ALL THE CONCERTS IN THE PLUMSTEAD PECULIARS CONCERT SERIES ARE ROUGHLY AN HOUR LONG AND TAKE PLACE AT THE ASCENSION CHURCH, PLUMSTEAD. ENTRANCE IS FREE WITH A RETIRING COLLECTION. ALL WELCOME!
Whatever happened to the viol?
Ibrahim Aziz shares a brief history of the viola da gamba and performs works that takes the audience from the beginning of the instrument's life to it its end, and also to its afterlife.
Clariphonics.
Helen Pierce
Benjie del Rosario
Helen James
Stuart Smith
The group met whilst students at Trinity College of Music and formed Clariphonics when they were reunited following further studies in the UK, USA and Germany. They perform regularly throughout London and in 2005 they appeared at Lauderdale House as part of the Phelps Pianos Concerts in the House Series and the Hampstead & Highgate Festival. This recital featured the work Clari4nics by renowned young composer Dai Fujikura whom they met at College. This name of this work was the inspiration for the group’s name, Clariphonics.
Members of the quartet enjoy successful freelance careers appearing as soloists and performing with orchestras and chamber ensembles and West End Theatres. Collectively they have enjoyed success in a wide range of competitions and have been heard on television and radio broadcast in the UK, Germany and Brussels. In 2009 Clariphonics were selected to perform in the prestigious Park Lane Group Young Artists’ Concerts. Guardian critic George Hall said ‘Clariphonics delivered spirited musicianship.’
Clariphonics is committed to promoting and expanding the repertoire for clarinet quartet to new audiences. Their eclectic repertoire includes arrangements of works from the baroque and classical periods, original contemporary compositions, Klezmer, jazz and free form improvisation. They are actively commissioning new works and are always exploring new musical worlds and collaborating with other art forms.
Chamber music is central to both Hatty and Antoine’s careers and they have been performing together for eight years.
Brahms Sonata No.2 in A major Op.100
Clara Schumann Three Romances Op.22
Debussy Violin Sonata
Amyas: The Ghost in the Machine
Emily Baines – Recorders
Steven Devine – Harpsichord
Poppy Walshaw - Cello
Arngeir Hauksson – Theorbo/Baroque Guitar
'From night to day'
A programme thematically linked to the passage of the day, including “La Notte” by Vivaldi, Boccherini's “Musica notturna della strade di Madrid” and a medley of Norwegian and British folk songs in praise of the sun.
This year we have also commissioned a new piece by Rachel Stott, which will feature in the programme.
Aris Daryono Ensemble
Details to follow
Sara Deborah, baroque violin
Carina Drury, baroque cello
Masumi Yamamoto, harpsichord
The Art of Domestic Music: From Gainsborough's Salon
Painter Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) was a keen amateur musician, and his household was known for hosting musical gatherings. Gainsborough himself played the viola da gamba, while his daughters played instruments such as the harpsichord and theorbo. He painted several musicians, including Johann Sebastian Bach's son, Johann Christian (1735-1782), and another German composer, Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787), as well as Felice Giardini (1716-1796), an Italian composer, all of whom worked in London. This program features music specifically designed for home performance, precisely the kind of music that would have been played in the Gainsborough household and includes a couple of hitherto unknown harpsichord trios by Valentino Nicolai.
The Valencia Baryton Project presents a rare concert format with 2 barytons and cello bringing nearly forgotten gems of Franz Joseph Haydn back to life. With legendary barytonist Jeremy Brooker joining the VBP, they are pleased to present a concert with 2 barytons - one of classical music's rarest instruments to be heard.
Rethinking Bach: The Goldberg Variations for Solo violin
J.S. Bach Goldberg Variations BWV 988
(Arrangement for Solo Violin by Jorge Jiménez)
The urban myth says that Johann Sebastian composed his GOLDBERG VARIATIONS to ease the nights of insomnia of one of his patrons: Count Keyserlingk. Still unsure whether this account is totally true or not, the hypnotic nature of the Goldberg Variations is a fact. Jimenez has arranged and recomposed this monumental work of art for unaccompanied violin.
