Review
Austrian composer Olga Neuwirth has given UK premieres of three of her works by the London Sinfonietta. The main work, for which we were certainly looking forward to, was an orchestral tribute to the incredible 1980′s pop legend, Klaus Nomi. Also performed were; Five Daily Miniatures, five songs for countertenor and ensemble taken from the poetry of Gertrude Stein, and; …miarmondo multipo…, a piece for trumpet and orchestra.
Neuwirth’s music is incredibly difficult to get into. Her treatment of sound is adventurous to say the least, having both winds and strings battered, blown, and bowed to create a cacophony of musical cataclysms. But somehow without noticing, you suddenly find yourself fascinated with the score and its vast intricacies. Just from listening to the music you get the impression that such extraneous musical techniques are more a part of Neuwirth’s genuine fascination with sound rather than a vehicle for perpetuating pretense – as with some contemporary composers, and it is this enthusiasm that captivates.
This couldn’t be more true than for the first two pieces. Five Daily Miniatures was a strange outing into the opaque prose of Stein, with countertenor Andrew Watts spitting, yawning, and shouting lyrics, accompanied by the ensemble’s blissfully awkward soundscapes. Then in …miarmondo multipo… Neuwirth adds energy and melodic elements to what went before in Five Daily Miniatures to make a dazzling circus of discord, with Alastair Mackie ahead of the surge giving a blistering performance of rasps and noise.
The London Sinfonietta were also on top form, masterfully handling Neurwirth’s demanding music with an intense meticulousness, but never without a fantastic sense of ensemble and balance amongst them, as well as alongside the soloists.
However, Hommage à Klaus Nomi, although meaning well, was unfortunate in that it didn’t quite pull off the tribute it was hoped to be. Neuwirth’s score, as before, was a bold and complex effort – not only using traditional instruments, but also synthesisers, an electric guitar, interactive recordings, and live sampling. It definitely added a different interpretation of Nomi’s songs, but it also managed to flush out the energy Nomi was renowned for as everything became too mechanical. Watts on the other hand gave an animated and charismatic performance, making every piece his own rather than attempting to emulate the cult figure. But against the flat energy, and also some rocky tempos caused by slips in timing of the prepared elements, he seemed a little out of place, albeit a fantastic performer.
However, all in all this was an interesting concert that brought the new horizons of a little know but brilliant living contemporary composer to London. Joined by two talented and ineffable performers, and a world class orchestra, it was a delightful expedition into the avant-garde.
In Portrait: Olga Neuwirth was performed at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, SE1 8XX, on 11 February 2012.
