RSNO tunes up for tour with masterly performance
Music
been the sort of songwriter you would describe as particularly visual, so it is interesting to watch her play with traditional images of femininity on the very day her sixth album Semper Femina emerges into the world.
It’s even more interesting to watch her virginal long white dress, and stage strewn with roses and greenery, as a backdrop to set opener Soothing: a deeplygrooved, bluesy number that puts the writer’s desires front and centre. “I need soothing,” she purrs, “but you can’t come in, you don’t live here any more.”
Unsurprisingly, given the timing, the set is heavily frontloaded in favour of Marling’s new release; a concept album, of sorts, about femininity, female relationships and the woman-asmuse. Songs like The Valley and Wild Fire paint evocative, if obtuse, lyrical pictures – the latter, one of my favourite things she has ever done, meanders joyfully against a backdrop that mimics a sunset while the bass drum does something that sounds like a shoe scuffing on pavement.
Marling’s greatest gift is her ability to conjure a certain kind of intimacy, whether performing alone or with her band, both of which are demonstrated tonight. Her stage presence is statuesque, verging on the immobile, but her words emerge expressive and filled with meaning, like she’s spilling her secrets and the listener is the only other person in the room.
Always This Way and Next Time could be intimate letters, or diary entries, even when the band starts up and the backing vocals begin to swell. Then there’s Don’t Pass Me By – a song about endings, in which every ache is translated into a squeak of the strings and there’s a violence when the rhythm section breaks in. grace us with his postponed presence), The Weekend promised the biggest party in the city – and delivered. His Starboy: Legend Of The Fall Tour was pretty stylishly packaged with an overhead lighting rig in the shape of some kind of intergalactic interloper, although reports on social media suggest the gimmick really affected the sight lines of those in the upper level of the Hydro’s own “spaceship” arena.
The rise to fame of 27-year-old Abel Makkonen Tesfaye might seem quite stratospheric superficially, but the Ontario-born singer, songwriter and record producer has put in the graft and now works with the best in the business since uploading his “mix tapes” to YouTube in 2010. Having been nominated for an Academy Award for an original song from the Fifty Shades Of Grey soundtrack to performing at the Grammy Awards with his most recent collaborators French House duo Daft Punk, the R&B media playboy’s star is definitely rising.
Arguably, the first half hour of the set was a little pedestrian until more anthemic Can’t Feel My Face lifted proceedings into promised party territory; a bold and rousing Earned It really showcased the talent of the small, slick band, especially cracking drummer Ricky Lewis. I Feel It Coming is the best thing Daft Punk has co-produced since 2013’s anthem Get Lucky and it is sure to continue to dominate the summer scene. Vocally, The Weeknd cites Michael Jackson as an influence and homage was paid in his more falsetto moments. With Party Monster bringing him back on message for the encore, it will be interesting to see his future sparkling trajectory. O2 Academy, Glasgow Jonathan Geddes IF THE question “how bad is British pop music at this moment in time?” is asked, then James Arthur covering Clean Bandit’s irritating chart-topper Rockabye at this gig would provide a succinct answer. It was the bland singing the bland, yet Arthur on the whole was less easy to dismiss than that one ill-judged cover.
His pop resurrection, after X Factor, being dropped by his record label and a notorious row over homophobic language, has been unlikely, and when he mentioned that he came close to quitting music you suspect it was truthful.
Yet the past year has brought a No 1 single and album, and the Academy was sold out, although the amount of chatter and noise that greeted some songs suggested that X Factor appeal, where the thrill is to see someone off TV rather than actually hear them, has not left. There seemed rather more craving for syrupy set-closer SayYouWon’tLetGoorhis dreary cover of Impossible than the blunt material detailing his mental health issues.
Tracks like Prisoner (enjoyably sturdy pop-rock) or Sober (a funk number on which Arthur played ladies man to the crowd) brought a sincerity that many talent show winners lack, something also true of a full throated I Am and the acoustic Safe Inside, songs that made good use of his rough-hewn vocal.
