Fiona Shaw & Carducci Festival Ensemble

Cork Orchestral Society, in conjunction with CIT Cork School of Music & Music Network, presents:

Fiona Shaw & Carducci Festival Ensemble

6:00pm, Curtis Auditorium

Saint-Saëns Carnival of the Animals, with words by Ogden Nash

This early-evening, pre-dinner quickie was part of a group of concerts, the Carducci Quartet Festival, which were organised, I believe, to celebrate the opening of the new and improved CIT Cork School of Music building. This one was designed to please young and old alike, and the audience reflected this with ages ranging from a few months right through to ‘it would be impolite to ask’. Just a few words on the new school. The foyer to the Curtis Auditorium is modern – clean lines, smooth stone and tile and lots of glass and open space. The auditorium is spacious and comfortable – far more so than the old hall – and for some reason painted entirely in matt, dark purple. There is an imposing organ looming behind the stage which, ironically, cuts through the décor to provide some light relief. I think you can guess that I’m less than sure about the colour. It reminds me of the old CSM hall, which was old, varnished wood panels and dark red upholstery, not unlike being inside a home-made womb.

Anyway – the performance! This was the Carducci Quartet plus friends, with Dr Geoffrey Spratt (head of the School of Music) conducting, Fiona Shaw narrating. Overall, it was a pretty rousing performance, with Ms Shaw fairly pinning us to our seats with her opening words, and was very well-received by the almost-full house. The performers also appeared to be enjoying themselves immensely, which was lovely to see and all too rare in the oft rarified atmosphere of the world of classical music.

However, I have to say that, despite the physically vigorous performances and the oomph with which the music came across, it is important to note that this is a set of pieces which fairly perform themselves. Also, a number of them would be familiar to the audience at large, such as Aviary, The swan and Fossils. So, in order for the performers and the performance to stand out from the general mill, something new or extra must be brought by the performers. They must be fearless. While I enjoyed the overall show, I felt throughout that there was a sense of reticence or restraint about the playing, as if they were running to the edge of the cliff but pulling back just before they had to commit. The second violin, Ms Fleming, came closest to breaking this in People with long ears, being unafraid to make a nasty sound on her instrument in order to represent animal braying. The same cannot be said for the first violin, Mr Denton, who seemed to want to get there but still make a nice sound. This is just one example of something, which I felt to be across the board. However, they are a young group and true courage often only comes with experience.

And speaking of Ms Shaw, she was simply superb, as always.

Saint-Saëns Carnival of the Animals

1. Introduction et marche royale du lion / Introduction and royale march of the lion
2. Poules et coqs / Hens and cocks
3. Hémiones / Wild asses
4. Tortues / Tortoises
5. L’eléphant / The elephant
6. Kangourous / Kangaroos
7. Aquarium / Aquarium
8. Personnages à longues oreilles / People with long ears
9. Le coucou au fond des bois / The cuckoo at the bottom of the wood
10. Volière / Aviary
11. Pianistes / Piano players
12. Fossiles / Fossils
13. Le cynge / The swan
14. Final / Finale

Carducci Festival Ensemble

Carducci Quartet:

Matthew Denton, violin Michelle Fleming, violin Eoin Schmidt-Martin, viola Emma Denton, cello

Louisa Dennehy (flute)

Vincent Condon (clarinet)

Stephen Kelly (percussion)

Rory Dempsey (double bass)

Rebecca & Kirsten Čápova (pianos)