Reviews

Irish Times critics review Crash Ensemble/Sheil at the Mermaid Arts Centre and Cormac Brady at the Pro-Cathedral

Crash Ensemble/Sheil

Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray

Ensemble began a spread-out tour with a programme of Crash favourites, including the introduction of Paddy, a work new to Ireland by the ensemble's artistic director, Donnacha Dennehy.

Crash is a niche operation and, on this evidence, in danger of becoming a navel-gazing outfit. The two pieces which brought greatest life to the programme were Magnus Lindberg's Ur, where the intermingling of electronic and live instrumental worlds provided moments of fascinating reflection and contrast, and David Lang's Cheating, Lying, Stealing. The drumming marathon of Paddy provided a spectacle of stamina in the performance by Roger Moffatt, but sounded dry rather than engaging. The impression - also generated by Gordon's Industry (Kate Ellis, cello), Glass's Ik-ook (a tour de force by David Adams on synthesizer), and Browning's Sole Injection (Brona Cahill, violin) - was of music as mechanistic process, the working out of ideas more interesting to contemplate than to listen to. Deirdre McKay's Ice Etchings shares similar characteristics of exploring a small patch with thoroughness.

On this occasion, perhaps due to the commitment of conductor Fergus Sheil, it sounded more pointed and effective.

The overall impression, however, was of a limited and rather tired-sounding repertoire. Announcements telling listeners how great the evening is going to be is no substitute for the excitement this group generated a few years ago.

Michael Dervan

Cormac Brady

Pro-Cathedral, Dublin

Cormac Brady, organist of the Sacred Heart church in Donnybrook, came across in this programme of music from the 18th and 19th centuries as an imaginative player whose ideas keep you listening, even if he is inconsistent.

Bach's Prelude and Fugue in E flat BWV552 set steadiness in the various statements of the ritornello against panache in the episodes. It worked, but could have benefited from more drive.

Elaborate textures sometimes put Brady under pressure, especially in the toccata of Mendelssohn's Sonata No 6 in D minor. As with the Bach, he had not quite balanced the opposing pulls of technical control and spontaneity of performance. A more unbuttoned musician is waiting to get out. But this sonata epitomised the good use of the instrument's colours that marked the recital.

There was something mesmerising about the handling of Reger's Introduction and Passacaglia. The first variation was so creepy-crawly that it seemed about to disappear up its fundament. Then things slowly picked up, leading towards climactic final variations. Some of the links lost momentum, perhaps because of glitches in organ management. Nevertheless, this was an absorbing performance, featuring an enviable ability to drive a slow tempo.

Martin Adams