An ambient evening of harp music and vocals which was enjoyable, but not exceptional.
Seated in a classy restaurant, our music was dished up alongside chips steak and wine. Magdalena, the half Scottish, half Polish, harpist and singer, performed well. The harp was gentle and worked nicely with the double bass and keyboard accompaniment. The songs were an interesting mix of re-worked old classics, like Sinatra, and some of the band’s Polish and English originals. The bassist too deserves praise for his emotional, slow-paced solos.
Like most enthusiasts of the sensual and luxurious, I have a soft spot for the harp. I was a little disappointed that here it wasn’t a particularly prominent part of the set and that the vocals took precedent. There were however, some undeniably lovely sequences and harmonies, which satisfied my amateur passion.
The music occassionally lacked panache though, and descended into somewhat conventionally sentimental ballads, which didn’t quite work for the atmosphere.
There was something a little jarring about the restaurant-music combination. It fell somewhere between a bona-fide show and background music, so that at times it was hard to tell if it was appropriate to speak or whether focus should be solely on the musicians. Even so, it was certainly nice to listen to the jazzy music over a glass of red wine, chips and some surprisingly spicy edamame peas. It made for quite a decadent experience.
I suppose to an extent it’s a question of taste and to some people, Magdalena’s beautiful, polished look and syrupy singing would have been the perfect supplement to a hearty meal. I could appreciate the elegant look and the moments of quality music but I didn’t find it particularly remarkable.
