Piano Explored: Shostakovich & Franck

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Shostakovich Piano Concerto No.2 in F major, Op.102
Franck Symphonic Variations for Piano and Orchestra

London Mozart Players
Howard Shelley piano
Simon Blendis leader

This will be Howard Shelley’s final concert for LMP’s Piano Explored series, and he has chosen a very special concerto that perfectly showcases his stylistic elegance and profound musicality. Shostakovich’s second piano concerto, written as a gift for his son Maxim, is perhaps best-known for its lush slow movement, which recalls the tender, longing themes from Rachmaninoff’s own beloved second piano concerto. But it is also full of jaunty energy and Shostakovich family in-jokes, including an arpeggio passage similar to the finger exercises that fledgling piano students suffer. Howard Shelley and the London Mozart Players will whisk you through an exciting deconstruction followed by a full performance of the work.

As a rich counterbalance, we will also hear César Franck’s rarely performed Symphonic Variations. It has been described as one of the most perfect pieces ever written for piano and orchestra and, like a mini concerto, allows a piano virtuoso to show off their flair as these imaginative and romantic variations unfold.

Howard Shelley’s formidable musical talents will be on display in both these works, and aficionados won’t want to miss Howard’s final Piano Explored lunchtime performance.

 

Piano Explored: Mendelssohn Violin & Piano Concerto in D minor

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Mendelssohn Violin & Piano Concerto in D minor

London Mozart Players
Howard Shelley piano
Simon Blendis violin
Sijie Chen leader

For the penultimate 2021 Piano Explored concert, Howard Shelley will be joined by LMP leader Simon Blendis for a performance of Mendelssohn’s Violin and Piano Concerto in D minor, written when the composer was just fourteen years old. It would be a remarkable work whatever the age of the composer, as the music is simply extraordinary, particularly the sensitivity with which Mendelssohn balances two such different instruments. The relationship between the violin and piano changes constantly throughout the work, sometimes mirroring each other, at other times playing in rhythmic unison, or duetting against an orchestral accompaniment of brilliance and beauty.

The concert includes an illuminating introduction of the piece by Howard Shelley, followed by a full performance of the work where he directs the London Mozart Players from the piano. Whether you are working in London or just visiting, an LMP Piano Explored concert is truly the best way to spend your lunch hour. This beautiful work is not programmed often, so don’t miss the opportunity to hear it performed by these exceptional musicians.

 

Piano Explored: Mozart Piano Concerto in C major, No.25

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Mozart Piano Concerto in C major, No.25, K.503

London Mozart Players
Howard Shelley piano
Simon Blendis leader

LMP’s October Piano Explored concert focuses on a magnificent work that will fully demonstrate Howard Shelley’s lifelong affinity with Mozart. Mozart’s C major piano concerto is the longest and one of the most magisterial of his piano concertos. The grand opening has a rugged strength worthy of Beethoven – certainly Beethoven references this work in his own Fourth Piano Concerto, and the famous motif of his Fifth Symphony can also be heard. The slow movement is lyrical and touching and leads into an animated finale that recalls the gavotte themes from Idomeneo and his Concerto for Flute and Harp. This incredible work was just one of twelve superb concertos Mozart wrote in a three-year period.

Howard will give an insightful introduction to the work, giving the context of its composition as well as an exploration of the many themes and subjects that the concerto embraces. It’s simply the perfect way to spend a lunch hour!

 

Piano Explored: Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor

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Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.16

London Mozart Players
Howard Shelley piano
Ruth Rogers leader

The eighth and final season of Piano Explored opens with a virtuosic work that showcases the consummate musicianship of LMP’s Conductor Laureate Howard Shelley OBE. Before a full performance of Grieg’s beloved Piano Concerto in A Minor, Howard will unravel what makes this exhilarating piece one of today’s most recognised works for piano. Few, if any romantic compositions are as immediately identifiable as the Grieg concerto. The opening timpani roll and massive A minor chords cascading from top to bottom of the keyboard have been featured in countless concerts, films and even comedy sketches (who can forget that Morecambe & Wise classic?). Its relaxed, uncomplicated lyricism shines through in each movement, particularly in the central D flat major romanza, which was perhaps inspired by Grieg’s own romance with his wife Nina.