The Goldberg Variations aren’t just any set of variations on a theme, they are variations by the 'God of Harmony', Johann Sebastian Bach. The complexity of the architecture of these pieces is such that just arranging them wasn't enough to suit the violin so Jorge has resized them.
Imagine trying to fit all the furniture of Versailles Palace into a beautiful, tiny one-bedroom attic in Rue Lafayette: one would have to choose the best and aim to keep the same feel of the big space in a tiny one.
Fortunately lots of compositions by Bach adapt brilliantly to any instrument, but these variations are extremely complex, even more complex in depth than the Kunst Der Fugue. Jiménez has rearranged, almost recomposed them, in the style that lots of popular works were arranged during this period, to fit the different needs of performers and audience.
This transcription of Bach's Goldberg Variations is the completion of a 2 year long project in which the piece has toured Poland (where Insomnia was featured as part of his Artist Residency at the Festiwal Bachowski Swidnica), Spain and the UK and culminating in the first-ever recording of the Goldbergs in this groundbreaking arrangement for solo violin.
Bach, by Arrangement! Naomi Okuda (recorder) & Oliver John Ruthven (organ)
A fascinating programme of familiar and lesser known works by Johann Sebastian Bach arranged and performed on recorders and positiv organ. They are centred around performances of Bach’s magnificent Trio sonatas for organ - arranged…
Geoffrey Govier with Boxwood & Brass
Boxwood & Brass
Eva Caballero - flute
Nicola Barbagli - oboe
Fiona Mitchell - clarinet
Anneke Scott - horn
Robert Percival - bassoon
Poulenc - Sextuor
I. Allegro Vivace
II. Divertissement: Andantino
III. Finale: Prestissimo
CANCELLED Consone Quartet and period keyboard specialist, Steven Devine, join forces to present a beautiful Romantic programme of Chopin and Brahms on an 1875 Érard piano from London.
Consone Quartet:
Agata Daraškaitė, violin
Magdalena Loth-Hill, violin
Elitsa Bogdanova, viola
George Ross, cello
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) - Polonaise in C minor, Op. 40, No. 2 (6’)
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) - Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34
I Allegro non troppo
II Andante, un poco adagio
III Scherzo: Allegro
IV Finale: Poco sostenuto - Allegro non troppo - Presto, non troppo
"Poets in the company of women"
The rediscovery of women composers too often sidelined in history has become something of a musical revolution and has brought us into a greater awareness of the fabulous wealth of music still to be celebrated. This afternoon’s concert spans nearly 300 years of composition and explores settings of classic and contemporary poetry including Shakespeare, Betjeman and Moricke.
Mozart works for horn and orchestra in chamber music format!
Anneke Scott (natural horn) with
Consone Quartet
Agata Daraškaitė, Magdalena Loth-Hill – violin
Elitsa Bogdanova – viola
George Ross - cello
Mozart Allegro in D (K. 412)
Mozart Divertimento in D major, K.136/125a
Mozart Rondo (Allegro) in D K. 514
Mozart Fragment in E flat KV370b
Mozart Un poco Adagio from Quartet No. 7 in E flat KV160
Mozart Concert Rondo in Eb KV371
Mozart Horn Concerto in E flat KV417
Clariphonics.
Helen Pierce
Benjie del Rosario
Helen James
Stuart Smith
The group met whilst students at Trinity College of Music and formed Clariphonics when they were reunited following further studies in the UK, USA and Germany. They perform regularly throughout London and in 2005 they appeared at Lauderdale House as part of the Phelps Pianos Concerts in the House Series and the Hampstead & Highgate Festival. This recital featured the work Clari4nics by renowned young composer Dai Fujikura whom they met at College. This name of this work was the inspiration for the group’s name, Clariphonics.
