Carlisle Music Society

Sea and Shakespeare

6/2/2019

We look forward to hearing Court Studies from 'The Tempest' by Thomas Adès at our next concert, 28th February. The work was given its premiere in 2005 at the Jubilee Hall, Aldeburgh by the composer's ensemble. It will be played for us by Jack McNeill (clarinet),Viv McLean (piano), David Le Page (violin) and Clare O'Connell (cello).

Adès extracted six solo pieces for members of the Court of Naples from his and Meredith Oakes's opera The Tempest and transcribed them for four instruments. The first three pieces form a sequence in the opera:
Antonio: 'Sir, I saw him in the water/Striking bravely for the land';
Sebastian: 'Milan, your vanity, your self-promotion/Have brought us to this godforsaken shore';
The King of Naples: 'Oh Prince of Naples and Milan/What fish has made its meal on you?'.
The next two pieces are presented out of sequence:
Antonio: ‘You’ll forgive at no cost/You’ve won I’ve lost’ is the last of the court arias, from near the end of the opera;
Gonzalo: ‘Sir, be cheerful/This is remarkable/Please don’t weep/Your Majesty’ is the first, sung when they have only just come ashore.

The final piece was composed in a room on the front at Aldeburgh.
The King of Naples: ‘The sea mocks/Our search on land/He’s lost/Whom we strain to find/Vain/He’s gone'.

The Aldeburgh theme continues; clarinettist Jack McNeill is the current director of the Chamber Music strand of Aldeburgh Young Musicians.

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James Willshire and the Debussy 2018 Project

12/10/2018

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We welcome back pianist James Willshire to play at our October concert. He last played for us in October 2015, when according to the reviewer, James's performance of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition displayed “brilliant contrasts and bravura technique which conveyed abundant colour, character and spirit...”.

We look forward to hearing more of that “colour” when James plays his all-Debussy programme for us. His concert is part of a project to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of Claude Debussy. Throughout 2018 James is performing the composer's solo piano music. Complete cycles will be played in Glasgow and Edinburgh with individual concerts elsewhere, of which Carlisle is one. At the culmination of this special year he will curate a Debussy Festival at St Cecilia's Hall, Edinburgh.

In an interview for Pianist Magazine James referred to the influence of French music on his playing and stated that it demands “the subtlest nuances of colour”. We look forward to hearing it!

See our Concerts page for his programme.

October 25th, 7.30pm at St Cuthbert's Church, Carlisle. Tickets £14 at the door or from the Carlisle Tourist Information Centre. Under 18s and full-time students have free entry.

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Clair De Lune Duo

25/8/2018

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Hitomi Inujima (violin) and Julia Sinani (piano) will play for us at the first concert of our 2018/19 series, on the 27th September,

Welcome Hitomi and Julia to the C.M.S. sofa and thank you for taking time out to answer some questions about yourselves and your music.
First of all, let's talk about your early playing life. How old were you when you first began to play your instruments and why?
Julia: I started my professional lessons almost at the age of 7, which is considered as quite late, though I knew that I wanted to be a pianist since I was 5. One day I heard someone playing the piano on TV and at that very moment I decided I wanted to be a professional pianist. So I told my parents!
Hitomi: When I was 5 years old, I had a chance to listen to the violin lesson at my school. I remember I wanted to start playing immediately.

Julia, who was your first piano teacher?
I would like to mention maybe not my very first teacher, but a teacher who introduced me into the big world of classical music. Valery Piassetski was my teacher from the age of 10 and up until I moved to London. He was, and still is a wonderful piano teacher, but he was also my mentor and supervised both my pianistic and personal development by recommending books, movies and concerts to attend. Valery saw my curiosity about the world around me and encouraged and nurtured it. Saying that, I can not but say how grateful I am to my Academy teachers, Tatiana Sarkissova and Michael Dussek, who opened new horizons for me and helped me enormously in my personal and professional maturing and becoming the musician I am now.

How did you become a duo?
Hitomi: When I began my MA at the Royal Academy of Music I was looking for a nice pianist, keen to study sonatas and I talked to my teacher. Our teachers are great friends and thought that our personalities would match and were absolutely right!

Do you have a favourite pianist/violinist or composer?
Julia: Oh, that's a tough one! I tend to have a favourite pianist for every composer I play: Daniel Barenboim for Beethoven, Mitsuko Uchida for Mozart, Nikolai Lugansky and Sergei Rachmaninoff himself for Rachmaninoff and etc. If I really have to choose one or two, I would probably name Emil Gilels and Eugene Kissin, their sound is simply magical and always brings tears to my eyes. Choosing a favourite composer is practically impossible for me. We are so lucky to have so much wonderful music to play! And there is much more to explore!
Hitomi: When I listen to the recordings of Itzhak Perlman I’m always moved by his warm and humane sound. While I was living in London I attended concerts and was especially impressed by Anne-Sophie Mutter and Vilde Frang. Their sense of elegance and musicality takes me to another world.