Howard’s deconstruction of the piece will reveal the influence that Norway’s folk music had on the composer, and may touch on Grieg’s lifelong insecurities, which meant that this, his most famous work, was constantly being revised. The last of these revisions was completed in the final year of Grieg’s life – all the right notes, in the right order.

Spotlight On… 3 concert package

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The 3-concert package is no longer available.

Please note our ‘Spotlight On…’ videos are only available for 30 days from date of initial broadcast. Once you have purchased your package, click the link below to watch the film.

WATCH – Spotlight On … Isata: No longer available
WATCH – Spotlight On … Jess: available from Wednesday 15 September at 10am
WATCH – Spotlight On … Leia: available from Tuesday 19 October at 10am

A note on ticket prices:

The 3-concert package is only available while the Isata concert is online (ie until 11:59 BST Saturday 7 August). You only need 1 ticket per concert per household and can pay the Standard £25 package price to access each concert. If you would like to pay a higher amount that equates to your usual ‘live concert hall’ price, and by doing so kindly support the LMP, then choose the £50 ‘Supporter’ or £75 ‘Premium Supporter’ packages. You can also add a donation (which will attract gift aid) during the payment process. Please choose your ticket price in the dropdown menu above before you click the ‘Buy & Watch’ button.

A Musical Getaway at the Grand Hotel Eastbourne

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Programme Wednesday 20 October

Mozart / Wilby Trio in G major K.562e
Beethoven Trio in C minor Op.9 No.3
Dohnanyi Serenade for String Trio

Programme Thursday 21 October

Devienne Bassoon Quartet in G minor No.3, Op.73
Klein String Trio
Beethoven Septet in E flat major, Op.20

Music by Mozart and Beethoven feature alongside some more unusual choices which chamber music enthusiasts will love. In
Wednesday’s concert you’ll hear Mozart’s Trio in G, Philip Wilby’s completion of a fragment of material left by Mozart. There’s also Beethoven’s dark and dramatic Trio in C minor, which perhaps served as inspiration for Dohnányi’s Serenade, written just over a century later and one of the great string trio masterpieces.

Thursday’s concert includes a beautiful and evocative trio composed by Gideon Klein while in Terezín concentration camp, as well as Beethoven’s Septet, which was apparently modelled on Mozart’s D Major Divertimento, and certainly it retains the light-hearted mood of Mozart’s work. The opening piece is Devienne’s Quartet for bassoon, violin, viola and cello which may be new to many, but it is a stunningly beautiful work that demands virtuosity from all the players – something LMP musicians have in abundance!

Regular attendees will be delighted that LMP principal cellist Sebastian Comberti will present a diverting illustrated talk on
Thursday morning – ‘Joining the Dots’ – about the challenges of completing composers’ unfinished works.

Enjoy this wonderful musical getaway along with the Grand Hotel’s first-class accommodation, exceptional dining and great company.

Booking is now open to all by ringing the Grand Hotel direct on 01323 412345.

St. Joseph’s College with the London Mozart Players

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Grieg Holberg Suite, Mvts. 1, 2 & 5
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21, 2nd Mvt.
Johann Strauss Emperor Waltz
Ewald Symphony for Brass (3rd Movement)
Jeremiah Clarke Prince of Denmark’s March (solo trumpet and strings)
Ennio Morricone Gabriel’s Oboe (solo oboe and strings)
Copland Hoedown
Louis Upton Wheeler The Caledonian Canal (Premiere)
Vivaldi Gloria

London Mozart Players
Students from St. Joseph’s College, Reading
Thomas Rotheray piano
Simon Blendis director

St. Joseph’s College are delighted to be hosting a concert with the London Mozart Players, offering students from the school an unparalleled opportunity to perform alongside, and be inspired by, some of the country’s finest musicians. For this performance, LMP will present a selection of well-known orchestral items as well as accompanying the school choir in Vivaldi’s Gloria. The programme will also include Johann Strauss’ Emperor Waltz played by the London Mozart Players alongside the school orchestra and LMP will be accompanying one of the students from the school in Mozart’s Piano concerto No. 21.

