme consisted of Battalia A 10 - Biber, Chamber Symphony Op.73A - Shostakovich arr. Barshai, Venus from The Planets - Holst arr. Farrington, Maxamorphosis - Julian Phillips and This Means War - Chris Willis. The Bboy's Attic and Choreographer Mickael 'Marso' Riviere joined the Aurora Orchestra for this adventurous cross-art project as part of the Orchestra's New Moves series.

Battle featured a playlist linked loosely by the theme of conflict or struggle. There is the baroque fireworks of Biber's Battalia, Shostakovich's third string quartet whose original guise as a straightforward 'war narrative' in fact masked more complex beginnings and Chris Willis' radical re-imagining of Holst's Mars, the Bringer of War. At the heart of the programme was Maxamorphosis, a major new work composed by Julian Philips and choreographed by Marso for chamber orchestra, dancers and solo viola.

This was an amazing night at St. Andrew's Hall with the Aurora Orchestra giving us a brilliant unique programme of break dancing and orchestral music which was greatly enjoyed by the enthusiastic audience. Maxamorposis not only featured breakdancers and a contemporary dancer, but the soloist, Baillie, danced as well as played the viola. He is trained in Capoeira, the Brazilian martial arts danceform. The Norfolk and Norwich reached another level of excitement with the stage being filled with break dancers as well as the orchestra.

Audible Forces on Earlham Park

On Saturday 18th May 2013 I visited Audible Forces on Earlham Park, Norwich, an intricate landscape of musical installations produced by OCM and Oxford Brookes University Sonic Arts Research Unit. This Norfolk and Norwich Festival event was commissioned by Without Walls.

This collection was inspired by sound artist Max Eastley's explorations into the mythology, history and contemporary role of Aeolian (wind driven) instruments. Max Eastley was joined by Mark Anderson, Jony Easterby, Kathy Hinde, Dan Fox, Nathaniel Robin Mann and Mike Blow creating an ever changing sound world on Earlham Park.

I was amazed by these kinetic, sonic creations that produced incredible and different sounds as the wind breathed life into them. My favourite installation was Kathy Hinde's piece Sonic Reed Bed which captured my imagination. All the pieces were beautiful in their own way and its incredible how they are able to create these wonderful sounds from nature.

Mark Anderson's Phantom Field was very dramatic being made up of twenty one wind synthesisers with each one having a little mini-synthesiser and as the wind blow the pitch changed. This was one of the best events at this year's Festival which turned Norwich's Earlham Park into a delightful constellation of sounds.

Kris Thomsett Organ Recital at Norwich Cathedral

On Thursday 16th May 2013 I attended the Big Screen Lunchtime Organ Recital at Norwich Cathedral performed by Kris Thomsett. The Norwich Cathedral's Organ Scholar played a varied programme of organ music.

The programme consisted of Chorale No.3 in A minor - Franck, Majeste Du Christ Demandant Sa Gloire A Son Pere - Messiaen, Praeludium in D BuxWV 139 - Buxtehude, Arabesque - Langlais and Litanies - Alain.

A large enthusiastic crowd in attendance at Norwich Cathedral enjoyed a wonderful lunchtime treat of splendid organ music. This was a great way to take a break from work with the added bonus of trying to spot the Cathedral's peregrines on the way to the performance.

Bang on a Can All-Stars at Norwich Theatre Royal

On Wednesday 15th May 2013 I attended the Bang on a Can All-Stars concert at Norwich Theatre Royal and what a night it was at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival. This New York contemporary ensemble took us to the edge of music with their experimental music.

The programme consisted of Sunray - David Lang, For Madeline - Michael Gordon, Big, Beautiful, Dark and Scary - Julia Wolfe, Electric Counterpoint - Steve Reich and 2 x 5 - Steve Reich. This set of music went straight to the musical DNA of the Bang on a Can All-Stars.

This New York ensemble cross the boundaries between classical, jazz, rock, world and experimental music to create a sound that is free of any category definition. The Bang on a Can All-Stars were formed in 1992 by renowned new-music collective Bang on a Can and were named Musical America's Ensemble of the Year in 2005. Since 1987 Bang on a Can founded by Michael Gordon, David Lang and Julia Wolfe have been creating an international community dedicated to innovatory music.

