KVT – Elle Joue piano et Il le Batterie

KVT goes Hoan Ho, Hoan Ho-ing at L’Espace

At present to get into the L’Espace auditorium you have to walk and laugh through that brilliantly zany exhibition by the Plonk et Re-Plonks which makes you laugh even more the second time round, particularly if you take in the video that features rabbit sign language (real guffaw stuff). Then when, on Thursday night you entered the theater and looked down on the stage you just about thought that the Plonks had taken over that as well!

The PR for the night featured two lithsome musicians standing amidst a few snares and mounted tom drums. The real sight that met your eyes was an exciting and excited looking army of percussion instruments almost in seige formation around a Yamaha grand.

Somehow the musicians had to live up to this fabulous statement and pianist Ancuza Aprodu and percussionist Thierry Miroglio did just that….with a program of modern classical music that began with Debuusy from 1913 and finished with present day ‘Phonic Streams’ by Daniel Teruggi! And what a grand journey in between!

Not so many weeks ago, on the same stage (probably same piano) we heard Marie Vermeulin play a few of Debussy’s preludes and Ancuza Aprodu played us, excellently, 6 more. When you can read the prelude titles it’s hard not to take an impressionistic approach to listening and ‘The Engulfed Cathedral’ had me back on the ocean shore near Con in Nam Dinh Province where encroaching seas had made a large church subside into soft red mud leaving a gothic steeple thrusting up from ebbing and flowing wintery waves.

It was the same when she gave a solo playing of three of contemporary Vietnamese composer Ton-That Tiet’s piano pieces. As she put the music on the stand I saw the words ‘Kite’on the front page and thus kite flying my listening became…not that it mattered because all three were very beautiful. I don’t know when they were composed but it was great to hear Tiet’s music apart from the usual ones I pick up from his filmscores for those well known films, ‘Scent of the Green Papaya’, ‘Cyclo’ and ‘Vertical Ray of the Sun’. He was born in Hue in 1933, studied in France and his music is said to be a delicate fusion of occidental and oriental. I’d love to hear much more.

“Wot about the percussion!!!?)’ I imagine you saying at this stage.

Miroglio is very high class. He has premiered percussion works by world famous modern composers. Many of which are dedicated to him. Thus it was an honour to watch and hear him play. His solo on the night was by Greek/French composer Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001) who is considered to be one of last century’s most influential,radical and important composers. He’s loosely associated with mathematical and electronic music compositions. And although we didn’t get the electronic we got got a rivetting ‘Rebonds’…from softly rebounding to dramatic rebounds to a high rebounding echo as a violin bow caused an almost silent though eerie cry as Miroglio circled his marvellous set of percussive instruments.

The electronics came next with pianist and percussionist (plus electronic recorded notes and sounds) gaving a memorable version of Daniel Terruggi’s ‘Phonic Streams’. Teruggi (born in Argentina in 1952) composes music for fixed media (tape), small instrumental groups and tape, or real-time processing of instruments. Miraglio played this on a smaller set of instruments with stunning pace and verve. The program stated that this and another duo work we heard were Vietnamese creations. I assume that this means that they were either transposed for this Vietnamese sojourn or interpreted while the pair were in Vietnam. Whatever…..or if ever….they were both wonderful!

Japanese composer Joji Yuasa (born 1929) composed a lot of piano music up until 1955 and then became a leading figure in Japanese experimental, electronic music making. The interpretation of his 1980ies work ’Eye On Genesis IV’ by the pair was enough to make you wish we had more classical music presentedfrom 20th century born composers played live. Even a bit of Glass or Gorecki would be nice.

The night started with an interpretation of a piano etude by rarely heard composer Maurice Ohana (1913- 1992).whose Shephardic Jewish cum Morrocan cum Spanish cum Gibraltan cum Anglo French back ground may have been why his music sort of remained in the unclassified category when all around him were being regarded as the Avant Gard. The dialogue between the piano and precussion set the tone (highclass) and the mode (modernistic) for an evening where an intelligent and interested audience were hugely rewarded.

And no I have not forgotten the pianist in the handing out of accolades! She’s also world class and famous on the masterclass and concert stage circuit with an enviable repertoire that ranges from Mozart to Solbiati. She’s Italian by way of Rumania and what I wouldn’t give to hear her in a full blown recital…or hear her play the concerto recently composed for her by Hugues Dufort

I often wonder what we’d do without L’Espace and the out of the ordinary performers they present to us. Next serving up by them in the classical mode will be the less out of the ordinary but no less world class and exciting Stradivaria Ensemble playing their interpretations of music mainly baroque. 10th of April! Same venue.

HE, INCROYABLE!