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Plaines Friday, 1st July, Assembly Rooms Jacqueline Peverley The Bristol Shantymen Saturday, 2nd July, The Granary They performed a rousing set at The Granary to an eager and enthusiastic house. The first half consisted of numerous shanties from their vast repertoire, from sing along favourites to little heard gems that were a revelation to most of us landlubbers! It is easy to forget how important these songs were to the sailors of the Empire who ploughed the furrows of the oceans making international trade a reality and ensuring that we really did rule the waves! It is equally important to bear in mind that these songs were not just sung for pleasure. They were first and foremost work songs, sung by the working class Jack Tars of the time. The second half of the show took us on a sweeping tour of British sea power at the time of Lord Horatio Nelson’s epic victory, offering songs about His Majesty’s Navy, the sailor’s lot, scurvy, punishments, defeats and, of course, death. This huge tapestry was interwoven with thoughtful narration, anecdotes and stories. Shantymen Dave Byrne and John Shaw have to be publicly applauded for yet another triumph! Who would have thought they could have matched the success of Cecil Sharp’s Big Night Out last year. Once again, they projected visual images on to the stage to help the narration flow with ease. The choice and breadth of illustrations used were magnificent and having the words to choruses projected onto the stage was genius. Simple but highly effective! Dave and John have been massively influential over the years in their meticulous research and presentation of many folk events. This stems from their days together in Elecampane, the most influential folk theatre band to have graced the Festival circuit over the years. My praise of Dave and John in no way diminishes the amazing performance by the rest of the Bristol Shantymen, who each played their part in the overall project. Alan Prewitt deserves special mention for his amazingly unique vocal style that left you wanting more. Although the evening was in the name of entertainment, I defy anyone to have left the venue not knowing, appreciating and understanding more about the period and lives of the souls who peopled Nelson’s world. What a world and what a man. Pete Minall Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius Sunday 3rd July, Cheese & Grain There were other differences too, chiefly that Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius lacked show-stopping fireworks like we heard last year with Verdi’s Requiem. It had the integrity of a religiously contemplative essay, a setting of words by Cardinal Newman about the death of Gerontius and his soul’s journey to heaven. It required intense emotional commitment from the performers. From the outset, it was clear that the conductor and chorus master had a great affinity with the music, their Midland roots so closely entwined with those of Elgar. The darkly scored orchestral Prelude, with its themes of judgement, fear, prayer, sleep and despair were so well graded. The control of the orchestra and their response to Thornton’s precise direction was set from the start and retained throughout. The playing was always warm and disciplined without ever becoming sentimental, particularly true of the serene opening of the second part following Gerontius’ death, with gentle woodwind playing over the strings as his soul starts to sing. All three soloists were perfectly suited to the music and projected total empathy with the work’s intensely religious content. In Andrew Yeates (tenor), we had an outstanding Gerontius. He projected his voice with a touching and sincere intimacy that made you feel that you were at his bedside as the time of death drew near. No mean achievement in the secular, barn-like environment of the Cheese & Grain. Stephen Foulkes (bass), as the priest and the angel of agony, was in fine voice, delivering an impressive and chilling declamation as he sent Gerontius’ soul on its journey. Jeanette Ager (mezzo soprano) was powerful throughout but perhaps most memorable in the closing sections, with her warm voice soft and gently reassuring, offering genuine hope for the future. Gerontius’s technically demanding and complex structure was new to many of the chorus, which was divided into twelve parts. The choir was unbalanced with too few men present. However, the eight tenors sang valiantly and well, often leading choral sections with great conviction. In the early choral passages, the altos were rich in tone, with some well shaped phrasing led by the men in ‘be merciful, be gracious’ and glorious soft high notes from the soprano semi chorus at the end of the first part. The furious demons chorus with its double fugue was tackled with gusto and there was some sublime singing during ‘Praise to the holiest’, particularly from sopranos. The full choral singing in this hymn was overwhelmingly musical, strong and muscular, but always held by Thornton within the context of the journey of the soul. There was a similarly outstanding passage of orchestral playing on the build up to the soul’s cry of ‘Take me away’ with brass and percussion in full flow. I wonder what musical feast is planned for next year. Whatever it is, make an effort to be there. This was the fourth in a series of remarkable musical achievements, which we are privileged to have hosted in our town. Alan Burgess