That voice was distinctive but not always successful. On the generic rock of Recovery or Phoenix’s watered down pop, it struck the gasping tone of a drama student attempting a death scene. Coupled with the unadventurous nature of the music it ensured a set flavoured with honesty but lacking in creative punch, albeit with flashes of legitimate talent. Miranda Heggie THE programme for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s “Paris Concert” comprised a selection of works inspired by the French capital. The themed idea is a good one, although each work performed was written between 1760 and 1800, and it may have been welcome to have heard a broader range of orchestral repertoire with a Parisian flavour. Having said that, it’s at that repertoire that this orchestra really excels, and Laurence Cummings, conducting from the harpsichord, is evidently a master of the genre. Rameau’s suite from his final opera, Les Boreades, completed shortly before the composer’s death, was marvellously executed, with a theatrical, rambunctious spirit andarealsenseoffun.
Mozart’s “Paris” symphony was nimble and bright, exposed violin passages sounding crisp and very together. Scored for a relatively large collection of instruments, and the first of Mozart’s symphonies to use clarinets, the balance between sections here was spot on, with resplendent woodwind and brass paired with taut string playing.
The second symphony of the evening, Haydn’s “Oxford” (the French connection being it was written in Paris after a commission from a Parisian count), was given an intelligent interpretation, Cummings deftly exploring the nuances of the music throughout the work.
Johann Christian Bach’s Sinfonia Concertante for flute, two clarinets, two horns and bassoon was the highlight of the evening, and it is always a joy to hear this orchestra playing with soloist from among their own ranks.
Each of the six soloists really dazzled here, with clarinettist Maximiliano Martin and William Stafford creating a warm blend, and principal flute Alison Mitchell giving a zesty lightness to J C Bach’s melodies. Miranda Heggie RECEIVING its Scottish premiere, hearing James MacMillan’s viola concerto played by its dedicatee Lawrence Power, was a truly profound and unforgettable musical experience. The work is in three movements, each with no title – and indeed, each one is impossible to define, refusing to be pinned down.
Opening with an unsettling soundscape, the chords held in the orchestra seem pregnant with possibilities, played against Powers’ grippingly visceral virtuosity. The first movement steers wildly between charged, bustling passages and still, sparse sections, before moving into the more contemplative, dream-like middle movement.
There are some very lyrical, almost romantic melodies in the solo viola part, but there’s always a slight sense of unrest in the harmony, giving the music a twisted beauty, a jagged serenity, with Powers’ evocative playing drawing the listener into this intimate sound world.
The second part of the concert, Elgar’s 2nd symphony was where conductor Richard Farnes really came into his own, conjuring up a lush wealth of emotion from the orchestra, and really capturing the essence of Elgar’s music.
Brimming with energy, the strings played with a perfect balance of cohesion and clarity between sections, whilst the brass were robust and strong, most notably the trombones and French horns. Farnes brought each movement to an end with a triumphant flourish, although his ultimate finale was also weighted with a sensitive musical gravitas.
The concert opened with George Butterworth’s rhapsody for orchestra A Shropshire Lad, inspired by A. E. Houseman’s set of English poems of the same name.
The orchestra’s shimmering, delicate sound brought to mind scenes of gently rolling English countryside, with principal bassoon Graeme Brown playing with a pastoral warmth. said. Bowie’s ability to communicate emotion, to connect, with his songwriting was what marked him out. “Do you believe in it or not?” he asked. In those early days, it was worth sleeping on the stairs in a sleeping bag, eating bad food and earning only £7 a week.
From the past to the future, and what kind of Scotland we want to shape, was the question that came up again and again at an informed and civilised What’s Next For Scotland debate. All three panellists agreed a second independence referendum is on the cards thanks to the Brexit result – the only question is when.
“There’s more than one club in Europe and we need to decide which one to join,” said Lesley Riddoch.
Alex Massie warned of “two more years of grinding constitutional warfare”, while Gerry Hassan wondered if those who feel more disadvantaged would turn out to vote in greater numbers a second time around.
The session with the three Makars was almost wholly joyous, even when Lochhead was speaking about “absent fathers”, and Carruth was mourning the loss of a rural way of life.
Kay could barely contain herself about a recent visit to Uist and even her poem, written on the day Donald Trump was elected, which also happened to be her birthday, raised a smile. All three poets, widely experienced in entertaining an audience, gave world-class readings of their work. It was a great pleasure to be in their company.