Members of the quartet enjoy successful freelance careers appearing as soloists and performing with orchestras and chamber ensembles and West End Theatres. Collectively they have enjoyed success in a wide range of competitions and have been heard on television and radio broadcast in the UK, Germany and Brussels. In 2009 Clariphonics were selected to perform in the prestigious Park Lane Group Young Artists’ Concerts. Guardian critic George Hall said ‘Clariphonics delivered spirited musicianship.’
Clariphonics is committed to promoting and expanding the repertoire for clarinet quartet to new audiences. Their eclectic repertoire includes arrangements of works from the baroque and classical periods, original contemporary compositions, Klezmer, jazz and free form improvisation. They are actively commissioning new works and are always exploring new musical worlds and collaborating with other art forms.
Sam Cave is one of the guitar's leading exponents of new music. In this concert he will weave together new pieces with music from the Renaissance into an evocative tapestry of resonance.
English guitarist and composer Sam Cave is one of the guitar’s leading exponents of new music. Sam’s performances have taken him to some of the most exciting venues and festivals in the UK and abroad with appearances at Kings Place, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Nonclassical, The Institute of Contemporary Arts, LSO St. Luke’s, AVGARDE concert series in Norway, the Purcell Room at the Southbank Centre, November Music in the Netherlands and the Tianjin May Festival in Tianjin, China. Sam has been a Park Lane Group Young Artist and has recorded for both ‘Another Timbre’ and ‘Metier’ record labels. His playing has been broadcast on ‘Late Junction’, and multiple times on ‘The New Music Show’ on BBC Radio 3. His passion for mixed chamber music has led to performances with many leading new music groups including Octandre Ensemble, Apartment House, Riot Ensemble and Explore Ensemble. Sam studied at the Royal College of Music in London with Gary Ryan and Chris Stell with financial assistance from The Countess of Munster Musical Trust. He has also studied with Vincent Lindsey-Clark, Michael Zev Gordon, Michael Finnissy, Gilbert Biberian and Craig Ogden and graduated from the University of Southampton with first class honours and the Edward Wood memorial prize in music. In 2020 Sam completed a PhD in composition at Brunel University, London under the supervision of Christopher Fox and John Croft. As a composer Sam’s work has been performed in the UK, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Lithuania, Italy, Australia and the USA by some of the most exciting young ensembles and soloists working today. He has been an LSO Soundhub Associate Composer since 2017 and his music is published by Babelscores. Now also an educator in much demand, Sam is currently a tutor in guitar at Brunel University, London, he has been a guest lecturer in composition for guitar at Coventry University and a lecturer in composition and orchestration at Kingston University. Sam plays on a ‘super-concert guitar’ by Dutch luthier Jeroen Hilhorst
Sam Cave (b.1987) - That she made shapes in air... (2022)
John Croft (b.1971) - Felix Namque (after Tallis) (2021)
Selected works by John Dowland (1563-1626) and Simone Molinaro (1565-1615)
Michael Finnissy (b.1946) - Outcast (2021-22)
Lisa Illean (b.1983) - Tiding (2021)
Selected works by John Dowland (1563-1626) and Simone Molinaro (1565-1615)
Joe Bates (b.1991 - Suite for guitar (2021-22)
I. Folding
II. Chorale
III. Overneath
IV. Four Chords
The Prince Regent’s Band was formed to explore the wealth of historic chamber music for brass and wind instruments from a period roughly defined as between the French Revolution of 1789 and the end of First World War in 1918.
The group takes its name from the early nineteenth-century elite wind ensemble known as ‘The Prince Regent’s Band’ (1811–1820), formerly known as ‘The Prince of Wales’ Private Band’ (circa 1795–1811) and later known as ‘The King’s (i.e. George IV’s) Household Band’ (1820–1830). This ensemble was 'composed entirely of picked skilled musicians, elected without regard for nationality from any source where good wind players were to be found' (Adam Carse ‘The Prince Regent’s Band’ Music & Letters,Vol. 27, No. 3, July 1946).
