World music in Enniscorthy

-

Calm, relaxation and exuberance aren't usually mentioned in the same breath but they describe the remarkable combination of musical ideas and talents at work in Parisse Métisse.

Wexford is known for musical innovation but this really was a remarkable show by Jean Baptiste and Letitia Perisse, at the Presentation Arts Centre in Enniscorthy last week. I'm pleased to say I was there.

Richard Lee joined them for the opening and closing pieces, with strong hints of Oriental influence.

Letitia is a remarkable artist by any standard. I counted nine instruments in her repertoire, including the clarinetta, a remarkably long tubular arrangement with a deep base sound. Letitia extracts wonderfully expressive notes from this amazing instrument. I don't envy her the task of carrying that big thing around! She played several virtuoso pieces on gourd flutes ( Hulusi) of Chinese origin. Her vocal pieces remind me of Enya's Celtic themes. Her subtle use of hand drums (tongue drums) combined with the other elements delivered an orchestral effect worthy of a much larger ensemble. She blasted out several lively pieces on Gallic pipes that really got the audience going. Letitia threw everything into her performance, to the audience's delight. 

Ricard Lee returned for the closing piece, on a remarkable composite instrument which he tells me he commissioned personally, combining a Japanese/Chinese Koto Zither, Indian Tonpura drone and a European monochord, located on the flip side of the rotating frame. 

Richard's Oriental themes combine very well with Leticia's melodic wind extravaganza and Jean-Baptiste's rhythms on a range of drums. 

This was a truly innovative performance of enlivening, stimulating and memorable sounds from many cultures, composed and improvised by the artists. Look out for Parisse Métisse. I'd gladly go to hear them again. Highly recommended.





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Brexit Britain destroying the rule of law

-
Image
Brexit is a contest between a majoritarian system of government, in which a simple majority can enact any law, regardless of the impact on individual citizens’ rights, and a constitutional system in which the fundamental rights of citizens can only be changed through broadly-based consent. The lack of robust constitutional defence for citizens’ rights is a recurring theme in various legal challenges in the UK courts since 2016. English courts have delivered a consistent view that Parliament is the sovereign power. It alone can decide on whatever course of action it likes and anyone whose rights are threatened or diminished has little choice but to accept this, or move elsewhere. Most modern democracies, including the USA and the EU states, have written constitutions, defining citizens’ rights and the limits of government power. The UK’s unwritten constitution imposes few limits on government action. EU law offered a proxy for constitutional stability, during the years of UK members
Read more

Baroque 'n Roll, Musical explosion in Wexford

-
Image
  I generally avoid hyperbole but I can scarcely find words to express the explosion of musical talent last weekend at Wells House in Wexford. Gloomy weather outdoors was banished as Dianne Marshall performed a morning programme of Harp music. Dianne, from Laois, is in complete control of the instrument, drawing out a vast range of sound, colour and even percussion. The programme surprised with everything from Bach to Faure, predominantly 20 th century music.   Anyone who has a chance to hear Dianne Marshall playing should do so. She is a truly gifted artist with a wonderful command of the concert harp. The evening concert was given by the Musici Ireland string quartet led by Beth McNinsh, playing viola. Ioana Petcu-Colan   played   1 st Violin and local girl Lynda O’Connor on 2 nd violin with Katie Tertell on cello. Most of the programme was modern music of sublime quality. Philip Glass’s Mishima “Closing” was a striking combination of evocative themes and strong recurring rhythm
Read more