SHROPSHIRE MUSIC TRUST

BRITISH POLICE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA @SHREWSBURY ABBEY

On the sunniest evening of the year so far, Shrewsbury Abbey resounded to music which

had a Spanish connection. The British Police Symphony Orchestra presented a colourful

programme entitled “A Spanish Inspiration”, an evening of seven works, only one of which

was by a Spanish composer! A Russian and three French composers all fell under the spell

of that amazing country; the result, some of the most vivid, energetic music imaginable.

Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Capriccio Espagnol” , written for a large virtuoso orchestra, opened

the proceedings with great gusto, followed by works by Chabrier, Saint-Saens and de Falla

in the first half of the programme.

Ravel was the only composer featured after the interval; his music, starting with the

famous “Bolero” really showed the orchestra at its best. Although an amateur orchestra,

they employ Richard Jenkinson as music director. Richard has been a popular visitor to

Shrewsbury over the past few years but we have known and admired him for his virtuoso

cello playing. His enthusiasm and love for his music making was just as evident in his

conducting. “Bolero” was timed superbly, the music always conveying a need to press on

yet always needing to be restrained. The brass and woodwind players really excelled- in

fact it received the most impressive performance of the evening.

Ravel’s “Daphnis and Chloe” Suite was the final work. Like many other compositions from

before the first world war, this music owed its existence to Diaghilev the impresario. Paris

at this time must have been a hot bed of artistic activity and this ranks as one of its high

points. The opening, depicting daybreak, is sheer magic yet it moves towards a fantastic,

dramatic conclusion. It was a memorable, vibrant evening, well received by a large

audience.

Andrew Petch

CARDUCCI STRING QUARTET with JULIAN BLISS clarinet – The Lion Hotel, Sunday April 2nd, 3pm Shropshire Music Trust’s successful season of concerts reached a thrilling mid-season climax with an outstanding afternoon programme of music performed by the internationally renowned Carducci String Quartet and clarinet virtuoso Julian Bliss, the second in their ‘Inspired by Beethoven’ Series. Playing to a packed crowd in the perfectly matched venue of the Adam Ballroom in Shrewsbury’s Lion Hotel, the Carducci opened the concert with a sparkling performance of Beethoven’s String Quartet in C minor. These stylish musicians charmed eyes as well as ears with smiles and flourishes that befitted the spirit of the music. Invisibly weaving the intricate threads of each movement, the quartet took the audience to the edge of their seats, not for the first time, with a bravuro gypsy rondo finale. Julian Bliss has a reputation as one of the world’s finest clarinettists and he left the audience in no doubt of that with an exquisite rendition of Weber’s Clarinet Quintet, with its challenging range of dynamics and legato runs. This was chamber music of the highest order and the first half finished with resounding applause. Opening after the interval in the same manner was an outstanding performance of Mozart’s chamber masterpiece, his Quintet for Clarinet and Strings. Delivered with great joy and panache, this was a very tight unit of five world-class musicians who clearly enjoyed each others gifts and company, an enjoyment matched by their audience, who stamped and applauded for an encore. It was afternoon of exciting music in an intimate style and setting. Congratulations to Shropshire Music Trust for bringing this to Shrewsbury. The Carducci String Quartet return to Shrewsbury on Sunday14th May for the last of their series, at Concord College. Paul Saunders 4.4.17

FABULOUS CARDUCCI QUARTET OPEN THEIR SERIES FOR SHROPSHIRE MUSIC

TRUST

The Carducci String Quartet’s first concert of their ‘Inspired by Beethoven’ Series for

this year’s Shropshire Music Season played to a large audience that has grown to

expect sublime music; playing superbly in this their 20th anniversary year they proved

once again to be one of the best String Quartets in this country. The full hall was

fortunate to hear the Quartet at the Maidment Hall in Shrewsbury in a concert that

included the wonderful pianist Simon Callaghan in Brahms’ rich and symphonic Piano

Quintet. From Beethoven’s experimental ‘Serioso’ quartet written as Napolean was

invading Vienna, through Shostakovich’s extraordinary and cryptic 11th quartet

composed after the loss of a close friend, to Brahms’ epic Piano Quintet masterpiece,

this musical journey was fresh, played with extreme artistry, absolute accuracy and

intense discipline -the whole exuding attention to detail, and the musicianship and

love of chamber music performed by these engaging and personable artists with their

soloist friends. The audience was spellbound, from the stormy Beethoven, through

the very differently structured Shostakovich with its opening one-note motif and

featuring a cuckoo call, to the magnificent Brahms Quintet. The soloist here was in

perfect accord with the Quartet and the interaction was wonderful to see and hear.

