28th November : Open forum / BYO
Although several members were not able to attend, those who made it brought a wide selection of music . This included a frenetic jazz number by Fats Waller , the opening number from G&S’s ” Mikado” , and classical items by Mozart , Chopin and Tchaikovsky . We were also honoured with contributions from the ” Earl of Grantham” ( Downland Abbey Suite) and a flute sonata from no less a personage than King Frederick the Great of Prussia.
Our endeavours to generate some Christmas cheer were helped by the generous supply of Christmas snacks at the interval . The meeting ended with a reading of a Christmas poem .
Playlist
Wagner – Ride of the Valkyries – overture
Tchaikovsky – The Snow Maiden pt 1 Played by the BBC Philharmonic c. Vassily Sinaisky
Chopin – Etude in E major played by Yu Kosuge (p) Plus a vocal version called “ Tristesse” sung by Tino Rossi
Gilbert and Sullivan – “ If you want to know who we are “ ( from “the Mikado”) Performed by the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company
Mozart – Violin Concerto No 3 (II) – Adagio played by Arthur Grumiaux (v) with the New Philharmonic c Sir Colin Davis
Gershwin – “ I got Rhythm” played by Fats Waller “ Blame it on the Bossa Nova “ – Edmundo Ross
Downton Abbey suites 1 & 2 played by the Budapest City Orchestra
King Frederick the Great – Sonata in G minor for flute and basso continuo
Reading of “ T’was the Night before Christmas” read by Jim Carter
24th October 2023 – “ Dvorak – his life and music”
Barbara Redwood gave members a refresher on this Bohemian composer who become the national composer of Czechoslovakia and famed in Europe and America in the second half of the 19th century .
The music excerpts played were a mixture of works lesser known to our members such as the piano and string quartets and more familiar ones like the Carnival Overture and the Slavonic Dances .
Playlist
From “ Four Romantic Pieces “ No 1 – Allegro Moderato
“ Silent Woods “
Symphony No 1 – Allegro
Symphony No 3 – Vivace
Serenade for Strings – Scherzo
1st set of Slavonic Dances– Dance No 2
Piano Quartet No 2 – 2nd movement Lento
Carnival Overture
Cello Concerto – 1st movement
String quartet No 12 – “ American”
Aria “ O silver Moon” – From the opera “ Rusalka Sung by Renee Fleming
Humoresque No 7 arr Fritz Kreisler for violin
26th September 2023 :“ Music inspired by Magic “
This presentation by Marion Sunderland was on music based on fairy tales, or legends involving magic in some form including fairies , goblins , trolls ,wizards , witches , magic mirrors and magic harps etc .Half of the music played was by familiar composers such as Edvard Grieg , Engelbert Humperdinck , Paul Dukas and Erich Korngold .
We were also introduced to composers whose names do not appear very often like William Hurlstone , Joseph Bayer , Nicholas Medtnev , Frederick Kulhau and Kenji Bunch but all their music seemed to be enjoyed by the audience .
Playlist
Erich Korngold – excerpts from “ Fairy Tale Pictures “
Engelbert Humperdinck – Overture from “ Hansel and Gretel “
William Hurlstone – “ The Magic Mirror “ ( based on Snow White)
Paul Dukas – “ The Sorcerers Apprentice”
Joseph Bayer – excerpts from “ The Fairy Doll Ballet Suite “
Nicholas Medtnev – “ Fairy Tales “
Frederick Kulhau – “ The Magic Harp” ( Norwegian legend)
Kenji Bunch – “ Magic hour “ ( but only 2 ½ minutes long !)
Edvard Grieg – “ In the Hall of the Mountain King “ from his Peer Gynt suite
22nd August 2023 – “ Musical Collaborations “
Nick Williams informative and entertaining interpretation of “ Musical Collaborations” brought some surprises to the meeting , pairing classical violinist with jazz violinist ( Menuhin & Grappelle), piano soloist with conductor/ pianist ( Ashkenazy & Previn), jazz alto sax player with jazz guitarist/ singer ( Getz & Gilberto), swing vocalist with swing band ( Sinatra and Count Basie) and Lloyd Webber (Julian) playing Lloyd Webber ( Andrew). He concluded with one of the expected collaborations , that of Lerner and Loewe but a lesser known/remembered musical – “Brigadoon “.
Playlist
Yehudi Menuhin & Stephane Grapelli :
“ Jealousy” – composed by Jacob Gade in 1925
“ These Foolish things” music by Jack Strachey
“ The Lady is a Tramp” – music by Richard Rogers
Vladimir Ashkenazy & Andre Previn :
“ Rachmaninov – Piano Concerto No 2 – 3rd movement “ played by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andre Previn with Vladimir Ashkenazy as piano soloist.
