MORRIS IN THE PRESS
After that come four songs to Japanese texts. They seem to me consciously oriental in manner, almost musical tourist postcards with their modal melody and harmony in fourths, though not pretty-pretty in effect, indeed fairly dry. Pert insists on a non-vibrato soprano. Miss Hayward sings with clear words and occasionally with a trace of musical feeling, though not much; the vocal part is hardly a stimulus to artistry. But the music pointedly veers between emphasis on piano and reluctant prominence of voice. Miss Hayward sounds nicely placed for effect, even when remote, because the piano which swamps her on occasion seems very cramped indeed. The balance in the third song i5 much the most natural. Perhaps this was the composer's weird intention, W.S.M a published review of 4 Japanese Verses
A REVIEW OF 'ANKH' LIVE PERFORMANCE IN ABERDEEN
The Atriumat the University of Aberdeen's Institute of Medical Sciences is the ideal venue for a concert that
marries acoustically played instruments with an electro-acoustic background. For a start, the venue resembles no other
If it remindes me of anything, it is of the city of the future in the 1930's classic science fiction film The Shape of Things to Come.
The acoustic properties of the Atrium also added several layers of character to all the sounds we heard last night. It was not just the echos,
often a very significant factor at certain points in the performance, but also the varied points of origin of the instrumental sounds in addition
to the movements of the electro-acoustic sounds achieved by altering the levels in the different speakers.
Trombone virtuoso John Kenny provided a staggering range of acoustic sounds while Pete Stollery was in control of the electro-acoustic
element.
I have to say that I emerged from the concert with my mind totally blown by the experience. Seldom have I witnessed such amazing virtuosity
from a wind player, and never before have my ears experienced such a seemingly limitless palette of amazing sounds, some terrifying, some
very beautiful indeed.
The first piece explored the astonishing sound world of the ancient instrument which we call the carnyx. John Kenny explained that this instrument
was known all across Europe two thousand years ago. The particular version which he played is a very accurate re-construction
of an instrument excavated from a site in Deskford near Huntly. It was made not by the Scots who had not yet arrived in this of the world at the time but by a race of long gone Celts whom we call the Picts. The name Pict and the word carnyx are actually derived from the expression used by the Greeks for these peopl and that instrument. As John Kenny explained, we have no idea what the Picts called themselves nor sadly do we have the least idea what they called the carnyx. It's the most
striking instrument to look at; a narrow tube about six foot long with at the top, a bell shaped like the head of a wild bore with protruding tongue that can be made to produce a rattling sound. It was probably used in battle to scare off the enemy. Both it's appearance and it's sound would probably have done the trick, especially if there were a few of them. John Kenny also mentioned that regards it's playing properties, the carnyx is the ancestor of the trombone and indeed in the final piece he played on Tuesday he achieved on the trombone, sounds similar to those which he had already produced on the carnyx.
In the first piece he played, the electro-acoustic element controlled by Pete Stollery provided the sound of a quartet of carnyx to add to the one played by John Kenny from several different parts of the auditorium. The range of sounds was quite astonishing from the horn calls and trombone like sounds to whoops and roars that could have come from crowds of Pictish warriors charging the enemy.
The second piece also featured the many amazing voices of the carnyx and much more besides. entitled Doric, it was composed by John Kenny when he was composer in residence fro Deveron Arts in Huntley in 2005.