The first three pieces performed on the night were composed by the three founders of Bang on a Can. This was followed by Steve Reich's Electric Counterpoint and 2 x 5. Norwich Theatre Royal was filled with the sounds of minimalism and progressive music. This has to be the coolest event at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival which I greatly enjoyed.

I love the music of Steve Reich and it was brilliant to hear Electric Counterpoint and 2 x 5 being performed live at Norwich Theatre Royal. Sunray, For Madeline and Big, Beautiful, Dark and Scary were all interesting and stimulating pieces. The Bang on a Can All-Stars are taking music into uncharted territories in the 21st Century.

Mariza at Norwich Theatre Royal

On Tuesday 14th May 2013 I attended the Mariza concert at Norwich Theatre Royal with support from Alasdair Roberts. Two years ago Mariza had to cancel her appearance at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival due to illness. It was great to be able to finally see her live at the Festival.

Mariza is the leading Portuguese fado singer of her generation and a global icon. She has infused fado, the breathtaking lyrical and melancholic music of Portugal, with the musical flavours of Brazil, Spain and Mozambique.

Mariza has such an amazing powerful and beautiful voice which filled the Norwich Theatre Royal with the sounds of fado. She looked stunning in a long elegant dress and chatted between songs in English and Portuguese. She has a charismatic stage presence and her set mixed traditional and contemporary song forms. There was a great relaxed atmosphere on the night which resulted in a loud round of applause at the end of the concert for the Queen of Fado.

Britten and Bridge celebrated at St. Andrew's Hall

I was back at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival on Monday 13th May 2013 when I attended the Philharmonia Orchestra's concert at St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich which featured David Parry - conductor and Mary Plazas - soprano. This was a celebration of Benjamin Britten's centenary and also a tribute to his links with the Festival.

The programme consisted of Suite, The Sea - Bridge, Our Hunting Fathers - Britten, Sinfonia de Requiem - Britten and Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes - Britten. In 1924 Britten heard The Sea, by his teacher, Frank Bridge at the Festival and was knocked sideways. Our Hunting Fathers was commissioned for the 1936 Festival, where it was conducted by Britten himself at St. Andrew's Hall.

The Sea was composed by Frank Bridge in 1910-11 at Eastbourne. This piece is in four movements, each with its own descriptive title. Seascape, Sea-form, Moonlight and Storm. Benjamin Britten's Our Hunting Fathers was the first of the composers acknowledged orchestral song-cycles. This was a collaboration with the poet W.H. Auden, who provided texts for the opening and closing songs.

Sinfonia da Requiem was written by Britten in 1940 as one of several works commissioned from different composers by the Japanese government to mark the 2600th anniversary of the founding of the Japanese dynasty. The work was considered inappropriate for the occasion and was politely rejected. The first performance of Sinfonia da Requiem was given in New York in 1941.

Britten's Four Sea Interludes received its premiere at the Cheltenham Festival in 1945 only a few days after the first performance of Peter Grimes. The Interludes are taken, with slight modifications, directly from the opera. This is one of the composers most popular pieces of music.

It was a brilliant experience to be at St. Andrew's Hall for this concert which celebrated Benjamin Britten's historic links with the Norfolk and Norwich Festival. This was a night to celebrate wonderful music and the Philharmonia Orchestra were on top form to ensure that this will go down as one of the highlights of this year's Festival.

The Festival Eucharist at Norwich Cathedral

On Sunday 12th May 2013 I attended The Festival Eucharist at Norwich Cathedral. The annual Eucharist cements and renews the unique relationship between the Norfolk and Norwich Festival and Norwich Cathedral. This year the service celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Queen's coronation with Liturgical performances of music heard at the ceremony in 1953.

The service used Vaughan Williams' Mass in G minor for double choir and included anthems and motets by Vaughan Williams, Howells and Wesley. It closed with Walton's Coronation Te Derum which was composed to conclude the coronation ceremony and Gordon Jacob's arrangement of the National Anthem.

Norwich Cathedral was full of the pomp and majesty of great choral works from Stanford's Gloria in Excelsis which was composed for the coronation of George V in 1911 to Walton's Crown Imperial march. The Norwich Cathedral Choir directed by Ashley Grote and organist David Dunnett made this a moving and memorable service.