John Paul Jones\u2019 new song cycle \u201cHer Kind\u201d, written for opera singer Dame Sarah Connolly, had its premiere in London on January 8.<\/p>\n
Jones attended the performance at Wigmore Hall, but did not perform the work which was based on four feminist poems.<\/p>\n
In its review of the song cycle, The Times called the work \u201crather dreary\u201d<\/a> and claimed the doubling of instruments in Jones\u2019 scoring \u201cmade the textures flat and murky.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlso to blame was the sombre mood of the first three songs and the intoning vocal line \u2014 far less varied than the texts demanded,\u201d the review claimed. \u201cOnly in I Say, the final number, did we enter jaunty Americana territory, an upbeat if unexpected twist.\u201d<\/p>\n The newspaper did note, however, that Jones\u2019 selection of texts for the song cycle was \u201cwell-chosen\u201d and said: \u201cThe words paint vivid pictures carefully weighted by Connolly, and Jones\u2019s dramatic instincts come through in the pacing, which bodes well for his opera in the offing.\u201d<\/p>\n The Telegraph also reviewed the performance<\/a>, calling the work \u201canything but tame\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200b\u200bThese new songs had a fluency and subtlety that were light-years away from the driving bass riffs of his early days,\u201d the newspaper wrote.<\/p>\n The Telegraph also praised Jones\u2019 selection of the texts, noting that Jones brought one poem to life \u201cwith stormy tremolandos from the violinist and cellist, unsettled yearning melodies from the flute and clarinet, wild declamation from Connolly \u2013 and just one delicate bass riff at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n Opera Today also attended the performance<\/a>, calling the start of the song cycle \u201cdark and dense at the start, emanating a forbidding aura, picking up an intense chill in the wind, with the bass clarinet adding touches of forceful inkiness.\u201d<\/p>\n It also felt the final song had elements of Americana. \u201cI found myself transported into Scott Joplin territory, and very convincingly so,\u201d the site wrote. \u201cWith Joseph Middleton\u2019s obvious delight in the piano syncopations of ragtime and Connolly\u2019s pronounced American accent, this turned into a frolicsome romp.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow Led Zeppelin News on Twitter<\/a> and Facebook<\/a> to stay up to date on news as it happens. You can also sign up to our email<\/a> for a digest of the latest news sent to your inbox. LedZepNews uses paid Amazon referral links to earn commissions to cover its costs.\t