Committed to widening audiences and extending a love of chamber music the Quartet

had in the morning run an inspiring workshop for local young string-players. On

Sunday, 2nd April, this magnificent Quartet will return to the Lion Hotel at 3pm for the

second concert, which includes the acclaimed clarinettist, Julian Bliss. Tickets are

selling fast!

Mary Allen 26.3.17

Lunchtime treat of 'Colliding Worlds' from Shropshire Music Trust At The Lion Hotel, Shrewsbury on Monday the duo of Bartosz Glowacki playing classical accordion and Robert Luft on electric guitar delighted a full audience with arrangements of a fascinating mix of music by Hildegard Von Bingen, J. S. Bach and Marcello/ Bach. The highlight was their atmospheric rendition of music from South America - two Brazilian Choros, poignant 'crys' or 'laments' -a popular instrumental genre from Rio de Janeiro, and Piazzolla's foot-tappingly captivating " Cafe 1930 " and " Liebertango ". Each artist demonstrated his solo virtuosity with Luft playing the multi-part " Electric Counterpoint " by the American minimalist Steve Reich, a three movement work that engaged and mesmerized for the full three movements, while Glowacki introduced us to the remarkable " De Profundis " by contemporary Russian composer, Sofia Gubaidulina. Both young musicians had real stage presence and revealed some amazing characteristics of both instruments individually and as a duo -they were sponsored by the Countess of Munster Musical Trust for talented young professionals and are certainly names to be watched. This was an experimental blend that really worked appealing to lovers of all kinds of music and after several encores the audience were still demanding their return. A similarly innovative event in this year's varied Shropshire Music Season is the up-and-coming folk/world group Project Jam Sandwich at Wem Town Hall on Friday 17th March who packed out Broseley Church last season, which is another not to be missed event. Philippa Burkey

SHROPSHIRE MUSIC TRUST Maidment Hall

The Devils Violin Feb 17th 2017

“La Folia” is a dance of Portuguese origin. It must be played so frantically that the

musicians are likely to go out of their minds! Thankfully the members of the City of

London Sinfonia retained their sanity to provide an evening of phenomenal music .

Playing in the Maidment Hall, the event was part of the Orchestras Live series, a

valuable part of Shropshire Music Trust’s fine season.

The concert was billed as “The Devil’s Violin”-an easily understood title! From the

opening bars of Vivaldi’s work it was obvious that the Sinfonia were on sparkling

form, playing music which gave them all a chance to prove their virtuosity, especially

the formidable talents of Alexandra Wood. As well as soloing and directing the group,

Ms. Wood provided really helpful introductions to the individual works. It was a well-

planned concert combining the Baroque with compositions by Grainger, Piazzolla

and Copland. Dan Walsh – a familiar face on the folk music scene, with his 5-string

banjo was joined by fiddler Henry Webster for some dazzling renditions of music

from the British Isles, including the much-loved “Keel Row”.

From the opening bars the orchestral playing was superb. Ensemble, dynamics,

rhythmic vitality and above all their richness of sound mark the Sinfonia out as an

orchestra of the very highest calibre. Two arrangements by Percy Grainger,

“Londonderry Air” and “Molly on the shore” were a slight respite from the more

diabolic moments and gave the two cellos and the double bass the chance to make

their glorious, resonant sound fill the hall.

A work by tango king, Piazzolla really showed the leader’s brilliance; the tango

section was formidable and the Romance provided a moment of inner stillness in the

violin solo which was deeply moving. Locatelli’s “Il laberinto armonico” included a

solo which was breath-taking. In fact, the musicians themselves applauded their

leader.

Dan Walsh, Henry Webster and Paula Chateauneuf on theorbo and Baroque guitar

made fine contributions to the finale. Copland’s “Rodeo” brought the soloists and

orchestra together for some high-octane performances of this popular work, a vibe

which flowed perfectly into their encore, “The devil went down to Georgia”, the

perfect ending to a superb concert which delighted a capacity audience. Thank you

Shropshire Music Trust.