Stan Getz ( soprano saxophone) & Joao Gilberto ( guitar / vocals) – Bossa Nova
“ Desafinado “ music by Antonio Carlos Jobi
“ Quiet Night of Quiet Stars” – “ “ ( sung by Astrid Gilberto)
“ The Girl from Ipanema “ “ “ “ “
Julian Lloyd Webber ( cello) & Andrew Lloyd Webber ( composer)
“The first man you remember” – from “ Aspects of Love”
“All I ask of you “ – from “ Phantom of the Opera”
“Pie Jesu” – from “ Requiem”
Frank Sinatra & Count Basie and his Orchestr
“Come fly with me “ by Sammy Carr and Jimmy Van Heusen
“ You make me feel so young” – by Josef Myrow and Mack Gordon
“ My Kind of Town” – by Sammy Carr and Jimmy Van Heusen
(Musical arrangements by Quincey Jones)
Lerner and Loewe – from their musical “ Brigadoon”
(1988 London cast recording , sung by Robert Meadmon and Jacinta Mulcahy)
“ The Heather on the Hill” and “ Almost like being in love”
July 25th 2023 – Open Forum / BYO
The group were treated to a diverse selection of music from several genres , classical , 30’s/ 40’s and modern vocals.(see playlist below).
These included 2 songs as a tribute to Tony Bennett and , a first for the group , Carnatic music from South India .
The double bass was given a rare opportunity to star as a solo instrument .
The presenters gave good introductions to their choices which prompted some interesting discussions.
Playlist
Carnatic music ( from South India) for Flute – played by JA Jayman
Don McLean – “ Vincent” from his “ American Pie Album
The Inkspots – “ If I didn’t care” and “ whispering Grass”
Beethoven – String Quartet No 2 in G major –II Adagio
Played by the Amadeus string Quartet
Beethoven – Triple Concerto for Violin , cello and Piano – 2nd movement
Played by Davis Oistrakh (v) , Mstislav Rostropovich (vc) and Svatislav Richter(p) with the Berlin Phiharmonic c Herbert von Karajan
Tony Bennett – “ I left my heart in San Francisco” and “ Steppin’ out with my Baby” fom his album “ Unplugged” with the Ralph Sharon Trio.
Canteloupe – “ Ballero” from “ Songs of the Auvergne” – instrumental arrangement plyed by Julian Lloyd-Weber and the National Philharmonic Orchestra c Charles Gerhardt .
Paul Simon – “ Pigs , Sheep and Wolves “
Shostakovich – “ King Lear Suite”
Bottesini – Concerto No 2 for Double Bass and Orchestra
Played by Edgar Meyer with the St Pauls Chamber Orchestra c. Hugo Wolf
June 27th 2023 : ” One-hit wonders – pt 3 – Humperdinck and Littolf”
This presentation by David Sunderland featured another two composers who are now known for only one composition each . In the case of Engelbert Humperdinck it is his opera ” Hansel and Gretel” and specifically the ” Evening Prayer ” duet .
With Henry Charles Littolf is is the Scherzo from his Concerto Symphonique No 4 .
Yet both composers were prolific and popular in their own time , both composing for the theatre and opera as well as the concert hall .
Several other pieces from each composer were played from the limited recording s available and a brief biography given of each .
While the recordings played of Humperdinck’s works were felt to lack variety , the piano works of Littolf were well received and surprise shown that they were not more widely known .
Littolf’s colourful biography proved also to be entertaining !
Playlist :
1 Humperdinck: The “Evening Prayer” from the opera “Hansel and Gretel” The Singers were Renee Fleming and Leslie Garrett
2 : Humperdinck : Hansel and Gretel – overture Played there by The Staatscapella Dresden conducted by Otto Suitner
3 – Humperdinck – Humoreske 5.39 Played by the Bamberg Sinphoniker conducted by Karl Anton Richenbacher .
4 Humperdinck : Overture to the opera ” Dornroschen ” Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera conducted by Hans Swarowsky
5 : Humperdinck – Shakespeare Suite No 1 – Introduction Played by the Bamburg Simphoniker conducted by Karl Anton Richenbacher
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6 Litolff : Scherzo from the Concerto Symphonique No 4 Played there by Peter Donohoe with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrew Litton .
7: Litolff – Concerto Symphonique No 2 4th movement That was again played by Peter Donohoe with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrew Litton .
