Joyce Clarke & Kevin Hurst "A French Delight" Temple Church Budleigh Salterton Saturday 12 July |
Clarinet: Kevin Hurst |
The clarinettist was the very wonderful, and supremely cool, Kevin Hurst accompanied on the piano by Joyce Clarke.
Kevin very rarely plays in public. (The only record of him on this blog is in a review of his classical collaboration with Frances Waters at Glenorchy Church, Exmouth, on 7 December 2011.) However, Kevin is a well-known and popular musician in Budleigh Salterton. He teaches clarinet, and is also a chess coach. As the Festival approached he was a natural choice to entertain Budleigh residents and visitors alike.
Piano: Joyce Clarke |
It was following one of these concerts, on 4 May 2011, that Joyce arranged to join us on Phonic FM for a discussion of her music, as well as that of her father Harold Noble, on 20 September 2011. Joyce is married to opera impressario Peter Clarke, and still works regularly as an opera répétiteur - which is very exacting work for a pianist.
Beacon Piano Trio Anna Cockroft, Joyce Clarke, Ruth Lass |
Later this month, on 17 August, the Beacon Piano Trio will be at the ancient and evocative St Lawrence Chapel to give a concert of classical and romantic music as part of this year's celebration of the 700th anniversary of the granting of the chapel to Ashburton by Bishop Stapledon in 1314. Full details of all the concerts in this series - including those yet to come - are on the post for 5 January 2014.
At Budleigh on Saturday 12 July, the extraordinary combination of the talents of Kevin Hurst and Joyce Clarke was presented to a capacity audience at Temple Church. The concert was called "A French Delight", and proved to be well named.
Kevin preceded each piece with a very informative introduction, delivered with supremely cool assurance. The music was equally eloquent, and included some of the most demanding pieces for clarinet and piano by the Parisian virtuosi of the romantic school. The programme had been carefully selected to progress from the merely impressive to the utterly astounding.
Notwithstanding an interesting manuscript manipulation breakdown during one piece (so skilfully handled that it is almost impossible to detect in the recording), every one of the offerings was a masterpiece of technical accomplishment and interpretive excellence. Joyce, as her many fans have come to expect, was the master of sensitive support from the keyboard, while Kevin shone with virtuosic brilliance from centre-stage.
The secret to superior sound - Backun construction |
Kevin made light of the opening works - describing them as 'street café music' from Paris, such as you might imagine as background for Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft's eighties sitcom "'Allo 'Allo" - to accompany the misogynistic antics of Gordon Kaye, as café owner René Artois.
That might have been the flavour, but the technical genius of each work was evident from the first note. Below are links to the 'Mixcloud' uploads of the recordings from the Festival concert. To hear the full concert with Kevin's very special intro's, tune in to "Classical Journey" on Phonic FM from 10-12am this Tuesday (5th August)
Paul Jeanjean (1874-1928): Clair Matin
("Pleasing & lyrical, with elegance")
Paul Jeanjean (1874-1928): "Clair Matin" |
Henri Rabaud (1873-1949): Solo de Concours
("Modernism is the enemy - note the distinct baroque influence")
Jules Semler-Collery (1902 - 1988) |
Cruiser "Jeanne d'Arc" Musical Crew Chief 1945-48: Jules Selmer-Collery |
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): "Première Rhapsodie"
("Very rich writing for both clarinet & piano, with oriental influences ")
Claude Debussy: "Première Rhapsodie" |
Claude Debussy (1862-1918) |
("A wild tempestuous piece, lyrical and joyful")
Louis Cahuzac (1880-1960) |
Gabriel Grovlez (1879-1944): "Sarabande et Allegro"
("A conductor who composed for the Société Nationale de l'Opera")
Gabriel Grovlez (1879-1944) |
Gabriel Grovlez "Sarabande et Allegro" |
("The piece screams its way to a blinding finish - A total blast")
André Messager "Solo de Concours"
|
André Messager (1853-1929) |
Two musical competitors complement each other in conquest Joyce Clarke & Kevin Hurst |
"Bravo" |
However, Kevin couldn't resist including one last treat for the pleasure of that happy throng. Leaving France behind, and leaping into the twenty-first century, he played us a lovely little piece by a West Country man - from Weston-Super-Mare. This music will be familiar as the theme from a very English movie (directed by that quintessential Englishman, Charles Dance).
"Ladies in Lavendar" Janet (Maggie Smith) & Ursula (Judi Dench) with protégé Andrea (Daniel Brühl) |
Nigel Hess (1953-) "Ladies in Lavendar"
Theme music to Charles Dance's 2004 movie "Ladies in Lavendar"
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