Classical Explorer, Colin Clarke

Ensemble 360 celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2025. Previous iterations of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival have repeatedly proved the ensemble’s excellence. This tranche of concerts was no exception.

The venue is most often The Crucible, but here it was the venerable Firth Hall at the University of Sheffield. A creditable audience turned up for music that is by no means an easy listen: testament to the reach and reputation of Ensemble 360. It says much that the lightest music was by Kaija Saariaho: the spectral piece Petals…

Gemma Rosefield was the fine soloist, negotiating Saariaho’s chiaroscuro superbly. From the whispered buzzing of the opening to moments that seemed to hint at dance, this was a spellbinding experience. Lighting changes added an extra dimension, but the real magic resided in the music itself…

No less virtuoso is Pierre Boulez’s Dialogue de l’ombre double for clarinet… Boulez has the clarinet play with its ‘sound shadow’ (a pre-recorded clarinet the audience heard from various points around the hall via loudspeakers).

“Robert Plane’s control over his clarinet is simply extraordinary. Plane’s physical movements in space seemed themselves choreographed, very much part of the performance.”

For all of its effects (including finely controlled multiphonics), it was the sheer control Plane showed of his instrument and his innate understanding of the beauty of the music that shone through. Extraordinary… terrifically entertaining, and ultimately highly enriching.

The remarkable La lonnanza nostalgica uopica futura (The nostalgic utopian future distance) for violin and electronics by Luigi Nono is typically uncompromising music. Claudia Ajmone-Marsan was the intrepid soloist who took on this near-40 minute work… Ajmone-Marsan’s fearless playing provided a mesmeric experience. Moving around the sound space, she created a whole world of sounds from the violin, from the powerfully assertive to singing, glassy high harmonics…

There is little doubt that Nono’s music is best explored live, and this was an all too rare opportunity to do so. The stunning concentration and virtuosity of Claudia Ajmone-Marsan was of course the major contributing factor.

“An unforgettable experience…”

A phenomenal concert, full of revelations. The music might seem “difficult” on paper, but really the whole experience was maximally enervating.