Exaudi sing Cage at Spitalfields Music Summer Festival

By Paul Kilbey, 24 June 2012

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Reviewed at Shoreditch Church, London on 21 June 2012

Cage, Four^2

Cage, The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs

Cage, A Flower

Cage, Four Solos for voice

Cage, Hymns and Variations

Exaudi

James Weeks, Director

Oliver Leith’s Garland: dreamlike chaos in a Peckham car park

Marat Ingeldeev, 18th September

Only Bells and Horses: Garland transforms a Peckham car park into a dreamlike, chaotic spectacle of musicians, objects and voices – thrilling, poignant and unabashedly emotional.

****1

A Requiem for Peace: Exaudi saves the day at London’s Kings Place

Christopher Woodley, 16th February

A sonorous performance by Exaudi brings to life Eugene Birman's Requiem for Peace, Russia: Today.

***11

Grey reverie and awkward electronics

Danny Riley, 6th September

The LCO and Actress present tantalizing textures, while new works of placid emotion envelop the senses.

***11

Birtwistle's early gems mesmerise

Katy Wright, 6th September

Lean yet nuanced performances from Oliver Knussen and the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group in commemoration of Harrison Birtwistle's 80th birthday

****1

Prom 47: John Cage night

Paul Kilbey, 17th August

Now they know how many cacti it takes to fill the Albert Hall. Last night’s marathon John Cage Prom finished up, over three hours after it had started, with a wonderfully cactus-heavy performance of Branches (1976).

*****

Exaudi at Kings Place

Paul Kilbey, 12th March

In a pre-performance discussion, the vocal ensemble Exaudi's director James Weeks promised us that they were not just going to stand in a line for their Kings Place performance. And they were true to his word; the singers performed from all parts of the intimate Hall Two and created an immersive, involved listening experience.

****1

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Paul Kilbey

Paul was Reviews Editor at Bachtrack from 2012 to February 2014. He has written on music and culture for publications including Culture Wars, the Huffington Post, the Independent and the Guardian. He holds BA and MPhil degrees in music from Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, and is particularly passionate about contemporary music of all types. His website is here.