8: Litolff : Concerto Symphonique No 3 – 4th movement Played by Michael Ponti wit the Berlin Phiharmonic c, Volker Schmidt
9: Litolff – “Overture Maximillian Robespierre ” ( end) Played by the Wurttenburg Sinphoniker c, Ulrich Weder
10: Litolff’s Piano Trio No 1 parts of the 3rd and 4th movements Played by the Miracourt Trio
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May 23rd 2023 : Alexander Scriabin and his music
Liz James gave an introduction to the life and music of this less well-known composer . She included music by some of the composers who influenced Scriabin eg Wagner , Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov . Some of Scriabin’s later music became increasingly spiritual and less accessible so Liz mostly played extracts from his earlier works .
Play list :
Symphony No 1 – 1st movement Played by The Oslo Philharmonic c. Vasily Petrenko
Symphony No 2 – fifth movement ” ” ” ”
Wagner : Symphony in C – 3rd movement – Played by the Leipzig Radio S.O, c by Jun Markl
Tchailovsky : Piano Concerto No 1 played by Arkady Sevidov with the Russian Philharmonic
Scriabin : Piano Concerto op 20 3rd movement – Played by The Oslo Philharmonic c. Vasily Petrenko
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No 3 -2nd movement – Played by Simon Trpceski and the RLPO
Scriabin : ” Prometheus – Poem of Fire” – last 7 mins Played by The Oslo Philharmonic c. Vasily Petrenko
Scriabin : Symphony No 2 – 3rd movement Played by The Oslo Philharmonic c. Vasily Petrenko ( a rural idyll with birdsong – a marked contrast with Prometheus
April 25th 2023 : Music of New Zealand and Australia
Presented appropriately on Anzac Day by Marion Sunderland ( New Zealand music ) and Bernie Handford ( Australian Music ).
Marion introduced 5 Maori songs alternating with works by the NZ composer Douglas Lilburn . The former included the familiar ” Po Ata Rau” – known to us as ” Now is the hour ” and ” Po Kara Kara Ana” – a love song , last made familiar by the NZ singer Hayleigh Western some years ago . Less familiar was ” Hine e Hine” a song written by Princess Te Rangi Pai” – also known as Fanny Howie. All these were sung by the NZ soprano Kiri Te Kanawa and a Maori group but the “canoe poi song ” ” Waiata Poi” was sung by The baritone Peter Dawson who although born in Australia , spent much of his life in NZ.
Douglas Lilburn ( 1915 – 2001) was born in New Zealand but studied music at the Royal College of Music in London . While there he was tutored in composition by Ralph Vaughan Williams . He became a composer and conductor as well as holding teaching posts in Wellington and Christchurch .
His “Concert Overture in D for String Orchestra for strings” has an arresting opening and a Celtic air . The first of his ” four Canzonas” was originally intended for use in Ngaio Marsh’s 1940 production of “Hamlet” and his ” Festival Overture” was composed in the same year for a competition for the New Zealand Centennial .
Bernie played several songs by Native Australians and commented on their poor treatment in the past and present . ” The Valley of the Morning Mist” by Erskine and Tratt was very evocative of the sounds of the bush . An operatic aria , “ Vissi D’Arte” from the opera “ Tosca byPuccini, sung by the Australian soprano Joan Sutherland reminded us how large a figure she was on the opera scene for nearly 4 decades 50’s – 80’s . The members seemed to enjoy singing along to “ Island of Dreams “ by the Australian group “The Seekers “ and the Aussie Bush Band finished the program with a laugh with their wry comments on the problems of that Australian Institution – the barbecue.
Playlist :
New Zealand music :
4 Maori songs sung by Kiri Te Kanawa and Maori group
Hine e Hine – composed by Fanny Howie / Princess Te Rangi Pai
Hoea Ra – (A canoe poi song)
Po Ata Rau – familiar as ” Now is the hour”
Po Kare Kare Ana
Waiata Poi – ” Tiny ball on end of string ” – sung by Peter Dawson
Music composed by Douglas Lilburn :
Concert Overture in D – Played by the Ithaca College Festival Orchestra
Four Canzonas – No 1 – ” ” ”
Festival Overture – Played by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
Australian Music
“Bound for South Australia” – sung by the Aussie Bush Band
“Valley of the Morning Mist” – by David Erskine and Milton Tratt
” Native Born” sung by Archie Reach (Native Australian)
” Island of Dreams” sung by the Seekers
Sik O – Sung by Christine Anu ( Native Australian)
Bayini – sung by Gurrulul (Native Australian)
“Vissi D’Arte” aria from the opera “Tosca ” by Puccini – sung by the Australian soprano Joan Sutherland
“Aussie Barbicue” performed by the Aussie Bush Band
March 29th 2023 Open forum / BYOPlaylist
Members enjoyed a wide selection of musical genres with vocal items from Grand Opera , a recent stage musical and popular music including a song that was the first published work by Puccini .
