by Ben Hogwood
James Braddell has been remarkably prolific under this pseudonym – so with plenty more to explore, I’ll leave a high point from his Fast Asleep album on Ninja Tune from 2002. Very deep indeed…
The Funki Porcini Bandcamp page appears to be fully up to date, and has a very impressive discography
Published post no.2,968 – Tuesday 4 August 2026
by Ben Hogwood
The mid-90s saw something of an ambient house boom, with a large number of quality productions crossing over from the underground to the mainstream.
One of these tracks was Salt Tank’s Eugina, which I still remember hearing on Pete Tong’s Essential Selection in 1996, and which acted as the perfect start-point for a deep dive into their output, which consists of some quality ambient EPs.
Sadly their vocalist and drummer Andy Rose died in November 2012, and the band no longer appear to be a going concern. Listen to the whole of Eugina, though, and its rather beautiful evolution over ten minutes, and you’ll get a very good idea of what the fuss was all about:
Published post no.2,967 – Monday 3 August 2026
John Findon (tenor), Niamh O’Sullivan (mezzo-soprano), David Ireland (bass-baritone), Three Choirs Festival Chorus, Philharmonia Orchestra / Adrian Partington
Wagner Parsifal – Prelude to Act One (1878)
Elgar The Dream of Gerontius, Op. 38 (1899-1900)
Gloucester Cathedral
Saturday 1 August 2026
Reviewed by Richard Whitehouse Photo credits (c) James O’Driscoll
Closing this latest edition of the Three Choirs Festival with Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius felt both inevitable and fitting, given its seminal place in the annals of the English choral tradition as of this festival, in what proved if not an unblemished then certainly a memorable realization.
Hearing this work now is to feel surprise how, aside from aspects of Cardinal Newman’s text, its musical treatment could have seemed so problematic whether technically or interpretively. Maybe the musical lineage on which it drew being not yet fully assimilated by musicians and listeners, or its contrasts between life and after-death being so emotionally charged, presented challenges to be overcome only with time and perseverance. If such were the case, then those challenges have certainly been met in the 124 years since its first hearing at the Three Choirs.
Allotting the vocalists so they merge into a balanced and complementary whole is a task this evening’s performance met convincingly. John Findon (above) brought fervour and an immediacy to Gerontius which never threatened overkill. Witness the assured pacing of his ‘Sanctus fortis’ solo so it dominated the opening part without undermining the latter’s formal and expressive trajectory; or the respective poise and fervour of ‘I went to sleep’ and ‘Take me away’, at the start then climax of the second part, in furthering overall dramatic flow.
A little too detached initially, Niamh O’Sullivan (above, with Findon) duly entered into the persona of the Angel such that ‘Softly and gently’ exuded an affecting poise. Starkly implacable as the Priest, David Ireland (below) brought to Angel of the Agony an understatement preferable to that wanton rhetoric often encountered.
Few such works have so extensive and varied a choral component as Gerontius, in which the Three Choirs Festival Chorus did not disappoint. Thus the distant response of the Assistants, menacing aggression of the Demons, accumulating power of the Angelicals in their majestic ‘Praise to the Holiest’ or ethereal chant of the Souls in Purgatory were all characterized with the requisite insight. Nor was the Philharmonia found wanting in Elgar’s always resourceful though often demanding orchestral writing, notably a Prelude such as unfolded purposefully towards its eloquent culmination. Here, as throughout, Adrian Partington (below) gave notice of his deep knowledge of and unfailing involvement with this score – not least when bringing out those sombre if luminous hues as were a hallmark of the composer’s orchestration forthwith.
Orchestral and conductor were also at one when delineating the hieratic mystery or grandeur of the Prelude to Wagner’s Parsifal. Its inclusion prior to Gerontius has often found favour in recent years yet, other than pointing up that debt which Elgar repaid handsomely in his own terms, it hardly seems necessary given the emotional scope or inclusiveness of what follows. If it is included then better, surely, to play this piece without its Act One ‘resolution’ then go straight into the Elgar to point up their conceptual connection and ensure cohesion forthwith.
Attendees at the performance had the benefit of programme notes by Martin Lee-Browne – author, authority on British music (not least Delius) and one-time Chairman of Gloucester Three Choirs – whose presence at and contributions to this festival will be greatly missed.
To read more about the 2027 festival in Worcester, head to the Three Choirs Festival website. Click on the names for more on the artists in this concert – tenor John Findon, mezzo-soprano Niamh O’Sullivan, bass-baritone David Ireland, the Philharmonia Orchestra and conductor Adrian Partington
Published post no.2,954 – Monday 6 July 2026
by Ben Hogwood
The second entry for Arcana’s contribution to #AmbientAugust is very different from the first. Whereas yesterday we enjoyed thoughts from the studio of Aphex Twin, today we hear from 44-year old Russian composer Anatoly Lyadov, and his remarkably vivid portrait of The Enchanted Lake.
Stillness like this in an orchestral piece is relatively rare…as is the luminous orchestration:
Published post no.2,966 – Sunday 2 August 2026
Published post no.2,965 – Saturday 1 August 2026
by Ben Hogwood
One of the benefits of social media is the opportunity to share music we love, to get new perspectives on music we know, and to discover whole new pathways and music we haven’t heard before.
This used to be one of the best things about Twitter, but for obvious reasons I’ve closed that particular door and now enjoy BlueSky, where a welcoming community share music challenges from month to month. I’ve enjoyed a few challenges, but the latest one is definitely worth sharing with Arcana readers.
Without further ado, welcome to #AmbientAugust – with thanks to Coinneach Rooney (@coinneachrooney.bsky.social), whose idea it was. The guidelines are:
“Post an ambient track each day in August. Modular synths, lo-fi guitars, digital landscapes, or whatever feels right to you. There are rules, but you’ll only find out what they are after breaking one. 😂 Use #AmbientAugust when you post.”
My contribution for day one is Aphex Twin‘s Xtal, one of the very first bits of music we heard from Richard James back in 1992, when it was released as the first track of his Selected Ambient Works Vol. 1 anthology for Apollo Records. It samples Evil at Play, a production music track by Steve Jefferies, Mary Carewe and Donald Greig, and Apache by Incredible Bongo Band.
The track has special significance for me, as the Selected Ambient Works Vol. 1 album played a part in helping me through glandular fever at university. Here it is – very simple, and blissful:
Published post no.2,965 – Saturday 1 August 2026
Arcana.fm 