Late night eating in Wuhan
Full blog and photos. www.lmporchestra.wordpress.com
May19th/20th
Following a short rehearsal in London we all got on a coach and arrived at Heathrow 4 hours early.
Lots of time for shopping, eating and drink. Flight left on time.
Smooth 12 hour flight and landed bang on time but in a severe storm. We weren’t allowed to disembark because of the danger of lightning strike on the gangway!
The onward flight was then delayed due to bad weather and we landed at Wuhan about 9pm. There was an air conditioned limousine waiting – not of us but – for Gerard who whisked away into the night. We got onto one of 2 coaches (not sure why as there are only 27 of us) for the interesting hour long journey to the hotel. The 2 drivers raced each other through the busy streets both determined to get us to the hotel first but risking none of us arriving at all! En route some interesting sights of young girls dressed up in short skirts, high heals and lip stick but on what looked like a hair dryer purporting to be a motorbike with no lights and not wearing crash helmets!
We finally arrived at our luxurious hotel, about 11pm, after nearly 24 hours travelling. Then, after finding our rooms on the 23rd floor, it was off to eat, back for a drink, catch up on emails and bed.
May 21st
I woke at 5am. 1st problem to sort. The British council had emailed to say they were delighted to inform me that they had invited 20 people to use the 20 complimentary tickets I had promised for our Shanghai concert. The problem was that a) we had actually been allocated only 8 tickets and b) I had already promised 4 of them to someone else. Great. So it’s looking like my day off will be busy sorting that little problem. However, another email was a request from Kristina Rihanoff (strictly come dancing) to quote for providing musicians for an event in September.
Another email. The British council want to bring 14 people to the Beijing concert.
Enough for now. Back to sleep.
Awake again.
Our ‘free day’ to recover. News that Beijing has ‘sold out’ (2000 tickets). Amazing breakfast in the hotel. Noodles, Dim Sum etc etc. Then Paul, Scott and I took a taxi into town. We thought that last night’s coach was scary but this was something else. No seat belts, no signals, mains roads shared by lorries, cars, push bikes, pedestrians and chickens. Very smoggy and raining. Not hugely interesting. Back to hotel. Practise and then a managing group meeting at 6.30pm
Now just heard that Shanghai only have 8 seats unsold and Wuhan is also a sell out. Everyone loves the LMP out here. Are there any Chinese people who might like to come to Croydon next Thursday 29th?
David Wilson and Gerard went to the hall and met with Sa Chen – the soloist. In the evening the management group went to the most astonishing restaurant. Not one person spoke a word of English and I’m not sure they had EVER had a westerner in their restaurant. But they had wifi! We linked to “google translate” and typed in “spicy chicken” “spicy pork” “spicy noodles” and out popped the Chinese translation. The waiters had never seen anything like it and ran to the kitchen shouting Instructions.
A word of warning. DON’T use the word spicy unless you like mountains of red and green fresh chillies.
Downtown Wuhan
May 22nd
4.22am. Can’t sleep. Jet lag. Concert tonight as well.
First concert tonight. Amazing audience. The soloist had to do 2 encores and we did the whole of the last movement of the Jupiter symphony as our encore. Stats for audience. 90% under 30 years old! Everyone played brilliantly. I did a speech at the beginning of the concert with a translator by my side. After the concert back to hotel and a drink and now bed. It’s 12.21am and the coach leaves for the airport at 6.50am. That’s the schedule every day now. 6.30am coach, flight, rehearsal, concert, hotel by 11pm the coach at 6.30am!
Wuhan concert hall
May 23rd. Wuhan – Shanghai
Travel via plane to Shanghai. Very hot and humid. Short walk to concert hall. Apparently Putin had been there the day before. We found a restaurant in the Lonely planet but didn’t choose the Bullfrog! I had invited representatives from the British Council back to the hotel bar after the concert. I left the concert hall in a hurry to ensure I arrived at the hotel before they did only to find the bar full of “ladies of the night”. I quickly rang the BC and changed the venue. Phew!
May 24th Shanghai – Beijing
Travel to Shanghai station and bullet train for 5 hours to Beijing. 298kmh. Paul and I thought we’d managed a cheeky upgrade for £9.70 only to find that was only an upgrade for one stop! So we had to sneak back to our original seats. Check into hotel and we had 20 mins before coach to concert hall. Astonishing hall. Completely sold out. Met representatives and guests of British Council then back to hotel, drink and bed.
