2023: IN REVIEW
2023: IN REVIEW
Honouring the spirit of Vauxhall’s visionary Jonathan Tyers, who made the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens the place to be for entertainment, we continue his legacy of making entertainment accessible to everyone.
Classical Vauxhall returned for the fourth year and continued to bring outstanding new and established artists to Vauxhall. The event showcased the area’s burgeoning creative arts scene with a mission to attract new audiences to classical music within an accessible and relaxed atmosphere.
A musical immersion in a beautiful setting had our audience experienced 4 world-class performances from our talented performers. As we return to St Mark’s Church this year, we share these highlights with nostalgia and excitement.
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Comfort In Chaos
Our opening performance was by the wonderful Tamsin Waley-Cohen (Violin), Clifton Harrison (Viola), Jamal Aliyev (Cello), and Fiachra Garvey (Piano). This concert celebrated the mighty piano quartet and was based around the physical and metaphorical shifting of landscapes, culminating with a bang in Brahms’ immensely famous G Minor Piano Quartet, a rollercoaster of every emotion possible.
Songs Of The Seasons
Nicky Spence (Tenor) and Sholto Kynoch (Piano) brought us a smorgasbord of songs in Songs Of The Seasons. From the sultry Girls Of Summer by Sondheim, the energy of Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm, to sentimental favourites, Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer’s Day and It Was A Lover And His Lass, the concert finished with a celebration of the blues, jazz, and the African American tradition in Bond’s rhapsodic Songs Of The Seasons.
Elemental
With musical choices that were inspired by many different traditions and cultures, this concert spanned from the Baroque to the present day. Rakhi Singh (Violin and Electronics) presented the majesty of J.S. Bach’s Chaconne In D Minor, one of the greatest works ever written for solo violin, complemented by the hypnotic sound world of Steve Reich and more.
The Sound of Film: Jazz in Hollywood
The Julian Bliss Septet brought some of the greatest music that has come out of Hollywood in The Sound Of Film – Jazz In Hollywood. Starting with the silent film and the early ‘talkies’ in The Great Depression years, the Septet also played music from wartime movies, musicals, and even the classic Disney blockbusters. The perfect closing concert that tempted the audience to dance and sing along with one of the most sparkling and talented jazz ensembles of our day.
Images courtesy of Francesca Jones.
Additional Merriment
We’ve also got to give it up to The Alchemist for their wonderful bar at the events. Masters in the dark arts of molecular mixology, and demons in the kitchen, The Alchemist creates every cocktail, every dish, and every platter with an obsessive eye for detail.
If you’ve missed or would like to reminisce about Classical Vauxhall, you can watch the performances at your leisure on our YouTube channel.
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“The long weekend music festival, based at the beautiful St Mark's Church, Kennington, is in its fourth year, and has carved out a reputation for its freshness, warmth and innovative programming.”
Culture Whisper, 2023
