Should music critics be canonised? They surely have a greater claim to saintly virtue than, say, politicians or TV presenters; when did you ever hear of a music critic caught with his trousers down or his fingers in the till? Of course there are some exceptions – like a certain critic for the Birmingham Post who hardly ever went to concerts, wrote mostly fictitious reviews, and was exposed and sacked after a last minute programme change! And I must admit I myself have somewhat besmirched the honour of the profession by the sin of self-plagiarism, being called upon to write two reviews in the space of a month of essentially the same concert; I can only hope that the compassionate reader will excuse my temporary lapse from the highest professional standard.
So – on the 12th July 2026, The Heart of England Recorder Orchestra and the incomparable Michelle Holloway once again found themselves in St John’s Church Bromsgrove, a lovely old 14th-15th century building renovated in 1858 by no less a person than George Gilbert Scott. The concert opened in lively style with “Kardos 1” by Pieter Campo; this features folksy cross-rhythms and the 7/8 time with 3-2-2 grouping much beloved of East European folk music. This was followed by “A Curious Suite” by that doyen of Midlands recorder players, Alan Davis. Extended techniques are interspersed with tonal harmony and used to illustrate scenes from “Alice in Wonderland“. Movement 2, “All must have Prizes“, ends with an F# major chord over a C bass; don’t ask me to write it in jazz notation! Some entertaining tone painting inspiring mixed reactions which leaves one wondering if Lewis Carroll’s stories have a slightly sinister undercurrent!
We next heard a set of dances by Johann Hermann Schein, a predecessor of JS Bach at the Thomaskirche; the short tuneful dances are Pavane, Galliard, Courente, Allemande (which switches entertainingly between major and minor), and Tripla [Gigue]. After an entertaining demonstration of the different species of recorder, The “Elf-Lord’s Lament” by Elizabeth King followed, and here I quote from my 14th June review – “starting with drone-like repeated bass notes, and as my inspiration flags I quote from an earlier review – ‘it features no less an instrument than the sub-great-bass-recorder, and employs no higher instrument than the tenor! Nevertheless it illustrates a surprising amount of contrast among the lower denizens of the recorder hierarchy, using some simple but effective medieval-style harmony’“. Note the use of a quote within a quote, a dubious attempt at some fake philosophy.
By way of contrast the redoubtable Ann Tempest introduced a sub-group of eight valiant players playing mainly one to a part, featuring short and witty arrangements of Vincent Youmans “Tea for Two“, Lorenz Hart’s “Blue Moon” – which ended with a delicious bass recorder solo – and Fain and Webster’s “Deadwood Stage“. The clip-clop accompaniment added verisimilitude, although perhaps more Dr. Watson than Deadwood!
The full orchestra kept up the cheerful mood with Julius Fucik’s amazingly happy “Entry of the Gladiators“. Personally if I had to fight to the death in front of a bloodthirsty mob I would not be quite so sanguine, but maybe Fucik’s psychological insight saw phony cheerfulness as a means of avoiding dreadful reality! Or maybe he just wrote a cheerful march and thought up a title afterwards.
“Crucifixus a 10” by Antonio Lotti (1667-1740) formed a complete contrast. It is from his Credo in Dm and features a slow buildup of suspensions and complexity weaving a rich and agonising tapestry of sound. I liked this piece even more on second hearing – have a listen to Peter Phillips and Tallis Scholars on YouTube. A biography of Lotti can be found at https://ancientgroove.co.uk/lotti/
Julian Nott’s “Wallace and Gromit” theme lifted the mood, and the concert ended with a singsong as the audience joined in with the simple and moving Native American song “The River” arranged by C.S. Rosin. So regretfully an entertaining and varied concert in a beautiful building on a glorious summer afternoon came to an end, and having got lost on my way to the church I was grateful that Google remembered where I had left the car!
Review by R. Tempest