May 25th Beijing – Guangzhou
5.45am onto the coach to the airport. 3 hour flight to Guangzhou (it’s as far as London to Moscow).
Check into hotel and 3 hours before rehearsal. Had a noodles in a local tiny restaurant Followed by a sleep. Then to the hall. It’s VERY hot and sticky here. Wonderful hall and loads of children in the audience.
The audience were totally thrilled and afterwards about 30 of them wanted photos taken with me and Scott.
Then back to the hotel where Gerard bought everyone drinks. Our Chinese soloist Chen Sa joined us. We ate and drank until 1.30am. Then emails to sort until 2.30am and sleep. Up at 6am.
May 26th. Guangzhou – Hong Kong – London
Incredibly unhelpful coach driver refused to put the luggage on the bus so David Wilson got inside the underneath of the coach and did it himself. Then the driver had to reverse his coach out of the car park onto a busy road then drove erratically to the airport.
We have now checked in and having coffee before 16 hours flying back to London!
PRESS RELEASE: World Premieres of ‘For an Unknown Soldier’
/in Blog, News /by LMPThe London Mozart Players and The Portsmouth Grammar School collaborate to commission major new cantata from Jonathan Dove to commemorate WWI
• World Première performances in Portsmouth and Croydon in November 2014
• Over 300 children from Portsmouth Grammar School and Croydon primary schools involved in the first performances
• Featuring renowned choral conductor Nicholas Cleobury and outstanding young tenor Nicholas Sharratt.
The London Mozart Players and The Portsmouth Grammar School will present the World Première performances of a major new co-commission from Jonathan Dove on 9 November 2014 in Portsmouth Cathedral and 14 November in Fairfield Halls Croydon. For an Unknown Soldier is a setting for tenor solo, children’s choir, adult chorus and chamber orchestra of nine poems about the First World War. Opening with a setting of Wilfred Owen’s portentous ‘1914’, the work offers a moving meditation on the tragedy of war with poems by Mary Gabrielle Collins, Helen Dircks and Ivor Gurney among others.
The LMP is delighted to continue what has become an annual collaboration with Portsmouth Grammar School, which has in recent years seen the commissioning of important new work from composers such as Roxanna Panufnik and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies.
James Priory, Headmaster of Portsmouth Grammar School comments:
“We are thrilled to be giving young musicians from Portsmouth and Croydon the opportunity to work with a living composer and to be involved in creating a major new musical work inspired by Remembrance. I cannot think of a better way for young people to engage creatively in the centenary of the Great War.”
Viv Davies, Managing Director of the London Mozart Players comments:
“We are really excited to be collaborating with the Portsmouth Grammar School and Jonathan Dove on such a significant and important project. The preparation for the events in November has brought together diverse individuals and groups in a unified and common purpose. We have no doubt that the première performances of the cantata will be profound and moving occasions that will express, in a wonderfully creative way, the essence, spirit and deep significance of remembrance. We are looking forward to it immensely.”
Simon Blendis – Leader
/in Blog, News /by LMPSimon Blendis joined the LMP as Leader in 2014. As well as leading for a wide variety of concerts, Simon has particularly enjoyed developing his relationship with the orchestra through an increasing amount of directing. He has also created the innovative leadership development event Podium, which has become an important strand of the LMP’s work and is gaining a strong reputation in the business world.
Away from the LMP Simon enjoys a varied career as a chamber musician, soloist and orchestra leader. He has been a member of the Schubert Ensemble for twenty-three years, with whom he has performed in over thirty different countries, made frequent broadcasts for BBC Radio 3 and appeared regularly at Europe’s major venues. After 35 years at the forefront of British chamber music the Ensemble will retire in 2018, leaving behind a legacy of over 80 commissions, 25 CD recordings and a large library of live performances on YouTube.
Simon is also in demand as a guest-leader and guest-director and has appeared in this role with most of the UK’s major orchestras. Since 1999 he has been one of the leaders of Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa in Japan, with whom he has recorded Vivaldi’s Four Seasons for the Warner label. As a soloist he has made recent appearances with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the RPO and the CBSO.
Simon is a keen exponent of new music. He has given over 50 first performances and has had new works written for him by, amongst others, John Woolrich, Tansy Davies and jazz legend Dave Brubeck, as well as violin concertos by David Knotts and Jeff Moore.
http://www.simonblendis.com/
Our concert on November 13th with City Of London Choir in St John’s Smith Square
/in Galleries, News /by LMPThe LMP has been invited to accompany the City Of London Choir conducted by Hilary Davan Wetton in a programme entitled “Music in Time Of War”
Finzi – Requiem da Camera
Haydn – Missa in Tempore Belli
Tippett – Five Spirituals (from A Child Of Our Time)
Butterworth – The Banks of Green Willow
see below the poster
Music in Time of War Flier
Tickets on sale for Bruckner Mass
/in News /by LMPTickets can now be purchased for our concert on Oct 9th.
Click here to buy your tickets
See our concerts page for more details
Click here
Louise Honeyman – Recollections from Margaret Archibald
/in Galleries, News /by LMPPersonal Recollections of Louise Honeyman
The ‘phone rang. “Is that Margaret Archibald?” “Speaking.” “It’s Louise Honeyman; are you free on…” Just one more musician fixed for a date, but for me this was the beginning of a professional and personal relationship that was quite literally to change my life.
It was Louise who booked me near the start of my career for the Thames Chamber Orchestra and the English Symphony Orchestra, often playing for choral societies; it was Louise who seized on my enthusiasm for the C clarinet, asked if I was interested in authentic performance and launched me on my career as a period instrument player with my first date a Prom with the Academy of Ancient Music; it was Louise who helped me make the arrangements to have a babysitter with me on the flights and in the hotels when I took my four-and-a-half month old baby to Toulouse, Paris and Geneva; it was Louise who facilitated the arrangements when Lina Lalandi needed my seven year old son to be a Prince on stage for Gluck’s Alceste in Monaco; it was Louise who invited me to be sub- Principal clarinet of the London Mozart Players under Jane Glover and who told the wind players that she wanted us to form a wind chamber ensemble because she thought we deserved it. Finally, for me most life-changing of all, it was Louise who invited me to set up the “first year” of education and community work when the LMP became resident orchestra in Croydon, setting me on a course that saw me obsessively run the orchestra’s education work for the next 21 years.
Louise was more than just a fixer, she was a friend, a counsellor in times of trouble, always there to talk through a problem whether professional or personal. She would fight her corner but equally would listen to another point of view. She was a woman with a mission, and if this meant sacrificing a house and garden in north-west London for a tiny attic flat above the office in Croydon, this was something she cheerfully undertook to do in order to pursue her goal of fostering and building the London Mozart Players. Louise’s devotion to the orchestra was absolute, and she was always at every concert, sitting backstage busy with administrative tasks and ready to deal with any queries, comments, opinions or worries. I remember the anniversary of German re-unification when she bought the entire orchestra lunch in Dresden, following our morning concert there before we set out on another long coach journey to Leipzig for a concert that same evening in the Thomaskirche. On another occasion Louise chartered a plane to get us home from Lyons using an out-of-the-way military airfield somewhere for a late-night flight. She came with us on the ferry to Boulogne for the Menuhin Competition, and on the way home soothed the French customs officials who suffered a complete sense of humour failure when the mother of a young Japanese soloist took flash photos at the border post.
Memories of Louise are inextricably bound up with mental images of David, her partner, with whom she made common cause, building a vibrant community from a disparate group of freelance musicians and showing the way that an orchestra can be embedded in its local community through its outreach work. I was so lucky and honoured to be trusted by Louise to develop the LMP education and community work, and I threw all my personal creativity and energy at the project. At first I referred to Louise for every tiny decision until the day when she said, “Margaret, I haven’t got time to answer all these questions, just sort it out!” I went on “just sorting it out” for more than two decades and gained a wealth of experience, meeting many inspirational people in schools, nursing homes, hospitals, hospices, kids clubs, youth clubs and local authorities, and above all working with many wonderful colleagues who remain my very closest friends and with whom I continue to work now under the banner of my new charity Everyone Matters. Louise is a hard act to follow but I hope I can make even half the contribution that she did.
Margaret Archibald
Come on an International conducting course
/in News /by LMPMaestro Jorma Panula Conducting Masterclass with the World Famous London Mozart Players
November 26th -29th 2014
This International conducting course has 13 spaces available, and unlimited viewing only participant spaces.
