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THE NEWSLETTER OF THE ALDERLEY EDGE ORCHESTRA

ISSUE 11 MARCH 2010

E d i t o r : R o g e r D o w l i n g ( t e l : 0 1 9 2 5 7 5 6 3 9 0 ; r o g e r. d o w l i n g @ a e o r c h e s t r a . o r g . u k )

Jamie joins us for Beethoven’s mighty ‘Emperor’ concerto

N 8TH MAY, we give a warm welcome to Jamie Thompson from the Royal Northern College of Music for a performance of one of the greatest piano concertos in the repertoire: Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ Concerto No 5 in E flat, Op 73.

Jamie began learning the piano at the comparatively late age of nearly 15. After four years of playing he was awarded the Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music Performance Diploma (LRSM) and a major music scholarship to The Oratory School as well as the Olive Marsh Piano

Scholarship to study at the RNCM. Jamie hopes to achieve his Fellowship Diploma (FRSM) in performance this year together with the outstanding teaching diploma, CTABRSM. He is currently in his final undergraduate year under the tutelage of Murray McLachlan and regularly performs as a soloist in concerts and competitions in and around Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Lancashire and London, most recently the finals of the European Piano Teachers Association piano competition. Jamie has taken part in Masterclasses with such notable players as Paul Roberts, Anna Markland, Philip Martin, Noriko Ogawa and performed a newly commissioned work in a public masterclass with Rolf Hind. Jamie is hoping to stay at the RNCM for postgraduate study, embarking on a joint performance and composition masters degree course.

Put these dates in your diary NOW: 2010-11 concert schedule Saturday, 9th October 2010

Saturday, 27th November 2010

Saturday, 5th March 2011

Saturday, 7th May 2011

WORKSHOP

BEETHOVEN Overture: Prometheus, Op 43 DELIUS La Calinda HAYDN Concerto for two horns in E flat (soloists: John Middleton/Chris Pople) BERLIOZ Harold in Italy (viola: Mary Anderson)

ROSSINI Overture: Semiramide BUTTERWORTH The Banks of Green Willow REINECKE Flute Concerto in D major, Op. 283 (soloist: Russell Gillespie) BEETHOVEN Symphony No 6 in F, Op 68 (Pastoral)

MOZART Overture: The Magic Flute BRAHMS Piano Concerto No 2 in B flat, Op 83 (soloist: Simon Conning) SCHUBERT Symphony No 6 in C

Venue: Alderley Edge Festival Hall

Venue: Alderley Edge Methodist Church

SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No 1 in F, Op 10

Venue: Alderley Edge Methodist Church

Our 2010-2011 Season We were inundated with suggestions for next season’s concerts and would like to thank you all for your ideas. Inevitably we cannot please you all, but we’ve done our best and the full schedule for 2010-11 is given on the previous page. Note that we have brought forward the date of the annual Workshop, which will now take place on 9th October 2010. Also, make a special note that the first concert of the season, on 27th November 2010, will take place at the Festival Hall because of the unavailability of the Methodist Church. As many players will know, the Festival Hall (once known as the Assembly Rooms) was once our regular venue before we moved to the Methodist Church a few years

ago. Built in 1928 at a cost of £9,500 for the Alderley Edge Musical Festival, the Festival Hall boasted a unique adjustable floor which could be flat for ballroom dancing and sloping for concerts and other entertainments. The Festival Hall later ran into financial difficulties and became the Regal cinema and dance hall in 1938. Our brief one-off return there will once again enable us to impress our friends and families with the news that ‘in November we’ll be playing in the Festival Hall’ and players are encouraged to make the most of this rare opportunity. Our 2010-2011 season contains a numbers of works which we haven’t played before. The Workshop on 9th October will provide an opportunity to play one of Shostakovich’s finest

works: his First Symphony. Composed in 1924 as his graduation piece at the Leningrad Conservatory, when Shostakovich was 19 years of age, the symphony was a tremendous success for its brilliant combination of wit and tragedy. The concert on 27th November will present an opportunity to hear Haydn’s rarely heard Double Horn Concerto, played by John Middleton and Chris Pople. In the same concert, we will be looking forward to Mary Anderson’s concert performance of Berlioz’s Harold in Italy; this follows a highly enjoyable Workshop study of this work last year. George Butterworth’s Banks of Green Willow in the March 2011 concert is another work that may be unfamiliar to some players. Butterworth (1885-1916) was a London-born composer who was a close friend of Vaughan Williams. He sadly lost his life in the Battle of the Somme, and his beautiful tone poem The Banks of Green Willow rightly lives on in his memory. Carl Reinecke (1824-1910), whose D major Flute Concerto will be heard in the same concert, was a German composer, conductor and pianist. A professor at the Cologne Conservatory and Director of the Gewandhaus Orchestra, he has some 300 compositions to his George Butterworth

