Karen Kingsley plays New Music from Brighton

Karen Kingsley, Portsmouth Cathedral, Feb 26

 

 Some musicians have composers they specialize in while others range widely across many and various. Few more so than Karen Kingsley and she adds new music to her curriculum vitae with these programmes of premieres from the Brighton New Music group. A recent innovation, it has quickly become an item on Portsmouth's calendar to look forward to. 

In the 1960's and 70's, any journey into 'new music' was in danger of proving to be an intrepid misadventure but by now one can approach with more confidence. 

On much of the programme, the titles told us what it was we were listening for. Not necessatily in Temptation of Doubt by Martyn C. Adams in which a gentle song led to a lively variationj or two. More so in Unfolding-Forming-Dissolving, the first of Three Meditations by Barry Mills. Gradually becoming less abstract, There but for Fortune and Mysterious River were slow moving, the latter in an unsettled way.

Chris Gander's two haiku, for Spring and Summer were full of short, sharp shocks, the latter opening with a right hand remeniscent of Jerry Lee Lewis before resolving more quietly. Then The Monkey and the Raincoat definitely conjured mischief and precipitation.

David M. Hoyle's Sketches of Childhood mixed playground chants with daydreams before its vigorous ending. In contrast, Marion Maidment-Evans's Two Night Pieces were in turn one of fitful sleep and then a more restful encroachment on nothingness.

But there was not much ostensibly Egyptian in Basil Richmond's Nefertiti. Technically the most challenging pieces, the leitmotif in the first part was elaborated into an involving freize, The priests of Amun had the two hands embarked on different rhythms and Aten was an insistent outpouring and a good choice on which to finish.

Karen's versatility and virtuosity in bringing these pieces to life is impressive. As with chess, there is are endless patterns that can be made out of the limited number of black and white resources but most people can't find many of them. It takes a rare talent, and considerable application, to make the most of them.