Category Archives: Notes on Music

The philosophy of music: or the music of philosophy ?

Interpretative genius: Rachel Podger at the Colyer-Fergusson Hall next week

February 13, 2014 Daniel Harding Leave a comment

Rachel Podger, a leading exponent in the field of period performance, will be appearing at the Colyer-Fergusson Hall next week, in a programme of music for solo violin.

Former leader of The English Concert from 1997 to 2002 and a guest director with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, as well as establishing the Brecon Baroque Festival, Rachel is an inspirational performing musician. The concert on Friday 21 February includes Bach’s Flute Partita in A minor, transposed for violin, and Biber’s ‘Guardian Angel,’ the final work from his Mystery Sonatas.

Here’s Rachel at the BBC Proms back in 2007, in the exquisite second movement of Bach’s Double Violin Concerto in D minor, playing with Andrew Manze.

More details on our What’s On page here.

Jazz Booth, Notes on Music

Speake freely: Martin Speake Trio to come to the Lunchtime Concert series

January 30, 2014 Daniel Harding Leave a comment

As regular readers of this blog will know (well, maybe both of them will…), I’m a fan of British saxophonist Martin Speake, having written about him here and here when his playing has been broadcast on Radio 3; and I am Very Excited to announce that the Martin Speake trio will be coming to the Colyer-Fergusson Hall in March.

Speake has been a vital part of the British jazz scene ever since bursting onto the musical map as founder-member of the ground-breaking, ofttimes blistering sax quartet Itchy Fingers during the 1980s, a period which witnessed something of an explosion with groups like The Jazz Warriors and Loose Tubes and the arrival of Courtney Pine, Cleveland Watkiss, Django Bates and Andy Sheppard. A fertile period for British jazz, which had rather languished in the doldrums during the 1970s, and a time when that giant of British pianists, Keith Tippett, said he had to pick potatoes in order to make a living.

Emerging as part of this renaissance of British jazz, Speake forged a path which later saw the creation of the Martin Speake Group, with the album ‘Change of Heart’ released on that bastion of jazz record labels, ECM, in 2006, on which Speake partners the great pianist Bobo Stenson, bassist Mick Hutton and drummer Paul Motian. Active as a performer, he also teaches at Trinity Laban and the Royal Academy of Music.

https://soundcloud.com/martin-speake/09-when-your-lover-has-gone

Speake’s playing is at once effortlessly lyrical and restlessly, dextrously inventive, and is wholly accessible without being predictable or trite; it’s always subtle, assured and with a deft ear for melodic line. I’m ecstatic that the trio is bringing its current UK tour to the campus. Catch them live in the concert-hall on Wednesday 2 April at 1.10pm; admission is free. This is one gig you definitely won’t want to miss…

Sponsors of the Lunchtime Concert series

Notes on Music

Sweet Charity comes to town this weekend

January 21, 2014 Daniel Harding Leave a comment

The University Musical Theatre Society raises the curtain to the term this weekend, with performances of the ever-popular Sweet Charity at the Marlowe Studio Theatre, in Canterbury.

Performances are this Friday 24th January, 8pm, and a matinee and evening performance on Saturday 25th January at 2pm & 8pm. Tickets are £10 (concessions £9), and Discovery Tickets £8 (16-26 or Full-Time Student), so you don’t have to be a Big Spender to see it…

To whet your appetite, here’s the Society’s trailer…

Book tickets online here, and see the Society’s event page on Facebook here. It promises to be quite an occasion…

Follow the Music Theatre Society on Twitter.

Notes on Music

This year’s love: new brochure now online

January 20, 2014 Daniel Harding Leave a comment

A dizzying profusion of events is unleashed over the coming months, as you can now see from our online events calendar.

CF_Cathedral_2014 The free Lunchtime Concert series includes a visit from British saxophonist Martin Speake, who brings his trio as part of his current UK tour, and from acclaimed sitar-player, Jonathan Mayer. There’s the annual Colyer-Fergusson Cathedral Concert with the University Chorus and Orchestra, this year commemorating the First World War with music by Elgar and Vaughan Williams, and the Chamber Choir returns to the Cathedral Crypt to sing a programme including Palestrina, Brahms, Whitacre and Paul Patterson.

Conductor Ian Swatman leads the Concert and Big Bands at the end of February in Ravel and Earth, Wind and Fire, and later teams up with the Big Band from St Edmund’s School in a charity gig in aid of the Pilgrim’s Hospice. There’s music down the hill, too, as the Lost Consort explores the music of Hildegard von Bingen in the Roman Undercroft of St Thomas’ Hospital, and the Chamber & Cecilian Choirs at St Peter’s Methodist with music by Hassler, Maskats and Chilcott.