Andrew Petch Feb 17

QUINTET ROMANCE AT DUSK IN THE LION BALLROOM Five distinguished musicians combined forces to provide glorious chamber music to a capacity audience at the Lion Hotel on a dreary Sunday evening. They played two masterworks of the romantic repertoire each featuring a string quartet plus a second cello, the first by Brahms followed by Schubert’s Quintet in C major; cellist Richard Jenkinson described this work as: “The benchmark two cello quintet”. The Brahms has a strange, complicated history, having been a sonata for two pianos among other forms. All five musicians were on superb form in a work of unflagging intensity. It is typical of Brahms with the sound so characteristic of his later, larger scale works, especially the symphonies. The Schubert, perhaps a more familiar work, found the musicians on equally formidable form. Violinists Benjamin Nabarro and Martin Cropper plus viola player Louise Williams and cellist Richard May completed the quintet; together they invested the music with the emotional intensity the work demands. How tragic that Schubert never heard it performed. It is music of constant surprises-sometimes deceiving us to believing a movement is about to end or changes in dynamics or, as in the Adagio, two ethereal sections interrupted by an almost violent section. The lyrical playing of Ben Nabarro’s violin over the pulsating lower strings was sublime. The Schubert Quintet is not only a benchmark for the two cello quintet repertoire; it is one of the high points of Western music and this glorious performance showed just why it is so revered. Andrew Petch 17.1.17

EX CATHEDRA AT ST.CHAD’S CHURCH

Ex Cathedra’s “Christmas by Candlelight” lived up to all expectations. An unscientific

exit poll caught discreetly delivered comments such as: “magic”, “brilliant” “sheer

genius” and “they never disappoint”.

There was a capacity audience at Chad’s Church for this annual event. Jeffrey Skidmore, the founder and musical director of Ex Cathedra, deftly assembles a finely balanced evening of music and readings -something old, something new. There are carols we’ve always known and loved, others of more recent provenance by composers such as Roderick Williams and Sally Beamish. A traditional Polish carol shared the billing with Holst’s “In the bleak midwinter”.

The readings were equally varied: “Music opens hearts” by the 13th century Persian poet and mystic Rumi, “Blow, blow thou winter wind” from As you like it and a passage from St. Luke’s gospel were delivered and received with the appropriate dignity. On the other hand, “Deep in the dales” by Gervase Phinn prompted uninhibited laughter- a wicked caricature of every primary school teacher’s worst nightmare for the annual nativity play!

Ex Cathedra’s concerts are awe inspiring; their tonal control, perfect pitch and timing are at the service of music making which is always presented in an emotionally appropriate way. The list of titles is too long for individual mention save for JS Bach’s: “How shall I fitly meet thee? ” written by the greatest genius of western music, Ex Cathedra’s singing of this sublime music was beyond criticism.

That exit poll was right. Kate Hogwood and Shropshire Music Trust deserve our

thanks for this annual delight -and for fine music throughout the year.

Andrew Petch

2.12.16

A FLOURISHING OF MUSIC AT THE LION HOTEL : FLORILEGIUM

On Sunday afternoon, Shropshire Music Trust presented the period instrument group Florilegium to a packed Adam Ballroom. What a perfect setting in which to listen to Haydn and Mozart: the eye delighting in the green and subtle pink decor embellished in white Wedgwood leaves and urns, the ear revelling in the elegant and beautifully articulated playing of these fine musicians, and the imagination being transported back to a bygone age of periwigs, stylish coats and buckled or beribboned shoes. The group take their name from a collection for strings -the Florilegium Suites by Georg Muffat (1653-1704) and draw in players to meet their musical requirements, from quartet to symphony orchestra with choir. Florilegium play on period instruments using gut strings, very little vibrato and a wooden flute, producing a beautifully soft mellow tone palate. They played two London Symphonies by Haydn, arranged for flute quintet by Haydn’s musical colleague Johann Salomon. No.94 The Surprise, is so called because Haydn fearing that the audience might fall asleep after a large dinner wrote a fortissimo chord at the end of a very quiet passage! and the minuet in this conjured up images of german peasants doing a folk dance. No.101 The Clock has the accompanying instruments imitating a ticking clock in the slow movement. The pleasure of arrangements like these is that all the parts can be heard separately weaving their magic into the whole texture. Florilegium also treated us to two wonderful flute quartets by Mozart with the slow movement of the D major quartet having a particularly beautiful melody accompanied by pizzicato strings. Florilegium are involved in many educational projects here and in Bolivia and have brought to light many previously unseen manuscripts of Bolivian Baroque music, a mixture of high renaissance Spanish compositions and native Bolivian music. Their ambition is to perform all the London Symphonies and on the overwhelming enthusiasm of the audience reaction we very much hope some of them will be performed on a return visit to Shrewsbury. Ruth Anderson 27.11.16

