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Irish Times
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Kristian Bezuidenhout/Irish Chamber Orchestra review: Interpretative quirks too often interrupt Beethoven piano concertos' natural flow
Kristian Bezuidenhout/Irish Chamber Orchestra Whyte Recital Hall, RIAM, Dublin ★★★☆☆ It's all change at the Irish Chamber Orchestra. The Austrian violinist and conductor Thomas Zehetmair is being succeeded as artistic partner by the Norwegian violinist and composer Henning Kraggerud in September. And the South African-born keyboard player and conductor Kristian Bezuidenhout, who trained in Australia and the US and now lives in London, has been named the orchestra's associate artist. (Those job titles are so confusing that the orchestra's website also refers to Bezuidenhout its 'current Artist in Association'.) Bezuidenhout is no stranger to Ireland, having first performed here as a teenager back in 1998. He made his first appearances with the ICO in 2006, when he played both harpsichord and piano in concertos by Hertel and Mozart. His current ICO project is a cycle of the Beethoven piano concertos, directed from the keyboard, using a lidless Steinway concert grand. Tonight he plays the second and fourth concertos. Bezuidenhout is one of those players who bring the sensitivities and concerns of the world of period performance style to their work with modern instruments. In the dry acoustic of the Royal Irish Academy of Music's Whyte Recital Hall this makes for performances of great clarity and immediacy, though the textures do at times become a little cluttered, so that the strongest instruments are allowed to overpower those of lighter tone. His piano playing matches the high energy and vivid communication of his conducting. His approach is so articulate that intricate score markings that are often hardly discernible in performance can stand out with the musical equivalent of perfect elocution. We're talking here about the slurring of pairs of notes in rapid passages, the impeccable cleanness of virtuosic flourishes, and a general feeling in fast movements of high spirits unimpeded by stress. READ MORE In my experience Bezuidenhout's approach sometimes lean towards a kind of interpretative detailing that can seem intrusive. This can go beyond the often stimulating hits and misses from added embellishments, whether spontaneous or premeditated, into areas that can seem hard to justify based on what's in the composers' scores. The balancing of these issues is altogether more persuasive in the Second Piano Concerto than in the Fourth, where the orchestra is prone to sound too pressured, and Bezuidenhout's fondness for spaced-out arpeggiation is inflicted even on the poise of the solo piano phrase that opens this work. Bezuidenhout is not the first player to arpeggiate the opening chord. On disc the practice can be traced back at least as far as Steven Lubin's 1987 recording with the Academy of Ancient Music under Christopher Hogwood. And the idea seems to have originated with the Beethoven pupil Carl Czerny, who proposed it in the mid-19th century, some decades after the composer's death. In the ICO performance it is definitely a case of 'Tain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It), with Bezuidenhout's interpretative quirks too often interrupting the natural flow of the music in spite of the otherwise often refined delivery.
Irish Independent
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Globally-acclaimed musician hits Limerick with ‘spellbinding' show
Kristian Bezuidenhout, a South African-Australian pianist will perform two of Beethoven's most famous piano concertos; No. 2 and No. 4. The concerts will be held in Limerick at the University Concert Hall on June 19, Siamsa Tíre in Tralee June 20 and The Whyte Recital Hall in Dublin on June 21. Concerto No 2 is full of energy and shows Beethoven's early talent. Concerto No. 4 is more emotional and deep, written during a difficult time in the composer's life. Bezuidenhout is known for making this music feel fresh and powerful, just like it might have sounded in Beethoven's own time. This is Kristian's second time performing Beethoven with the Irish Chamber Orchestra. He will return next year to play Beethoven's big final concerto, No. 5. The Irish Chamber Orchestra (ICO), based at the University of Limerick, is known for its bold and creative performances. They work with dancers, DJs, actors, and artists from all kinds of backgrounds, mixing classical music with new ideas. A spokesperson said: 'Don't miss this spellbinding journey through Beethoven's genius with Kristian Bezuidenhout and ICO.' The concerts are supported by the Arts Council of Ireland.
Irish Examiner
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Theatre review: A Midsummer Night's Dream beguiles in Lismore
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Lismore; County Waterford ★★★★★ With an idyllic backdrop of a castle worthy of a fairytale, Britten's Shakespearean opera delving into an enchanted world of mischief and magic was an ideal choice for the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival. Many elements combined to beguile in this production on a summer night in Lismore, not least the weather which stayed fair throughout. Director Patrick Mason's production sets the drama in two eras. The fairies are dressed in Elizabethan costumes, shimmering in silver while the mortal lovers evoke the 60s — the decade when the opera premiered at Aldeburgh. The 'rustic craftsmen' don bowler hats for a Morris dance accompanied by a fairy recorder ensemble, (the excellent Piccolo Lasso Children's Chorus). Festival director, Dieter Kaegi assembled a large ensemble of young Irish and international artists active in the European opera scene. Actor, Barry McGovern adds gravitas in the speaking role of Puck. Barry McGovern as Puck. Picture: Frances Marshall Underpinning the drama, the Irish Chamber Orchestra under David Brophy was terrific, giving a solid instrumental foundation throughout. It was good to see an ensemble back in front of the singers and not tucked away to the side. There is much exposed writing for solo instruments; trumpet and horns excelled — and the opening bass glissandi set the mood of magic and menace from the opening bars. Aside from the headline opera productions, there was much to enjoy with an attractive programme of events over the week. At St Carthage's Cathedral, baritone Rory Dunne and soprano Amy Hewitt impressed in the rarely heard one act operetta; The Tinker and the Fairy with music by Michele Esposito and libretto by Douglas Hyde. Later, writer George Bernard Shaw was the focus of an entertaining programme featuring the voices of Gemma Ní Bhriain and Sean Tester. While the closing numbers from My Fair Lady would have benefitted from a lighter touch, the acerbic wit of Shaw's reviews and the songs of Oscar Straus from The Chocolate Soldier drew the loudest cheers from the house. It is good to see the festival continue to build momentum in its 15th year in one of Ireland's most beautiful settings.