Spotlight On… 4-concert package

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The 4-concert package is no longer available. The best value way to watch our Spotlight On… concerts is with our three concert package.

Please note our ‘Spotlight On…’ videos are only available for 30 days from date of initial broadcast. Once you have purchased your package, click the link below to watch the film.

WATCH – Spotlight On … Sheku: No longer available
WATCH – Spotlight On … Isata: No longer available
WATCH – Spotlight On … Jess: available from Wednesday 15 September at 10am
WATCH – Spotlight On … Leia: available from Friday 15 October at 10am

A note on ticket prices:

The 4-concert package (4 concerts for the price of 3) is only available while the Sheku concert is online (ie until 11:59 BST Saturday 24 July). You only need 1 ticket per concert per household and can pay the Standard £30 package price to access each concert. If you would like to pay a higher amount that equates to your usual ‘live concert hall’ price, and by doing so kindly support the LMP, then choose the £60 ‘Supporter’ or £90 ‘Premium Supporter’ packages. You can also add a donation (which will attract gift aid) during the payment process.

Grayshott Concerts: Covid Hero

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Handel Arrival of the Queen of Sheba 
Dvorak Largo from Symphony No.9 “New World” 
Strauss Blue Danube 
Strauss Pizzicato Polka 
Leroy Anderson The Typewriter 
Elgar Salut D’amour for solo violin and orchestra 
Mozart Horn Concerto No.4, last movement 
Pachelbel Canon in D 
Mendelssohn Nocturne from A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream 
Tchaikovsky Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker 
Morricone Gabriel’s Oboe 
Piazzolla Oblivion 
Piazzolla Libertango 
Bach Air on a G string  

London Mozart Players
Simon Blendis director

Grayshott Concerts are organising a free ‘Last Night of the Proms’ concert with a variety of well-known classical pieces for front-line workers who have served the public during lockdown.

Tickets are allocated on first-come-first-serve basis. To apply, fill in the the ticket request form before 10 June 2021.

 

Ports Fest: Reconnecting

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Warlock Capriol Suite for Strings
Hemingway Solo Violin and Orchestra
Coleridge-Taylor (arr. George Morton) Four African Dances
Pande Shahov Hampshire Folksongs
Richard Brown Pageant of the Sea
Wood Fantasia on British Sea Songs

London Mozart Players
Students from Portsmouth Grammar School
Gareth Hemmings conductor
George Morton conductor – Coleridge-Taylor only
Ruth Rogers leader

Students from Portsmouth Grammar School play side-by-side with the London Mozart Players in this celebration of Ports Fest’s reconnection with live music.

The programme includes new settings of Hampshire folk songs (performed by local school choirs and the LMP), a British premiere of Richard Brown’s delightful Pageant of the Sea (performed by the LMP and PGS Musicians), a world premiere of a new arrangement of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Four African Folk Songs for violin and orchestra, the ever-popular Capriol Suite by Warlock, a brand new work for violin and orchestra by 6th Form composer Sam Hemingway, and Henry Wood’s rousing Fantasia on British Sea Shanties.

Highgate Festival: Souvenir de Florence

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Mozart Divertimento in D K.136 for string quartet
Tchaikovsky ‘Souvenir de Florence’ for string sextet

Simon Blendis violin
Harriet Haynes violin
Matthew Jones viola
Agnieszka Zyniewicz viola
Sebastian Comberti cello
Leo Popplewell cello

LMP principals join forces with outstanding recent graduates from the Guildhall School of Music to perform Tchaikovsky’s dazzling masterpiece ‘Souvenir de Florence’, alongside Mozart’s youthful and sparkling Divertimento in D. The concert will take place in the remarkable setting of Omved Gardens in this year’s Highgate Festival.

