Reviews

Inchyra Arts Club, The Byre

Oh my goodness – what a night we had last night with Jubovski.”

“…what a great evening you organised last night at The Byre. Jubovski oozed excellent, stirring music with a entertaining and varied programme delivered with style and charm throughout.”

It was a night of rousing bagpipes, soaring strings, heart rending melodies and stomping gypsy rhythms – just wonderful, and we very much hope to welcome Jubovski back to the Arts Club before too long.”

I just had to write to tell you how much we enjoyed Jubovski and the whole evening at The Byre. Wow! Peter, Liz and Jub were outstanding. For sheer exuberance, vitality and musicality, they were an absolute joy to listen to and what a privilege and surprise to find such a performance on our doorstep in Perthshire!

“…haunting and engaging vitality in this group’s original take on gypsy music from Eastern Europe…”

St Lawrence Church, Lechlade (Restoration Appeal)

Jubovski – A Great Success in Lechlade

Jubovski came to St Lawrence, Lechlade – one of the great Cotswold ‘wool’ churches – and on a bitterly cold day… They thrilled the audience with ‘The Gypsy Connection’ stretching from a rumbustious Haydn ‘Gypsy’ trio, full of good humour which Papa Haydn would surely have relished, to a string of virtuoso works drawn from their travels and researches in Eastern Europe.

The remarkable camaraderie and interchange among these fine musicians and their unfailing flow of musicality captivated us all and cold toes were soon tapping. It was a huge delight and left us wanting more.”

Keith Salway (external member of the Barbican Centre Board, City of London)

Moffat Music Society, Old Well Theatre

The Jubovski Trio gave the society’s new season a tremendous start in the Old Well Theatre on September 3rd. Liz Cowdrey (violin), Peter Cowdrey (piano) and ‘Jub’ (double bass) took us from a Balkan dawn, via Haydn’s ever popular Gypsy Rondo Trio, to a world where emotions were strong, and melody, harmony and rhythm inseparable

“…they described the impact these court Gypsies had on Haydn before the ensemble played the ‘Gypsy Rondo’ trio. Their performance made it easy to imagine the effect Haydn’s work must have made on the court. It was beautifully balanced from the classical poise of the first movement, the elegantly nuanced interplay of the central slow movement to the excitement and vigour of the closing rondo based on a Gypsy theme.

Thereafter, Gypsy music was interspersed with compositions deriving from traditional folk-Gypsy themes: Bartók’s Rumanian Folk Dances, Peter Cowdrey’s Trio and Monti’s Czárdás.

The intensity, power and emotion of the music-making was fascinatingly hypnotic. Watching and hearing Liz and Jub reacting to each other’s playing, one could not help but be involved.

Peter Cowdrey’s own enjoyable trio was in three linked movements, in which melodies alternated with quasi-improvisatory passages. It was based upon Gypsy tunes noted down by Liz and developed from subsequent improvisations by the ensemble.

Jubovski’s arrangement of Monti’s popular Czardas, with it’s sly humour, wonderful changes of tempo and mood brought an enthralling evening to a satisfying close. The audience enjoyed virtuoso playing, an introduction to a new musical world, and the company of three talented musicians.”

Jubovski got the week off to a storming start. I’d worked extensively with Jub (the bass player) back in the 90s, and the other two a couple of times, so I knew that we’d be in for at least an interesting evening. It was far more than that – it was magic, cheeky, inspired and uplifting. The trio were kind enough to let me join in on a couple of their numbers – we had a few minutes’ anti-rehearsal in the afternoon, after which it was agreed that in any case the performance wouldn’t be anything like that. I was also pleased that I managed to smuggle a piece of serious, hard-line contemporary music into the programme (Finnissy, always one of my favourite of today’s composers) – and nobody seemed to mind… It won’t be the last time…”

Charles Mutter, Loch Shiel

Chipping Sodbury Music Society

An evening of exciting gypsy music was enjoyed by an enthusiastic audience at the November concert in Chipping Sodbury Town Hall.

Jubovski, featuring Liz Cowdrey (violin), Peter Cowdrey (piano) and Jub (double bass), proved themselves outstanding in a programme which held the attention throughout.

Haydn’s ‘Gypsy Rondo’ piano trio was played with a light touch and firm rhythmic pulse. The slow movement was suitably restrained, and the vigorous finale was given sparkling treatment. Bosnian wedding music was passionately done and a recently discovered Hungarian Jewish piece proved wistful and full of sadness. Bartok’s ‘Romanian Dances’ were full of energy with the underlying folk element well-defined

Peter Cowdrey’s substantial trio was full of virtuoso improvisation alternating with Gypsy style melodies. The well known and popular ‘Czardas’ by Monti brought the concert to a satisfying close.”

Gerry Philip, Chipping Sodbury Music Society

Dumfries Music Club, St Johns Church

The introduction followed by the Haydn Trio was marvellous – full of expression and verve when required! The explanation of how different groups of musicians were influenced by each other was really helpful in understanding how the music developed. It was especially good to hear this piece of Bartok. Although I knew he had collected ‘folk music’ and incorporated it within his own compositions, being brought up on the quartets which are so much more complicated, it can be difficult to sort out the ‘folk’ bits! Everyone commented on the speed and dexterity of all three players and was amazed by what a double bass could do – in the right hands…”

“...it was a great show and I thought some of the music was very moving as well as brilliantly played.”

Descriptive words/phrases that come to mind are imaginatively varied programme, mixing excitement with pathos, vigour with stillness. Enjoyed Peter’s relaxed style and communication with us. They each came across as abundantly talented individuals who were enjoying their own concert. Could they return one day?!

“…their enthusiasm and the sheer excitement of the programme could not fail to send everyone away feeling happy!

“…we found Friday’s concert enchanting and evocative. I also felt their spontaneity and inspiration lifted the performance out of the realms of the everyday putting it firmly into the world of Chagall.”

St Peter’s Church, Petersfield

Saturday’s concert in St Peter’s church was given by Jubovski – three talented musicians playing violin, piano and double bass – who explore the cross-over between classical and Gypsy music. The four works listed in the programme were interspersed with improvised gypsy music from Transylvania, Serbia, Macedonia and Central Europe.

Jubovski took us on a journey from Haydn’s Gypsy Trio through East European folk music to the present day. We had virtuoso fiddle playing, which showed off Liz Cowdrey’s fluent technique, alternating with heart-rending melodies, all played in true gypsy style with warm, affectionate communication between the players and their audience.

The unusual feature of Jubovski is that the cello is replaced by a double bass, played by Jub (we were not given his real name) – a stunning virtuoso of the instrument, technically superb with brilliant, agile finger work. This did, however, mean that the exuberant performance of Haydn’s Gypsy Trio was somewhat unbalanced as the bass overpowered the violin at times.

The pianist, Peter Cowdrey – brother of the violinist – displayed a dazzling command of the keyboard. We also heard a Trio written by him which consisted of improvisations on Transylvanian gypsy music.

The concert ended with the ubiquitous Monti’s Czardas which was given a truly flamboyant reading.

So… an enjoyable evening of free-spirited, exuberant playing by three musicians who patently enjoy performing together and communicate their passion to the audience – a rare feature of many of today’s musicians.”

Ann Pinhey, Petersfield Herald