Irish Times
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
A Midsummer Night's Dream at Blackwater Valley Opera Festival 2025: Vocally sure singing, but has a revamp muted Britten's orchestral magic?
A Midsummer Night's Dream Blackwater Valley Opera Festival ★★★☆☆ How things change. Back in 2010 the first Lismore Music Festival, today's Blackwater Valley Opera Festival , presented sure-fire repertoire – Bizet's Carmen, with Fiona Murphy heading the cast of 10 in the title role – in a marquee in the stable yard of Lismore Castle, with an ensemble of violin, accordion, guitar, double bass and percussion standing in for the colourful orchestral score. Move on 15 years and the festival is offering Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream with a cast of 19 and the Irish Chamber Orchestra conducted by David Brophy, with nearly five times as many musicians in the pit. A Midsummer Night's Dream: Piccolo Lasso, Ami Hewitt and Dominic Veilleux. Photograph: Frances Marshall The stage area is transformed this year. A raised platform now covers the entire performance area, not only allowing for greater freedom of movement but also creating a pit for the orchestra at floor level. (The tiny Jubilee Hall in Aldeburgh, where Britten's opera was first performed, in June 1960, also had to be enlarged and improved to accommodate the work.) The festival has made cosmetic improvements, too, with better-looking seating – which, strangely, is less comfortable because of the way it tilts forward – and black ceiling drapes, which give a softer interior appearance; sadly, they seem to do little or nothing to damp the percussive onslaught of rain on opening night on Wednesday. READ MORE So far so good. What about the production itself, directed by Patrick Mason and designed by Paul Keogan (set and lighting) and Catherine Fay (costumes)? It's a handsome, brightly lit show, the central, white-curtained bed about as close as it gets to any suggestion of night, and with different social levels distinguished through costumes of different periods. The actor Barry McGovern's black-clad Puck, wielding a white feather/wand/baton, falls somewhere between master of ceremonies, wizard and wannabe conductor. The soprano Ami Hewitt's beautifully bewigged Tytania sweeps and soars in style and manages a suppleness of vocal line that is otherwise in short supply. A Midsummer Night's Dream: Barry McGovern. Photograph: Frances Marshall A Midsummer Night's Dream: David Brophy and Irish Chamber Orchestra. Photograph: Frances Marshall The voice of the countertenor Iestyn Morris is too ethereal for his Oberon to make a real impression, sounding mostly insubstantial rather than atmospheric. The various couples – Christopher Cull and Gemma Ní Bhriain as Theseus and Hippolyta, Peter O'Reilly and Sarah Richmond as Lysander and Hermia, and Gregory Feldmann and Amy Ní Fhearraigh as Demetrius and Helena – are more engaging, vocally sure and with real tension in the conflicts they experience as a result of the love-inducing magic juice that mismatches them. A Midsummer Night's Dream: Amy Ní Fhearraigh, Gregory Feldmann, Peter O'Reilly, Sarah Richmond and Dominic Veilleux. Photograph: Frances Marshall A Midsummer Night's Dream: Ami Hewitt and Dominic Veilleux. Photograph: Frances Marshall The mechanicals are a damp squib when going through the preparations for their play within a play but altogether livelier in their performance of that comedy. The Bottom of the bass-baritone Dominic Veilleux revels in the comic opportunities afforded him as the ass Tytania is made to fall in love with. But, musically, there is something pallid about the performance. I'm not sure that this is entirely the fault of either singers or conductor. The voices don't carry well, and the orchestra is often so soft and muted that much of Britten's orchestral magic fails to register. My seat near the back may have played a part, but my primary suspicion is that the drapes just absorb too much sound in a space that's already severely acoustically challenged. A Midsummer Night's Dream is at Blackwater Valley Opera Festival , Lismore, Co Waterford, on Friday, May 30th, Saturday, May 31st, and Sunday, June 1st; the festival runs until Monday, June 2nd
Irish Independent
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Irish Chamber Orchestra and renowned pianist to play Beethoven compositions at Kerry venue
Mr Bezuidenhout is returning for his third collaboration with the orchestra for the next instalment of his much-anticipated Beethoven Piano Concerto cycle The South African-born pianist brings his own blend of brilliance to Beethoven's music and, following on the success of Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 3 in October 2023, he is turning his attention to Piano Concertos 2 and 4. Each piece promises to be a dramatic dialogue between Bezuidenhout and the orchestra, from fierce defiance to tender vulnerability while pushing boundaries with bold, expressive depth. Piano Concerto 2 is said to sparkle with youthful charm and wit while Concerto 4 is said to be intimate and emotional before soaring to a radiant finale. The Irish Chamber Orchestra and Kristian Bezuidenhout will play the Tralee venue on Friday, June 20. Tickets can be purchased online for €28.50 (retired/unwaged: €26) plus booking fees at The Irish Chamber Orchestra will play the University Concert Hall in Limerick on June 19 and The Whyte Recital Hall in Dublin on June 21.