The world famous London Mozart Players is one of the UK’s longest standing Chamber Orchestras containing the highest calibre musicians London has to offer. Each of its members play in all of the other London and UK orchestras not to mention internationally, so this is an ideal opportunity for new conductors to enhance their reputations not only in London but also throughout the UK and Internationally.
The course will comprise of 3 days of workshop allowing 13 students to have 25 minutes of podium time per day. On the 4th day there will be a short top and tail rehearsal for each candidate before giving a public performance showcasing what they have learnt during the course. Maestro Panula and the orchestra will agree the performance repertoire for this concert. Each evening before the concert day Maestro Panula will review the students work that day.
A vast amount of repertoire is available including works by Mozart, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Rossini, Tchaikovsky, Delius and Fauré and many more. A full list a repertoire can be forwarded and every effort will be made to accommodate the candidates’ choices once all the course places have been allocated.
Feed back and constructive comments will also be given from the orchestra members.
FOUR inexpensive rooms are available for accommodation with the possibility of sharing, these will be on a first come first served basis.
As a bonus, one or two exceptionally gifted conductors may be allowed to post material they record online, but only by consent of the orchestra members. No official recording will be made but candidates are welcome to bring their own video cameras / recording devices.
Fees: (to be made by bank transfer in sterling only)
Full time conducting participant £1950 Sterling circa 2460 euros
None conducting viewing only participant £300 Sterling circa 379 euros
Please contact Stacey Watton if you would like to participate. You will need to send a covering letter including your CV, Biography and Photo along with video footage of you conducting in performance and rehearsal. Please book early to avoid disappointment.
Contact:
Stacey Watton Bmus (Hons) LGSM staceywattonconductor@gmail.com www.staceywatton.com
mobile: 0044 7811 373 415
Children learn about the war
/in News /by 21stcdLOOKING BACK: Children from Ecclebourne Primary School and music teacher Tim Sporerer with a log book from when pupils were evacuated from the school’s former buildings to make way for a war hospital. The book is on display at Croydon Museum”
Details of the Concert
Croydon School Artwork Competition
/in Blog, News /by LMPHelp us to mark the WW1 centenary with the community of Croydon
As part of our commemorative concert on 14th November at Fairfield Halls, we are inviting schools across the borough to produce one piece of artwork inspired by the words ‘For an Unknown Soldier’ to enter an art competition. The three best pieces of work as judged by independent judges will be displayed at The Croydon Clocktower, Katherine Street.
For more information contact Jenny Brady at the LMP office, telephone: 020 8686 1996, or email: info@lmp.org
London Premiere – November 14
/in Blog, News /by LMPThis event is expected to sell out. Tickets from £12.
Box office 020 8688 9291
Click here for more details
Click here to purchase tickets
The London Mozart Players are proud to announce their special concert at Fairfield Halls to mark the centenary of WW1 on Friday 14th November at 7.30pm.
This concert is the culmination of a far-reaching community project funded jointly by the Arts Council of Great Britain, Croydon Council and Portsmouth Grammar School.
The project has touched the community of Croydon on many levels with the formation of four junior school choirs performing alongside Whitgift School, Croydon Minster and Portsmouth Grammar School choirs in the London premiere of For an Unknown Solider written by the renowned composer Jonathan Dove.
Riddlesdown Collegiate will curate a WW1 commemoration exhibition to be displayed in the foyer on 14th November created from their trip to the First World War, Stories of Croydon exhibition at the Museum of Croydon, memorabilia collected from the residents of Croydon and their written responses to these artefacts.
All schools in Croydon have been invited to produce artwork to mark WW1 that will be displayed that evening in the Fairfield Halls.
We will be joined in the concert by young instrumentalists from Croydon Music and Arts who will play side by side with the LMP. Flautist Emma Halnan, the Croydon Festival winner 2013, will also perform a concerto with us.
We invite you all to join us with the community of Croydon to mark the WW1 Centenary.
Friday November 14th 2014, Fairfield Halls, Croydon at 7.30pm
LMP Plays for “Strictly” Star
/in Blog, News /by LMPThe LMP have been asked to play for a charity event for Kristina Rihanoff – professional dancer from the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing. The event will be at the Mansion House and those in attendance will include the Prime Minister.
