Author Archives: Arcana

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About Arcana

My name is Ben Hogwood, editor of the Arcana music site (arcana.fm)

On Record – Matthew Bourne: This Is Not For You (The Leaf Label)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Matthew Bourne returns to first principles, with his first solo piano album since the 2017 release Isotach.

The press release reveals that there are, however, some restrictions around the recording of the album, “born from an off-hand comment by one of Matthew Bourne’s confidants. His instruction, “Do not delete,” provided Bourne with a commission of sorts, an ideal restriction to work within. Everything on the album was given a chance to shine in the studio, to be worked on amongst the freedom of that no deletion diktat – new inspirations now lie beside deep-mined remembrances. Cello and Dulcitone have been added sparingly for colour, but this is Bourne playing for his own enjoyment. Intimate. Reserved even. The real Matthew Bourne?”

What’s the music like?

There is a stillness about Matthew Bourne’s playing on this album that proves to be rather moving. Every note is carefully considered and weighted, and delivered in a conversational manner that makes the listener feel they are the only person in the room with him.

The titles give this away too, personal reflections like To Francesca, Dissemble (for Brian Irvine), Only When It Is (In Memoriam Bill Kinghorn) and Dedicated To You, Because You Were Listening (In Memoriam Keith Tippett) The first of these uses rich cello and crystalline Dulcitone beautifully to complement its lightly questioning phrases. The Bill Kinghorn and Keith Tippett tributes are stately, the latter with a mournful, tolling motif that gathers power before subsiding to near silence.

By contrast The Mirror And Its Fragments has an eerie undertone, with low cello again in the mix.

Does it all work?

It does – being a completely unforced way of making music. The emphasis is on communication of feelings and meanings more than anything else, with the result that the ‘less is more’ approach winds hands down.

Is it recommended?

It is. While Matthew Bourne’s exploits on the big screen should be encouraged, and his more experimental workings with keyboards and other instrumental groups, it is great to hear him go back to where it all began. With new insights, this is a piano-led album to savour.

For fans of… Yann Tiersen, Dustin O’Halloran, Zbigniew Preiser

Listen and Buy

Published post no.2,254 – Monday 29 July 2024

Arcana at the Proms – Prom 10: Laura van der Heijden, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra & Ryan Wigglesworth – Britten, Frances-Hoad & Elgar

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Britten Gloriana – Symphonic Suite Op.53a (1953)
Frances-Hoad Cello Concerto ‘Earth, Sea, Air’ (2022) [Proms Premiere]
Elgar Symphony no.2 in E flat major Op.63 (1909-11)

Laura van der Heijden (cello), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra / Ryan Wigglesworth

Royal Albert Hall, London
Friday 26 July 2024

reviewed by Richard Whitehouse

He might not be the only composer-conductor of his generation, but Ryan Wigglesworth has rapidly established himself among the best – as this concert with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, whose chief conductor he has been over these past two seasons, amply confirmed.

Other than Peter Grimes, the coolly received Gloriana was his only opera from which Britten extracted a concert suite. The vaunting syncopation of Tournament then wrenching fatalism of Gloriana moritura make for a telling framework, with this account at its most perceptive in the wistful poise of the Lute Song – the oboe being an eloquent replacement for the tenor thanks to Stella McCracken – then the evocative sequence of Courtly Dances where Britten effortlessly bridges the historical and the aesthetic divide between the eras of two Elizabeths.

Next a first Proms hearing (just over a year after its Glasgow premiere) for the Cello Concerto by Cheryl Frances-Hoad. Drawing inspiration from recent research into diverse aspects of the natural world, the three continuous movements provide an arresting vantage on an outwardly traditional form. Hence the trajectory of swifts in flight, carbon-absorbing algae over oceanic expanses and gravitational force of volcanic activity each influencing the musical content of a rhythmically impulsive Allegro, harmonically diaphanous Larghetto and melodically soaring Presto giocoso; the whole afforded unity through its composer’s motivic resourcefulness and the engaging commitment of Laura van der Heijden (above) in her realizing of its solo part. She then responded to deserved applause with a limpid reading of Pablo Casals’ The Song of the Birds.