This year the Festival gives a special platform to the ‘lost generation’ of young artists, those who were starting their careers as the Coronavirus pandemic struck. Here three superb young musicians will play side-by-side with LMP principals in what promises to be a moving and powerful concert in the hidden oasis of Omved gardens, nestled in the heart of London’s Highgate Village.

Pre-concert event
Entry to the gardens for the evening concert is from 6.45pm with music from Royal College of Music students Lily Harwood (violin) and Rosie Rowe (viola) who will be playing a variety of violin and viola duets. The main concert begins at 7.45pm for one hour.

This project has been generously supported by Felix Appelbe and The Contributive Society.

Cambridge Music Festival with Sheku Kanneh-Mason

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Mendelssohn The Hebrides ‘Fingal’s Cave’, Op.26
Dvořák Cello Concerto in B minor, Op.104

London Mozart Players
Sheku Kanneh-Mason cello
Jaime Martín conductor
Ruth Rogers leader

Dvořák wrote some of his best-loved music in the USA such as the ‘New World’ Symphony, the ‘American’ string quartet and the Cello Concerto. Composed in New York in 1894-95, the concerto is expansive and lyrical yet tinged with sadness. When his sister-in-law and former love, Josefina, fell seriously ill in 1894, Dvořák quoted her favourite of his songs in the slow movement. When she died the following year, he amended the jaunty finale to include a long contemplative coda, in her memory. The result is arguably the greatest and most popular of all cello concertos.

Winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2016, Sheku Kanneh-Mason came to worldwide attention when he performed at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in 2018.

‘Technically superb and eloquent … he held the capacity audience spellbound.’

THE GUARDIAN on Sheku Kanneh-Mason

 

 

Dirty Beasts & The Three Little Pigs

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Roald Dahl & Martin Butler Dirty Beasts
Roald Dahl & Paul Patterson The Three Little Pigs

London Mozart Players
Polly Ives narrator
Rosie Brooks artist

Music, art and hilarious stories combine in a concert that’s perfect for the whole family.

A ‘big and wonderfully clever pig’, a ‘Tummy Beast’ that lives inside the stomach of a boy, telling him to eat sweets, and a crocodile who eats three boys and three girls every Saturday, are among the characters of  Dirty Beasts, Roald Dahl’s collection of comic and absurd poems. These gruesome and hilarious stories have been set to colourful music by Martin Butler, and LMP and narrator Polly Ives will bring them to life alongside Dahl’s subversive take on The Three Little Pigs with music by Paul Patterson. Hilarious happenings follow the little piggies as they build their houses, with some outrageously comic twists to the familiar story. Paul Patterson’s sprightly and exuberant score has plenty of musical allusions to keep the grown-ups entertained too. You can be sure that Polly Ives will deliver the necessary huffing and puffing!

Artist Rosie Brooks will also be on hand to illustrate the concert in real time, drawing the characters as the musicians play the music, with her easel projected behind the players so you can see the painting develop. This really is a concert for all the senses!

LMP’s family concerts always sell out, so do book early.

 

 

JAM on the Marsh

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Elgar Serenade for Strings, Op.20
Peter Aviss The Seafarer
Britten Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, Op.31
Cecilia McDowall Off the Ground (New Commission) 

London Mozart Players
Michael Bawtree conductor
James Gilchrist tenor
Ben Goldscheider horn
Simon Blendis leader

The London Mozart Players return to JAM on the Marsh together with James Gilchrist (tenor), Ben Goldscheider (horn) and Michael Bawtree (conductor) to perform works by Elgar and Britten as well as a new commission by British Composer Cecilia McDowall.

SOLD OUT – Wandsworth Arts Fringe: Family Fun – Little Red Riding Hood & Ferdinand the Bull

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THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT! NO TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE DOOR.

Roald Dahl & Paul Patterson Little Red Riding Hood
Alan Ridout Ferdinand the Bull

London Mozart Players
Ruth Rogers director
Polly Ives narrator (Little Red Riding Hood)
Ruth Rogers and her son Alexander narrators (Ferdinand the Bull)

LMP is delighted to be part of the Wandsworth Arts Fringe, with concerts for all the family in one day, at St Mary’s Putney.