Members of the current The Prince Regent’s Band are specialists in the period performance field and perform with regular with internationally renowned specialist ensembles such as the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, English Baroque Soloists, Florilegium, Gabrielli Consort and Players, Hanover Band, Ex Cathedra,Academy of Ancient Music, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Freiburg Baroque Orchestra,Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Armonico Consort, Drottingholm Baroque,Tafelmusic, Le Concert Lorrain, Dunedin Consort,The Sixteen,The Kings Consort, QuintEssential,The City Musick, Europa Galante, Irish Baroque Orchestra, Concerto Copenhagen, Il Giardino Armonico, Concentus Musicus Wien, Les Musiciens du Louvre and many more.
2016 sees the release of PRB’s debut disc The Celebrated Distin Family featuring recreations of the repertoire of one of the most famous brass ensemble of the nineteenth century, whilst 2017, the centenary of the Russian Revolutions, will see the release of Russian Revolutionaries: Ewald & Böhme.
An emerging talent in Britain, Ellis Fox has performed both in the UK and internationally. He has studied with institutions such as Cardiff University, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and the Los Angeles Guitar Academy. Known for his eclectic performances which span the eras of guitar music from the Renaissance to the present day, Fox has developed a repertoire as inclusive as it is versatile.
Working as both a guitarist and a writer, he has had his texts set to various contemporary works from emerging composers and his arranging work has seen him adapt music from Sweden, the US, Ukraine, Ireland, and Palestine. His first album The Yuma Ferry was released in 2020 and featured his own original compositions, arrangements of music from his adolescence, and fixtures from the classical guitar reptoire. His sophmore album Of A Low Sky is set to be released in November, and takes a radically different direction from his previous work. Drawing from the minimlist traditions of Philip Glass and Arvo Pärt and the ambient spectralist work of Bass Communion, John Luther Adams and Tangerine Dream, Of A Low Sky is foregrounded by the emotional experiences of sadness, despair, anxiety, and hope.
London Obbligato Collective
Sara Deborah, baroque violin
Masumi Yamamoto, harpsichord
London Obbligato Collective presents a colourful programme of music from 18th-century London for the violin and obbligato harpsichord by Felice Giardini, Carl Friedrich Abel and Johann Christian Bach.
Sarwar E Alam - voice/electronics
Julia MacDonell - horn
Tarana Rouf Kanta - harmonium
How harmoniously do the fusion of two distinct musical cultures intertwine in practice? Do sentiments of love, affection and yearning traverse the boundaries of diverse cultural landscapes? Indian Classical musicians Sarwar E Alam and Tarana Rouf Kanta with Western Art Music musician Julia MacDonell will explore possibilities of what happens when east meets west.
Their recital on Sunday 24 September will feature music from ancient devotion to Shiva fusing them with Bengali TV drama tunes and Yiddish theatre song, played on the surprising instrument combination of voice, electronic, natural horn and harmonium.
The Tailleferre Ensemble
Nicola Crowe - flute
Penelope Smith - oboe
Nicola Hands - oboe/cor anglais
Lana Bode - piano
Ethel Smyth Variations on Bonny Sweet Robin
Eldin Burton Flute Sonata
Rhian Samuel Little Duos
Errollyn Wallen Louis’ Loops
Ingrid Stölzel There Are Things to be Said
Madeleine Dring Trio for flute, oboe and piano
The Tailleferre Ensemble is a chamber music collective dedicated to promoting women in music. They have a special interest in redressing the balance of works performed by male and female composers, and in shining a light on under-performed chamber music. A concert by the Tailleferre Ensemble will always promise variety, balance and something new.
