Ilam Wind Ensemble

Press, 20 April 1982, Page 7

Ilam Wind Ensemble

Recital by members of the Ham Wind Ensemble conducted by Martin Woolley, at St Stephen’s Church, Sunday, April 18, at 3 p.m. Reviewed by Allan Francis.

To the casual ear the programme might be forgiveably accepted as lightweight lollipops designed especially for Sunday afternoon listening. Such is not the case, for at least two of the selections are the very cornerstone of some very important music. By any standards Monteverdi’s “L’lncoronazione di Poppea” is a masterpiece, for all of the lack of attention it suffers, and the Chorale, “St Antoni of Haydn” certainly attracted plenty of limelight, both in the original form as well as that exploited later by Brahms.

Much has been made of the “St Antoni” theme, now considered to be a traditional Austrian pilgrim song. It makes an excellent vehicle for a wind ensemble. All credit to the musical director for a fine performance of the Divertimento No. 1, the rich

product of the little “St Antoni" tune, and the nicely rounded sound from the eight players in the group. Further bouquets to Martin Woolley for his transposition of Purti Miro from Monteverdi’s excruciatingly difficult work, “L’lncoronazione di Poppea," an opera which so far has failed to receive full justice on record or anywhere else. Reservations though, for Mr Woolley’s conductorship qualities which I thought may have lacked some genuine rapport with the ensemble.

Mr Woolley was also a member of the bassoon section and so his versatility seemed almost boundless. From the early Haydn work up to Gilbert Vinter’s "Dance of the Marionettes” the group switched its approach to fit the occasion.

Vinter (1909-1969) usually dashed Off brass band pieces and earned himself a respectable niche in the repertoire of the Black Dyke Mills Band. On the other hand, Antonio Rosetti has almost been lost in the annals of music, perhaps be-

cause of the intense competition of more famous composers at the end of the eighteenth century. His “Partita” (1785) is not a profound work, although it made pleasant listening. It was a product of the early German Romantic school (Rosetti travelled under a German name at times, or vice versa), and could have been penned by the young Beethoven.

In keeping with the vogue for original instrumentation, the Haydn was played in the pint-sized form, favoured by Handel, with the racy first movement followed by a languid andante which stretched the lung capacity of some ef the players. In a recital packed with many delights, several high points remained: the togetherness of the group, whether it was six, eight, or 12 players; the delicious flute solo in the “Dance of the Marionettes,” and the bouncy final “Allegro of the Rosetti,” where one expected the ensemble to leap into the Beethoven Eighth in the next breath.