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fRock Idols & Pretty Good Girl Dance Company Sunday 3rd July, Merlin Theatre I’m sure I wasn’t alone in wondering what the evening held in store as the lights went down on a full house. There was a moment of audience participation as Yvette Staelens, the enthusiastic compere, encouraged us to swing into gear sending ripples of rhythmic hand clapping around the auditorium. It was clear from the first instrumental note to the vocal opening by the fRock Orchestra that a rare talent was being unleashed. The creativity we were privileged to be part of was enhanced by the obvious joy of all participants, as the young female performers glided effortlessly through group improvisations, including their own arrangements of African American Spirituals and songs which had been developed and arranged by the whole group. It was a joy to watch Joanna Harvey conduct with ease, professionalism and a manner of sheer pleasure. Guitars, bass, violins, flute, clarinet, saxophone, keyboard, African drums and various wooden percussion instruments rose and melted into the melodic vocals. I was inspired, moved and delighted by this remarkable musical feast. Music leaders Joanna Harvey and Jane Harwood launched the fRock Idol initiative in Frome after working on a similar project with the Chard Foundation for Women in Music. A series of workshops last autumn led to the recruitment of the fRock Orchestra in January and two exciting all female bands, who rehearsed and recorded a CD at Frome’s Handsome Llama Studios. During the first half of the gig, Lucy Ehrlicher, Martha Bell and Amy Macfadyen performed a skilled and moving acapella rendition of a new song called Summer, which was written especially for the gig by Lucy and Martha. The second half was devoted to the bands, with an opening number by soloist Phillipa Cookman. Phillipa was one of two trainees who worked alongside Joanna and Jane throughout the project. The audience loved her relaxed style. Pink Lemons was a punk rock band with a heavy metal bent. They were good to look at, the singer’s attire reminiscent of the Sergeant Pepper album cover. They had a great sound and gelled comfortably, clearly buoyed by their recent success at the Merlin Theatre’s 2005 Battle of the Bands competition. Lead singer Sarah Worral gave a confident performance. I wanted to turn down the music to hear more of her voice. Nancy Haze, formerly know as Red Addiction, was the last act of the evening. Lead vocalist Jen Robinson was compelling to watch. This young musician has incredible stage presence, a great voice, political awareness and a natural rapport with her audience. Gifted drummer Louise McGrath had equal standing. I also learned later that bass player Rosa Robson, who also sang in the fRock Orchestra, had only begun playing a few months ago. Well-done Rosa. The rock concert over, we were treated to a short improvised dance performance by the Pretty Good Girls Dance Company, interpreting the evening’s music in the atmospheric setting of the ECOS Amphitheatre. After the concert, Harvey said: “ It was more than worth all the hard work. I can’t describe my feelings. I feel warm inside, extremely proud. It has been wonderful to watch these young women grow in confidence throughout the year” Harwood added: “I thought the evening was fantastic. I am really pleased with how it went. The fRock Orchestra and the bands produced a lot of music in a short space of time. The quality was very high which showed the hard work they had done. It was about them, that was the aim of the project.” I hope all of these young women are as proud of themselves as Frome is of them. Rock on sisters. Elder women’s band next year perhaps? Jill Miller John Kirkpatrick Sunday 3rd July, The
Granary John explained the importance of strict tempo and the reasons why playing for dance is such a different and disciplined procedure rather than playing music for an audience, or for fun! The range of instruments present varied from guitar and mouth organ to violin and melodeon. People of all abilities took part, including the amazing sight of a seven-year-old boy playing a melodeon that was almost as big as him! It is here the future of English folk music lies - with the young! It was a real joy to see probably the world’s most accomplished box player encouraging a newcomer to the world of folk! Bravo to the Frome Festival for encouraging me to run this type of workshop. John later performed a corking set, which had none of the rigid constraints of playing for dance. His virtuoso playing of various melodeons and concertinas was oral heaven. His music swept us across Europe, delving first into the traditional then next to the present. John has appeared on hundreds of albums in his career and this concert left you in no doubt why. Dipping into his repertoire, he gave us tunes from the Albion Band to Richard Thompson. John’s infectious laugh made everyone feel that he was nothing more than a mate playing a few tunes for you. The big surprise for most people was the richness and depth of his singing voice. One of the all time greats of British Folk. In Frome. And he felt so at home here. Pete Minall |
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