The Tailleferre Ensemble is a UK-based chamber collective, founded in 2019 by Nicola Hands and Penelope Smith, whose aim is to promote women in music. The group is a chamber ensemble of flexible line-up and size, offering recitals of varied instrumentation and musical genre, including established, lesser-known and contemporary works. They have a special interest in redressing the balance of works performed by male and female composers, and in promoting new works.
The group perform regularly around the UK, and have recently played for the Nottingham Chamber Music Festival and at St. John's Smith Square. They have also played for Aylesbury Lunchtime Concerts, Music-at-Hill, Leatherhead Concert & Arts Society, at St. James Piccadilly, St. Martin’s Epsom, Chapel Royal Brighton and All Saints High Wycombe, and the group has also collaborated with Facade Ensemble and the South Florida Chamber Ensemble (SFCE) in London. In October 2019 they premiered work by Welsh composer Rhian Samuel, who has since dedicated new work to the ensemble.
In March 2020 they gave a special performance to mark International Women’s Day at Conway Hall, London, and in 2022 marked the day with a concert in Clerkenwell. They have plans to collaborate with Illuminate Women and SFCE in 2023, and their debut CD is set to be released later in 2022.
The Tailleferre Ensemble offers flexibility in programming and instrumentation, and their members are female musicians of very high calibre with impressive individual biographies. As a group, they have been praised for their fine performances and “extensive palette of timbres”.
Delerium! (The Darker Side of Dancing)
Dancing, so often an effusive outpouring of joy and facilitator of social bonds, has a darker side into which Amyas delve in this performance. From hysterical epidemic of estampies sweeping Europe in the 14th C, the 13th C pied-piper luring away unsuspecting children, to the balletic balm for the bite of the despotic tarantula in the 15th C and the ubiquitous ‘dance of death’ in which humans are all entwined, this programme invites a different way of perceiving the often mesmerising and infectious nature of many surviving medieval dances. Featuring a spellbinding mix of spoken word, surviving dance melodies, and Amyas’s own constructed dance forms using other medieval musical sources.
Emily Baines - Recorders, Vocals, Simphonie, Bagpipes
Arngeir Hauksson - Gitterns, Lutes, Percussion, Vocals
Alexis Bennett - Vielle, Vocals
Ali Rafiee - Oud, Percussion
Amyas are a period instrument group specialising in exuberant performances of historical repertoire. All of the group members are specialists in the historically informed performance, with many leading the way in cutting-edge research into earlier practices. The group are committed to an understanding of history but also to embracing the 21st century and new possibilities for performance spaces and techniques. Similarly, they are passionate both about discovering unknown early sources and also improvisation and composition. Their performances range from the well-loved classics of the eighteenth century (imbued with their typical flair of course!) to electronic manipulation of medieval songs and dances - and everything in between.
Part 1: Frenzy
Spoken texts include our words and freely translated period sources including those of Nicolas Perotti (1429-80) and other historical annals. These describe the effects of the Dancing Mania of 1374 (the earliest outbreaks of which we have accounts) and Tarantism, the spider's bite which could only be cured by dancing!
Chominciamento di Gioia Anon (14th C Italian)
Ingrata Anon (15th C Italian)
La Manfredina/Rotta Anon (14th C Italian)
Salterello Anon (14th C Italian)
Part 2: Seduction and Deception
Spoken texts include extracts from The Wyf of Bath's Tale, by Geoffrey Chaucer and the earliest English translation of the Tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelyn, in 'A Restitution of Decayed Intelligence' by Richard Verstegan. The events in the story were recorded as taking place in 1376.
Ce Rondelet Johannes Reson
Bel Fiore Dança Anon (15th C Italian)
La Tierche Estampie Roial Anon (13th C French)
Dança Amoroso Anon (14th C Italian)
Part 3: The Dance of Death
Spoken and sung texts include poetry/lyrics connected with John Lydgate's 'Dance of Death' (c.1426), his version of the French 'Daunce Machabré' which he had written following his encounter with the mural in the Cimetière des Innocents in Paris, completed in 1425.
