Andrew Kennedy/Aronowitz Ensemble – ‘A Time There Was...’

Posted by Jamie Munn on Tuesday 2 November 2010

Andrew Kennedy is an accomplished singer; since winning the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Song Prize in 2005, he has appeared at many of the world’s great halls in recital, and debuted with a similarly large number of opera houses, including Covent Garden and La Scala. He is, however, an awkward performer to watch, especially on the recital platform when the mind and eyes are focused on a single point.

This concert was the last in three events produced by Glasgow Concert Halls in conjunction with BBC Radio 3 – to be broadcast in December. ‘A Time There Was...’ was described as an opportunity to rediscover some of the ‘golden years’ of English chamber music composition. Kennedy and The Aronowitz Ensemble certainly fulfilled that part of the remit with ‘On Wenlock Edge’, Vaughan Williams’ evocative setting of A E Housman’s texts, and Elgar’s Piano Quintet in A – inspired by the occult and a haunted copse near the composer’s Sussex home.

Kennedy brought some inspired interpretations of the Vaughan Williams, and some moments (especially the opening of Is My Team Ploughing), were nothing short of beautiful. He does, however, posses a very distracting stage manner. All singers have their ticks (Cecilia Bartolli is a case in point), but Kennedy’s facial contortions and continuous swivelling are, at best, distracting, and at worst, extremely detrimental to the music that he is helping to create. I am, by no means, an advocate for still, staid singers and musicians – on the contrary, appropriate movement often brings far more excitement and vivacity to a performance – the players of the Aronowitz:  a perfect example. But we experience music with our eyes as much as our ears, and when our senses experience conflicting experiences of beautiful sound and distracting bodily contortions, it not only confuses the brain, but mars the whole experience. As an audience, we react with what we see, and when we see discomfort or tension in the performer, we, in turn, feel tense and uncomfortable. On radio or on CD, however, no such problem exists.

In the Elgar, the Aronowitz, made up of some of the county’s finest instrumentalists – including Tom Poster, the winner of the Scottish International Piano Competition in 2007, brought a richness to the music. Vibrant strings, and the players’ soloistic tendencies created some exciting moments.

The pre-concert was given by baritone Jamie Rock and tenor Stephen Chambers from the RSAMD’s Alexander Gibson Opera School, accompanied by Tim Dean, in some effective and expressive readings of songs by Finzi and Britten.

JM

Tags: City Centre, Classical, Merchant City, Music