Previous Bulletins 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Bulletin No 13, April 2008
Chairman's Report
Bulletin No 13 – April 2008
Chairman’s Report
I hope everyone enjoyed playing last term’s music - the stirring strains of Elgar, the dancing Dvorak and the lyrical Smetana. Vltva is one piece of music I remember from a very long time ago and I can still remember the mental image it gave me, and still gives me, of the trickling stream becoming the mighty river and then crashing into the sea.
I probably don’t need to say much more about our search for a new conductor as I have been keeping you up to speed at rehearsals. I would like to thank those of you who took the time to provide your views on the candidates, they certainly helped to get to the current shortlist. I would ask that you make as much effort as possible to attend the three audition Saturdays, although I am aware that some of you will have other commitments or may even be away on holiday.
I recently attended the annual general meeting of the Holybrook Parish Council who are responsible for the Beansheaf centre. I raised the issue of the increasing difficulty in parking on Saturday mornings and there was a very favourable response to my comments, albeit that there probably isn’t too much that can be done at the moment. However not that the Parish Council is aware of the issue they did say they would look at what might be done.
As most of you will know John Tims has not been well recently and is unlikely to be with us this term as he is undergoing surgery on 26th April. I’m sure you will all join with me in wishing him a speedy recovery. Despite not being able to be with us John has still provided me with some notes about the piece he chose for this term.
Dates for your diary
Summer term: Apr 12, 19, 26
May 3, 10, 17, 31
Jun 7, 14, 21 FALO. Sunday 22 June Garden Party: Antony and Sue
Autumn term: Sept 13, 20, 27
Oct 4, 11
Nov 8, 15, 22, 29
Dec 6, 13 FALO
Ufton: Weekend of Oct 17/18/19
Programme notes for Summer Term
Edvard Grieg
Grieg’s orchestral suite Sigurd Jorsalfar, celebrates King Sigurd I of Norway (who reigned from1103-30). The work was compiled in 1872 from incidental music to a play by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson; it was revised by the composer in 1892.
The suite is in three movements. The first, titled "In the King's Hall", is a prelude which opens with a bassoon and clarinet theme played against plucked strings. This part returns after a trio section. The second movement, "Borghild's Dream", is an intermezzo contrasting a sensitive string melody with an agitated section. The last movement, "Homage March", opens with trumpet fanfares before presenting its main subject, a martial theme, on four cellos. The middle part, again a trio, is dominated by a melody for the first violins; the work ends with a recapitulation of the movement's first section.
TCHAIKOVSKY --- HAMLET Overture-Fantasy
This was the third orchestral work of Tchaikovsky to be inspired by Shakespeare, the other two being "Romeo and Juliet" and "The Tempest". Little is known about why he wrote it, though it may have been suggested as a companion piece to the other two by Edvard Grieg, with whom Tchaikovsky had become friendly.
The overture-fantasy was first performed in 1888 under Tchaikovsky's own baton, together with the newly composed Fifth Symphony. The piece does not tell a story, but rather represents the troubled state of Hamlet's mind. Like so many good pieces it received a cool reception at its premiere.
Final thoughts from the Chairman:
As I have said several times recently this term is going to be a little different to our normal activities because of the auditions for 3 weeks. I hope you will manage with having to play Fidelio every week for two different conductors and not get too bored with it. I am expecting that each of the auditions will bring out something different about the piece and we will all thoroughly enjoy the experience.
David
The webmaster apologises to Mike Cooney for being unable to retain the format of the printed bulletin.