Northern Chamber Orchestra with Colin Currie and Elizabeth Jordan, January 2020

“Simply world-class” Opera Magazine MUSICIANS OF THE POWERHOUSE

NORTHERN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

2019-2020

Concert Season 17 JANUARY 2020 THE STOLLER HALL MANCHESTER 18 JANUARY 2020 THE HERITAGE CENTRE MACCLESFIELD

Friends Northern Chamber Orchestra

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THE NORTHERN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA DIRECTED BY NICHOLAS WARD, VIOLIN EDVARD GRIEG (1843 – 1907) PRAELUDIUM FROM HOLBERG SUITE OP 40 (Manchester only)

STEPHEN BARLOW (1954 - ) NOCTURNE FOR SOLO CLARINET, MARIMBA AND STRINGS Elizabeth Jordan (clarinet), Colin Currie (marimba).

Conducted by Stephen Barlow (Manchester only)

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756 – 1791) EINE KLEINE NACHTMUSIK K525 I. Allegro II. Romanze. Andante III. Menuetto. Allegretto IV. Rondo. Allegro (Macclesfield only)

KURT SCHWERTSIK (1935 - ) NOW YOU HEAR ME, NOW YOU DON’T OP 102 Colin Currie (marimba)

INTERVAL FREDERICK DELIUS (1862 – 1934) TWO AQUARELLES ANTONÍN DVORÁK (1841-1904) SERENADE FOR STRINGS IN E MAJOR OP 22 I. Moderato II. Tempo di valse III. Scherzo. Vivace IV. Larghetto V. Finale. Allegro vivace

THE NORTHERN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Patron Stephen Barlow President Raphael Wallfisch

Vice-President Martin Roscoe

Board Members Malcolm Allcard Malcolm Brown • John Bush Conrad Marshall • Peter Thomasson Stephen Threlfall • Mike Wilbey Ronald Graham • Naomi Atherton

Season Sponsor CDL

Artistic Director Nicholas Ward

Corporate Patrons Capstone Financial – ForViva – Porthaven Care Homes Honorary Patrons The Lord Stunell OBE The Baroness Bakewell DBE

Patrons Professor Alison Adam & Dr Craig Adam • Malcolm & Alison Allcard Richard Baker • Bevan & Dr Barbara Broadbent • Caroline Brown Michael & Judith Biggin • Roger & Hilary Brice • Nicola Bright • Liz Chalmers Ian Edgar • David Ellis • Heather Griffiths • Betty Hill • Geoff & Jennie Holman David Kingsley • Brian Leighton • Eleanor & Allan Lewington • Martin & Angela Losse Drs Chris & Mary Loughran • Vernon Matthews • Joan Matthews • Mary Miller Peter Raynes • Dr Michael Sambrook • Bob Scott • Helen Scott • Dieter Senn Adrienne Spilsbury • Jean Soni • David Sutton • Stephen Threlfall • Peter Thomasson Mike & Ruth Wilbey • Sue Williams General Manager Charlie Rowley Concerts Manager Jonathan Thackeray Finance and Administration Officer Chris Bryan

Associate Organisations Buxton International Festival Chetham’s School of Music Manchester Metropolitan University Northern Powerhouse The Stoller Hall

Marketing Manager Siobhan Parker MMU, Brooks Building, 53 Bonsall Street, Manchester M15 6GX info@ncorch.co.uk • www.ncorch.co.uk • 0161 247 2220 Twitter: @nco01 / Facebook: www.facebook.com/NorthernChamberOrchestra Company No: 1430784 Charity No: 278912

THE NORTHERN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA ABOUT US Formed in the late 1960s and based in Manchester, the NCO is now one of the country’s top, professional chamber orchestras, with its concerts and recordings warmly received by critics.

In a ground-breaking move in 1986, under their young leader, Nicholas Ward, the NCO became one of the first orchestras in the country to work regularly without a conductor.

This is the NCO’s 52nd season and between October and May we will be performing with leading soloists such as pianists Martin James Bartlett and Benjamin Powell, and violinist Anthony Marwood. We will also continue our education and outreach work

with workshops in schools across the area and our Mind Music sessions in care homes.

If you would like to financially support this vital work, please visit our website or speak to our General Manager Charlie Rowley at a concert to find out more.

The NCO has over thirty critically acclaimed recordings to its name including a series of Mozart and Haydn symphonies on the Naxos label. For more information visit www.ncorch.co.uk

We are proud of the ongoing relationship between NCO and Chetham’s School of Music, and look forward to continuing our collaboration at The Stoller Hall – Manchester’s newest space for performance.

