Of Ballades, Fables, and Legend live in St Andrews
By Miles Silverstein
The McPherson Recital Room is larger than life. Its purpose is spoken in clear feng shui, its organization apparent and auspicious. Everything about this room is meticulously arranged to enhance the most minute details of the highest echelon of performance art. Between its acoustic capacity and historic pipe organ, the mechanics of the venue render it world-class. A forgotten facet of this space’s great aesthetic is its lighting capacity. The room is adorned with dozens of light fixtures all over, lending itself to a versatility of brightness prepared for whatever performance is thrown its way. Tonight, only a handful are lit.
We are seated ahead of the only performance of Jobim Ffrench’s original song cycle, Of Ballades, Fables, and Legend. Directed by Ava Pegg-Davies, darkness is kept on the corners and edges of the room as we find ourselves part and parcel of a milieu prepared for an exploration of dark and light, good and evil, truth and fable – most prominently, the familiar and the unknown. Our own existence as an audience feels fleetingly real, as if the entire energy of this place is subject to flip on a dime. And it does just that.
After a brief, silent overture in darkness, four players walk onstage. In this order, the audience is graced by the presence of alto Ben Hayes, mezzo Sereena Pallana, soprano Emily Kemp, and the mastermind himself, baritone Jobim Ffrench. They are played on by Ffrench’s father, pianist Alexis Ffrench. We the observers have given up our senses of self, charitably relocating our innermost thoughts and desires to the masterful piano work of A. Ffrench’s ‘Prelude’. He is on top form here. The piano’s ethereal whimsy reaches beyond the stage and pulls us in by the heartstrings, tumbling over and through a verdant musical landscape. Together with A. Ffrench, we leap and bound, priming our ears and souls as though it were the preface for a dream.
As ‘Prelude’ comes to a close, a suspenseful final ostinato cues Hayes to rise to the single microphone and music stand. He stands and waits wistfully, holding the audience in his palm. Hayes’s reputation precedes him, having recently been crowned Best Soloist in the UK at the International Competition of Collegiate A Cappella’s London Semifinal. His first number, ‘Nimrod’, proves he is more than deserving of the title. His soaring, impressive alto register is at home in the music J. Ffrench has written for him. Hayes is a bird, a siren, a beckoner, commanding the audience to “follow me… carefully…” Indeed we must all be tied to the mast of Odysseus’s galley, for the pain and loneliness of ‘Nimrod’ is wrought by a tension between a shared dream and a pained emptiness. To end the tune, Hayes is afforded the opportunity to belt an astonishing F5, something he is more than comfortable with. No sweat off his back – Ben Hayes’s nonchalant mastery is a sight to behold. Be sure to catch a performance of his at the very next opportunity you get. You will not regret it.
The Herculean task of having to follow Ben Hayes is so deftly performed by mezzo Pallana. Wowing the entire audience with a brilliant tonal shift, Pallana’s introductory solo number ‘Hometown Lullaby’ lives in serenity and grace. She comes on strong with a quiet ferocity, juxtaposing Hayes’s power with a wistful otherness. Her tune situates us in between comfort and adventure, a theme that emerges strongly both in the thematic trepidation of Pallana’s number, but also in the space between Hayes’s strong belt and Pallana’s silky passaggio. Her riffs flow like honey, and it is a real treat to hear her mature skillset on display over the emotional lyricism of J. Ffrench.
‘Somewhere, Lily’ is a love song, delivered by Kemp. A veteran choral scholar at the University and elsewhere, her classical sensibilities are a creative vehicle through which she makes use of the human voice in such a way that brings us all in and makes us all believe her. Kemp is really a Disney princess, echoing the yearning of the best flagship ballads from those timeless early animated flicks we all grew up with. ‘Somewhere, Lily’ is thus an ode to the innocuity of our youths, reaching to be cradled and caressed by the innocence of a bygone era. Kemp’s leaping soprano register fills the McPherson, proving herself worthy of such a musically consecrated space. Perhaps the highlight of the entire number is Kemp’s impassioned delivery of the lyric “Yes, Achilles was proud on his steed, but you’re all of the hero I need…”
There is certainly something to be said of the creativity necessary to keep a work like Of Ballades, Fables, and Legend moving as a through-composed single piece. The credit goes to both Ffrenches for their joint ability to control contrast so powerfully. An inquisitive chromaticism defines A. Ffrench’s next piano interlude, ahead of Hayes’s second number, ‘The Boy and the Nightingale.’
