Review of concert at the Holywell Music Room, Oxford
Warwick Mason, 1 March 2008
Ray Burley's solo guitar work is already well recorded and he has performed with many ensembles associated with the Classical Guitar. His latest collaboration sees Ray working with the percussionist Keith Fairbairn who has worked with major London orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Sinfonietta. He has also worked with John Williams, Mike Oldfield, Dionne Warwick, John Dankworth, Madonna and the London Jazz Percussion Ensemble and is busy as a first call percussionist.
The Holywell Music Room in Oxford immediately impresses with the reverberation generated by its high roofed ceiling. A handclap brings around two seconds of reverberation and the hall, paid for by Public subscription, was opened in 1748 as the first purpose built concert hall in the world.
From the outset it's important to imagine the sheer wall of sound generated by the Marimba, covering a massive breadth of timbres and complexity of sound. Ray Burley was using a small amount of sound reinforcement but he was clearly audible acoustically and the balance between the instruments was spot on. Keith Fairbairn was hurtling to and fro most of the night behind his Marimba (which had been freshly minted in the USA and delivered a few days previously). The opener, Gaspar Sanz's Canarios, saw Ray setting a brisk pace with Keith sitting alongside him on tambourine. Keith’s touch was subtle with syncopated sympathetic accents, well controlled yet displaying elements of improvisation. A simple and effective start that was received very well by an audience that increasingly warmed to the performers' unpretentious style.
Partie Polonaise by Georg Philipp Telemann followed and here the full range of sound from the instruments really kicked into gear with harmonic complexities and central motifs clearly articulated within a sense of purpose and forward movement. The audience appreciation for this piece was loud and long.
In each half Ray and Keith performed solos with Ray producing three classics after the Telemann namely; Giltrap's The Long Road Home, De Falla's Homenaje and the Andante from J.S. Bach's second violin sonata (BWV 1003). These pieces were performed with focus and sensitivity with a member of the audience clearly moved to tears by the De Falla. The Holywell's acoustic is truly supportive to the solo guitar, with every note creating an ambience of the highest quality yet leaving semitones fully accessible in busy passages.
Keith's return to the stage saw them launch into Café 1930 by Astor Piazzola and the atmosphere was transformed immediately by their dramatic interpretation of this piece. Bela Bartok's Romanian dances are cleverly written and sounded quite astounding and whilst quirky at times musically, the duo continued to phrase their parts accurately thus retaining cohesion and left for the interval having created a memorable first set.
The second half started with Imagens Do Nordeste by Celso Machado, the Brazilian guitar virtuoso and percussionist, with a piece reflecting the music and countryside of North-East Brazil. Originally for two guitars, the complex rhythms were firmly nailed and Machado's vibrant and in-the-moment writing was a great opener. Following was the Suite Francais by Francis Poulenc which created contrast on every level to the previous piece. Bringing out the thread of inspired lunacy that sits within Poulenc's music, it was very listenable and the Leo Brouwer Micro Piezas following it were a tour de force.
Keith Fairbairn's first solo was Michi by Keiko Abe and was inspirational. The visual effect was mesmerising and the powerful movements of the piece were galvanising. This was a high point in a brilliant concert and Keith richly deserved the extensive appreciation of the audience. The second solo, Nancy by Emmanuel Sejourne, was sensitively played and transported the concert into its finale, Kaleidoscope by Miklos Rozsa, which completed a pleasingly long concert to tumultuous acclaim. The encore was a sweet arrangement that morphed into variations on Penny Lane by the Beatles and was equally well received.
The two musicians were in obvious musical rapport throughout the concert and the audience were drawn in effortlessly by the fabulous sound and the brilliant interplay of instruments that are seldom seen and heard together.