Fiddlesticks – Madeleine Mitchell, Ensemble Bash

On first hearing Lou Harrison’s Violin Concerto, Madeleine Mitchell was entranced by the colourful array of percussion and its juxtaposition with the violin’s innate lyricism. Indeed, this description could fit almost all the works featured on this lively, multi-rhythmic disc. Both string and percussion blend in a unique mix of styles from early Andalucian music to a Stravinsky inspired piece, Fragments from a Gradual Process. Complex rhythms from the Ensemble Bash, which uses rhythms of West African drumming as the core of its playing, combined with Madeleine’s interweaving lines often catch the listener in a moment of surprise.

‘Fiddlesticks is a collaboration between two of Britain’s liveliest musical forces. One is the indefatigably adventurous violinist Madeleine Mitchell… the sticks belong to the Ensemble Bash, the supremely talented 4-man percussion group… an evening of gloriously ear-tickling sounds…’

The Times

"...Mitchell plays this often lyrical work with great style, in the Largo Cantabile second movement weaving deliciously sinuous and extended musical lines over the most delicate and colourful accompaniment ... Mitchell is terrific throughout - she plays with a well focused tone that is both beautiful and lively"


 

"...If you fancy giving your ears a good work-out then this should do the trick very nicely ... so captivating and headily virtuosic are these performances by Madeleine Mitchell and Ensemble Bash that one is left positively thirsting for more..."     *****

Julian Haylock

 

"Ideal players to help you uncover the complexities of Harrison’s Concerto ... the high level of Harrison’s unfaltering invention would be superhuman if it weren’t so understated ... Madeleine Mitchell lets Harrison’s material speak for itself, taking a noticeably objective view, and it’s a winning strategy"  

Philip Clark

 

                            Performance *****   -    Sound *****

" ... my favourite contemporary music CD of 2007 ... These are enthusiastic performances with immaculate sonics: brilliant stuff"
Roger Thomas

 

Fiddlesticks is a collaboration between two of Britain’s most liveliest musical forces. One is the indefatigably adventurous violinist Madeleine Mitchell… the sticks belong to the ensemblebash, the supremely talented 4-man percussion group' an evening of gloriously ear-tickling sounds…


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