Latest Concert Reviews

Buxton Fringe Festival 2024

Trilogy Ensemble are made up of Amy-Jane Milton (flute), Bethan Griffiths (harp) and Henrietta Hill (viola). All dressed in green and black, they performed two concerts at the Green Man Gallery on Sunday 14th July.

The music was woven together by stories, art and freedom. The first concert was entitled John Bull (inspired by Jeff Perks’s exhibition) and the second Freedom Road (inspired by resident gallery artists). Jeff Perks’s exhibition in collaboration with poet Michael Rosen was on the role of Britain in slavery and more modern British treatment of people of African descent.

Part One began with Wallace Willis's Swing Low Sweet Chariot, the great African- American spiritual song, before moving on to David Lancaster's Before I fall asleep the city… again with sound effects played on the instruments depicting night in a city. The composer was actually present in the audience.

The musicians went on to perform George Gershwin's Summertime (the song from Porgy and Bess was arranged for the trio by Chris Marshall and included a quote from Fur Elise by Beethoven) and Arnold Bax's Elegiac Trio. We learnt how this piece was written in memory of some of Bax’s friends who died in the Irish Easter Rising of 1916.

Rebecca Clarke's Lullaby followed. This piece was originally written for piano and viola but here played on harp and viola. It is based on the Scottish folk song 'I will bid my hear be still'. Clarke, from England, met her future Scottish husband in the United States, during wartime. Part One concluded with Traditional – Wade in the Water. This is an underground rail road song. It contains a map of how to escape slavery in the Southern United States.

Part Two brought us Mel Bonis's Scenes of the Forest. Two movements were performed here: Nocturne and Invocation. The female composer Bonis is from France. Two Debussy works followed. Syrinx was a solo piece for the flute, Syrinx being turned into a reed in Greek Mythology. Debussy's Sonata for Flute, Harp and Viola was a flowing piece of music with a very lively finale.

Next was Geoff Chilton's Three Sketches – Cairn, Spring and Henge. Again the composer was present in the audience. Geoff is also a painter. This piece depicted landscapes in its titles and music. We went on to hear

George Gershwin's I’ve Got Rhythm. Again this was arranged for the trio by Chris Marshall. The viola was plucked rather than bowed.

The concert ended with Miguel del Agula's Submerged. This piece involved playing the instruments in different ways. The flute was deliberately overblown, the harp was distorted and the viola was plucked to imitate a South American 'Charango'. This piece was so beautiful.

The trio are excellent musicians. They perform both happy and sad music so well. They shared the leads between themselves in an easy manner. Bethan had to retune her harp a few times, during the concert. Quite a few people attended both concerts. Quoting a line from I’ve Got Rhythm – 'Who could ask for anything more'.

John Hare