Taken from Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes, ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ is ideal for the under-10s, but is also a sharply funny and inspiring treat for adults. It’s half an hour of pure magic that never fails to entertain. ‘Ferdinand the Bull’ is a charming story of a bull with a big heart who would rather ‘sit quietly out under the tree’ and smell flowers, than fight in bull fighting arenas.

Entertaining, engaging and full of fun, this will be a wonderful way to introduce budding musicians to the instruments of the orchestra.

 

 

Wandsworth Arts Fringe: Strictly Tango! The Music of Astor Piazzolla

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We have a limited allocation of tickets – if this is showing ‘sold out’ please try the Wandsworth Arts fringe for tickets, click HERE to go to their website.

 

Piazzolla Four Seasons of Buenos Aires
Piazzolla Oblivion
Piazzolla Libertango
Piazzolla Grand Tango
Bartok Romanian Dances
Tchaikovsky Waltz from Serenade
Brahms Hungarian Dance No.5
Copland Hoedown

London Mozart Players
Ruth Rogers violin
Sebastian Comberti cello

LMP is delighted to be part of the Wandsworth Arts Fringe, with concerts for all the family in one day, at St Mary’s Church, Putney.

After our children’s concerts at lunchtime, now something for the grown ups! Let the London Mozart Players transport you to the sweltering squares of Buenos Aires as they mark the centenary of Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla with a sultry, slinky and seductive set of works that will raise all our temperatures!

Piazzolla revitalised the music of his homeland, particularly music inspired by the tango. Passionate, tense and driven by an endless supply of rhythmic energy, his spinetingling compositions translate the aching soul into music. The four movements of his ‘Four Seasons of Buenos Aires’, inspired by Vivaldi’s famous take on the seasons, appear at intervals through the concert, interspersed with other dance-inspired works by Bartok, Tchaikovsky, Brahms and Copland. The explosive ‘Oblivion’, ‘Libertango’ and ‘Grand Tango’ will have you reaching for your dancing shoes, or your glass of Malbec!

Summer String Serenade

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Britten Simple Symphony
Ireland Downland Suite
Finzi Eclogue
Holst St. Paul’s Suite
Elgar Serenade for Strings 

No interval

London Mozart Players
Mark Bebbington piano
Simon Blendis director

The opening concert of the third Summer Music in City Churches is a glorious programme of British music for strings. Celebrating the longed-for return of live music and the re-opening of churches, the festival’s theme is SUNSHINE AFTER RAIN: concerts filled with joyful, optimistic music to lift the spirits, with interludes for reflection too. Summer String Serenade sets the scene perfectly, with lively, evocative music rooted firmly in English folksong and countryside, and characterised by masterful orchestration. An abundance of timeless, bucolic sunniness characterises both Holst’s St Paul’s Suite and Ireland’s Downland Suite; between them the London Mozart Players are joined by pianist Mark Bebbington for Finzi’s Eclogue: ‘a rapt but not untroubled meditation’ (in the words of the composer’s biographer) in which the summery, pastoral scene is permeated with aching nostalgia and bittersweet tenderness. The programme opens with Britten’s exuberantly witty and youthful Simple Symphony and culminates with another early masterpiece: Elgar’s evergreen and much-loved Serenade for Strings. It all takes place in the historic church of St Giles-without-Cripplegate in the heart of the Barbican. 

Seaford Music Society

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Mozart Oboe Quartet in F Major for Oboe and Strings K370 K368b
Britten Phantasy Quartet for Oboe and String Trio Op.2
Beethoven Variations from The Magic Flute WoO46
Beethoven Eyeglass Duo WoO32

London Mozart Players Chamber Ensemble

The London Mozart Players Chamber Ensemble returns to Seaford, this time as an Oboe Quartet, to play Mozart’s Oboe Quartet in F Major for Oboe and Strings, K370, K368b, Britten’s Phantasy Quartet for Oboe and String Trio, Opus 2, Beethoven’s Variations from The Magic Flute, WoO46 and his Eyeglass Duo, WoO32.