Visitors to the concert-hall include Rachel Podger, who brings a recital of works for solo baroque violin, and later in May there’s a recital from pianist Malcolm Binns.

Plenty to enjoy over the coming months; see the calendar online here, or download the brochure (PDF) here. Meanwhile, the Lunchtime Concert series begins on Weds February 12 with music for two-pianos and four-hands by Poulenc, Ravel and Gavin Bryars with pianists Matthew King and your loyal correspondent, who is now off to practice…

Sponsors of the Lunchtime Concert series

Notes on Music

Around the blogs this week

December 13, 2013 Daniel Harding Leave a comment

Over on the choral blog, Cantus Firmus, there’s a look back at the University Carol Service that took place on Monday night at Canterbury Cathedral, at which the University Chamber performed, processed, and managed not to set light to anything flammable…

There’s also a look at some of the contemporary repertoire facing the University Cecilian Choir, ahead of its concert next term.

And in case you missed it, conductor of the University Big Band, Ian Swatman, ponders the inevitability of next week’s Swing-along-a-Santa over on On The Beat.

Meanwhile, we’re all preparing for tomorrow night’s concert with the University Chorus and Symphony Orchestra in the usual end-of-term extravaganza. See you on Monday…

Notes on Music

Britten, Brodskys and Bethlehem Down: music this week

November 26, 2013 Daniel Harding Leave a comment

A busy week this week for the department.

Wednesday’s lunchtime concert sees the continuing #Britten100 celebrations from the award-winning Kent College Choristers, as they bring his Friday Afternoons for voices and piano to the Colyer-Fergusson Hall at 1.10pm.

Then, on Friday evening at 7.45pm, the Colyer-Fergusson Hall hosts a return visit from the Brodsky Quartet with its contribution to our tripartite centenary observance with music by Britten, Verdi and Wagner; there’s also music by Frank Bridge, Britten’s teacher, on the programme.

Finally, also on Friday evening, the University Chamber Choir will be marking the beginning of the Advent season with a sequence of carols and readings at the Church of St Damian and St Cosmus, Blean, in what seems to be becoming an annual tradition! Woven around the great Advent antiphons is a collection of carols old and new, poems and prose exploring the meaning of the Advent season.

Plenty to celebrate this week. More details on our online events diary here.

Building for the future, Notes on Music

Music building wins Wood Award

November 20, 2013 Daniel Harding Leave a comment

We’re delighted to announce that the Colyer-Fergusson Building was a winner at yesterday’s Wood Awards.

Wood you believe it... — Wood you believe it…Image: Tim Ronalds Architects

The building won the “Commercial and Public Access” category at the Wood Awards yesterday evening, for its deployment of wood in construction, particularly the use of Douglas Fir. As Tim Ronalds Architects, designers of the building, state:

The walls and ceiling are completely lined in Douglas Fir Plywood, supported on a steel frame, and braced with solid Douglas Fir rails which stiffen the linings to avoid any unwanted resonance at musical frequencies, and provide acoustic diffusion. The acoustics can be modulated to suit music-making of all kinds with curtains that transform the interior into a soft, fabric-lined space, and retract behind the timber wall linings when not in use.

The design provides an unusual degree of flexibility for a hall with world-class acoustics…The retractable seating is finished with Douglas Fir fascias, continuing the material and rhythm of the hall lining panels.

Read more about the building on the Wood Award website here.

Notes on Music

Scholars learn from the great Dame

November 13, 2013 Daniel Harding 2 Comments

Several of the University’s singing Music Scholars had the opportunity to learn from one of the country’s leading singers last week, in a masterclass with Dame Anne Evans.

Dame Anne put several singers through their paces, in arias by Mozart and Handel and a piece by Cole Porter, sharing tricks of the trade in front of the audience in the Colyer-Fergusson Hall; as she said, later that evening when appearing In Conversation, ”If you can sing Mozart, you can sing anything.”

Later on, she talked about her career on the national and international stage, looking in particular at her performances at Bayreuth under the baton of Daniel Barenboim, taking the audience from her first professional engagements through the various stages of her career, accompanied by some extremely rare recordings and footage of her in the role of Brunnhilde in scenes from Götterdämmerung.

When asked what her secret was to preparing herself before performances of the epic Wagnerian role, she answered candidly: ”A large bowl of pasta two hours before the performance, and bananas in the interval.” Asked about advice for young singers starting out: ”Start with Mozart,” and ”In auditions, always sing pieces that you are really comfortable with.”

Performers, in order: Kathryn Cox, Philippa Hardimann, Olivia Potter, Vicky Newell, Paris Noble, Marina Ivanova and Steph Richardson, accompanied by Deputy Director of Music, Dan Harding: