Steven Moore @ Northumbria University - Dec. 9

Steven Moore (marimba)

Last week, James Birkett and Emma Fisk presented their winning 'Joe Venuti-Eddie Lang' set. This week, Northumbria University's term time Tuesday lunchtime concert series reverted to the norm, ie a programme of classical music. This afternoon's concert featured percussionist Steven Moore. If the name sounds familiar, workaholic Steven runs the thriving Yamaha Music Schools in Blyth and North Shields. Today's programme wouldn't be entirely without a jazz connection. 

Two-handed, four mallets, Steven introduced each piece with insights into both composer and composition. JS Bach's sublime Cello Suite No.1, with its familiar Prelude, opened the concert. All six movements - Prelude; Allemande; Courante; Sarabande; Menuets; Gigue - were indeed sublime. 

Scarlatti's Sonata in G continued the classical thread, Steven's facility on his chosen instrument a joy to behold. Bach, Scarlatti and the remainder of the programme were performed from memory, most impressive! Steven made the case for Ludwig Albert (b. 1960). A key figure in the development of the  marimba as a solo concert instrument, Albert's Feel the Sunlight was very much of the twentieth century. Albert's composition and Steven's penultimate selection, Clair Omar Musser's Etude Op. 6 were, to your correspondent's ear, vehicles for (jazz) improvisation. 

To conclude this afternoon's concert, in addition to the published programme, Steven played Harold Arlen's Somewhere Over the Rainbow. And right there, that was the jazz connection. It had been an enjoyable forty five minutes or so. Do take a look at the Blyth Yamaha Music School's website: www.neyamaha.uk. Jazz features regularly, Mondays at 1:00pm. Russell              

Programme: Cello Suite No.1 JS Bach; Sonata in G (K.88/L.36) D. Scarlatti; Feel the Sunlight L. Albert; Etude Op. 6, #10 (C Major) C. Musser; Somewhere Over the Rainbow H. Arlen.