Carl Reinecke

name. As a point of interest, at the age of 80 he recorded his piano-playing on piano roll for the Welte-Mignon company, making him the earliest-born pianist to have his playing preserved in any format. Russell Gillespie was born in Southern Ireland. He studied flute with Clare Southworth and later with Colin Chambers, former principal flute of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. At the Royal Academy of Music in London, he completed his studies under Richard Taylor and Lisa Beznosiuk, with whom he Russell Gillespie

also studied the Baroque and Classical flute. Russell has performed for many of the world’s leading exponents of the flute including Sir James Galway, Geoffrey Gilbert, Paula Robison, and William Bennett. Russell has combined a busy freelance orchestral career throughout the United Kingdom, performing with many of the leading UK symphony orchestras under the direction of such conductors and artists as Libor Pesek, Owain Arwel Hughes, Melvyn Tan and Vernon Handley. He enjoys a very successful and versatile career performing as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician for various worldwide musical and cultural associations. Russell has released two critically acclaimed CDs, including world premiere recordings of works for flute and harp. In May we welcome back Simon Conning to join the orchestra in a performance of Brahms Piano Concerto No 2. Simon was a tremendous success in our concert a few weeks ago and we are delighted that he is able to return next year to play one of the biggest piano concertos in the repertoire. In fact, it’s such a big work that we need to build up the strength of the strings NOW to do full justice to it. Players who have links with other orchestras are asked to publicise this opportunity to join us in what promises to be an outstanding concert to round off the 20102011 season.

Nice comments Our last two concerts, at Alderley Edge and Lymm, will be remembered in particular for the fine playing of Simon Conning (piano) and Oliver Janes (clarinet).

THANK YOU! A big ‘thank you’ to everyone in the orchestra who has done his or her bit during the past year to ensure that our rehearsals and concerts go off so smoothly. Particular thanks are due to Joanne MacLachlan and Nicole Backus for keeping us in tea and biscuits at rehearsals. Anne Jubb and Helen Hall have kindly agreed to become keyholders and we should like to thank them for this. Our ongoing thanks too to our President and Guest Conductor Richard Howarth, who has done much to encourage the orchestra and enhance its performances, and our regular conductor of many years’ standing Tim Kendal for his enthusiastic support and endless patience and guidance. Jan King

Simon has written with typical modesty: “I thoroughly enjoyed the occasion and meeting you all and also seeing my family. Yes, the Choral Fantasy was a success and the audience loved the [Litolff] Scherzo though I can play it much better. Still, they don't know that so no harm done!” We are very pleased that Simon has accepted our invitation to return next year to play the Brahms Second Piano Concerto, one of his favourites. ***** We have also received a nice email from Oliver’s father Glenn, who is a former first violin in the BBC Philharmonic: “Oliver really enjoyed himself and it was a great experience for him so thank you for giving him the opportunity to play with your orchestra. We thought he played superbly. But … didn't you do well!? We were all impressed with the orchestra and how they accompanied Oliver under the excellent baton of Tim. The Brahms St Anthony Variations is jolly difficult for the fiddles and they did very well. We thought the wind and brass were very good too - again the opening

theme in the wind is very difficult and again they coped admirably. So well done to all concerned (especially the old guy playing on the front desk of the second fiddles!)*. Do say a big thank to your conductor Tim who did a great job.”

Tod Young

Peter Kurer

Louise Townsend

Rachel Chandler

Trust, which provides care and support for people with learning disabilities. She is also a volunteer at a local advisory drop-in centre for young people.

process that then has to be reversed (occasionally involving searches for missing parts) when the parts have to go back to the library. Our new Librarian is flautist Louise Townsend, and we know she will bring her customary enthusiasm to this demanding role. Another cellist in the news is Peter Kurer, who has been a member of the Committee for the past five years. Peter has brought his wisdom to bear at many meetings over the past few years but now feels the time is right to hand over the reins to a youinger player; we would like to thank him for his major contribution to the orchestra. His place will be taken, initially on a co-opted basis, by yet another cellist Rachel Chandler, who joined the orchestra last year.

*This may be a case of mistaken identity as the front desk of the Seconds contains no-one answering to this description.

Lymm raises £1100 Peter Webb passes on his thanks, along with those of Arthritis Research Campaign, for helping to raise some £1,100 pounds at the annual concert at Lymm on 13th March. “It was a great effort,” said Peter. “I do hope that those taking part in this concert enjoyed the event and found it a rewarding occasion.”

Welcome to Suzi A very warm welcome to Suzi Lewis, who has become an invaluable member of our cello section. Suzi was born in Winchester but moved to Sutton, near Macclesfield, some 20 years ago. She took up the cello about ten years ago; Elgar’s Cello Concerto is amongst her very favourite pieces of music. However, she is also a fan of rock bands and is a keen follower of Apocalyptica, the Finnish symphonic metal band, which - with three classically-trained cellists - gives Suzi the best of both worlds. Suzi has just taken up a position with the Rossendale

More cellists in the news This is clearly becoming a ‘cellist-special’edition of our Newsletter. First we must give our warmest thanks to Tod Young, who has just relinquished his position as Librarian after a stint of some ten years. Being Librarian involves much more than getting the music out of the cupboard each week, as Tod has found the hard way. Sourcing the music in a costeffective way is a vital part of the job, as music hire charges are increasing all the time. The parts then have to be collected and distributed to the music ‘pads’ at the beginning of each session, a