There were also Instrumental works for trumpet , guitar , Strings and full orchestra ranging in time from Elizabethan to 20th century . from John Dowland to Malcolm Arnold.
Playlist
1 Two arias from Operas by Puccini :
“Vissi d’Arte “ from “Tosca” sung by Leondyne Price (sop)
“ Che gelida mano “ from “ La Boheme” sung by Richard Tucker
2 Serenade for strings in E minor – 2nd movement by Elgar Played by the London Philharmonic c, Paul Daniel
3 Concerto in D for Lute and strings -1st movement by Vivaldi and Fantaia tasia “ A fancy “ by John Dowland Both arranged for guitar and played by Julian Bream
4 Symphony No 9 “ From the New World” – 3rd movement – by Dvorak Played by the London Philharmonic c, Loughran
5 “This is the moment” from the musical “ Jeckyll and Hyde” by Frank Wildhorn and Leslie Bricusse . Sung by Robert Cuccioli
6 “ Storiella d’amore” and “ Sole amore” from “ Five songs “ by Puccini arranged for trumpet Played by TineThing Helseth ( trumpet ) and Katherine Stott (piano)
7 Symphony No 5 in C minor – 1st movement by Beethoven Played by the Berlin Philharmonic c Herbert von Karajan
8 Two songs sung in German by Caterina Valente, “ Wo meine Sonne scheint” ( where my sun shines) and “ Tipitipiso” The first was a version of “ This is my Island in the Sun “ by Harry Belafonte .
9 “ The Padstow lifeboat march” by Malcolm Arnold .
February 28th 2023: “ The Royal connection”
With an enigmatic title to his presentation , Nick Williams had kept us guessing as to its content .
In the event he covered music by composers from Rachmaninov to Elton John with “Royal” references in the titles of their works along with music by performers or composers with names or nicknames relating to royaly or the noblility .
Music genres ranged from classical to Jazz via stage/film musicals to “pop” and the selection was much enjoyed by those attending .
Playlist
The King and I “ overture by Richard Rogers From the original film recording
“ Wine , women and song” waltz by Johann Strauss II ( “ The Waltz King” ) Played by the Strauss Festival Orchestra c. Andre Lenerd
“I just can’t wait to be king” from the musical “ The Lion King “ by Elton John and Tim Rice. Original Broadway production CD .
“Prince Rostislav” Symphonic poem by Sergei Rachmaninov Played by the National Symphony orchestra of Ireland c Jerzy Maksymiuk
“ The young Prince and the young Princess” from “ Sheherezade” by Rimsky Korsakov Played by the London Philharmonic c. Takuo Yuasa
“ These are the days of our lives” from the album “ Queen Forever”
“ Solitude “ and “Times aint what they used to be “ by Duke Ellington and his orchestra.
“ Don’t get aroind much anymore “ from the album “ Lt’s fall in love” by Nat King Cole .
“ If I can dream” by W Earl Brown – sung by Elvis Presley ( “ The King “ )
24th January 2023 : “Musical humour – The Video “
David Sunderland presented a collection of humorous video clips with a musical theme ranging from the well-known Morecambe and Wise sketch with Andre Previn to demonstrations of unusual instruments and performances of musical parodies with a couple of cartoons thrown in for good measure .
Playlist:
1 Cartoon – ” The Hoffnung Symphony Orchestra ” based on the cartoons of Gerald Hoffnung
2 Less familiar or unusual musical instruments including giant versions of the flute , tuba and saxophone and a demonstration of the Chinese version of the harmonica – the Sheng .
3 Unusual arrangement of a familiar piece – The Hungarian Czardas by Monti – played on the tuba
4 Polyphony – Two tunes played at the same time on the tuba !
5 Victor Borge’s version Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No 2 arranged as a piano duet
6 A sketch by the MozART quartet with them all apparently injured and bandaged up but still managing to play
7 Dudley Moore’s Beethoven parody on Colonel Bogey
8 The Vienna Philharmonic New Year concert 2012 performance of ” The Copenhagen steam Railway Galop ” by Hans Christian Lumbaye with sound effects and props .
9 A promenade performance of the ” Concerto Popolare – a concerto to end all concertos” by Franz Reizenstein
10 a performance by Felicity Lot and Ann Murray of ” The Cats Duet” by Rossini
11 ” Classical Music Mash-up” – a cartoon medley of music by many classical composers .