The last FALO was attended by the biggest audience we have ever had thanks to David Short's invitation of Eleanor Parry, the leader of the Chiltem Edge Orchestra, to join us in Bruch's violin concerto in D minor (along with many of her family), and they were not disappointed. It was immediately clear when she first played with us that everyone strove to match her tone and tuning, and we shall all treasure some specially touching moments in her playing, and Steve did well to hold it all together. But we also enjoyed John Tims' making the most of the unfamiliar yet characterful - and truly Grimm - fairy tale of The Noonday Witch, and closing our concert with the contrast of that ever-memorable overture from West Side Story seemed to go down well with the audience too.

The sad note that sounded at FALO, however, was the news that morning that Ron Rhodes, our most faithful member had died suddenly in hospital on the Thursday. I had hoped to have him next to write for this Bulletin of his musical experiences, interwoven with his travels, but it was not to be and is thus left to me. Meantime a good number of the orchestra supported Jean and her family at Reading Crematorium on March 29^th and we were welcomed to refreshments afterwards at the Great House in Sonning.

The good news is that Ufton Court is continuing to function as an educational trust, with the same team of old friends running it. The Orchestra has been thanked for our letters of support and we are pencilled in to return on October 13^th - 16^th.

Dates for Your Diary

Summer Term - April 8 (before Easter), 22,29, May 6,13,20, Jun 3,10,17,24 (FALO)

Winter Term - Sept 16, 23, 30, Oct 7, (14 Ufton), (21,28 half-term), Nov 4, 11, 18, 25, Dec 2, 9 (FALO)

Sue and Antony invite you to the Summer Garden Party on June 25^th, the day after FALO.

Meantime we would like you to consider another Skittles evening or some other social event that got missed out last term.

Recent Committee Meeting

The Treasurer reports on a healthy balance but, though this enables us to venture into less familiar music, John Tims and Steve find that chasing up parts to be returned to the libraries extremely stressful and expensive. It seems that library charges are sometimes punitive to discourage these failures, for if one orchestra does not return parts on time, it means that the next orchestra cannot be sent them at the time they booked them for. To save paying for a whole set of parts for an extra month to collect them all in, we may have to consider charging the offenders.

Summer Term Programme Notes

Steve Wellman writes:

Antonin Dvorak (1841 - 1904)

Symphony No. 9 in E, Op. 95 "From the New World"

I. Adagio-Allegro molto

II. Largo

III. Molto vivace

IV. Allegro con fuoco

Dvorak spent three years in America between 1892 and 1895 and composed his Ninth Symphony while he was there. Dvorak insisted that he "wrote the work in the spirit of Native American music."  However, it remains firmly in the European tradition; incorporating themes from French, Scottish, German and Czech sources.

The first performance was given at a concert of the New York Philharmonic Society in the Carnegie Hall on 16th December 1893. Dvorak wrote to his publisher "The success was enormous; the newspapers say no composer has ever before had such a triumph. I was in a box; the hall was filled with the best New York public and the people applauded so much that I had to thank them from the box like a king."

After a slow introduction the first movement has three main tunes: the bold opening horn call, the folk tune heard later on flutes and clarinets, and a happy melody on the solo flute. The whole opening section is repeated before a development of all three themes leads to a reprise of the opening theme and a triumphant coda.

The slow movement, after a solemn procession of chords lowers the key from E to D-flat introduces the famous tune on cor anglais. A long central section includes references to two of the themes from the first movement, and the movement ends with a peaceful memory of the cor anglais theme and the opening chord sequence.

The scherzo is a vigorous dance, whose tunes sound very Czech (not American) in origin - especially the village wind band sound of the trio section. This movement too is haunted by the ghost of the first movement, a reference made explicit in the coda. .

The finale sweeps along with great energy, built on the bold theme proclaimed by horns and trombones. A calm second theme on solo clarinet offers contrast, and then Dvorak includes references to several themes from earlier movements as he builds the symphony to its powerful and triumphant conclusion.

John Tims writes:

TCHAIKOVSKY - FANTASY OVERTURE "ROMEO AND JULIET"

The idea of a malignant fate controlling human destiny was one which stayed with Tchaikovsky all his life (1848-1893). It informs his first great work, the Fantasy Overture "Romeo and Juliet", which he began in 1869 at the suggestion of Balakirev. It was revised twice, and the final version, which we are rehearsing this term, dates from 1880.

Tchaikovsky was never a member of the Russian nationalist school known as "The Mighty Handful" (who numbered five!), preferring to base his orchestral pieces on Shakespeare and other great literary figures, rather than specifically Russian folk themes. He does not seem to have been much influenced by the superstars of his time, Brahms and Wagner. However, he greatly admired Mozart, also French music, and influences of both these are easily recognisable in the coloration and clarity of his scoring.

MOZART - FLUTE CONCERTO IN D MAJOR, K314

This concerto, written in 1777, may originally have been intended for the oboe. Mozart, however, rewrote it for the flute, transposing it from C major to D major, in order to fulfil a commission from his Dutch patron, De Jean. Mozart was popularly supposed to dislike the flute as an instrument, but you would never know it from this spirited and tuneful piece.

Our own SMO flautist, Nadia Hancock, whose playing I have long admired, is to be our soloist and we look forward to rehearsing this piece with her.

 Please go to the Individual members page for an article about the late Ron Rhodes 

A final reflection

Daniel Barenboim has been interesting about music in the current Reith Lectures and how the present younger generation are more visually aware but less capable of listening, bombarded as they are with empty musak and often-irrelevant background music. Many of us have learned to listen, not just hear, a nice distinction of the English language that Barenboim appreciated. It is a difference our partners may recognise in us too at times, for we hear but don't always listen! For those of us who really do listen to music must agree with him that musak can be a tediously boring intrusion. And don't you find background music on television can be excessive and frankly distracting when it is not purposely written like good film music, such as Walton's for Henry V that I heard recently and remembered being struck by when I heard it first at school? Snippets from well-known pieces which may have very special associations for you, may simply not seem relevant to the scene before you.

It is encouraging too to read of a Glaswegian, who has come to work in Oxfam's music shop, has been struck by the extraordinary amount of interest and practical amateur classical music in this area. Well, he would say that, wouldn't he?   We are indeed fortunate that it is so, and we will keep working at it.

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