Kristina was the ‘Strictly’ professional partner of John Sergeant (2008), Jason Donovan (2011), and James Bond actors Goldie (2010) and Colin Salmon (2012).
Fairfield 25 Years Celebration
/in News /by LMPThe photo is of the cake that Julia Desbruslais made and beautifully decorated with the new LMP logo.
Support the orchestra and promote a concert
/in News /by LMPYou can help underwrite a concert for just £1,000.
Supporting the London Mozart Players
The LMP would be delighted to hear from you should you or anyone you know be interested in participating in or supporting the orchestra’s future work programme and activities, sponsoring concerts, education and community projects or becoming a Friend of the LMP.
LMP Benefactors
From world-class concerts to inspirational education projects, none of the LMP’s work would be possible without the financial support we receive from our Benefactors and Conductors’ Circle. These are our musical patrons, following in the footsteps of those generous, passionate and committed philanthropists who, throughout the centuries, have enabled great musicians to perform and compose. They are kept closely involved with the orchestra and its activities and their support is acknowledged in our concert programmes.
For an annual donation of £1,000 or more you can become a Benefactor of the LMP and enjoy a unique programme of events, including access to rehearsals, exclusive recitals, gala concerts and special receptions throughout the year. The LMP’s most generous Benefactors become members of the Conductors’ Circle and are closely involved with the musicians and management team and play a significant role in the life of the LMP.
Sponsor a Chair
You could also Sponsor a Chair from as little as £50 per month and enjoy a special connection with the orchestra and your chosen player:
By supporting an LMP chair – be it our Principal Horn or a member of the second violin section – your donation will helping the orchestra, directly enabling the LMP to perform fantastic concerts and carry out inspirational work in schools and in the community.
You can support an LMP chair with a single donation or you can choose to donate monthly by standing order. Whichever chair you sponsor, your donation will support a crucial part of the orchestra and will give you a unique insight into the life of the LMP.
Become a Friend of LMP
The LMP has very active and supportive Friends. The Friends organise various activities such as monthly Coffee Meetings, a private Friends’ Bar at Fairfield Concert, various outings to LMP concerts around the country and an annual Friends’ Concert and Lunch. Friends receive a quarterly newsletter and at Fairfield concerts there is the opportunity to meet LMP players, conductors and soloists in the Friends’ Bar.
Without the support from the Friends, the LMP would be unable to continue to present concerts and develop its award-winning Education and Community Programme. Your donation will assist the orchestra to achieve the highest levels of artistic excellence and help us to maintain our position as one of the premier chamber orchestras.
In return for an annual fee, which goes towards the above activities, members of the LMP Friends are given many benefits in addition to the knowledge that their money is supporting the wonderful work the LMP does in concert halls, schools, rural communities and residential homes around the UK.
The annual subscription for a Friend is £40 for single membership and £60 for couple membership. Renewals take place in September, we offer a pro-rata subscription. We are very grateful to the Friends for their continuous support.
For more information on how you may become more involved with the LMP please contact Peter Wright at (peter@lmp.org), Nick Mallett (nick@lmp.org) or Jenny Brady (info@lmp.org) or Tel: 020 8686 1996.
Or visit our website at www.lmp.org
Alternatively, please fill in this form before and post it to us at the address below.
LMP Donation Supporting the London Mozart Players
London Mozart Players: the ultimate comeback kids. Telegraph
/in News /by LMPAgainst all odds the London Mozart Players are still fighting fit, says Ivan Hewett. May 28th 2014
This week the London Mozart Players will prove that they really are the comeback kids of the orchestral world. Twice in recent years this fine chamber orchestra has threatened to disappear. The first time was in 2011, when it lost its Arts Council grant. The second was earlier this year, when Croydon Council pulled the plug on its very generous annual grant, after 24 years of support.
But it’s still with us, and on May 28 the LMP will be giving a concert with star guest soloist Angela Hewitt in St John’s Smith Square, repeated the following day at Fairfield Halls in Croydon.
The LMP has managed to pull back from the brink by practising what in America comes as second nature: self-help, and calling on a little help from friends. The orchestra has become a self-governing entity, with the players themselves acting as the orchestra’s agent, manager and PR. A few months back Vernon Ellis, chairman of the British Council and patron of English National Opera, hosted a fund-raising concert for the orchestra at his house. That and some energetic proselytising by the players has raised just under £100,000. A number of eminent musicians associated with the orchestra have given their services for free, including pianist Howard Shelley, conductor Hilary Davan Wetton, violinist Tasmin Little, and the winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2012, cellist Laura van der Heijden. These two concerts this week are a way of saying we’re still here and we mean business.