Now to the day of a concert. Is there anything special that you like to eat before a concert?
Hitomi: When I’m nervous before a concert, usually I can’t eat so much. But I try to eat chocolate which is my favorite, and it gives me enough energy to perform.
Julia: I know a lot of my colleagues enjoy bananas before a concert, though that option is not possible for me as I am allergic to bananas. But I really enjoy a cup of coffee before a performance, especially during the cold seasons. Luckily, it doesn't give me a caffeine rush, so I only get warmth and a wave of inspiration from its comforting aroma.

And finally, why did you choose the name Clair De Lune?
Julia: One of our favourite pieces to play is the Debussy Sonata. Our name is a way of showing our affection towards the composer.
Hitomi: We wanted a name which sounds romantic and dramatic.

Thank you Hitomi and Julia for sharing this with us. Best wishes for your performance on the 27th September.

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What now? The Zelkova Quartet

21/8/2018

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Here we have one of a series of occasional catch-ups with musicians who have played for us in the recent past.

The Zelkova Quartet played for us on the 27th November, 2014. They are:
Caroline Pether (violin)
Ed Pether (violin)*
Alex Mitchell (viola)*
Jonathan Pether (cello)

Two changes of personnel since they played for us in 2014. *

Their website reports successes and new ventures. An exciting opportunity will launch in September: Zelkova have been chosen to create the Royal Northern College of Music's first String Quartet Studio and will undertake a year-long bespoke programme of study.

Last year they were winners of the St Martin's Chamber Music Competition. This year they are Concordia Foundation selected artists and have also been offered a Senior Award from the Hattori Foundation for Music and the Arts.

They have recently recorded their debut CD of music composed by Nicholas Simpson, joined by soprano Charlotte Trepess for one of the three works. To be released by Stone Records.

The Quartet kindly took time out for a blog interview, prior to their performance for us in 2014. When asked about their unusual name, this was the response:
We're called Zelkova for a completely unmusical reason! A zelkova is a type of tree and when the quartet started we wanted to have a name that stood out off the page, was memorable and slightly exotic.
It would appear that 'Zelkova' was a wise choice!
For more information on the Zelkova Quartet view their website here.

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Alena's Cumbrian Family

24/2/2018

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On the 22nd March we will welcome back Alena Walentin and her violinist husband Niklas, this time with British pianist Viv McLean.

Alena and the Rayworths
Cumbrian flautist and flute teacher, John Rayworth, was Membership Secretary of the British Flute Society, dealing with applications to attend the big international flute convention in Manchester in 2006. Among the many applications from all over the UK and beyond was one from a Russian lady, Alena Lugovkina, who he assumed to be a mature adult. When the day of the Convention arrived, to his amazement it was an unaccompanied 16 year-old girl who turned up at reception and cheerfully introduced herself. She had made the journey alone from Moscow to attend the William Bennett flute course in London, immediately followed by the Convention in Manchester.
After the Convention John kept in regular email contact with Alena, establishing a lasting friendship. After she won a full scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music in 2007 she often came to stay with John and his wife Gillian during the holidays. Ultimately they became like a second set of parents to her and subsequently she has paid many visits to her second home in Cumbria, despite now leading a busy international career. Her 'English parents' have attended many of Alena's London recitals and were proud to attend her Masters Degree graduation at Guildhall, London. In the course of this career she started playing with the Danish violinist, Niklas Walentin, and in July 2017 they got married at Armathwaite Hall in the Lake District where, for the first time, Alena's English 'Mum and Dad' had the joy of meeting her Russian parents for the first time.

Programme details on our concerts page.

