Blog Elements

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Jeremy Metcalfe

Thursday, 26 April, 2018/in Galleries /by LMP

Andrew Roberts

Thursday, 26 April, 2018/in Galleries /by LMP

ANDREW ROBERTS studied in London with Carl Pini and in New York with Joyce Robbins. Whilst a student, he was principal 2nd violin of the Britten-Pears Orchestra and the European Community Youth Orchestra. In 1981 he was a founder member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, travelling all over the world and working with conductors […]

Jeremy Metcalfe

Thursday, 26 April, 2018/in Galleries /by LMP

Andrew Roberts

Thursday, 26 April, 2018/in Galleries /by LMP

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Jeremy Metcalfe

Thursday, 26 April, 2018/in Galleries /by LMP

I suppose it was as head chorister in a third-rate church choir, receiving the Fane Trophy, engraved ‘For General Progress’, that I perhaps realised my prospects of being a celebrated musician were to be down-graded. Being ‘the excellent leader’ (Oxford Mail) of the County Youth Orchestra counted for nothing as a student at the Royal Academy of Music. But by being generally inoffensive and largely invisible I have enjoyed a rich and varied career freelancing with orchestras including the RPO, LPO, BBCSO and Royal Opera Covent Garden. Opera has played a major role, being a member of ETO and GTO. I have probably played The Marriage of Figaro over 200 times, a record possibly unmatched?
On screen I’ve appeared in scenes with Keira Knightley, Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant and Michael Caine. Other highlights include concerts with George Harrison, standing at a urinal next to Andre Previn, and a few more. Downsides have been multiple Saturdays ruined by disappointing Everton results and late night motorway closures. Early in my student days I narrowly avoided death from a falling slab of frozen meat in Marylebone High St.
Embarrassing moments have been mercifully few, but the discovery that it was my mobile phone ringing in the hushed final moments of Boheme, and my subsequent inabilty to silence the wretched thing stands out. The fact that it was in full view of a packed hall was irksome to say the least. And the caller? LMP’s Orchestral Manager, Mr D Wilson. It obviously hasn’t spoiled our relationship as, for the time being, I still hang on to my membership of this esteemed group. Outside interests? Birding, gardening and the Guardian cryptic crossword.

Andrew Roberts

Thursday, 26 April, 2018/in Galleries /by LMP

In 1981 he was a founder member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, travelling all over the world and working with conductors such as Claudio Abbado and Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Subsequently, he joined the Auriol String Quartet which studied with Milan Skampa (of the Smetana Quartet), Andras Mihaly (a pupil of Kodaly) and members of the Amadeus Quartet. The Quartet was resident at Aldeburgh in 1989 and gave recitals at the Wigmore Hall, Queen’s Hall Edinburgh, Snape Maltings Concert Hall and throughout the UK and Europe.

Andrew played for fifteen years in the Bernard Roberts Piano Trio, with his father Bernard and brother Nicholas, releasing CD recordings of music by Stephen Dodgson (Claudio Records CC5257-2) and Frank Bridge (Black Box BBM1028) to critical acclaim, the ‘Gramophone’ magazine praising “utterly sympathetic, beautifully prepared performances from this fine family group”. The Trio’s performance of the ‘Piano Trio no.2’ by Frank Bridge was broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s ‘Composer of the Week’ programme.

Other CD recordings include the ‘Piano Quintet’ by Georges Enescu (the Solomon Ensemble/Naxos 8.557159), music by Silvina Milstein (Lontano, to be released on Lontano records) and the ‘String Quartets no.1 and 2’ by Buxton Orr (with the Beethoven String Trio of London on Toccata Classics/ TOCC0103)

Andrew is a member of the London Mozart Players and his varied musical life also includes performance on period instruments as a member of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

Recent work includes live BBC Radio 3 broadcasts of chamber music from St Georges, Bristol and for the opening of King’s Place, London; concerts at the Finchcocks Keyboard Collection, Kent and the inaugural concert of the Elgar Concert Hall at the University of Birmingham.

In 2013, he formed a Duo partnership with the pianist Rachel Fryer, to explore the rich repertoire for violin and piano.