Review: Ensemble 10/10, The Cornerstone, Hope at Everton

Feb 19 2007 by Glyn Mon Hughes, Liverpool Daily Post

ONE thing is certain about Ensemble 10/10 concerts - they’re never dull.
 
More often than not, they are instructive, innovatory events which break new bounds, examining new music in fascinating ways.
 
That was never more so than in their latest event entitled Visual Music, an exploration of the close links between music and film. Much of the visual content was experimental, often entertaining, but at times quite disturbing. Certainly, the music required concentration, which is no bad thing. So much film music passes by unnoticed and that’s often a shame.
 
The three films in the first half dated from the 1920s and 1930s, a period of expansion and experimentation. The 1928 film by Hans Richter - Vormittag-sspuk: Ghosts Before Breakfast - was a whimsical, fun piece not without its serious, disturbing points. Composer Ian Gardiner’s new score, receiving its world premiere, was a lively yet challenging work.
 
Joseph Cornell’s 1936 film, Rose Hobart, is an odd creation which must have presented a considerable challenge for the composer. Again, Ian Gardiner’s score is as fascinating as it is absorbing and was commission-ed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic to mark the 10th anniversary of Ensemble 10/10.
 
The third film in the first half - Laszlo Moholy-Nagy’s Ein Lichtspiel - was married to a score by Kenneth Hesketh, another RLP commission for 10/10.
 
The film was highly experimental and Hesketh’s composition, for a large ensemble, brought the whole creation to life with some quite spectacular playing from the woodwind.
 
The second half was devoted to a performance of Louis Andriessen’s score for Peter Greenaway’s 1991 film M is for Man, Music and Mozart.
 
The songs were sung, again expertly, by Ella Kirkpatrick, who showed considerable skill in what is a highly challenging piece.
 
Conducted by Clark Rundell, a large and clearly appreciative audience witnessed a highly educational and rewarding evening.