Vincent Ho: ‘The Shaman’ | North America Review: Winnipeg Free Press

Vincent Ho’s The Shaman: Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra premièred by the WSO in 2011 is a powerhouse work that showcases Scottish dynamo percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie. The mostly older audience of 1,800, impressed by the sheer fury and might of Ho’s three-movement work (with interlude) leapt to their feet in a rousing standing ovation, with cries of bravo for … Read More

Vincent Ho: ‘The Shaman’ | North America Review: New York Times

The thoroughgoing theatricality of the program [was] supplied mostly by the soloists for whom the works were tailored: Tanya Tagaq, the throat singer, and the ever wizardly percussionist Evelyn Glennie in The Shaman. […] Mr. Ho’s [is a] brilliant and compelling concerto. Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Alexander Mickelthwate Carnegie Hall, New York City 8 May 2014

Vincent Ho: ‘The Shaman’ | North America Review: Winnipeg Free Press

After an atmospheric opening signalled by delicate finger cymbals, Glennie — as a modern-day shaman — invokes the spirits with rattles, shakers and cymbals during the first movement Ritual that steadily grows in intensity. The powerhouse performer also coaxed with the contemplative Fantasia — Nostalgia that ultimately leads to Interlude: Conjuring the Spirits. Fire Dance is an explosive tour de … Read More

AniMotion Show: Durham | UK Review: The Journal

As dusk fell, a lone bat flitted against the cathedral walls and the bells of another church rode faintly on the air. Then the show, perhaps best described as an audio-visual concert, began. Dame Evelyn, on African marimba, began with a gentle but hauntingly beautiful melody from her position within the far cloister. Beneath a gazebo on the grass, Maria … Read More

Don’t Cry for Me

There are some experiences in life that nothing can prepare you for. No amount of reading, watching or studying will create a sense of anticipation or understanding of what you are about to encounter. Back in December 2010, together with 22 other people I climbed a mountain. Some of us were from the UK, some from Africa, and some were disabled; … Read More

John Corigliano: ‘Conjurer’ | Double Review: Recording of the Month at MusicWeb International

The concerto, a set of short cadenzas followed by movements with titles such as Wood,Metal and Skin, mixes two different groups in artful and interesting ways. For instance, in Wood the pitched instruments (xylophone and marimba) are combined and contrasted with unpitched ones (wood block, claves, log drum); the result is music of sinew and strength. That Conjurer comes across with such conviction is due in no … Read More

A Feast for the Senses

We’re surrounded by sound, art and movement, which feed through every aspect of our world. From media to architecture, advertisement to passing car radios, we’re engulfed in a multitude of sounds and images that either plague or delight our senses. From buskers to classical music, pavement art to fine ‘gallery’ art – the range is broad and getting broader every day. … Read More

AniMotion Show: Edinburgh | UK Review: Financial Times

Rud, whose mother was a composer, has a natural affinity with music, evidenced in the fluid execution of her paintings and choice of musical collaborators. The synergy between Rud and percussionist Evelyn Glennie is especially potent. In Vincent Ho’s Nostalgia, Rud imitated the ethereal vibraphone shimmers with squiggly upward brushstrokes that became houses, figures on horseback and otherworldly faces. And in Askell Masson’s Prim, … Read More

James Macmillan: ‘Veni, Veni, Emmanuel’ | UK Review: The Guardian

The Rest Is Noise festival, which has surveyed 20th century music at London’s Southbank Centre throughout the calendar year, has succeeded in fits and starts. This London Philharmonic Orchestra concert under Vladimir Jurowski, however, has to count as one of its more unconditional achievements. It is hard to imagine such a well-prepared concert, devoted entirely to orchestral music from the … Read More