SHROPSHIRE MUSIC TRUST EARTH, AIR, RAIN AT PRESTFELDE SCHOOL Tenor Richard Frewer and pianist David Price gave a delightful programme called "Earth and Air and Rain" for Shropshire Music Trust tracing the journey from folk song to art song. This was a sensitively curated recital, from traditional Somerset and Dorset songs to exquisite works by Britten. A linking narrative was skilfully provided by Andrew Bannerman using poems by Wordsworth and Hardy. Richard Frewer has the perfect voice for this repertoire; a keen musical intelligence allied to a beautiful tone which allows the music to speak for itself, whether in settings by Vaughan Williams or Beethoven's "Faithful Johnie". The great composer made this simple song as much a work of art as any of his mighty compositions. David Price provided an accompaniment of exemplary sensitivity. From Schubert's "Schwanengesang" we heard six songs; three based on poems by Rellstab and three by Heine. Each group earned a distinctive character from the composer and the eerie "Doppelgänger " showed Mr. Frewer's voice at its finest especially in the lower register.It was spine chilling. An encore of "The Vagabond Song" by R.L. Stevenson , set by Vaughan Williams, followed Britten's settings of "O, Waly, Waly" and "Come you not from Newcastle ". These are examples of the art form at its most sublime .There are cherished recordings of Kathleen Ferrier and Peter Pears in this repertoire; Mr. Frewer's voice is quite at home amongst such revered artists. A lovely, well constructed concert which benefitted from the acoustics provided by the venue - the Blackburn Theatre at Prestfelde School and was enhanced by refreshments and drinks with the artists afterwards. Andrew Petch 6.11.16

POP-UP OPERA HITS THE SPOT Pop-Up Opera’s performance of the Barber of Seville by Rossini at the Alington Hall this Sunday was a hit-and-run master-class. I should have known better. Shropshire Music Trust organised it, lulled us into a relaxed, vulnerable state with its usual attractive mix of informality and efficiency (no shortage of wine at the interval) then Pop-Up bashed us into submission. They do opera stripped to the essentials - just a piano, a few props and a handful of singers - and they do it with terrifying verve and musicality. My mouth got tired from smiling. Even the pianist was in on the acting - poor thing, she had enough to do. All the singers are virtuosos with young, fresh voices and the combination when they sing against or with each other is outstanding. If I had to single anyone out it would be Joseph Doody as Count Almavira who has a voice like silk (even when crawling between rows of the audience or throwing beer cans down the aisle), Flora Mcintosh who sang one of Rossina’s complex arias standing on a stool on one leg while taking off her dress (how is that possible?), and Tom Stoddart whose laddish Figaro in Lycra, (described on the translation screen as ‘less Armani than Primani’) was wonderfully cocky and assured. The translations were part of the fun, projected onto a screen behind the stage like in a silent movie and with happy indifference to the original: ‘Rossina does a long aria about love’; ‘Generic housekeeper grumbles’. There were emojis, speech bubbles, bullet points, photographs and even, to be fair, a few literal translations. The whole thing was hilarious - and the music was sublime. Peter Roscoe 23.10.16

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WHAT THE PUBLIC SAID! I so enjoyed last Sunday's performance of the Barber of Seville by Pop Up Opera at Shrewsbury School that I feel compelled to tell you in the hope you may well book the same company to perform again in future years. I love opera anyway including traditional bigger budget performances but feel this was one of the best performances of any kind I have seen being funny, engaging and tuneful. The company really has developed a great way to bring opera to the masses and to those who may not realise what a wonderful art it is. Well done on a fabulous addition to this season's programme of events and I look forward to the next events for which I have booked tickets in this season's programme. Best wishes Pip Hello I just wanted to say how much my husband and I enjoyed the pop-up opera at Shrewsbury School on Sunday. Not only was the quality of the singing, piano accompaniment and acting very good indeed, it was also extremely funny - far more so than a traditional performance. The company members who write the captions are brilliant. If you have an opportunity to get them back another season, please do so, and we'll encourage all our friends (especially the younger ones) to go. Best wishes, Celia ---------------------------------------------------------------- Hello I just wanted to say how much my husband and I enjoyed the pop-up opera at Shrewsbury School on Sunday. Not only was the quality of the singing, piano accompaniment and acting very good indeed, it was also extremely funny - far more so than a traditional performance. The company members who write the captions are brilliant. If you have an opportunity to get them back another season, please do so, and we'll encourage all our friends (especially the younger ones) to go. Best wishes, Pip