Elgar is a composer evidently close to Wigglesworth’s heart and this evening’s account of his Second Symphony did not disappoint. Launched a little too circumspectly, the initial Allegro duly found a persuasive balance between bounding energy and that musing uncertainty to the fore in the otherworldly processional near its centre. Its overall extroversion was countered by the Larghetto – circumstantial association with the death of Edward VII having tempted many into a funereal pacing but not Wigglesworth, whose handling of its cumulative halves brought sustained emotional intensity framed by the stark lamentation with which it begins and ends.

One of Elgar’s most formally subtle and expressively audacious movements, the scherzo had the requisite impetuousness and nonchalance, thrown into relief by the mechanistic violence towards its core and unnerving energy at its close. Moderate in tempo and not overly majestic in outlook the finale might have been thought anti-climactic, but Wigglesworth’s keen sense of its long-term unfolding emerged in the searching ambivalence of its development and the understated grandeur of a peroration which did not require reinforcing with an organ pedal. Those closing pages could have yielded even greater pathos, but their suffused fatalism was wholly in accord with the conductor’s conception of this movement, as of the work overall.

Just over a year before, Wigglesworth presided over an inspirational account in Birmingham of The Dream of Gerontius. Tonight’s performance of the Second Symphony might not have been quite its equal, but it more than confirmed him as an Elgar interpreter of genuine stature.

For more on this year’s festival, visit the BBC Proms website – and for more on the artists involved, click on the names to read more about Laura van der Heijden, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and conductor Ryan Wigglesworth, and composer Cheryl Frances-Hoad

Published post no.2,253 – Sunday 28 July 2024

Let’s Dance – Deep Dish: George Is On (Bandcamp)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

The second Deep Dish album gets a reissue, having been unavailable on streaming services for many years. The American duo are still a going concern, though Ali ‘Dubfire’ Shirazinia and Sharam Tayebi tend to do their work in solo capacities these days, behind the decks.

By the time George Is On was released, Deep Dish had already proved their staying power in house music, but this was just the second long player from the duo in 10 years.

What’s the music like?

It’s great to see this fine house music album from 2005 back in circulation, and listening to it confirms that this is house music that has aged well. Lead single Flashdance, a no.3 hit in the UK, was one of their very best, commercial yet clubby at the same time – and with persuasive vocals from Anousheh. It is matched here with a rare guest slot for Stevie Nicks, singing Dreams – and yes, that is the Fleetwood Mac song that she was persuaded to re-record. It is a predictably fine version, those distinctive tones an ideal match for the wistful lyrics.

Also adding weight to the songs is the smoky vocal of Richard Morel, whose three contributions are led by the excellent Sacramento, the darker Everybody’s Wearing My Head and No Stopping For Nicotine.

Does it all work?

It does – and as a considerable bonus there are a host of extended mixes to enjoy.

Is it recommended?

It is. Both Deep Dish albums have aged well, and George Is On shows just how far ahead of the game they were when it came to making satisfying long players with commercial appeal.

For fans of… Danny Tenaglia, Hernan Cattaneo, Heller & Farley, Roger Sanchez

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Published post no.2,252 – Saturday 27 July 2024

On Record – NightjaR – Mala Leche (Lewis Recordings)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

NightjaR is described as ‘the nom-de-plume and smudged rainbow constellation of collaborative copy-and-paste sound-wrangling and hip-hop from Jimi Goodwin’. The Goodwin in question is the frontman and singer of Doves, whose considerable popularity as a guitar-led band over the last two decades has rather masked the fact that their members are pretty prolific in their solo concerns.

For Mala Leche Goodwin has used his contact book and social media to book an intriguing set of collaborators, picking hip hop artists that he likes. These include an intriguing pairing of UK (SonnyJim) and US (Quelle Chris), Pan Amsterdam, Homeboy Sandman, Sleaford Mods’ Jason Williamson, Pruven, Vast Aire & Burgu all together on one track, and Guilty Simpson.

What’s the music like?

This is a big melting pot of styles, put together in a way that feels low budget and home made but which makes for an expansive and logical concept album, as Goodwin explores a huge variety of beats, thoughts and moods.

On occasion the anger spills over, like the observation from Pruven, Vast Aire and Burgu on Piano Heights that “Joni Mitchell never lied…and Boris Johnson’s a motherfucking Russian spy.” Jason Williamson, never one to hold back, delivers a cameo of typically descriptive storytelling in Blood Red Dead. Baby Don’t explores a compelling chemistry between SonnyJim and Quelle Chris, while Mala Leche takes a ‘leak’ at the news with roughed up chimes from Big Ben and Guilty Simpson in tow.

