11/4/13 The Swingle Singers, São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, Alsop, Royal Festival Hall | Classical music reviews, news & interviews | The Arts Desk

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are

agreeing to our use of cookies. ACCEPT COOKIES Find out more

about cookies

mon 04/11/2013 today new music opera film classical theatre comedy dance visual arts tv gaming cd/dvds what's on

news reviews features listings books gallery q & a london film festival proms Search

home > classical-music > the swingle singers, são paulo symphony orchestra, alsop, royal festival hall classical music reviews, news & interviews The Swingle Singers, São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, Alsop, Royal Festival Hall Sixties psychedelia from Berio and masterly Bernstein dances overshadow a Brazilian rarity

by David Nice | Saturday, 26 October 2013 0 Share

The absolute star was Swingle Oliver more classical music Griffiths, who Opinion: Why I won't attend Gergiev's chased streams concerts of consciousness When a conductor unequivocally endorses a murderous state policy, it's time to draw the line from Beckett’s The Unnamable La Damnation de Faust, LSO, Gergiev, with necessary Barbican A detached and underwhelming performance of histrionics Berlioz

Mustonen, Nakariakov, BBCSO, Oramo, Barbican New chief conductor sets out his stall with an orchestra on impressive form

Belcea Quartet, Wigmore Hall Electrifying programme of masterpieces by Haydn, Britten and Shostakovich

Marin Alsop, most genial of animateurs Classical CDs Weekly: Prokofiev, Dame Janet Grant Leighton Baker, Henning Kraggerud Spiky pianism, a tribute to a much-loved mezzo Anyone who saw or attended this year’s Last Night of the Proms will rating soprano and new music inspired by a famous painter know that Marin Alsop is a born communicator with a wry sense of humour. Another of those youthful crowds The Rest is Noise festival Moser, London Philharmonic Orchestra, keeps attracting gave her a hero’s welcome last night, and she buy Michail Jurowski, Royal Festival Hall responded with easy compering. As a conductor she’s good, with clear, Find Marin Alsop Tough, theatrical programme culminates in a on Amazon dizzying 1970s symphonic masterpiece strong gestures plus a bit of shoulder acting – though if we have to talk

top women interpreters, as opposed to animateurs, in the profession, my Frank Zappa's 200 Motels, Royal Festival money’s still on Finn Susanna Mälkki - and she has a good orchestra at Book for events in Hall The Rest is Noise her disposal, too, the Brazilian first team of which she became Music series This exuberantly chaotic musical portmanteau is much more than a period curiosity Director in 2012. Only an occasional lack of atmosphere in Bernstein’s more poetic West Side Story music and ’s , not to related articles Kadouch, Vincent, BBC Singers, BBCSO, mention a second-rank Brazilian opener, stopped this from turning into a BBC Proms: São Paulo Minkowski, Barbican great concert. Symphony Orchestra, Alsop Blockbuster programme of sacred, profane, The Last Night of the Proms, exquisite and downright bonkers French music It certainly had its stretches in Kennedy, DiDonato, BBCSO, Alsop the sun. Alsop, the São Paulans The Swingle Singers, São Paulo Symphony and the ever-unique Swingle Britten and Poulenc at the Orchestra, Alsop, Royal Festival Hall Singers (seven of last night's Cheltenham Music Festival www.theartsdesk.com/classical-music/swingle-singers-são-paulo-symphony-orchestra-alsop-royal-festival-hall 1/3 11/4/13 The Swingle Singers, São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, Alsop, Royal Festival Hall | Classical music reviews, news & interviews | The Arts Desk Cheltenham Music Festival Singers (seven of last night's Sixties psychedelia from Berio and masterly eight pictured right by West Side Story 50 Years Bernstein dances overshadow a Brazilian rarity Benedetta Pitscheider) were On: The Movie not to blame if Berio surrounds 10 Questions for Conductor Classical CDs Weekly, Bach, Bartók, Piano the most psychedelic of all Marin Alsop Phantoms collages, the Sinfonia’s third Baroque orchestral music, 20th century quartets and longest movement explore topics and a spooky piano anthology battening on the rainbow Classical Reviews carcase of the scherzo from music Tharaud, London Philharmonic Orchestra Mahler’s Second Symphony, with four cloudlets which barely impinge upon the Bernstein America and Chorus, Nézet-Séguin, Royal Festival watery-whizzing central landscape. South Southbank Hall America Centre Poulenc sacred and profane impresses but Maybe, too, I’ve been spoilt by recordings where the balance between amplified 1960s contemporary Prokofiev breaks the heart in music circa 1950 voices and orchestra allows every strand, every reference to tell in Berio’s swim classical through great music from Bach to Berg and Boulez. Here the Swingles were The Chaos Orchestra presents 'The Rite', The rather more to the fore than is usual, though they timed their spooky harmonies, share this article Vortex shouts and speeches to perfection. The absolute star was tenor Oliver Griffiths, Share Jazz trumpeter Laura Jurd leads improvisers' who chased streams of consciousness from Beckett’s The Unnamable with collective in centenary celebration of Stravinsky's necessary histrionics and rounded off with the nameable (his fellow singers and 'Rite of Spring' the Maestra). Berio’s work homes in on the free newsletter spirit of ’68 and accommodates a lament for the death of Martin Get a weekly digest of our critical highlights in your inbox Luther King. Coincidentally, each Thursday - free! protests over transport in the orchestra's home city turned Simply enter your email address in the box below into violence and destruction on Friday, though there was a more peaceful demonstration in Sign up for our newsletter the hall last night. We weren’t at first sure who the singers rising from their seats before the orchestra came on might be, View previous newsletters only to acknowledge the resourceful protesters of Shell’s ongoing Southbank concert sponsorship by their death- banner. That’s the way to do it. And it was certainly more fun than Carmargo Guarnieri’s pseudo-tragic string dirge at the heart of his Fourth, Brasilia Symphony of 1963. Lively cross rhythms in the outer movements and brevity were its only virtues, for the invention is unremarkable throughout.

Never any such problems with Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, complete with finger-clickings, “Mambo” shouts and that astonishing hover on the brink of atonality in the “Cool” sequence. Despite sterling work throughout the concert by first trumpeter Fernando Dissenha and the trombone department, though, the gym feast never quite swung in the way the Venezuelans can make it, and that was true, too, of the orchestra – though not the Swingles' obbligati – in the riotous encore, Victory Stride by Ragtime pioneer James P Johnson (pictured above). Full credit to Alsop for that, and for a daring programme which still packed ‘em in.

More on Berio's Sinfonia, with a YouTube performance of the extraordinary Follow @theartsdesk third movement, on David Nice's blog

We at The Arts Desk hope that you have been enjoying our coverage of the arts. If you like what you’re reading, do please consider making a donation. A contribution from you will help us to continue providing the high-quality arts writing that won us the Best Specialist Journalism Website award at the 2012 Online Media Awards. To make a one-off contribution click Donate or to set up a regular standing order click Subscribe.

With thanks and best wishes from all at The Arts Desk

Add Comment Post a comment

www.theartsdesk.com/classical-music/swingle-singers-são-paulo-symphony-orchestra-alsop-royal-festival-hall 2/3 11/4/13 The Swingle Singers, São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, Alsop, Royal Festival Hall | Classical music reviews, news & interviews | The Arts Desk see our complete archive radio show about us contact us privacy and cookies

© 2013 The Arts Desk Ltd.

www.theartsdesk.com/classical-music/swingle-singers-são-paulo-symphony-orchestra-alsop-royal-festival-hall 3/3