Self-indulgent or controversial – but not easy on the ears

Normally, performances by the Scottish Ensemble leave me well satisfied. Their innovative programming occasionally leaves me shaken if not stirred but Friday’s Dundee Caird Hall concert felt as if I’d been put through a washing machine’s maximum spin cycle. I was ill at ease, unnerved and left wondering what it was all about.

The catalyst of all this uncertainty was percussionist Johannes Fischer. He’s no run-ofthe-mill percussionist, though.

He’s imaginative, inventive and at times seemingly self-possessed.

In his Air (for snare drum and accessories) he used a series of percussive implements ranging from knitting needles to various brushes making you wonder if he had bought a hardware shop job lot. This worked segued straight from the Ensemble’s impeccable performance of Bach’s Air on the G String and I would have preferred a break to give me chance to contemplate what I was about to hear.

Was this seriously a piece of music? The different tones, sounds and rhythms were striking but I was debating whether this was an exhibition of self-indulgence such was his almost self-hypnotic demeanour or was it aimed at causing some controversy.

Similarly was his take on Telemann’s Tafelmusic where he resorted to an electrified table with an array of electronic gadgets. Tafelmusic translates as “table music”. Well, we had the table but where was the music? In the Ensemble’s contribution thankfully, where the original music occasionally penetrated Fischer’s world giving the audience a break from his percussive onslaught.

I should praise Fischer for his skill and undoubted innovation but this didn’t work for me at all. I’m all for new ideas and unusual programming, but sometimes such invention comes at a price.