I’m glad they’re still here, because for me and many other classical music lovers the LMP is part of this country’s musical furniture. The orchestra was founded in 1949, which makes it the oldest chamber orchestra in Britain, and was led right up to the early 1980s by its founder Harry Blech. I saw him as a student in the latter part of his reign, and remember thinking he seemed as old as the hills. He strode stiffly up to the podium and conducted with a no-nonsense sturdy technique, as if he was kneading dough.
Since then Jane Glover, Matthias Bamert and Andrew Parrott have all taken on the role of MD. I remember the Bamert years especially well, as the orchestra’s programming was particularly lively, with a steady flow of commissioned works. Since 2010 the gifted South African-born conductor Gerard Korsten, whom the players clearly warm to, has taken the lead.
So what next? There are several steps the Players are taking to survive in the medium term, such as reviving their connection with Croydon’s Fairfield Halls. This has the best acoustics in Greater London, and the orchestra has a history of residency there stretching back 24 years. The orchestra also has a long-standing relationship with Portsmouth Grammar School, which has involved commissiong a string of new works, and also burgeoned outwards into the local community. There are plans to transplant the fruits of this back into the orchestra’s original Croydon base.
This combination of artistic enterprise with grass-roots involvement gives a model of how the orchestra might prosper in the long term. Bringing this off won’t be easy. Like the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, the LMP has had some of its shine taken off by the rise of “period” bands such as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. At the other end of the historical spectrum are those groups which have pulled the chamber orchestra into the modern era, such as the Britten Sinfonia and the Scottish Ensemble.
The signs are that the LMP is learning a few tricks from these upstarts. There are plans to build relationships with starry musicians to act as soloists and directors for particular projects, as the Britten Sinfonia does so cleverly. There’s also a sense among these younger orchestras that rooting what they do in a particular place and time is the key to success, as much as artistic quality. For example, rather than just commissioning a composer to write a piece, you link it to something specific about the moment. The LMP has tried this already with its Portsmouth commissions, where each year the new piece has been linked to the theme of Remembrance Day (a particularly emotive topic in a naval city).
This shows the LMP is serious about reinventing itself. On the other hand, there is the accumulated loyalty and affection, among both audiences and musicians, for what the LMP has always been. And of course there’s the inherited treasure of the orchestra’s core repertoire. Mozart and Haydn’s symphonies and concertos will always be great music, and there will always be an appetite for them.
The difficulty is that these different aspects of the orchestra’s identity pull in different directions. The trick over the coming months and years will be to manage that tension, so that past and present knit together in a way that makes sense. It’s a more than worthy enterprise, and we should wish them well with it.
LMP Daily update on China trip – Peter Wright
/in Blog /by LMPLate night eating in Wuhan
Full blog and photos. www.lmporchestra.wordpress.com
May19th/20th
Following a short rehearsal in London we all got on a coach and arrived at Heathrow 4 hours early.
Lots of time for shopping, eating and drink. Flight left on time.
Smooth 12 hour flight and landed bang on time but in a severe storm. We weren’t allowed to disembark because of the danger of lightning strike on the gangway!
The onward flight was then delayed due to bad weather and we landed at Wuhan about 9pm. There was an air conditioned limousine waiting – not of us but – for Gerard who whisked away into the night. We got onto one of 2 coaches (not sure why as there are only 27 of us) for the interesting hour long journey to the hotel. The 2 drivers raced each other through the busy streets both determined to get us to the hotel first but risking none of us arriving at all! En route some interesting sights of young girls dressed up in short skirts, high heals and lip stick but on what looked like a hair dryer purporting to be a motorbike with no lights and not wearing crash helmets!
We finally arrived at our luxurious hotel, about 11pm, after nearly 24 hours travelling. Then, after finding our rooms on the 23rd floor, it was off to eat, back for a drink, catch up on emails and bed.