Ad Mortem Festinamus (+ Estampie) Anon (14th C Spanish)
Kyrie Eleison (Plainchant)
Dance of Death Lydgate
Belicha Anon (14th C Italian)
David Black and Rebecca Baulch are joined prize-winning student 17 year old Tom Hodgkinson for a concert of classical guitar trios and solos by Bach, Piazzolla and Albeniz.
Rebecca Baulch and David Black are both prize-winning graduates of the Royal College of Music. The Duo have played together at the Houses of Parliament, the Long Room at the Oval, the Orangery at Kew Gardens, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Gallery, and at festivals in the UK, Germany, Denmark and Peru. They launched their album The Raw And The Cooked with a sold out concert at Blackheath Halls. They are joined today by special guest Tom Hodgkinson who is studying with Rebecca at Trinity Laban Junior department. Tom is in his last year of school and is planning to peruse a career as a classical guitarist. He has recently been talent-spotted by the world famous guitarist, John Williams, with whom he now enjoys the occasional lesson via Zoom. Tom has had great success in a number of competitions, including first prize in the Essex Young Musician in 2022, and Gold winner in the New Talent British International Youth Music competition in 2020. He won the prestigious Tony Gill trophy in the Leicester Guitar Competition in 2021, and was awarded the Director’s Prize for Excellence and the Aiden Massey String Prize at Junior Trinity Laban. In the summer of 2022 he played with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain at a Prom at the Royal Albert Hall and toured Spain as the leader of the National Youth Guitar Ensemble. In his spare time, Tom is an accomplished jazz guitarist and composer.
Websites: http://rebeccabaulch.co.uk/
http://rebeccabaulch.co.uk/albach-duo/
https://www.instagram.com/tomhodgkinsonguitar/
Peter Moutoussis and Dominika Maszczyńska present a program of French Romantic repertoire for horn and piano, with the novel effects and performance practices from the 19th century performed on historical instruments.
C. Saint-Seans: Romance in E major Op. 67
C. Gounod: 6 Mélodies pour cor à pistons
C. Debussy: Deux Arabesques
P. Dukas: Villanelle
Dorothea Vogel and John Thwaites launch their new CD of Brahms Sonatas, performing one of the sonatas and pieces by English composers of the early 20th century
Sam Cave is one of the guitar's leading exponents of new music. In this concert he will weave together new pieces with music from the Renaissance into an evocative tapestry of resonance.
English guitarist and composer Sam Cave is one of the guitar’s leading exponents of new music. Sam’s performances have taken him to some of the most exciting venues and festivals in the UK and abroad with appearances at Kings Place, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Nonclassical, The Institute of Contemporary Arts, LSO St. Luke’s, AVGARDE concert series in Norway, the Purcell Room at the Southbank Centre, November Music in the Netherlands and the Tianjin May Festival in Tianjin, China. Sam has been a Park Lane Group Young Artist and has recorded for both ‘Another Timbre’ and ‘Metier’ record labels. His playing has been broadcast on ‘Late Junction’, and multiple times on ‘The New Music Show’ on BBC Radio 3. His passion for mixed chamber music has led to performances with many leading new music groups including Octandre Ensemble, Apartment House, Riot Ensemble and Explore Ensemble. Sam studied at the Royal College of Music in London with Gary Ryan and Chris Stell with financial assistance from The Countess of Munster Musical Trust. He has also studied with Vincent Lindsey-Clark, Michael Zev Gordon, Michael Finnissy, Gilbert Biberian and Craig Ogden and graduated from the University of Southampton with first class honours and the Edward Wood memorial prize in music. In 2020 Sam completed a PhD in composition at Brunel University, London under the supervision of Christopher Fox and John Croft. As a composer Sam’s work has been performed in the UK, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Lithuania, Italy, Australia and the USA by some of the most exciting young ensembles and soloists working today. He has been an LSO Soundhub Associate Composer since 2017 and his music is published by Babelscores. Now also an educator in much demand, Sam is currently a tutor in guitar at Brunel University, London, he has been a guest lecturer in composition for guitar at Coventry University and a lecturer in composition and orchestration at Kingston University. Sam plays on a ‘super-concert guitar’ by Dutch luthier Jeroen Hilhorst
