Archive for: Live Concert

Robert Schumann Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.54
Clara (Wieck) Schumann Three Romances, Op.22 (orchestrated by Benjamin de Murashkin)
Mendelssohn Symphony No.4 in A Major, Op.90 ‘Italian’
Jonathan Bloxham conductor
Louis Schwizgebel piano

This concert has no interval.

Three’s a crowd – unless you’re Felix Mendelssohn, Robert and Clara Schumann.

Robert raved about Mendelssohn, waxing lyrically of the ‘unforgettable man’ in his letters. Unforgettable as he may have been, the sentiment wasn’t mutual; Mendelssohn didn’t mention Robert once when he put pen to paper. Oops.

Personal slights aside, Mendelssohn – already at the top of his game with works including his ‘Italian’ Symphony – was eager to support the struggling Robert and favoured Clara as a performer. Mendelssohn even conducted an early version of Schumann’s Piano Concerto – written for Clara – before it flourished into the version you’ll hear in this concert.

In between being her husband’s number one fan, Clara was forging her own successful career as a pianist and composer. While she didn’t rate her own compositions highly, the popularity of her Three Romances speaks volumes about her talent.

Mozart Vesperae Solennes de Confessore, K339 and Sinfonia Concertante in Eb
Haydn Theresienmesse

Conductor Matthew Best
Violin Ruth Rogers
Viola Judith Busbridge
The Academy Choir

Holst The Hymn of Jesus
Copland Appalachian Spring (chamber version)
Britten Spring Symphony

Richard Cooke conductor
Simon Blendis leader
Nina Bennet soprano
Jess Dandy mezzo-soprano
Peter Davoren tenor
Canterbury Choral Society
CCS Youth Choir

Holst A Fugal Concerto
Noah Max Symphony No. 1
Holst Lyric Movement
Holst Brook Green Suite
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23 in A

London Mozart Players
Iyad Sughayer piano
George Jackson conductor
Ruth Rogers leader

Fauré Cantique de Jean Racine
Copland Appalachian Spring
Vaughan Williams An Oxford Elegy
Fauré Requiem

Royal Choral Society
London Mozart Players
conductor Richard Cooke
soprano Rebecca Ryland-Jones
bass/narrator Edward Price

As summer beckons there is warmth and contemplation in abundance with the Royal Choral Society’s programme of music by Fauré, Vaughan Williams and Copland.

Alongside Fauré’s Cantique de Jean Racine and his Requiem – surely one of the best loved in the choral repertoire (and performed in 2024 to mark the centenary of the composer’s death) – the choir will sing An Oxford Elegy, Vaughan Williams’ poignant tapestry of music interweaved with Matthew Arnold’s poetry, which touchingly evokes high Midsummer, musk carnations, gold-dusted snapdragon and ‘that sweet city with her dreaming spires’.

The Royal Choral Society will be accompanied by LMP who will perform Copland’s Appalachian Spring, featuring the beautiful Shaker melody ‘Simple Gifts’, providing an upbeat contrast and some introspective tranquillity to complement the choral music.

The Royal Choral Society, one of Britain’s largest symphonic choirs, recently celebrated its 150th anniversary. The choir has been performing choral masterpieces ever since its formation for the opening of the Royal Albert Hall in 1871, including the UK première of Verdi’s Requiem in 1875, conducted by Verdi himself.

Mozart Overture from Don Giovanni
Haydn Trumpet Concerto in E Flat
Mozart Symphony No. 41 in C, “Jupiter”
London Mozart Players
Matilda Lloyd trumpet
Geoffrey Paterson conductor

Mozart Symphony No. 35 in D Major “Haffner”
Mozart ‘Se il padre perdei’ (from Idomeneo)
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 13 in C
Mozart Misera, dove son!
Mozart Serenade No. 9 in D Major, “Posthorn”
Mozart ‘Fra i pensier più funesti di morte…’ (from Lucio Silla)
Mozart “Temerari… come scoglio” (from Così fan tutte)
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 5 in D
Mozart Symphony No. 35 in D “Haffner”
London Mozart Players
Jonathan Bloxham conductor
Dame Imogen Cooper piano 
Martin James Bartlett piano
Anna Prohaska soprano