Music at Lunchtime
|
THURSDAY 5th JANUARY, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. The acclaimed Oxfordshire trio, MUSICAL BANQUET (Adrian Boorman, countertenor; Tricia McLaughlin, viola da gamba, treble viol, baroque guitar; Malcolm Pearce, keyboard) are making an eagerly anticipated first visit to St Mary’s, and will be performing an entertainment of vocal and instrumental music by early English and European composers, interspersed with contemporary anecdotes. With plenty of surprises along the way, the concert will be presented in the group’s characteristically innovative and imaginative style, and the menu includes musical ‘nibbles’ from north of the border, showcasing some of the Scots songs of Robert Burns. Come along and experience for yourselves this ‘Feast for the Ears’. You will also receive a free colour-printed programme. More information can be found on their website: www.musicalbanquet.co.uk
THURSDAY 12th JANUARY, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. An enjoyable mixed programme (Bach to Piazzolla) by two first-rate musicians, flautist LUCY DRIVER and the Spanish guitarist MARIA CAMAHORT. As a duo they have performed in the Wigmore Hall, St Johns Smith Square, Cadogan Hall, St Martin-in-the Fields… Should be pretty good, we think! www.lucydriver.com, www.mariacamahort.com
THURSDAY 19th JANUARY, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. Regulars who heard the WOLFE STRING TRIO play the big Mozart E flat Divertimento in October last year will need no urging to come along for their second visit. Edward McCullagh, violin, Alison d’Souza, viola and Raphael Lang, cello, will play Beethoven’s idiosyncratically entertaining Serenade Opus 8. They will then be joined by Alex Wilson, who has recently made his debuts in the Wigmore and Cadogan Halls, in Fauré’s G minor Piano Quartet, full of controlled passion.
THURSDAY 26th JANUARY, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. ATSUKO KAWAKAMI, a Japanese pianist based in London is visiting us for the first time, with a Mozart Sonata (E flat, K282), atmospheric short pieces by Scriabin and one of the high-water marks of late Romantic piano music, Franck’s Prelude, Chorale and Fugue.
THURSDAY 2nd FEBRUARY, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. The prize winning Russian-born pianist ELENA KISELEVA offers a most demanding recital which consists of two exceptional works, Beethoven’s sublime last Piano Sonata, in C minor Opus 111, and Prokofiev’s Seventh Sonata, with its (in)famous ‘precipitous’ finale. This concert is not very long, but massive in substance! And, as Elena admits, ‘exhausting’ for her!
THURSDAY 9th FEBRUARY, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. Superb Russian-born cellist (a graduate of the famous Gnessin School in Moscow, but living and studying in London since 2003), LIUBOV ULYBYSHEVA, teams up with JOHN PAUL EKINS, regarded as one of the best of young British pianists, with already an impressive national and international schedule. Liubov is going to play solo Bach and Penderecki, and then join with John Paul in two Sonatas, the passionate and melodic A minor of Grieg, and Debussy’s quirky, groundbreaking little masterpiece; 2012 is the 150th anniversary of his birth.
THURSDAY 16th FEBRUARY, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. We are delighted to welcome LAURA SNOWDEN, a most versatile and much praised guitarist who has already performed at the Wigmore and Cadogan Halls. She is going to play Britten’s atmospheric Nocturne, composed for Julian Bream, pieces by the Brazilian Villa-Lobos and some other items as well.
THURSDAY 23rd FEBRUARY, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. The return of the fine GAGLIANO ENSEMBLE (Petr Limonov, piano, Galya Bisengalieva, violin, Robert Ames, viola, Colin Alexander, cello), so regulars will know we are in for some superb musicianship, also at their evening concert on 31st March. On their lunchtime programme are the delectable Trio Movement by Schubert, piano music by Bach (and Petr is some pianist!), and the great Mozart Piano Quintet in G minor, one of the peaks of his chamber music.
THURSDAY 1st MARCH, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. Another outstanding young chamber ensemble making considerable headway, and about to make their first CD: MUSE PIANO QUINTET (Yulia Vorontsova, piano, Ilya Movchan, Ksenia Berezina, violins, Ilona Bondar, viola, Jordan Gregoris, cello). Their programme will include the Piano Quintet of Shostakovich. Another major quintet (and quite a long programme) is likely – please check.
THURSDAY 8th MARCH, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. A recital by the Singaporean pianist ABIGAIL SIN, a Young Steinway Artist who has appeared in concert halls across the globe, from the USA to SE Asia. Check for full programme.
THURSDAY 15th MARCH, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. London-based DUOPHONIA consists of Russian cellist LIUBOV ULYBYSHEVA (see 9th February) and Swedish guitarist MARTIN FOGEL, whose name may be familiar to those who follow the classical guitar scene (see www.martinfogel.com). Since forming in 2009 they have toured extensively, their sold-out performances in Sweden last summer being described in the press as ‘a musical experience of the first kind… absolutely top class’. Their programme is intended to bring out the romantic and lyrical qualities of the instruments. The centrepiece is Schubert’s famous Arpeggione Sonata, in a special arrangement (the original instrument was a cross between guitar and cello!). We also have music by Granados, de Falla, Barrios and Piazzolla. This should be a remarkable concert, and will last about 75 minutes.
