It’s been a busy week with All Things Choral – the University Chorus continues its exploration of Orff and Handel, the Chamber Choir engages with Tavener and Finzi, and the first rehearsal for this year’s Cecilian Choir sees them getting to grips with Britten’s Ceremony of Carols.
And cake and biscuits…
Confused ? Check out all that’s been happening on the choral blog, Cantus Firmus, where you can listen to some of the pieces and see photos of cake. And biscuits too…
We’re still reeling from a perfectly-polished recital from the young players from the RAM who make up Total Brass at lunchtime.
Fiercely sodden weather conditions did not dissuade the public from gathering at the Gulbenkian Theatre this lunchtime to hear the new concert series launched in fine style, with some scintillating playing from a group clearly at the top of their game. A diverse programme, thoughtfully put together, took us from a lively arrangement of Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm to Anthony Plog’s Four Sketches, and some deft syncopation and seamless ensemble work in Crespo’s challenging Suite Americana. The players delivered a finely-crafted programme with real flair, including some fierce trumpet-duelling in the Crespo, lyrical melodic playing from the trombone, and punchy off-beat ducking and diving from the group as a whole that was both assured and dynamic.
Bravo to the group; this year’s series has been launched with terrific verve. We hope you canoe back up to London safely…
The wonderfully eclectic mix of music, drama, dance, art, comedy, lectures and more that is the Canterbury Festival swings into acton this Saturday, offering two weeks of artistic celebration at the heart of the city and beyond.
Highlights of this year’s festival include:
Local star of the international piano world, Freddy Kempf, will be performing Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto, which (in my humble opinion) is an even greater work than its more celebrated cousin, the second piano concerto; accompanied by the St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, the concert at the Marlowe Theatre opens this year’s festival this Saturday.
Contemporary music-lovers can look forward to the world première of When The Flame Dies by Ed Hughes at St Augustine Hall on Wednesday 17 October, in association with Sounds New.
Soloists from the Philharmonia bring Stravinsky’s spirited The Soldier’s Tale to St Gregory’s Centre on Sunday 21st October.
The legendary Van Morrison will be at the Marlowe on two nights, Tuesday 23rd / Wednesday 24th.
Stand-up comedy from Jo Caulfield, Sean Hughes and Mark Thomas will fill the Gulbenkian Theatre with laughter on various dates, whilst Marcus Brigstocke visits Shirley Hall at the King’s School.
Family events include the opening Festival Parade through the city streets this Saturday including carnival bands and a Chinese Dragon, and several family shows at the Gulbenkian each weekend.
Find out more on the festival website here.
Here we are again at the #kentopenday, the October session for those who missed the mid-week one last month. As usual, we’re ready at the ‘Making Music’ stand (once again in Eliot College Hall), to let visitors know about all the music-making activities taking place at Kent this year.
Follow us on the blog and on Twitter as we progress through the day.
(And in a novel twist, this time we’re running an informal competition with Hannah over on the stand for the School of SSPSSR for the Visitor from the Farthest-Flung Corner title: see who wins at the end of the day!)
11am: fourteen visitors to the stand so far; and the VfF-FC competition is currently being held by a lady from, well, California, although she is currently living in Brighton – we’re hoping Hannah in SSPSSR will allow us that one ?!
12pm: midway through the day, about twenty visitors thus far; no-one challenging the California-Brighton trophy, though… Lots of interest from people interested in studying Law and Architecture…
2pm:: into the final hour, visitors still trickling in over lunchtime. Bad news on the VfF-FC competition; I understand SSPSSR have had someone from Perth, Western Australia visit them; may have lost the award this time around, will have to consult GoogleMaps to ascertain distances…
3pm: and that’s it for the day! Over forty visitors came to see us: safe travelling home to all. I’m off to consult a variety of maps to find out if we were pipped to the post by someone visiting SSPSSR from Australia…
With rehearsals for the University Concert Band and Big Band having begun last Wednesday, and those for the Symphony Orchestra last Thursday, it’s all choral this week – the University Chorus starts rehearsing this evening, and the Chamber Choir tomorrow night, whilst Sing! starts rehearsing this Thursday.
Tonight, we’ll be getting to grips with Handel’s Coronation Anthem The King Shall Rejoice and Orff’s riotous Carmina Burana with the Chorus – both pieces will feature in the Grand Gala concert which will officially launch the new music building at the inaugural concert in December (details online here).
7.30pm this evening, Grimond Lecture Theatre II; open to staff and students of the University without audition, and auditioned external members as usual – see you then!
And to whet your appetites, here’s Seiji Ozawa and the Berlin Philharmonic in a performance from 1989…
N.B. For those interested in Sing! – it starts on Thursday, Rutherford Music Room, 6pm. Be there…