The always excellent New European Ensemble has inaugurated a new and innovative series of concerts called Cross Ties which bring together a unique fusion of music and stories, focusing on composers and thinkers who go against the flow.
Last night’s literary soirée at Amare Nieuwe Kerk in The Hague brought together psychiatrist, author and activist Glenn Helberg with a dozen or so musicians from the NEuE, augmented by composer/trumpeter Jalalu-Kalvert Nelson. The programme, entitled When I Listen, took its name from Mr Helberg’s 2023 book. His two spots brought together connecting stories with themes such as intergenerational transmission, identity and the importance of understanding and respect between cultures especially with regard to Julius Eastman to whom the concert was by way of an hommage. My Dutch is not up to much so I can’t really comment on the content but I can say that perhaps the acoustics of the Nieuwe Kerk, while excellent for music, are perhaps not so good for the spoken word and I also thought the pieces were a little too long despite Mr Helberg’s engaging personality.
You will never see the same line up twice with the New European Ensemble, a fact that was confirmed by last night’s three pieces. The first, by a conventional string quartet, was American Mirror by Derrick Skye, a composer with roots in Ghana, Nigeria and the British Isles. Now, while the line-up was conventional enough, the music certainly wasn’t. It was a real kaleidoscope of styles, exploring the diverse cultures in American society – although I detected some English pastoral and a lot of North African influences. The cello doubled as a percussion instrument and there was a lot of handclapping, in which the audience was invited to participate – along with some humming.
Jalalu-Kalvert Nelson’s excellent Jim is Still Crowing reflected on the history of racism in the United States and revolved around a collection of brass instruments, notably trumpet, flugelhorn and bass trumpet played by the composer – oh, and a glittery toy megaphone as well. Percussion figured very prominently too and we were sitting near the percussionist and judging by the amount of gear he has to carry around and set up and the amount of running he had to do during the performance I can understand why musicians would want to take up the flute.
The climax of the concert was another largish ensemble piece by Julius Eastman. His powerfully charged composition Gay Guerrilla evoked the restlessness and displacement of a black homosexual composer in a hostile world. The minimalist repetition was hypnotic and created an almost transcendental state and was also a feat in concentration by the musicians, especially for the violins and violas, with its long repeated passages.
This was, as usual an excellent concert by the New European Ensemble which never fails to surprise and excite. I like the idea of bringing together the spoken word with contemporary music but I think perhaps a little more thought into its presentation needs to be invested in it. Michael Hasted 7th March 2025
Photo by Michael Hasted