May 21st
I woke at 5am. 1st problem to sort. The British council had emailed to say they were delighted to inform me that they had invited 20 people to use the 20 complimentary tickets I had promised for our Shanghai concert. The problem was that a) we had actually been allocated only 8 tickets and b) I had already promised 4 of them to someone else. Great. So it’s looking like my day off will be busy sorting that little problem. However, another email was a request from Kristina Rihanoff (strictly come dancing) to quote for providing musicians for an event in September.
Another email. The British council want to bring 14 people to the Beijing concert.
Enough for now. Back to sleep.
Awake again.
Our ‘free day’ to recover. News that Beijing has ‘sold out’ (2000 tickets). Amazing breakfast in the hotel. Noodles, Dim Sum etc etc. Then Paul, Scott and I took a taxi into town. We thought that last night’s coach was scary but this was something else. No seat belts, no signals, mains roads shared by lorries, cars, push bikes, pedestrians and chickens. Very smoggy and raining. Not hugely interesting. Back to hotel. Practise and then a managing group meeting at 6.30pm
Now just heard that Shanghai only have 8 seats unsold and Wuhan is also a sell out. Everyone loves the LMP out here. Are there any Chinese people who might like to come to Croydon next Thursday 29th?
David Wilson and Gerard went to the hall and met with Sa Chen – the soloist. In the evening the management group went to the most astonishing restaurant. Not one person spoke a word of English and I’m not sure they had EVER had a westerner in their restaurant. But they had wifi! We linked to “google translate” and typed in “spicy chicken” “spicy pork” “spicy noodles” and out popped the Chinese translation. The waiters had never seen anything like it and ran to the kitchen shouting Instructions.
A word of warning. DON’T use the word spicy unless you like mountains of red and green fresh chillies.
Downtown Wuhan
May 22nd
4.22am. Can’t sleep. Jet lag. Concert tonight as well.
First concert tonight. Amazing audience. The soloist had to do 2 encores and we did the whole of the last movement of the Jupiter symphony as our encore. Stats for audience. 90% under 30 years old! Everyone played brilliantly. I did a speech at the beginning of the concert with a translator by my side. After the concert back to hotel and a drink and now bed. It’s 12.21am and the coach leaves for the airport at 6.50am. That’s the schedule every day now. 6.30am coach, flight, rehearsal, concert, hotel by 11pm the coach at 6.30am!
Wuhan concert hall
May 23rd. Wuhan – Shanghai
Travel via plane to Shanghai. Very hot and humid. Short walk to concert hall. Apparently Putin had been there the day before. We found a restaurant in the Lonely planet but didn’t choose the Bullfrog! I had invited representatives from the British Council back to the hotel bar after the concert. I left the concert hall in a hurry to ensure I arrived at the hotel before they did only to find the bar full of “ladies of the night”. I quickly rang the BC and changed the venue. Phew!
May 24th Shanghai – Beijing
Travel to Shanghai station and bullet train for 5 hours to Beijing. 298kmh. Paul and I thought we’d managed a cheeky upgrade for £9.70 only to find that was only an upgrade for one stop! So we had to sneak back to our original seats. Check into hotel and we had 20 mins before coach to concert hall. Astonishing hall. Completely sold out. Met representatives and guests of British Council then back to hotel, drink and bed.
May 25th Beijing – Guangzhou
5.45am onto the coach to the airport. 3 hour flight to Guangzhou (it’s as far as London to Moscow).
Check into hotel and 3 hours before rehearsal. Had a noodles in a local tiny restaurant Followed by a sleep. Then to the hall. It’s VERY hot and sticky here. Wonderful hall and loads of children in the audience.
The audience were totally thrilled and afterwards about 30 of them wanted photos taken with me and Scott.
Then back to the hotel where Gerard bought everyone drinks. Our Chinese soloist Chen Sa joined us. We ate and drank until 1.30am. Then emails to sort until 2.30am and sleep. Up at 6am.
May 26th. Guangzhou – Hong Kong – London
Incredibly unhelpful coach driver refused to put the luggage on the bus so David Wilson got inside the underneath of the coach and did it himself. Then the driver had to reverse his coach out of the car park onto a busy road then drove erratically to the airport.
We have now checked in and having coffee before 16 hours flying back to London!
LMP START Project: Carnival of the Endangered Animals let loose in Croydon
/in News /by 21stcdLMP START Project: Carnival of the Endangered Animals let loose in Croydon!
