Friday, February 20, 2015 Follow us on Twitter @Argus_The Guide In The Spotlight


THIS evening I will be fortu- nate enough to attend a con- cert at St David’s Hall given by one of the country’s top orchestras and conducted by one of the true greats in world music. Esa-Pekka Salonen is not only widely regarded as one of the elite conductors op- erating at the moment but is also a highly successful com- poser. Until the turn of the twen-


tieth century many compos- ers succeeded as performers or conductors in addition to their composing commit- ments – Mahler was a super- star conductor and Rach- maninov one of the greatest pianists in history. Nowadays it is more difficult. The elite conductors are a jet-setting breed and Salonen is a case in point. As well as being principal conductor at the Philharmo-


nia in London he is also con- ductor laureate of the Los An- geles Philharmonic, creative chair of the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra and in demand all over the world as a guest con- ductor and composer. Though there have been


great composer-conductors, such as Bernstein and Boulez, in the past, it seems unlikely that we will see their like again as the demand on the modern conductor increases. It remains to be seen whether the 56-year-old Fin can become as significant a composer as these two, though he is already regarded by some as being in their bracket as a conductor. Classical music has always


loved (and needed) its maestri – ‘special’ conductors whose names can guarantee a full house and presence can make even hardened orchestral mu- sicians jump to attention.


RAYMOND GUBBAYpresents Names like Beecham, Kara-


jan, Toscanini and Klemperer trip off the tongue and there are ample stories of their antics which only serve to in- crease their reputations. Whether it be Beecham’s waspish tongue and ability to handle even the most ‘dif- ficult’ orchestral player or Karajan’s legendary autocrat- ic approach as he ruled the Berlin Philharmonic Orches- tra with a rod of iron. Talking of the Berlin Phil-


harmonic (regarded by many as the world’s finest orches- tra), their current musical di- rector is Britain’s number one maestro, Simon Rattle. The power of this combi- nation of conductor and or- chestra was heard in London last week (something Rattle has reputedly avoided doing throughout his career as he believes that the city does not


By


GERAINT DAVIES


World music talent may well be last of his kind


possess a single concert hall with a decent acoustic). The sense of anticipation generated by this visit was in- creased by the fact that Rattle is approaching the end of his tenure in Berlin and is widely expected to become the next principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. Apparently one could not


get a ticket for any of his per- formances of the cycle of Si- belius symphonies or (one of his specialities) Mahler’s Res- urrection Symphony for love nor money. It was interesting to note that, on this occasion, the national press felt the hype was justified – I have never seen so many five-star reviews in a single week. Tonight maestro Salonen brings us Ravel (Mother Goose and the Piano concerto in G) and Stravinsky (The Fire- bird).


RADICAL: Exaudi


INNOVATIVE and experimen- tal, contemporary ensemble Exaudi are bringing their unique brand of music to St David’s Hall on Saturday, 21 February. Founded by director James


Weeks and soprano Juliet Fraser in 2002, Exaudi has emerged as one of Britain’s leading contemporary music ensembles and draws its sing- ers from amongst the bright- est vocal talent around. Exaudi typically work as a consort rather than a choir – usually one voice to a part, ranging from three to 18 voic- es.


Their live performances en- capsulate the new and the old as well as music of the High Renaissance and early Ba- roque. The concert includes perfor-


mances of Maurico Kagel’s Con Voce, Stephen Chase’s Jandl Songs, Jackson Mac Low’s Young Turtle Asym- metries, Georges Aperghis’ Récitation 8 and Christopher Fox’s four-piece Dramatis Per- sonae. For more than a decade, Exaudi have captivated au- diences across Europe and their affinity for the radical perfectly suits the Contempo- rary Lunchtime Concerts pro- gramme at St David’s Hall. This exciting series is sup-


ported by the Arts Council of Wales with a ‘pay what you will’ price-tag. The idea is a simple one – arrive at the hall in time for the 1pm per- formance, pay what you feel is appropriate and enjoy out- standing contemporary music to liven up the weekend.


Dazzling vocal talent


5 Culture


ANTON DU BEKE and ERIN BOAG return with their sensational new show


FEATURING CLASSIC HITS THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT THERE’S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS STEPPIN’ OUT WITH MY BABYTRUE LOVE MAKE ‘EM LAUGH


Lance Ellington starvocalist Richard Balcombe conductor Six world class Ensemble Dancers plus the full 25-piece London Concert Orchestra


Thursday 5March7.30pm ST DAVID’SHALL,CARDIFF BoxOffice 029 2087 8444 stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk


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