Via Alex Ross’ The Rest is Noise, an obituary by The Rambler‘s Tim Rutherford-Jones for Henryk Gorecki, who has died at the age of seventy-six.
Gorecki will perhaps be best remembered as the composer of the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs which leapt to fame in a recording by the London Sinfonietta and the soprano Dawn Upshaw, which is how I first came across it.
His choral piece Totus tuus probably comes a close second.
Continuing the series profiling musical alumni of the University of Kent. This week, Christiane Litman.
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When were you at Kent ?
From Sept 2002 – July 2005
What subject did you study ?
BA (Hons) in English Culture and Language/ Comparative Literature.
What occupation are you now engaged in ?
Primary School Teacher (I was music coordinator in my previous school)
If music is not your profession, do you participate in any musical experiences now ?
Yes, I sing in a church choir, a university chorus (Glyndwr in Wrexham, North Wales) and a professional chamber choir called Voices of the North. I also play the viola in the Chester Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition, I help run the junior choristers in my church.
How were you involved in music whilst at Kent ?
I played the viola in the Orchestra, as well as in the Camerata during my degree. During my first year I was also part of a student-run string quartet.
What did you gain from your University music experience, and has this helped you in any way since leaving Kent ?
It gave me a circle of friends which was unrelated to just my degree studies. Through my involvement in music I also met my husband in Canterbury during my first year. Having played in the orchestra, following my degree I joined the Maidstone Symphony Orchestra for a while and then rejoined the university orchestra for a couple of concerts before relocating to North Wales.
What was your most memorable musical experience at Kent ?
Playing the children’s concerts with the Camerata- always great fun and the children’s faces when they came to “try out” at the end are unforgettable. Particularly their confusion when I explained that my instrument was not a violin!
What would you say to current musical students at the University ?
Have fun! And if you get the chance, also get involved in music outside of uni. There’s lots going on in Canterbury and the more you can do, the wider your experience is going to be.
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If you’re an alumnus and would like to be featured, get in touch via the Music Department website: we’d love to hear from you!
John Adams’ miniature piece of mesmerising Minimalism China Gates was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 this morning: if you’ve not heard this little gem before, click here to open iPlayer and move the transport bar across to 2.40.54 for a brief moment of tranquility in your life.
The Music Department is once again girding itself to participate in this year’s ‘Children in Need’ appeal, in an event which takes place on Thursday 18 November in Eliot Hall at 1.10pm.
This year, we’ll be singing ‘O Fortuna,’ the rousing introduction to Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana which is the theme to the X-Factor or, depending on your generation, the music to the ‘Old Spice’ television advert!
With two pianos and percussion, plus a rousing choir, it’ll be an event to remember! You don’t even have to be able to sing – just bring your enthusiasm (and a donation!) to help raise money for a great cause.
You can sign up to the Facebook Event page here.
Come along and get involved!
I’m pleased to say that a review penned by yours truly of Monday’s lunchtime concert by the Eden-Stell Guitar Duo has been published by Bachtrack, the on-line concerts listings website.
As reported in The Telegraph last week, a report by Labour into the cuts announced by George Osborne shows that funding cuts are set to hit major universities and Higher Edcuation institutions, in particular those offering only courses in the arts.
In a list that makes grim reading, universities such as Leeds, Manchester and Nottingham Trent are set to suffer massive cuts in public funding, whilst the Royal College of Music, the Royal College of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music, Leeds College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama will receive no public funding at all. Even the hallow’d institutions of Oxford and Cambridge will be hit.
Taking into account the proposed scrapping of caps on tuition fees, what this means overall for the nurturing of the country’s artistic future is uncomfortable to consider…
An occasional series featuring guest articles. This week, third-year Mathematics student and guitar Scholar Andrew Kitchin reviews the Eden-Stell lunchtime concert.
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A certain degree of suspense was created by the dimly-lit stage as the concert began, which displayed nothing but two empty chairs and a footst00l. The two performers didn’t disappoint, providing the attentive audience with a varied repertoire ranging from Bach to Rodrigo.
From the outset, the virtuosity of the Mark Eden and Christopher Stell was clear, highlighted by the hauntingly clear trills in Bach’s arrangement of Marcello’s Oboe Concerto, arranged for two guitars by Christopher Stell, and the subtle vibrato displayed in Timothy Bowers’ Fantasy on an Old English Melody.
Between performances, the duo contextualised the repertoire with informative and witty comments, alluding to the history and meaning of the pieces they clearly loved to play.
They also performed two pieces by Mompou, arranged this time by Mark Eden.
The stand-out piece of the concert was the pair’s performance of Rodrigo’s Tonadilla. This devilish dance encapsulates everything that is special about the Spanish guitar repertoire. Swirling runs, aggressive rasgueado strumming and delicate folk melodies, all of which the pair executed magnificently, bringing the performance to a rapturous end.
The concert was a brief, warm, Catalan reprise, from an otherwise wet and windy November day.
The Music Society is preparing to host its first-ever Music Society Showcase and social on Saturday November 20th.
A packed programme includes the University’s Concert and Big Bands, Chamber Choir, Sing!, appearances from Jazz @ 5 stars, and more. The event will be opened by Play It By Ear, the dazzling improvised comedy troupe.
With tickets for the occasion a mere £4 or £1 for standing balcony tickets, plus Mungo’s open for the evening, it promises to be a night of diverse entertainment, with more music for your moolah than you thought possible.
Doors open at 6pm, and the fun starts at 6.45pm.
Tickets on sale now from the Music Society or the Mandela Building: get yours while you can!