Welcome to Cadenza

The bit of The Raphael Ensemble Web Site that's not set in stone..

Here you'll find up-to-the minute news or information that doesn't quite fit anywhere else.

What's happening?

Personnel Changes:

We are delighted that James Clarke, violin, has re-joined The Raphael Ensemble: James was an original member of the sextet and is pleased to be back in the fold. He is joined by David Adams, violin.

Latest Raphael Ensemble recording.

The Raphael Ensemble have completed their latest recording of The Mendelssohn String Quintets at St. Georges, Brandon Hill, Bristol. The recording team of producer Andrew Keener and engineer Tony Faulkner worked their customary magic, and the recording has been receiving excellent reviews

The Raphael Ensemble's appearance at The Belfast Festival a few years ago produced a fine crop of rave notices, including one of the funniest and most heartfelt reviews we have ever read. You can read it at the end of this section.

If your tastes run to contemporary jazz, then you can hear RE founder member Andrea Hess in a rather different role as she makes her debut as part of Colin Towns' Mask Orchestra. Colin, who is responsible for a great deal of classy film and T.V. music, including "The Willows In Winter" and the "Beatrix Potter" series seen over Christmas, has released two CDs featuring the Mask Orchestra , Nowhere And Heaven & Dreaming Man in Blue Suede Shoes featuring the singer Maria Pia De Vito. The Mask Orchestra comprises some of the greatest talent in the world of jazz, including John Barclay, Alan Skidmore, Peter King, Guy Barker, Clark Tracey, Gerard Presencer, Dudley Phillips and Julian Arguelles. Andrea has played for Colin on many of his film and T.V. sessions and was invited by him to play on three of the tracks - Standing Female Nude, Slow Dancing and Nocturne and also performed live with the band, playing her Raad Electric Cello, at their recent Purcell Room concert as part of the Oris Jazz Festival. The second album Dreaming Man in Blue Suede Shoes has now been released, this time featuring a full string orchestra, along with the Mask Orchestra, and once again Andrea is involved in the sessions. Both albums are stunningly produced and highly recommended.

Review of the Decade

This review appeared in a local Belfast paper after The Raphael Ensemble played to a sell-out audience at The Elmwood Hall during the 1996 Belfast Festival.

AS ANYBODY will tell you, the closest I usually get to culture is each morning as I dodge the revolting black gubbins which is slowly consuming my shower curtain. No-one was more surprised than I, therefore, to find myself sitting in the Elmwood Hall on Saturday evening listening to a recital of chamber music by The Raphael Ensemble; one of the more esoteric offerings of the Belfast Festival. Classical music is something with which I'm usually on nodding terms only, but what the hell I thought, it's festival time and classical music, like vegetables, is something everyone should endure once in a while.

The first thing to realise is that going to a recital is a Very Serious Business. Having eight pints beforehand as a warm-up to the main event, for example, would not be seen as entirely acceptable but, naturally sensitive to these subtle nuances, I made sure I limited myself to two bottles of the finest red wine I could get for under two quid. Anyhow, true to form the artistes duly arrived on stage looking suitably serious and without a word sat down. After arranging hair, long and straight for the ladies and tails, long and straight for the men, they started playing. No "Hello Belfast it's great to be here." No "Hope you like this one it's off the latest album." Not even "Good evening ladies and gentlemen." Not a word the whole night. Just a lot of bowing and faintly superior grins.

But the music was gorgeous. I have never heard of Anton Bruckner who died 100 years ago and I am equally knowledgeable about Schubert. thanks to the programme (b.l797; d. 1828.) From the first few notes of each piece, Quintets in F and C Major respectively, however, it was obvious that this was powerful stuff. Just to sit 15 feet away from five people playing in such perfect pitch and harmony was a completely new experience and I can honestly say it was fantastic, right up until the during the Adagio where I nodded off. I know it's a cliche. but the piece was so damn relaxing it was unavoidable, though I had a stern word with myself during the interval.

There were obviously also complaints from the audience that second violinist Catherine Manson's hair wasn't long and straight enough as, for the second piece, she was substituted for Michael Stirling. It was, of course, because the Schubert piece called for two cellos and only one violin, as we later worked out, but finally we get to the point. This is good stuff, you get a warm seat and, in the case of the Raphael Ensemble apparently, one of the best chamber orchestras on the go. But it's overly polite, it's stiff and it isn't reaching half the audience it could be. It's absolutely irrelevant that the "structural arch" of the Bruckner piece was "rounded off even more convincingly and established a quasi-symphonic unity" Apart from massaging a few intellectual egos it achieves nothing except to keep classical music impenetrable and put people off exploring a wonderful live experience.

Richard Sherrif