The ensemble of Brodie McCash (percussion), Margaret Preston (flutes) and Lucy Webster (bassoon) play new music and classics in a new way. Their programme features Bach’s sonata in E flat and works by Ney Rosauro, Heitor Villa-Lobos and Eric Ewazen.
Programme
Sonata in E flat BWV 1031 - JS Bach (1685 -1750)
arr. McCash Ensemble for Flute Basson and Marimba
Allegro moderato
Siciliano
Allegro
Although there has been scholarly debate about the author of the E flat Sonata, it was attributed
to Bach by two independent contemporary sources: Bach's son CPE Bach in the manuscript
copy of the work in his handwriting, and Christian Friedrich Penzel, Bach's last pupil.
As a good sonata, most flute players will want to claim it for JS Bach!
Of all the Bach flute sonatas which have a fully realised right hand part for the keyboard, this
sonata is arguably the most effctive one for the present arrangement. The first movement opens
with flurries of virtuosic demi-semi quavers on the marimba which also provides a visually
spectacular experience for the audience! The flute, unperturbed, enters with a more legato
singing style which soon gives way to some more intricate embroidery.
In the Siciliano is Bach at his most serene and pensive, the flute sings a lilting melody above a
gently rippling accompaniment from the marimba. A charming and jolly allegro rounds off the
sonata.
Bachianas Brasileiras no 6 for flute and bassoon
Heitor Villa-lobos (1887-1959)
Aria-Chôros
Heitor Villa-Lobos was a Brazilian composer, conductor, cellist, and classical guitarist described
as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music”. A prolific
composer, he wrote numerous orchestral, chamber, instrumental and vocal works, totaling over
2,000 works by his death in 1959. His music was influenced by both Brazilian folk music and
stylistic elements from the European classical tradition, as exemplified by his Bachianas
Brasileiras. Not short on self esteem, Villa-Lobos once famously announced himself to be the
other great composer (apart from Bach!) and to a journalist he proclaimed sic “I am not a
collator, I am the folklore of this country!”
Bachianias Brasileiras no 6 shows does show Villa-Lobos at his most creative - fusing the formal
style of Bach with an ambience and langour that could have come from the sounds and sights of
the rainforest. The snaking quality of the more Bachian slow passages give way to virtuosic
flights of fancy that are more typical of the florid improvisatory style of another great inspiration,
the Chôros. These were bands of musicians that improvised with great virtuosity and speed in
the cafes of Rio de Janieros.
Mosaics. Eric Ewazen (b1954)
Barcararolle
Pavane
Tarantella
Eric Ewazen was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He received a B.M. at the Eastman School of Music
and his M.M. and D.M.A. degrees from The Juilliard School. A number of composition awards
and prizes followed and his works have been commissioned and performed by many soloists,
chamber ensembles and orchestras in the U.S. and overseas.
Mosaics is dedicated to Patricia Zuber Tom Lipton and Gregory Zuber. (NY Flautist Patricia and
her husband/marimba player Gregor are avid recitalists who have commissioned many pieces
for flute and marimba)
Eric Ewazen’s Mosaics is very aptly named - if the word mosaics conjures up shards of antiquity
to you! In this intricately and expertly assembled collection of “archaic”dances/songs, Eric
Ewazen, in an almost cinematic style, creates a whole marvellous fresco!
The barcarolle is a traditional boat song, usually in 6/8 time, typically sung by Italian Gondoliers
to hail each other in the narrow canals and also entertain their passengers.
Here in the 12/8 theme, marked gentle and flowing, Ewazen seems to evoke this old association
with a few opening calls between flute and bassoon. These calls melt into a reflective song
based on a four note motif.
In the middle section Ewazen inverts this motif- although marked listesso tempo, (same tempo/
beat ) the rhythms are faster. In these more choppy waters, a narrative of glancing light from
shattered waves suggests itself, though occasionally the gondolier song does break through.
On the whole, after leaving the canals of the opening section, it’s an faster ride through a busy
lagoon which perhaps feels more eventful than the name barcarolle implies!
The pavane is traditionally a majestic processional dance of the 16th- and 17th-century
European aristocracy. Until about 1650 it opened ceremonial balls and was used as a display of
elegant dress. It was usually in duple time although there are instances of triple time. When
employed by later composers, for example Faure or Ravel, it’s often used to conjure up this
archaic association.
In the Pavane, Ewazen inhabits two worlds. He seems to alternate between the elegant tread of
opening triple time and a duple time which feels more exploratory/developmental and less
processional: The duple time is a different landscape, more open air perhaps, although the
duetting between the flute and bassoons over the shimmering marimba does maintain some of
the theatrical illusion - there is time for a passing courtly gesture over the background pulse of
the marimba! With the final section, in a return of the opening triple time, our story seems to
dissolve in a mist - an ending device used by many composers and storytellers “and it was all a
dream!”.
