Sunday 29 June 2014

Stephen Warbeck Ensemble, Sam Wannamaker Playhouse ****

The Sam Wannamaker Playhouse

Left slightly cold by the disappointment of The Last Days of Troy, I needed this concert to lift up my hopes for the Globe. Luckily, it did just the job. The theatre itself still takes my breathe away, with a better chance to see all of it's wonders from the pit. Warbeck himself is a genuinely funny man who tied up each piece sublimely with anecdotes and with a genuine sense of camaraderie between the members of the ensemble who enthusiasm for each piece rubbed off on the engaged audience. The pieces themselves evoked many emotions from melancholy in the Wolf Hall pieces to joy in the Two Brothers piece 'To Freedom'. My personal favourite was the Young Doctor's Notebook. This piece, which apparently was critiscised by many, was upbeat, with a Jewish sensibility to it and was generally a pleasure to listen to.The ensemble is extremely talented with special notice to Sarah Homer who did a sterling job on a range of woodwind instruments. Overall, a terrific evening.

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