Become a Friend of the NCO: • Annual fee only £25 single membership / £40 joint membership

• £1 off all Macclesfield concert tickets and all NCO recordings

• Attend special events and pre-concert talks

• Attend fundraising events and outings

• Join members of the orchestra and other Friends for a complimentary drink after concerts

Call the office on 0161 247 2220 or email friends@ncorch.co.uk www.ncorch.co.uk | 0161 247 2220

ELIZABETH JORDAN CLARINET

photo by Linda Nylind

COLIN CURRIE PERCUSSION

Colin Currie is a solo and chamber artist at the peak of his powers. Championing new music at the highest level, he is hailed as being "at the summit of percussion performance today" (Gramophone). Currie is the soloist of choice for many of today’s foremost composers and he performs regularly with the world’s leading orchestras and conductors.

A dynamic and adventurous soloist, Currie's commitment to commissioning and creating new music was recognised in 2015 by the Royal Philharmonic Society who awarded him the Instrumentalist Award. From his earliest years Currie forged a pioneering path in creating new music for percussion, winning the Royal Philharmonic Society Young Artist Award in 2000 and receiving a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award in 2005. Currie is Artist in Association at London's Southbank Centre, where he was the focus of a major percussion festival Metal Wood Skin in 2014 and continues to perform there every season.

Elizabeth Jordan studied at the Royal College of Music and then at the Royal Northern College of Music, assisted by a Countess of Munster scholarship.

Alongside playing principal clarinet with the Northern Chamber Orchestra she has pursued a busy freelance career involving solo performances, chamber music and orchestral playing including guest principal with the Halle, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and BBC Philharmonic orchestras as well as contemporary music, opera and ballet work. This has involved travel around Europe, Japan, USA and South America.

She has always enjoyed exploring the variety of the clarinet family, specializing in piccolo clarinets and the basset horn.

Away from music, she has travelled extensively in the Himalayas and enjoys exploring our coastal regions by sea kayak.

EDVARD GRIEG (1843-1907)

PRAELUDIUM FROM HOLBERG SUITE OP 40 (Manchester only) In 1884, Grieg was one of several Scandinavian composers commissioned to write a commemorative piece for the celebration of the bicentennial of the birth of ‘the Molière of the North’, the Norwegian writer Ludvig Baron Holberg (1684 -1754).

Grieg called his set of short piano pieces From Holberg’s Time. Holberg was a contemporary of Bach and Handel, so Grieg chose to cast his tribute in the form of a Baroque period keyboard suite.

In this concert we perform the opening movement of the suite - the vivacious Praeludium, a miniature sonata-form movement that launches the suite with a galloping rhythm in the accompaniment, establishing an exciting, propulsive mood.

STEPHEN BARLOW (1954 - )

NOCTURNE FOR SOLO CLARINET, MARIMBA & STRINGS with Elizabeth Jordan, clarinet, and Colin Currie, marimba (Manchester only).

Conducted by Stephen Barlow.

"Nocturne for Clarinet, Strings and Marimba was commissioned by Emma Johnson with funding assistance from David Bowerman and the RVW Trust and first performed and broadcast in 2010. The piece is, on the surface, a free-flowing Fantasia, and eventful too. However, the notes are bound together more closely than a fanciful subtitle of 'Fantasia' might suggest, although the kind of intellectual satisfaction that may give to a composer has no overt importance except the aim of stimulating a listener's subliminal recognition that there may be patterns which recur in many different ways, binding a number of events together.

A 'Nocturne' is a spur to the imagination of poets and composers alike, and it was my first thought as I began to consider Emma's invitation to write for the clarinet, although it in no way defines more than one of my responses to this subtle instrument's wide capabilities and suggestiveness. This piece visits various nooks and crannies inspired not by Chopin's sublimely beautiful visions of one state of mind, but by a feeling of not entirely welcome adventure, stimulated along the way by darkness, sleep and the mystery of the unfettered imagination. It is a short story, and I'm none the wiser for having tried to tell it."

Stephen Barlow, 2010

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756 – 1791)

EINE KLEINE NACHTMUSIK K525 I Allegro II Romanze: Andante III Menuetto IV Rondo: Allegro (Macclesfield only)

Towards the end of his life Mozart’s inability to cope with ordinary domestic management, despite his wife’s best endeavours, made it necessary for him to accept minor commissions (for major money!) when he would have preferred to have concentrated on important projects. The tensions of this dilemma hardly show in the music and we are left with some miracles of charm and elegance like this beautifully crafted Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (A little Serenade for late evening listening).

