Andreas Scholl and Philippe Jaroussky sing Purcell at The Barbican

A few nights ago I trekked across London to the Barbican Centre again to see Andreas Scholl and Philippe Jaroussky sing their hearts out. The two esteemed counter-tenors were singing a programme of Purcell with the lively Ensemble Artaserse accompanying them. I have seen both men perform before, and have always loved the otherworldly sound of the countertenor voice, and as a teen I was obsessed with the phenomenon of castrati in baroque Italy.

The auditorium was full to the brim, the busiest I have ever seen the Barbican. Luckily my super organised mother booked us tickets almost a year ahead, otherwise I’m sure we wouldn’t have got seats. The musicians began the evening with the Bonduca overture, bounteous and jolly. Scholl and Jaroussky sat behind the players walking up to the front of the stage when required to sing. We heard suites, arias, and duets, all perfected and immaculately presented.

Vocally these two singers sound quite different: Jaroussky has a brighter, higher, clearer sound, which is sweet in tone and sounds not dissimilar to a woman’s voice. Scholl’s voice has a darker timbre, which I feel suits the more melancholic arias. This was particularly evident in ‘O Solitude’ and ‘Music for a While’ in which he sang the descending lines with moving phrasing. The Barbican acoustics are dreadful but I also thought Scholl sounded much quieter than usual, and wondered whether he was suffering from a cold or sore throat.

Jaroussky is adorable to watch, and the audience clearly loved him. His voice is so bright it almost sounds electric, and I felt shivers down my spine on the held top notes. His rendition of ‘Bid the Virtues’ from ‘Come, ye sons of Art, away’ was memerising. He accomplished complex vocal acrobatics with clarity and ease and there was some wonderful interplay with the obbligato oboe part.

The duets were the highlight of the evening; there were seven in total. The men were sweet on stage together, working well as a team. Scholl always took the lower part and this unfortunately meant he was occasionally drowned out while Jaroussky soared above with the higher part. They seemed to be having a lot of fun on stage together especially in the more upbeat pieces. ‘Sound the Trumpet’ was brilliant; both singers rose to the challenge of singing this familiar tune. Due to the staggering reception the men came on to do not one, or two, but three encores, including a hilarious final duet where they jumped between their manly low voices and their higher countertenor voices, playing up to the laughter and joking along. It was great fun to watch and a fantastic end to the evening.

Black Watch at The Barbican

Black Watch was recommended to me by a friend at work, who swore it was the best piece of theatre she had ever seen. After that bold statement I couldn’t resist going to experience it for myself.

The Black Watch is an esteemed army infantry battalion from the Royal Regiment of Scotland. Their obscure name allegedly came from the dark tartan they used to wear to watch over the Highlands. This regiment has an important history which is explored within the action of the play, a truly fascinating timeline. I particularly enjoyed the sequence in which we watched one soldier being dressed and undressed continually by all the other men to display the regiment’s changing uniform over time. It was quite beautiful demonstrated in this way.

The music that occurs intermittently throughout the show is haunting and moving: various clips of Snow Patrol and Michael Nyman as well as authentic regimental songs are cleverly used. And then of course there are the constant sounds of mortars, IEDs and C-bombs. Often the men sing enthusiastically along to the tunes, with an endearing pride. The language is crude even filthy throughout, and yet it soon feels natural to hear the men speaking in this way. There is an element of dance in this production too, although it is more like atmospheric abstract movement. Violence is shown through stylised miming that is quite balletic, a dramatic juxtaposition with the hard army demeanour.

The narrative focuses on the Black Watch’s involvement in Iraq. Jack Lowden is superb as Cammy, he is devoted and yet understandably bitter. Jamie Quinn is sweet playing Fraz, a strangely evocative performance as a less fortunate soldier. The rest of the all male cast are similarly commendable, and as a whole create a powerful and intense piece of theatre.

I forgot these men are actors, I completely believed, for the 110 minutes that Black Watch runs that the men were soldiers. The Black Watch is known for its exceptionally strong sense of identity and camaraderie, a mindset that is portrayed immaculately by the boys on stage.

Many nights are already sold out, so be quick about getting your tickets for Black Watch, this is a play not to miss.

Black Watch, at the Barbican Arts Centre, until 22^nd January. Tickets £35/40

Stravinsky and Walton at The Barbican

The Barbican is a wonderful concert hall to perform in, I used to sing the great St Matthew Passion there every Easter. As I sat in the choir waiting to sing I remember looking out into the vast audience trying to count everyone wearing red, a surprisingly fun game.

I’ve been to the Barbican many times since and last Friday went to see a concert of Stavinsky and Walton, kicking off the Guildhall’s new orchestral season. Three of my good friends from University were performing in the second half: Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast. The first half was rather less inspiring than the second; Stravinsky can be quite a challenging listen. The Soldier’s Tale, his virtuosic morality play, is a strange piece of music with a libretto based on a Russian folk tale. The music is unbearably repetitive and after about twenty-five minutes I fell asleep. I enjoyed the speakers however, especially the role of narrator played by Director of Drama, Christian Burgess.

The stage was full for the second half, with a massive choir and orchestra. The students kept flooding on and it took me a long time to spot my three friends. I was delighted to see my cellist pal on the first desk, leading the way for her section. Belshazzar’s Feast is an oratorio and remains one of William Walton’s most celebrated compositions, as well as a popular piece in the English choral repertoire. It was performed on Friday with great gusto and the sound filled the Barbican like I’ve never heard before. This was helped by the extra brass sections that played from both sides on the upper level of the hall. The soloist was 2009 Gold Medal Winner Gary Griffiths, and although his voice didn’t completely win me over, he tackled the powerful part with admirable confidence.

A compelling start to the new season at the Barbican.