Review: Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi, Bath Forum 2019.

I have seen some great concerts at Bath Forum over the past few years, and I think last night’s show with Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi was as enjoyable as any of them. The concert began at 7.30 and Rhiannon & Francesco were joined on stage by Jason Sypher who was excellent on upright bass all evening. The opening song was Ten Thousand Voices from their brilliant recent album There Is No Other which I reviewed back in July. Rhiannon played violin and Francesco was on accordion. I think Rhiannon has one of the most perfect singing voices I have ever heard. She was classically trained as an opera singer at the Oberlin Conservatory, so she knows how to project her voice, it is amazing.

Following The North Star from her solo album Freedom Highway followed. I had never heard this track before. It is an instrumental with banjo and hand drum. Francesco had a whole battery of percussion instruments which he introduced to us as the evening progressed. Gonna Write Me A Letter was next from the new album. This was followed by Briggs Forro which she informed us she had discovered in a book from 1855 called Briggs Banjo Tutor. It was a very educational evening because they explained the history of the songs and the instruments.

I think the most moving song of the evening was At The Purchaser’s Option. Rhiannon wrote this song after seeing an advert from a 19^th century newspaper for a female slave who was being sold. She had a baby, so they could be sold separately or together at the purchaser’s option. The traditional ballad Wayfaring Stranger was next, and the first half of the show ended with the very lively song in the Puglia dialect Pizzica Di San Vito.

During the interval I had a look at the merchandise stall and bought a CD that Rhiannon released in 2007 with her band Carolina Chocolate Drops called Heritage, so now I have two albums by a singer I hadn’t heard of six months ago. I have been listening to the Chocolate Drops album this morning and it is great.

I didn’t know the titles of all the songs and tunes in the second half, so I’ll just tell you what I remember as highlights for me. Rhiannon sang a sad aria by Purcell from the opera Dido & Aeneas which made full use of her opera training and she was accompanied by Francesco on piano. Another highlight for me was a song made famous by Ethel Waters in the 1930s called Underneath A Harlem Moon. I’m On My Way was also brilliant. The sound produced by just a banjo and hand drum is unbelievable. I’ll never look the same way at the humble tambourine again after hearing Francesco play a solo on one. This led into the Irish song Molly Branigan in which Rhiannon’s vocal pyrotechnics were on full display. It was mesmerising. Rhiannon made a little speech thanking the audience for coming along which showed what a nice person she is and then sang the very spiritual He Will See You Through. All three left the stage to tumultuous applause.

We knew they would be back for an encore which was Lonesome Road/Up Above My Head which became a call and response medley with full audience participation which brought a wonderful concert to a close. Thank you very much Rhiannon Giddens, Francesco Turrisi & Jason Sypher for a great evening.