The work’s four movements seem to offer a compendium of Classical music in a nutshell. The opening Allegro, with its lively beginning, is the best demonstration of what sonata form is, with its well-planned alternation of themes developed and then brought back in their original form. The sweet main melody of the secondmovement Romanze is followed by a passionately romantic middle section, after which the elegant first theme returns. The Minuet and Trio are distinguished by the lack of anything distinctive. No metric irregularities here and no sudden modulations; yet even without such surprises, the music never seems trivial. The energetic rondo finale concludes the work in a festive manner. Like the entire Nachtmusik, it is absolute entertainment on an artistic level that only Mozart could attain.

KURT SCHWERTSIK (1935 - )

NOW YOU HEAR ME, NOW YOU DON’T OP 102 I Allegro ma non troppo II Molto vivace III Amibile, poco rubato IV Poco allegro capriccioso V Presto possibile with Colin Currie, marimba Born and brought up in Vienna, Schwertsik started going to the opera aged 12.

He was an ardent admirer of Wagner and soon started writing his own operas (he says they were very bad!). Studying composition and horn he made a living playing in orchestras, notably the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. Meanwhile he carried on his composition studies with the extremely avant-garde composer Stockhausen.

After years of only attending contemporary music concerts, Schwertsik went to a performance of Cornelius Cardew where a Mozart duo for violin and viola was performed and wondered why we should deprive ourselves of these beautiful sounds. Since then he has written tonal music - over a hundred works. His quirky style has given him a reputation as a humorous composer but Schwertsik doesn't view himself like that at all. He has a melancholy streak which comes over at times and he likes to take his listeners on an intellectual journey.

His marimba concerto of 2009, entitled (humorously!) Now you hear me, now you don't, was composed for Colin Currie and the Scottish Ensemble. In 5 short movements it begins moderately fast with neo-baroque motifs. The 2nd movement is a fast moto perpetuo for the soloist against a sustained string backdrop with a lot of pizzicato. The central slow movement has lyrical writing for the strings over which the marimba freely weaves a fantasy. In a moderate tempo the 4th movement is the only one which ends strongly. The finale, again very fast, with echoes of Shostakovich and more use of pizzicato, has a delightful throw-away ending.

FREDERICK DELIUS (1862-1934)

TWO AQUARELLES In 1916 Delius composed his Violin Concerto for the virtuoso Albert Sammons.

Years later the violinist asked Delius for two pieces for his own orchestra. By this time the composer was much too ill to undertake this so he assigned the task to his amanuensis, Eric Fenby. Fenby recalled two early choral pieces entitled Music to be sung of a summer night on the water, and set about an arrangement for string orchestra. The finest and most characteristic music of Delius had always employed voice and chorus using impressionistic tone colours - hence the new title Aquarelles.

The sensuousness brought to the piece by voices is not lost in the orchestral arrangement and a somnolent, dreamy opening is perfectly contrasted with a second section full of happiness and exuberance.

ANTONÍN DVORÁK (1841 - 1904)

SERENADE FOR STRINGS OP 22 I Moderato II Tempo di valse III Scherzo IV Larghetto V Allegro vivace

Dvorák, like Sibelius and Grieg, was a major figure in the rise of Nationalism; it is too simple to categorise them as anti-German (i.e. anti-establishment); rather, that they incorporate a feeling of their homeland through literary and folklore references into their music. Superficial romanticism, based upon traditional training methods, was replaced by a deeply rooted historical romanticism used individually and idiomatically without avoiding traditional forms. Both Dvorák and Sibelius continued the symphonic cycle passed on from Haydn and Mozart to Beethoven and Brahms, but with an added programmatic element inspired by strong national pride. Just as significant is the importance placed upon the provision of pieces that do not present formidable obstacles to immediate acceptability, of which Dvorák’s Serenade for Strings is a prime example.

The Serenade was written in 1875 when Dvorák was 34 years of age. Like Elgar he was a late developer, so this serenade is generally catalogued as an early work. Yet the work is certainly more substantial in every way than Elgar’s Serenade. Again, like the English composer, Dvorák was a string player and only two years previously had resigned from the orchestra of the Czech National Theatre in order to devote more time to composition. The Serenade certainly shows a working knowledge of the string techniques, as well as continuing the strong nationalistic character for which the composer had become known through his Slavonic Dances.

