EIF 2024 Ilumina In The Light of Shadow Usher Hall 14th August Review
Ilumina In The Light of Shadow at the Usher Hall tonight can only be described as a “musical experience” as this São Paulo-based artist collective effortlessly fused Brazilian and European musical cultural heritages into one expression of sounds and rhythms.
Founded by American violist Jennifer Stumm in 2015, the ensemble’s name, Ilumina, derives from the Portugese verb “Iluminar”, meaning “to enlighten”, and this is what is at the heart of everything that they do. Ilumina have a simple philosophy, to enlighten the lives of cultures and communities through people coming together to explore and enjoy music together, both as performers and audiences. To do this they have often taken a different than usual approach as to how music is performed, what types of music they combine together, and even how music is taught through their many cultural outreach programmes.
The full programme of music for this concert is at the bottom of this review, and as you will see, it is a true fusion of cultures. Here was the opportunity to hear rhythms from Brazil weaving in and out of Afro-Sambas while more familiar (to me) European works from Wagner, Beethoven and Mozart were performed with the musicians dressed in vibrant colours and standing, or moving when appropriate to the music itself; a far cry from the formal dress code and rigidly seated structure of most European string ensembles or orchestras.
This almost informal approach, particularly in the first half of the concert which was performed without the musicians reading from any music, may have broken more than a few conventions for some people, but one thing was never in doubt, and that was the level of musicianship that Ilumina has at its disposal.
There were lots of highlights for me in this concert, amongst them the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante in E flat, K364 and the performances given by Jennifer Stumm (Viola) and Alina Ibragimova (Violin). For some reason I have always seen Mozart as a rebel, someone who was always pushing the boundaries of what he could do with his music and how many social conventions he could break along the way. In the hands of an ensemble such as Ilumina, it was almost as if the musical genie was finally allowed out of the bottle and the sheer fun of Mozart’s music (well some of it) were finally being allowed to its freedom.
Review by Tom King © 2024
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
PROGRAMME
Jennifer StummViola
Alina Ibragimova Violin
Powell From the Afro-Sambas: Canto de Yemanja
Villa-Lobos Bachianas Brasileiras No 4: Preludio
Improvisation on Brazilian Rhythm: Capoeira
Lully Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs
György Kurtag Schatten
Wagner Prelude to Tristan and Isolde
Improvisation on Brazilian Rhythm: Funk Carioca
Beethoven String Quartet in C sharp Minor, Op 131: Allegro
Improvisation on Brazilian Rhythm: Frevo
Mozart Sinfonia Concertante in E flat, K364
Powell From the Afro Sambas: Canto de Ossanha
Founded by American violist Jennifer Stumm in 2015, the ensemble’s name, Ilumina, derives from the Portugese verb “Iluminar”, meaning “to enlighten”, and this is what is at the heart of everything that they do. Ilumina have a simple philosophy, to enlighten the lives of cultures and communities through people coming together to explore and enjoy music together, both as performers and audiences. To do this they have often taken a different than usual approach as to how music is performed, what types of music they combine together, and even how music is taught through their many cultural outreach programmes.
The full programme of music for this concert is at the bottom of this review, and as you will see, it is a true fusion of cultures. Here was the opportunity to hear rhythms from Brazil weaving in and out of Afro-Sambas while more familiar (to me) European works from Wagner, Beethoven and Mozart were performed with the musicians dressed in vibrant colours and standing, or moving when appropriate to the music itself; a far cry from the formal dress code and rigidly seated structure of most European string ensembles or orchestras.
This almost informal approach, particularly in the first half of the concert which was performed without the musicians reading from any music, may have broken more than a few conventions for some people, but one thing was never in doubt, and that was the level of musicianship that Ilumina has at its disposal.
There were lots of highlights for me in this concert, amongst them the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante in E flat, K364 and the performances given by Jennifer Stumm (Viola) and Alina Ibragimova (Violin). For some reason I have always seen Mozart as a rebel, someone who was always pushing the boundaries of what he could do with his music and how many social conventions he could break along the way. In the hands of an ensemble such as Ilumina, it was almost as if the musical genie was finally allowed out of the bottle and the sheer fun of Mozart’s music (well some of it) were finally being allowed to its freedom.
Review by Tom King © 2024
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
PROGRAMME
Jennifer StummViola
Alina Ibragimova Violin
Powell From the Afro-Sambas: Canto de Yemanja
Villa-Lobos Bachianas Brasileiras No 4: Preludio
Improvisation on Brazilian Rhythm: Capoeira
Lully Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs
György Kurtag Schatten
Wagner Prelude to Tristan and Isolde
Improvisation on Brazilian Rhythm: Funk Carioca
Beethoven String Quartet in C sharp Minor, Op 131: Allegro
Improvisation on Brazilian Rhythm: Frevo
Mozart Sinfonia Concertante in E flat, K364
Powell From the Afro Sambas: Canto de Ossanha
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