Meanwhile Sylvester sounds like an offcut from a detective movie, and Smashing Little Boat casts the musical net far and wide in its magical mystery tour. Finally Glove Department, the second cut to feature Pan Amsterdam, is a mere eight-and-a-half minutes of jazz-infused beatmaking and storytelling.

Does it all work?

Pretty much. Some of the loose ends are pretty ragged but to be honest it is part of the album’s lasting appeal, that it keeps some rough edges and a patchwork feel.

Is it recommended?

It is, enthusiastically. Goodwin’s album rails with anger against some elements of today’s society, but makes sure to have a lot of fun while doing so. With grooves aplenty, and fresh lyrical insights to match, it should go far.

For fans of… The Streets, Audio Bullys, Jamie T, Plan B, Sleaford Mods

Listen and Buy

Published post no.2,251 – Friday 26 July 2024

Arcana at the Proms – Prom 8: Nick Drake – An Orchestral Celebration

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Olivia Chaney, Marika Hackman, BC Camplight, Scott Matthews, The Unthanks, BBC Symphony Orchestra / Jules Buckley

Royal Albert Hall, London
Wednesday 24 July 2024

reviewed by John Earls Pictures below (c) John Earls and (bottom) Chris Christodoulou

This November sees the 50th anniversary of the tragic death of the English singer-songwriter Nick Drake at the age of 26, having released just three albums of beautiful, bittersweet songs. Little known at the time, his reputation and influence has grown significantly.

This 2024 BBC Prom – an ‘orchestral celebration’ of his music – was destined to be something quite special and credit should go to British journalist and broadcaster John Wilson for proposing it.

Jules Buckley, here conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra, has been involved in a number of BBC Proms over the years giving orchestral twists to contemporary music. Many of Drake’s songs were released at the time with string arrangements by Robert Kirby (it was good to hear Buckley pay tribute to Kirby who he referred to as “Nick Drake’s foil”) and these were developed, as well as some new ones added, by a number of other arrangers for this concert.

Following a gripping opening of the instrumental Introduction from Drake’s Bryter Layter album, BC Camplight gave excellent performances of Fly and Pink Moon which was deftly accompanied by strings and horns. Alas, his closing of the concert with Drake’s classic Saturday Sun didn’t quite cut it, being a bit too schmaltzy for this reviewer. However, the final all orchestral piece, an arrangement by Sam Gale of Horn, a sparse solo guitar piece from Pink Moon, was luminous and intense, culminating in a poignant solo trumpet.

Marika Hackman gave enchanting versions of Fruit Tree and River Man and her take on Time Has Told Me was a wonderfully smoky blues accompanied by drums, organ and guitar (Neill MacColl did some sterling work throughout the evening).

Scott Matthews opened his account with a wonderful Way to Blue with dramatic strings and timpani which, from where I was sitting, at times slightly overpowered his delicate voice, something rectified in the second half for his lovely performances of Northern Sky and From the Morning.

Olivia Chaney (above) gave a strong vocal performance of Hazey Jane I and a terrific version of At the Chime of a City Clock where the strings and horns were again particularly effective. Her solo piano rendition of Time of No Reply was outstanding.

Two of the most moving moments did not feature Nick Drake songs at all but those of his mother Molly. The Unthanks performed touching versions of What Can a Song Do to You? and Set Me Free and were joined by Drake’s sister Gabrielle reciting some of Molly’s poems in both cases. It was extremely affecting.

One can only imagine what Gabrielle Drake must have thought hearing the songs of her brother (and mother) performed in this way after so many years to a packed Royal Albert Hall that listened respectfully and lovingly. It was fitting testimony to the enduring quality of the music of an extraordinary songwriter.

This concert (including interval discussion with John Wilson, Radio 3 presenter Elizabeth Alker and Gabrielle Drake) is available on BBC Sounds until early October. For more on the 2024 BBC Proms, visit the festival’s website at the BBC, and click on the link to read John Earls’ review of Richard Morton Jack’s biography on Nick Drake: The Life. 

John Earls is Director of Research at Unite the Union and tweets / updates his ‘X’ account at @john_earls

Published post no.2,250 – Thursday 25 July 2024