On 20 April, Ripon Cathedral will ring with the sounds of two of the greatest French Impressionist composers, Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, as St Cecilia Orchestra is joined by young international pianist, Roelof Temmingh in a programme including Ravel’s jazz-inspired Piano Concerto in G and Debussy’s masterpiece of mood – La Mer. The orchestra will be lead by guest conductor, Gary Matthewman, who has stepped in at short notice following musical director, Xenophon Kelsey’s recent ankle injury. Well-known to UK audiences as a song-pianist performing worldwide with leading singers, Gary is now fast gaining recognition as an emerging conducting talent. His debut as an opera conductor was lavishly praised by the critics in a series of 5 star reviews, The Times calling it ‘utterly exhilarating’, and audience members will remember him conducting two of the concertos in St Cecilia’s hugely successful Rachmaninov festival in 2022.
The concert opens with the only imposter in the mix – Harmonies du Soir by Belgian composer and virtuoso violinist, Ysaÿe. It is scored for solo string quartet and string orchestra and has been described as ‘a sensuously chromatic journey through thickly textured emotions and colours’ – a perfect companion to the Ravel and Debussy.
Ysaÿe is followed by Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G – written following a tour of the USA, the influences of American Jazz are readily apparent in the outer movements, while the serene slow movement confirms Ravel’s status as a ‘master of melody’. Taking the solo role is pianist Roelof Temmingh, who is quickly making a name for himself, being described by Matthew Parris in The Times as playing ‘…like a musician twice his age, with the energy and passion of youth and the precision and fluency of a much more experienced soloist.’ The Ravel is one of Roelof’s favourite concertos to play, ‘because of the marvellously colourful orchestration’. Of the Jazz influence, Roelof says Ravel takes it and ‘totally makes it his own – giving this piece its truly unique, quirky flavour and language’.
The second half opens with French Horn soloist Catherine Hewitt performing Paul Dukas’ Villanelle, with orchestration by St Cecilia’s musical director, Xenophon Kelsey: a work drawing on a cheerful, traditional vocal genre, and an ever – popular performance piece for horn. Audience members might remember Catherine’s impeccable performance of Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings at Ripon’s Holy Trinity Church in November last year!
The conclusion to the concert is Debussy’s iconic orchestral work, La Mer: a rich and evocative description of the underwater realm and noted as an ‘impressionistic milestone’ by Classic FM (though Debussy himself didn’t much like the term!). The work is in three movements and pictures the sea through the course of a day. It initially received a lukewarm welcome in Paris, but a few years later found the recognition it deserved, going on to be one of the most performed of Debussy’s works. Gary Matthewman describes La Mer as ‘a colossal work of genius from one of the greats at the height of his powers’ and says ‘I’m very much looking forward to exploring it with musicians I already know well, and wish Xen a speedy recovery!’
Tickets for the concert (Adults £20-£30 and Under 18s FREE) are on sale now via Ticketsource (www.ticketsource.co.uk/st-cecilia), from Harrogate Theatre box office and the Little Ripon Bookshop (unreserved seats only) and on the door from 7pm.