SHREWSBURY VIOLINIST’S DYNAMIC PERFORMANCE : ZOE BEYERS On 10th October Shropshire Music Trust brought us a lunchtime concert at the Lion Hotel, which was interestingly programmed and brilliantly executed. Zoe Beyers, violinist, who lives in Shrewsbury, had chosen to play J.S.Bach's Partita No.3 in E major coupled with Eugene Ysaye's Sonata No. 2 in A minor titled 'Obsession'. Zoe explained that she had chosen these pieces because they are closely entwined: both pieces start with the same phrase of music, both employ a dance format, both are written to show off and challenge violin technique and both were written at a time of change. Bach's Partita was composed at the close of the baroque period and Ysaye's Sonata at the dawn of recorded recitals and concerts. Bach (1685-1750) used French and Italian style dance forms, German counterpoint and an English Gigue - Jig - influenced by folk music. Throughout this work Zoe achieved huge dynamic contrast with masterly pianissimo on single notes and double stopped phrases, shown in the flamboyance and strength of the Preludio, the singing melody of the slow Loure and the light and vibrant contrasting sections of the famous Gavotte. Zoe described Ysaye's Obsession as 'fiendish'. Ysaye (1858-1931) was a composer, conductor and violinist and he wrote 6 Sonatas for solo violin, sketched out in 24 hours, dedicating each one to a famous violinist. Obsession was dedicated to Jacques Thibaud. Ysaye was obsessed with Bach and based his work loosely on the dance forms but with a Dies Irae theme. Zoe played wonderfully leading us through the drama of the Prelude to the intense sadness of the Malinconia finishing with the Dies Irae theme played pppp, into the pizzicato Sarabande to the Allegro entitled Les Furies, influenced by WW1, and using a ghostly effect called sul ponticello - created by using the bow near the bridge bringing out the harmonics and a different tone, sending shivers down our spines. The audience really appreciated this memorable opportunity to hear such a dazzling performance. Ruth Anderson 11.10.16

MUSIC IN QUIET PLACES

THE KATONA TWINS AT LYDBURY NORTH VILLAGE HALL

Music in Quiet Places is a series of 5 events organised by John and Francis Williams

in conjunction with Shropshire Music Trust. The quiet place on Saturday was the

beautiful village hall at Lydbury North and the music was provided by guitar-playing

twins Peter and Zoltan Katona.

The combination of venue, superb performance and an attentive capacity audience

made for a memorable evening. The programme was well planned, heavily slanted to

Spanish composers Albeniz, Granados and de Falla but interspersed with

contributions from Handel and Piazzolla and 2 compositions by Peter Katona.

The Katona twins play as one; their empathy for each other and the music was

always impeccable. In Peter’s arrangement of Handel’s Chaconne in G major, they

created feeling of 18th century elegance whereas in some of the Spanish works the

guitars were used as percussion. The effects were amazing, producing sounds

ranging from the tinkling of cymbals to the boom of a bass drum!

A brilliant arrangement of Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen was well received as was

the exquisite “Oriental” by Granados. Unfamiliar to the audience were 2 original

compositions by Peter Katona, both inspired by Dostoevsky’s bleak novel “The

Brothers Karamazov ”. The first depicted the characters of the 3 brothers, each a very

different personality. The Katona brothers played the piece with a depth of feeling

which matched Dostoeavsky’s dark writing. The second composition,

“Smerdyakov”(which means The Stinker!) was commissioned for tonight’s

performance and successfully matched the music to Peter’s description of the

obsessive character of the man. The austerity of subject matter and solemn music

seemed like perfect film music.

The choice of concluding music could not have been better- Manuel de Falla’s “Love

the Magician, full of passion and broodingly atmospheric was the ideal showcase for

these brilliant players. Ranging from the beautiful introduction to the amazing Ritual

Fire Dance, every nuance in this brilliant score was played to perfection. Indeed, it

often seemed we were listening to a full orchestra.

It was a privilege to hear a concert of such quality in a beautiful setting and thanks

must go to the Hinrichsen Foundation for their generous financial support.

Andrew Petch

17.9.16