Hayes uses the imagery of birds and flight to tell another story of someone caught between being here and being there. Oh to fly, oh to be free… A twinkle in the accompaniment coupled with Hayes’s lofty chest voice make us all see these magical birds he is singing about. J. Ffrench’s fantastical lyricism is real and brought to life by the vibrant character of Hayes’s musicality.
The most emotional number of the cycle follows in Pallana’s delivery of ‘Charlie’, the high-water mark of this show’s artistry. Even if there were no other cycle around ‘Charlie’, J. Ffrench would deserve the highest commendation for having written such a champion of the spirit of love. Pallana begins by telling us of the object of her admiration, beautiful Charlie, he who can do no wrong. All is well until the drop into unrequitedness. Upon the reveal of Charlie’s lack of reciprocated affection, Pallana’s confident, bright belt dips into a breathy, pleading lament. The memory of this moment is sharp – the change was palpable. It was felt through the whole room. Such command over emotion in this way is nothing short of sheer songwriting talent and mastery from Jobim Ffrench. He and Pallana are a collaborative force to be reckoned with – something explored fully a few numbers later.
The tonal shift carries through into ‘A Princess’s Plea’, sung by Emily Kemp. Kemp is again comfortable in the character of a yearning princess, but the correct word for her performance is more in line with “angelic.” Her character is pushing through real, palpable pain. You’re right there with her, and her delivery is on point. Why must she be made to suffer? Why must she be made to wait, wait, wait…
Hayes approaches the stand again after another A. Ffrench interlude for the song ‘Stargazing’. As usual, his control over the room is complete. You could hear a pin drop in the space between his notes. We are well into the saddest part of the show, with every number taking us deeper into the sadness of a nascent need for greener pastures. Hayes is dreaming, yearning, wanting for serenity and release. It is high time we make it out of this spell, and Hayes is strong to lead us. Through comfort and through anguish, we move as one towards the light at the end of the tunnel.
That very bright light comes in the form of the only duet in the Of Ballades tracklist. ‘Francesca and Paulo’ features Pallana once more, this time joined by Jobim Ffrench himself. We have been exposed to the breadth of talent in Ffrench’s head and through his pen, but until now we have been denied his unbelievable voice! Pallana’s character is deeply in love – the sweet lyric “you’re my alibi” reaches everyone in the audience. It is Ffrench himself who really takes the journey in ‘Francesco and Paulo’, though. His character starts off torn, eventually picking up the love Pallana is laying out. There is something particularly convincing about this number. Ffrench singing his own lyricism is a special, if fleeting, gift to us all. Pallana and Ffrench are gifted performers unto themselves, but together they each unlock a new ineffable property in one another – their duet makes ‘Francesco and Paulo’ my favorite moment in the show. The lyric “When the world fades to blue, I see color in you” has burrowed into my head and nested comfortably. Pallana’s and Ffrench’s personas were made for one another, and upon the final notes of the tune, I couldn’t have spoken if I wanted to. No words suit the wake of such astonishment.
Emily Kemp’s final number, ‘Thank You, Me’ yet again showcases a different side of her unmatched acting potential. Kemp is adroit with whatever she is given – every song of hers seems effortless through tonal shifts and personality changes. To bid her character farewell, she inhabits a cutesy hedonism and introduces a compelling humor to Of Ballades. We the audience have gasped and cried, it is only fair we get to laugh too. The sinister underbelly of her curt selfishness renders clear the fact that she is at home in both genuine expression and ironic self-indulgence. Hats off to you, Ms. Kemp – your flexibility of character is truly something to marvel at.
The swan song in Of Ballades, Fables, and Legend is ‘You’, a sweet and sad tale about a dearly departed lover told by Hayes. Through this outstanding final number, we are reminded that while Jobim Ffrench knows how to write humor, it is his mournful balladeering that he wants us to recognize. Ffrench and Hayes are a unique duo, and the both of them have staked a claim for places in the audience’s collective heart. As ‘You’ concludes, we are returned to the normal world by a final Alexis Ffrench postlude.
Hayes, Pallana, and Kemp are all stellar performers in their own right. Each of them boasts an impressive list of accomplishments and accolades unto themselves, yet what really takes Of Ballades, Fables, and Legend into the beyond is the songwriting talent of ringleader Jobim Ffrench. His extraordinary mind is the agent turning the marble into David. Of Ballades, Fables, and Legend is an unbelievable exercise in the capacity and talent of the highest tier of musicality and showmanship the University of St Andrews can offer.