Sam Cave (b.1987) - That she made shapes in air... (2022)
John Croft (b.1971) - Felix Namque (after Tallis) (2021)
Selected works by John Dowland (1563-1626) and Simone Molinaro (1565-1615)
Michael Finnissy (b.1946) - Outcast (2021-22)
Lisa Illean (b.1983) - Tiding (2021)
Selected works by John Dowland (1563-1626) and Simone Molinaro (1565-1615)
Joe Bates (b.1991 - Suite for guitar (2021-22)
I. Folding
II. Chorale
III. Overneath
IV. Four Chords
La Rosa dei Venti
'Compass of the winds'
Italian music for recorder, organ & harpsichord
Music by Castello, Uccellini, Mancini, Corelli and others
Naomi Okuda studied modern flute at the Osaka College of Music in Japan. After graduation she became interested in early music and studied recorder under Pamela Thorby at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (the postgraduate early music course) in London. She also studied recorder with Piers Adams, and baroque flute and baroque studies with Stephen Preston. After graduation from the GSMD, she returned to Japan and has performed widely as a baroque music specialist ever since; giving recitals, playing with orchestras such as Bach Collegium Japan, and recording for NHK. She was one of the recommendation artist of Osaka City in 2003.
In 2010, Naomi moved permanently to the UK where she continues to develop her performing career and teaches recorder at the Wellington College and privately. She has taught the Advanced Baroque Recorder Course at Benslow Music Trust, Morley College and Blackheath Conservatoire. Naomi has given solo recitals, recordings and teaches actively in both UK and Japan. She has made a number of recordings and her solo CD ‘Airs Anglois’ was released to considerable critical acclaim in the Japanese and English musical press. And also a CD ‘Shakespeare’s Music’ from the Hamamatsu Museum of Musical Instruments (Japan), on which Naomi is one of the principal players has received the highest critical acclaim in 'The Record Geijutsu', the principal Japanese music journal.
Steven Devine enjoys a busy career as a music director and keyboard player working with some of the finest musicians.
Since 2007 Steven has been the harpsichordist with London Baroque in addition to his position as Co-Principal keyboard player with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. He is also the principal keyboard player for The Gonzaga Band, Apollo and Pan, The Classical Opera Company and performs regularly with many other groups around Europe. He has recorded over thirty discs with other artists and ensembles and made six solo recordings. His recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations (Chandos Records) has been received critical acclaim - including Gramophone magazine describing it as "among the best". Volumes 1 and 2 of the complete harpsichord works of Rameau (Resonus) have both received five-star reviews from BBC Music Magazine and Steven's new recording of Bach's Italian Concerto has been voted Classic FM's Connoisseur's choice.
He made his London conducting debut in 2002 at the Royal Albert Hall and is now a regular performer there – including making his Proms directing debut in August 2007 with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. He has conducted the Mozart Festival Orchestra in every major concert hall in the UK and also across Switzerland. Steven is Music Director for New Chamber Opera in Oxford and with them has performed repertoire from Cavalli to Rossini. For the Dartington Festival Opera he has conducted Handel’s Orlando and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. He is currently conductor and Artistic Advisor for the English Haydn Festival in Bridgnorth.
“Fanny, Clara and the Road to Recognition”
Fanny Henschel (neé Mendelssohn) and Clara Schumann (neé Wieck) were highly accomplished performers and composers who, due to the social constraints and circumstances of the time, had to work to attain the career and recognition due to them. This programme explores their collaborations and friendships and spotlights their incredible talent for vocal composition.