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Interview with Leah Nicholson

26/1/2018

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We are delighted to welcome pianist Leah Nicholson to the CMS blog. Thank you, Leah for making time in your busy schedule to tell us about yourself and your music.
First of all, how old were you when you began to play the piano and at what age did you begin your studies at Chetham’s School of Music?
I started playing the piano when I was almost eight and then two years later I performed in a masterclass to the head of Keyboard at Chetham’s, Dr Murray McLachlan, who invited me to the Summer School there. I really enjoyed the whole experience, one thing led to another and I was invited to audition to the school, so that I joined when I was 11.
Who was your first piano teacher?
When I was young I had quite a lot of excellent teachers, but my first teacher was a local lady called Fiona Austin and it was because of her encouragement I decided to work hard to become good at the piano.
In an average school day, how many hours will you spend at the piano (lessons and practice)?
At Chetham’s, there are normally two hours of instrumental lessons in a week, with additional chamber music rehearsals and coaching. If I could, I would easily spend the entire day practising, but because of academic lessons and homework, I can’t realistically do much more than six hours of playing.
A tough question, but do you have any favourite composers?
I love whichever composers I play! At the moment I have been exploring the works of Russian composers: Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky - but every composer has something different to say and it would be impossible to pick a favourite.
Do you have any favourite pianists?
Martha Argerich and Mikhail Pletnev. I absolutely adore Mikhail Pletnev’s recordings of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concertos with Vladimir Fedoseyev - when I was younger I would listen to them every day.
How do you build up your repertoire? Is the aim to add a certain number of pieces each year?
I try to learn as many pieces as I can - there are so many pieces I would love to play, but it’s not just for numbers. I think it is very important to fully make each piece yours.
And what are you working on at present?
The biggest thing at the moment has got to be Rachmaninov’s 3rd Piano Concerto, which has been one of my dreams to play since the first time I heard it!
Do you listen to any music other than classical?
I listen to any music, but to me classical is the most important.
Now to your concerts. Anything special that you like to eat before a concert?
It depends on what I’m playing. I find it very difficult to play if I haven’t eaten anything, but I try not too eat too much either.
Here's a cheeky question: do you keep a note of which dress you wore for each concert?
I can’t say I do! But I like to pick dresses that will fit with the music and the concert venue.
We can be cruel here on the CMS blog and like to ask a disaster question. Imagine that in the future some tragic circumstance forced you to live without space for a piano. Which smaller instrument would you choose to have with you so that you could continue to make music?
Would an electric keyboard count?
Okay, we'll allow that. No piccolo or mouth organ, then!
Do you have any future playing engagements in Cumbria?
I am honoured to have been invited back by the City of Carlisle Orchestra to play Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto, with their fantastic conductor, Leon Reimer, on March 24th.
Thanks again, Leah. We look forward to hearing you play for us on February 22nd in St Cuthbert's Church, Carlisle, also in March with the City of Carlisle Orchestra.

See our Concerts page for details of Leah's programme.

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Looking Back, Looking Forward

20/12/2017

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If it were not for the pleasures to be had from seasonal celebrations we might be feeling rather forlorn. Our final concert of 2017 was last month, when Philip Attard and Christine Zerafa thrilled the audience with their wonderful saxophone and piano playing and we have to wait until the 25th January for our first concert of 2018, when we'll welcome back Christopher Underwood, baritone and Michael Hancock, piano.

Our opening concert of the season in September, with the Consone Quartet, is becoming a distant but lovely memory. Since then the quartet members have held a residency in Ambronay, France through the Eeemerging Scheme, played at the Brighton Early Music Festival and in November they joined the Hanover Band Chamber Ensemble in a concert at the Stationer's Hall, London for a St Ceciliatide concert. Tomorrow they will play Haydn and Mendelssohn in the Auditorium of the Orchestre National de Lyon in France. Travel further afield is on the agenda for 2018: a return to Ambronay in March/April for a residency and recording and then later in April, to Bolivia to give three recitals in the Misiones de Chiquitos Festival: Concepción, San Xavier and Santa Cruz.

Ashley Fripp, who gave us our wonderful October concert, has since played solo recitals at Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford-on-Avon and at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Edgbaston. In December he recorded for Willowhayne Records and will begin his 2018 performances with a solo lunchtime recital at the Church of St Lawrence Jewry, London.

Christopher Underwood and Michael Hancock gave their first recital for what was then the North Cumbria Recital Club in 1977. We missed a trick there in not inviting them to sing for us in 2017; we could have had a fortieth anniversary concert! We look forward to welcoming our audience to hear another vintage performance on the 25th January, 2018.

In February we will have a solo piano recital given by local pianist Leah Nicholson and the Lugovkina, Walentin, McLean Trio (flute/violin/piano) in March (full programme details on our concerts page).

We send our best wishes to all the musicians who have played for us in 2017 and all our audience members.

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Sea and Shakespeare

James Willshire and the Debussy 2018 Project

Clair De Lune Duo

What now? The Zelkova Quartet

Alena's Cumbrian Family

Interview with Leah Nicholson

Looking Back, Looking Forward

Carlisle Music Society

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