The term serenade originally meant evening music and was most frequently associated with outdoor parties where the entertainment would have been provided by amateur musicians. To a large extent Haydn and Mozart continued this trend, but the nineteenth century saw a gradual change of style, incorporating some of the characteristics of the old Suite. Dvorák’s Serenade rather looks back for its inspiration, especially in the use of trio sections for the Waltz and Scherzo movements. These particular sections have great melodic charm, as does the exquisite little Larghetto. The outer movements, which are the product of Dvorák’s pre-German style (before he became influenced by Brahms), have great proportions and refinement of form.

TONIGHT’S ORCHESTRA Violin I Nicholas Ward Sarah Whittingham Louise Latham Paula Smart (Manchester only) Samuel Parker (Manchester only) Catherine Landen Violin 2 Simon Gilks Rebecca Thompson Shirley Richards Ann Lawes (Manchester only) Hannah Padmore (Manchester only)

Viola Richard Muncey Michael Dale Jacq Leighton Jones Aimee Johnson (Manchester only) Carolyn Tregaskis (Manchester only) Cello Cara Berridge Barbara Grunthal Graham Morris Claire Miles (Manchester only) Svetlana Mochalova (Manchester only)

Bass Diane Clark Richard Waldock (Manchester only)

15

S AT U R DAY

Martin James Bartlett piano

February

Rossini String Sonata no 4 Mozart Piano Concerto K271 Jeunehomme Sibelius Suite Champêtre Mozart Symphony no 33 in B flat supported by Caroline Brown

The Heritage Centre Macclesfield

Winner of the BBC Young Musician competition in 2014, Martin James Bartlett, who previously appeared with the NCO in 2016, returns to Macclesfield. He plays Mozart’s early masterpiece composed in Salzburg when he was 21, which Alfred Brendel called “one of the greatest wonders of the world” and Alfred Einstein dubbed “Mozart’s Eroica.”

Rossini was only twelve years old when he wrote his delightful string sonatas. These are scored for an ensemble of violins, cellos and double bass (no violas!). Sibelius’ Suite Champêtre is a lighthearted pastoral piece full of rustic charm. The concert concludes with Mozart’s Bb symphony, composed in Salzburg in 1779. A gravely beautiful slow movement, sprightly outer movements – the minuet was a later addition – show his usual masterful use of the wind.

TICKETS: WWW.NCORCH.CO.UK • 0161 247 2220

21 S AT U R DAY

March

7.30pm The Heritage Centre

Benjamin Powell piano Mozart Divertimento in F K138 Tchaikovsky Elegy Shostakovich Concerto no 1 for piano, trumpet and string orchestra Handel arr. Manson Violin sonata in D

Macclesfield

22 S U N DAY

March

3.00pm The Stoller Hall Manchester

Mozart Divertimento in D K251 Pianist Benjamin Powell joins us in Manchester and Macclesfield for two concerts that are bookended with Mozart divertimentos.

He plays Shostakovich’s first piano concerto, written in 1933, which sees the trumpet (played by featured soloist, Tom Osborne), in frequent dialogue with the piano. Preceding the Shostakovich is Tchaikovsky’s Elegy, written to mark Ivan Samarin’s fifty years as a performing artist. We also hear our composer in residence and double bass player James Manson’s take on Handel’s Violin sonata in D.

TICKETS: WWW.NCORCH.CO.UK • 0161 247 2220

THE NORTHERN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA PLAYING MEMBERS Violins Nicholas Ward Chair supported by Ken & Pam McKinlay Simon Gilks Chair supported by Anne Thompson Louise Latham Chair supported by Eleanor Lewington David Routledge Paula Smart Chair supported by Dr Michael Sambrook Rebecca Thompson Chair supported by Valerie Elliott Sarah Whittingham

Oboes Kenny Sturgeon Chair supported by Caroline Brown Jane Evans

Violas Richard Muncey Chair supported by Martin and Angela Losse Mike Dale

Horns Naomi Atherton Jenny Cox

Cello Barbara Grunthal Chair supported by Peter Raynes Bass James Manson Chair supported by Ken & Pam McKinlay Flutes Conrad Marshall Chair supported by Dieter Senn Nichola Hunter Chair supported by Jane & Wyn Davies

Clarinets Elizabeth Jordan Daniel Bayley Chair supported anonymously Bassoons Llinos Owen Rachel Whibley Chair Supported by John Whibley Holidays

Trumpet Tracey Redfern Chair supported by John Bush Peter Mainwaring Timpani John Melbourne Harpsichord/keyboard Bernard Robertson

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