From Zwolf Lieder Opus 9 1826:
Sehnsucht Fanny Mendelssohn (1805 - 1847)
Ferne Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847)
Verlust Fanny Mendelssohn
Impromptu Opus 89 E flat major Ignaz Moscheles (1790 - 1870)
From Sechs Lieder Opus 9 1850 Fanny Hensel (nee Mendelssohn)
Die Ersehnte, Ferne, Der Rosenkranz, Die Frühen Gräber, Die Maiabend, Die Mainacht
From Liebesfrühling Opus 37 and Opus 12 1841 -
Rose, Meer und Sonne – Robert Schumann (1810 - 1846)
Warum willst du Andrew fragen? – Clara Schumann (1819 - 1896)
Intermezzo 118 No 2 A major Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897)
From Sechs Lieder Opus 13 Clara Schumann
Ich stand in dunklen Traümen, Sie liebten sich biede, Liebeszauber, Der Mond kommt still gegangen, Ich hab’ in Deinem Auge, Die stille lotosblume
Described by the American Record Guide as a player whose 'fine tone and technique' are coupled with 'feeling and power', Ibrahim Aziz has garnered international reputation as one of the leading viol players of his generation. Born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Ibrahim Aziz studied in London where he has been based for the last twenty years, regularly performing with various established ensembles in the UK and abroad. Ibrahim has collaborated with many distinguished personalities such as soprano Dame Emma Kirkby, harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani, composer Ilan Eshkeri, natural historian Sir David Attenborough and actor Geoffrey Palmer. He has performed for HRH Prince Charles at Highgrove House, appeared in the BBC Proms with The Rose Consort of Viols, and played on numerous occasions at the Wigmore Hall in London. In South East Asia he has played in the George Town Festival in Penang with the Wicked Music People, and with the same group recently performed in the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas in Kuala Lumpur. Ibrahim Aziz's solo CD, "Risonanze" was released in May 2019 on First Hand Records to critical acclaim ('a recording to be reckoned with') and his next album, featuring the music of GF Handel with harpsichordist Masumi Yamamoto is due to be released in the spring 2020.
Naomi, Gavin and David have been performing together as a trio for a number of years, exploring the fascinatingly diverse and sometimes overlooked repertoire for violin, viola da gamba and keyboard. Having previously performed in Plumstead in 2019, they are looking forward to returning this year with their new programme, which compares and contrasts the French and Italian musical tastes of the high baroque era.
Programme
G.Sammartini - Concerto in G minor Op.5 No.5
J.S.Bach - Cantata 'Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Glücke' BWV84
J.S.Bach - Oboe concerto in G minor BWV1056R
G.Ph.Telemann - Selection from Overture in E Twv55:E2
ISTANTE COLLECTIVE
Hilary Cronin - soprano
Nicola Barbagli - oboe
Magda Loth-Hill - violin
Yaorè Talibert - violin
Joanne Miller - viola
Nathan Giorgetti - cello
John-Henry Baker - double bass
Sean Heath - harpsichord
.
Guitarist Sam Cave presents a fascinating journey through the guitar's twentieth and twenty-first century repertoire. From the jazz influenced Spanish music of Sainz de la Maza through the flamenco inspired drama of Manuel de Falla and Tristan Murail to the South American rhythms of Brazil's Heitor Villa Lobos and music specially written for Sam by leading young British Composers this programme tells the enigmatic story of the guitar and its music.
The early music trio Hexachordia presents a concert of music and readings inspired by style and fashion in sixteenth-century England. Singing and playing on lutes, viols, recorders, bagpipes and more, the group presents tunes heard at the royal court by composers such as John Dowland, John Johnson and Thomas Morley, reflecting the upper-class preoccupation with fine lace, dainty slippers and colourful clothes. The trio also play and sing music popular at lower levels of society, including rounds and catches on petticoats, garters and hats!