Tarantella is derived from the Italian word tarantola, meaning “tarantula.” The tarantola gets its
name from the town of Taranto in Puglia, where the bite of the local wolf spider was widely
believed to be highly poisonous and led to a condition known as tarantism, a hysterical
condition characterised by agitated movement.
Is the tarantella the only medicinal dance in history? Historically, the victim danced themselves
to death or found a cure in the dance. Traditionally accompanied by tambourine, guitars and
flutes, the dancer and the drum player constantly try to upstage each other by playing faster or
dancing longer than the other, subsequently tiring one person out first.
The driving rhythm of the opening pedal notes of Ewazen’s Tarantella accordingly sets a scene
of tension and restless activity. The short motifs of the earlier movements are feverishly
hammered out, sometimes broken and often in a pursuit between the instruments. One
iteration is interrupted and chased by another- frantic exchanges between the flute and
bassoon perhaps conjure the convulsions of an unfortunate victim? The marimba seems to
present as a relentless motor in the frequent pedal note sections, while in sycopated chordal
sections the marimba dilineates the phases of the piece: as the marimba breaks into the
scattered energy of broken arpeggios it seems to go in contrary motion as if trying to apply the
breaks! Around about the middle of this movement, the time signature changes give an almost
hallucinatory quality, where the prevailing tarantella beat is suspended. This is a brief
interruption and not a peaceful plateau however! In the folowing passages the tarantella rhythm
returns and temperature seems to go up and down until an excess of movement builds up to a
sudden, emphatic and wild conclusion. Is it a cure or death?
About The McCash ensemble
The McCash ensemble, born in 2022, if not exactly a “lockdown baby” was certainly born from
a wish to play in a more free way! Margaret and Lucy met at various art events and both had
played with Brodie in chamber and orchestral ensembles in and around Aberdeen. It was an
exciting idea for all three to get together to play contemporary music and classics in a new way.
Brodie McCash is a percussionist and tutor, working at the University of Aberdeen & in
secondary schools across Aberdeenshire. Brodie enjoys performing with a variety of different
ensembles and will keep his playing technique open to various genres & styles of music. In
recent months, he has performed with The Mahler Players in Inverness, the Aurora Group in
Huntly for their previous musical: Under The Sea, and most recently Any Enemy – an ensemble
dedicated to performing contemporary works & arrangements. He is very excited to begin this
musical journey with Margaret Preston and Lucy Webster and can not wait to see what future
projects and concerts they will do.
A former pupil of Lesley Wilson at the then newly formed Aberdeen City Music School, Lucy
Webster was awarded a scholarship to study the bassoon under the tutelage of Martin Gatt,
Andrea Die Flammineis and Julie Price at the Royal College of Music, London, where she gained
both a Bachelor’s of Music with honours and a Master’s degree in Performance. During her
studies Lucy developed a keen interest in contemporary music, and also chamber music. She
spent some time at the Hochskule fur music und darnstell Kunst, Stuttgart on Erasmus exchange.
Upon finishing her studies, Lucy returned to Aberdeenshire and enjoys a varied career; teaching
privately, at the University of Aberdeen, ACMS and St Margaret’s School for Girls and also
performing in local orchestras, the North East’s New Music Ensemble- Any Enemy, and in smaller
chamber groups. In her spare time she enjoys making pots.
Margaret Preston was a pupil of the late Richard Chester. After graduating with B.mus Hons in
Music, her career has been in performance round Scotland as well as teaching in local schools
and further education. Notable venues outwith her local haunts are: Royal Albert Hall, Purcell
Room, New Concert Hall, Perth and Reid Hall, Edinburgh with Concerto Caledonia, Various
venues in Edinburgh Glasgow and the west coast with the RSNO as a deputy second flute
player. She has been a regular participant in Edinburgh Festival, and more sporadically involved
with local Sound Festival as well as various music festivals in Canada, The Ukraine and Brussels.
In duo, she enjoys playing with pianist Joseph Long, guitarist Anne Chaurand and harpist Alina
Bzhezhinska. Orchestrally, she has played concertos with ACO, The Upper Deeside Orchestra
and the Solway Sinfonia. She plays principal flute in Aberdeen Sinfonietta and for many local
choral and drama societies. She has had numerous ad hoc performances for Grampian and ITV
as well as classic FM and Shmu.
Graduating BA Honours in contemporary art in 2016, she has worked collaboratively with
musicians artists and dancers and making film, mainly in the creation of installation/theatre. She
is now looking to combine her passions for music and art in a more performance driven way.
Margaret is perhaps deluded thinking that she can persuade Brodie into mime and ceramicist
Lucy into installation! Let’s see…