THURSDAY 22nd MARCH, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. We welcome the PACIFIC TRIO (Selena Tsz-Wing Choi, violin, Adrian Poon, clarinet, and Maria Immaculata Setiadi, piano: Selena and Adrian from Hong Kong, Maria from Indonesia), formed in 2010 by postgraduate students at the Royal College of Music. Their hugely enjoyable programme consists of Khachaturian’s folksy Trio, the Suite from Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale, Milhauds’s witty Suite and Bartók’s scintillating Contrasts, written for Benny Goodman. Likely to go a little over the hour.
THURSDAY 29th MARCH, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. KARIS STRETTON is an important pianist in the new music/experimental arena. However, she is bringing entirely approachable music today in a recital called images, memories: reflections in sound. ‘Some pieces relate to or were inspired by visual art, such as Messiaen’s Première communion de la Vierge, others reflect upon memories, including Beach, one of David Lang’s Memory Pieces, and some evoke particular settings, like Frederic Rzewski’s Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues.’ Karis ends her concert with Debussy’s Estampes, inspired by Japanese prints, and a nod at the 150th anniversary of his birth. www.karisstretton.com
THURSDAY 5th APRIL, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. LUCY WILLIAMS, mezzo-soprano, ADRIAN BOORMAN, counter-tenor and JON FRENCH, piano, feature in a special Maundy Thursday concert. The main work will be the beautiful setting of the Stabat Mater by Pergolesi.
THURSDAY 12th APRIL, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. Pianist KANAE FUROMOTO has been returning to St Mary’s for years as the most welcome of guests. Her recital will include Beethoven’s penultimate Sonata, the A flat major Opus 110, and Martinů’s Butterflies and Birds.
THURSDAY 19th APRIL, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. MANSOON BOW, violin, SAM LIU, piano. A wonderful duo, very keen on out of the way repertory. Weber and Schubert are likely, but check later for details.
THURSDAY 26th APRIL, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. PAULA MARTINEZ, violin
THURSDAY, 3rd MAY, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. We welcome the VENTI WIND QUINTET (Joshua Batty, flute, Chloë Greenwood, oboe, Alex Hamilton, horn, Natalie Watson, bassoon, Oliver Janes, clarinet), a young group based at the Royal Academy of Music, including two players who were category finalists in the BBC young musician of the Year in 2010. they have a terrific programme for us; two gems of the French repertoire, the Three Short Pieces of Jacques Ibert, the sparkling Quintet by Jean Françaix, and a masterpiece of the genre, the Quintet by Nielsen, which is really a musical portrait of his friends of the Copenhagen Wind Quintet.
THURSDAY 10th MAY, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. A recital by the exceptionally versatile and enterprising soprano SARAH JENKS, with JAMES SHERLOCK, piano. She is devising a programme for us called Songs of War and Peace, which will include the to-the-mark War Scenes by Ned Rorem, the leading American song composer: it seems Sarah is the first woman performer brave enough to tackle this cycle.
THURSDAY 17th MAY, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. GAMAL KHAMIS. A young London-born pianist who is making quite a name for himself on the solo and concerto circuit. Check later for details.
THURSDAY 24th MAY, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury, Admission £3.00, 18u free. FELICITY VINCENT, cello. Check later.
THURSDAY 31st MAY, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. IANTHE ENSEMBLE. Another new ensemble visiting us: Kate Cole, violin, Phillippa Slack, horn, Maria Canyigueral. piano. They will definitely be playing Brahms’ exhilarating Horn Trio, and maybe another full-length trio besides. Check later.
THURSDAY 7th JUNE, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. MIREI TSUJI, piano. Check later. www.mireitsuji.net www.mireitsuji.com (under construction early 2012)
THURSDAY 14th JUNE, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. REBECCA CHALMERS, flute. Check later.
THURSDAY 21st JUNE, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury, Admission £3.00, 18u free. Our most ambitious concert so far, as we are hosting the contemporary music ensemble, the augmented DR K SEXTET (David Howarth, horn, Nicky Crow, flute, Kymia Kermani, clarinet, Kaya Kuwabara, violin, Richard Philips, cello, Alex Wilson, piano, Gerard Rundell, percussion), formed at the Royal College of Music in 2009 expressly to work with young composers. Kymia Kermani will be the soloist in a clarinet concerto, Schattenwanderer, by Stephen Daverson, first performed in June 2011, and the ensemble will also play a new piece commissioned by them from the German composer Arne Gieshoff (to be premiered in March). Kymia, Stefano Cuzzella, cello, and Alex Wilson will then perform the completely contrasting and very striking late Romantic Clarinet Trio by Alexander Zemlinsky, so there’s something for all! – not to mention an arrangement of Ravel’s Tombeau de Couperin by the group’s percussionist! A landmark event.
THURSDAY 28th June, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. TIMOTHY PEAKE, piano. One of our regular visitors, Timothy is at home in the ‘classics’ as well as more exotic repertoire: so we have Beethoven’s commanding Eroica Variations and music from Latin America.
THURSDAY 5th JULY, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. LUCY WILLIAMS, mezzo-soprano, Vanessa Menezes Bernardes, piano. Check later. In conjunction with the Aylesbury Festrival.
THURSDAY 12th JULY, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. LISA UEDA, violin. Check later. In conjuction with the Aylesbury Festival.
THURSDAY 19th JULY, 12.45, St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Admission £3.00, 18u free. SALLY QUANTRILL, flute, LYDIA BOSWORTH, piano. Check later.
THURSDAY 26th JULY. To be confirmed. |