Last week, in the teeth of Storm Bert, I was in Exmouth. And on Thursday, on the seriously sub zero coldest day of the year so far, we went to Wells. To see the cathedral and the town but, primarily, to hear the Colin Currie Quartet at Wells Cathedral School.
I have raved on about Colin Currie, the totally extraodinary percussionist, on this blog before but – before we get to Colin….
Street Heat Samba
These are the bells of Street Heat Samba in Exmouth. Street Heat are a very splendid band who play at events all over the west of England. But they also run a six week course for those who would like to try their hands at the drums or the bells – and Sue Cane, with whom I was staying, was already in week 3. As a special concession I was allowed to go long and have a go on bells; the drums are for the more experienced!
We did make a lot of noise – but I am not sure how tuneful or on-beat any of it was – but if you want to hear what ‘Thrash’ (what we were meant to be playing) should actually sound like, check in here.
But on to Wells….
The 12th century cathedral, if you have never been there, is truly wonderful. Not so much the outside (though that is pretty ace) but the extraordinary soaring fluted arches of the interior – and the massive ‘scissors arches’ at the end of the nave which suppport the tower above. The image below really does not convey anything of its magic – you have to be there to experience it. Ideally, as we were, just before evensong when the choir was practising and the organist working out ‘the tricky bits’.
We, happily, had time to kill while waiting to for supper in the excellent ‘veg-led’ Root restaurant in Sadler Street before making our way to Cedars Hall for the concert. This was part of Wells Cathedral School‘s Maestro initiative which brings luminaries of the musical world to the school each month to work with the pupils and to give a public concert. And luminaries they certainly are.
Apart from Colin Currie, the next year will see visits from Steven Isserlis, Mitsuko Uchida, the Brodsky Quartet, Steven Osborne, Sir Stephen Hough and Chloe Handslip – among many eminent others.
Colin Currie Quartet
So on to Colin Currie. Those who raise an eyebrow at the thought of a concert made up entirely of percussion have obviously never heard Colin Currie.
The essence of percussion is hitting things – but what makes Colin Currie and his fellow percussionists so amazing is the extraordinary range of things that they hit, what they hit them with, the dynamic range of that hitting and the incredible rhythms and melodies that they create.
Here you can see that they not only have traditional instruments such as marimbas, pianos and symbols, but wine bottles, a kitchen sink drainer and a wooden box taped up with gaffer tape. This is just a tiny snippet from a piece by Andy Akiho to give you an inkling of what I mean.
That said, the absolute showstopper of the evening was Steve Reich’s Drumming Part 1 – an extraordinary 16 minute piece played on 8 tuned bongo drums. It is not the first time I have heard it but everytime it has me on the edge of my seat. If you want to experience it for yourself you can do so on Colin Currie’s site. Just spool down the page.
And for anyone who doubts my word and wants to judge for themselves, Colin’s quartet are playing at King’s Place on December 7th and there are still a few, but only a few tickets left. See you there!
Meanwhile….
If you have an hour to spare at lunchtime on the 5th December (next Thursday) the lovely Aisha will be returning to us with her harp and pieces by Scarlatti, Hindemith, Debussy, Pearl Chertok and Fauré.
12.45pm at Hampstead Lane for a warming glass of mulled wine and an hour of relaxing harp music. Book here or pay on the door – £15 to include the mulled wine.
For other future happenings in at Hampstead Lane and elsewhere – see our Upcoming Events page.
Thanks for this account. Wells Cathedral is extraordinary and the music likewise!