Over 500 young people across the London borough of Croydon presented a brand new work developed Read more
Piano Concert – half the ticket price comes to the LMP
/in Blog, News /by LMPDear Friends and supporters,
One of the new collaborations we are working on may include booking new upcoming young artists. One or more of the pianists playing in this concert could be invited to play with us. You can go and get a “preview”. We have been offered an exclusive deal on this concert. If you buy a £20 ticket then the LMP will receive £10 of the ticket price as a donation.
The number of tickets available is limited so if your are interested then please respond as soon as possible.
Please contact Peter Wright as soon as possible if you are interested.
peter@lmp.org
A day at Surrey Hills Festival – May 3rd
/in Blog, News /by LMPFrom a Percussionist point of view. – Surrey Hills Festival – Rodion Shchedrin, Bizet Carmen Suite
Preparation.
This will be a very long day! This is a large and complex piece to organise logistically and the percussion parts have been emailed to the percussion players in advance. Each of the five players have their own individual part with a long list of instruments they will have to play. The setup for each player is important – how to position the instruments around themselves to be able move from instrument to instrument in the most intuitive way to play everything that’s been written for them. A percussion stage plan has been drawn which will undoubtedly change on arrival at the venue!
Between Sarah Stuart and myself we have worked out who is to bring which of the 45 or so separate percussion instruments for this work including 5 timpani, Marimba, Vibraphone, 2 pairs of bongos, tubular bells, 5 tuned tom toms, 3 tuned cow bells, Xylophone and copious toys and stands to put everything on. The percussion equipment completely fills two vans.
In the morning the vans take an hour to load. We arrive at the venue over two hours before the rehearsal. This is the minimum amount of time we will need to unload, build all the instruments and work out how to position all the instruments on the stage. As we work we realise the 5 timpani will have to go behind the double basses on the lower stage and the percussion will have to be staggered as there is not the room for all the percussionists to be in a line on the higher staging.
With just enough time for fine tuning some of the drums we are ready to play at 2pm.
The rehearsal.
With the curtains soaking up much of the sound the percussion players are finding they are having to play up more than usual. Shchedrin creates subtle textures with the Marimba and Vibraphone and even writes chords on the tubular bells using two players and these are important colours not to be lost. The piece also really shows off the versatility and virtuosity of the LMP strings.
The Concert.
The first half is Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto in E flat major and Mendelssohn’s Double Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra. These pieces demonstrate superbly the LMP’s deftness and lightness of touch, technical skill and world renound chamber skills in accompanying and supporting the soloists and giving them a perfect canvas and the right atmosphere to shine. The second half is the Shchedrin Carmen Suite and is the perfect piece to showcase the LMP at their electric and exciting best. After returning to the stage 5 times during the final applause, Daniel Cohen and Guest Leader Ruth Rogers lead the orchestra from the stage and leave the audience wanting more.
Roughly two and a quarter hours after the end of the concert at 00.10 Sarah and I leave; tired but extremely happy at the end of another fantastic day of music making with the London Mozart Players.
Written by Scott Bywater, Principal Percussion and Co-Principal Timpani of the LMP.
Many thanks go to Sarah Stuart for her help, organisational skills and splendid playing as guest Principal Percussion on this concert.
David Angel
/in Blog /by LMP20th July 1954 – 10th April 2017
David Angel studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School with Frederick Grinke and Jaqueline Salomons, and had many masterclasses with Lord Menuhin.
In 1971 he won an Associated Board Scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music with Frederick Grinke. He had regular chamber music coaching with Sidney Griller and won prizes for both solo and chamber music.
He has played quartets professionally since 1976; for eleven years with the Bochmann Quartet and since 1988, with the Maggini Quartet, which he co founded in that year. With the Quartet he has performed and broadcast widely as well as recording some thirty discs and working with composers such as James McMillan, Eleanor Alberga, Roxanna Panufnik, and extensively with Sir Peter Maxwell Davies.
With pianist David Elwin he has enjoyed a long standing duo: in September 2007 they made their maiden tour of Japan.
When his quartet schedule allows, he co-leads the 2nd violins of the London Mozart Players, a job he has held since 1995.
Much in demand as a teacher and quartet coach, he has been professor of quartet playing at the Birmingham Conservatoire since 1993. In addition to teaching privately, he has taught violin at Southampton University, the Birmingham Conservatoire, and as a guest at the Menuhin and Purcell schools.