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DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20210905T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20210905T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20210603T135025Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210919T093029Z
UID:1697-1630854000-1630857600@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Dvorak Serenade\, Gounod Petite Symphonie for Winds
DESCRIPTION:Pavlova Winds present \nDvorak Serenade \nGounod Petite Symphonie for Winds
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/dvorak-serenade-gounod-petite-symphonie-for-winds/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Dorchester-May-2017-Pavlova-Winds-banner-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20211010T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20211010T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20210603T135546Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211010T091924Z
UID:1709-1633878000-1633881600@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Brahms piano quartet in C Minor
DESCRIPTION:Radcliffe Strings and Bethe Levvy present \nBrahms Piano quartet in C Minor \nBeethoven Seven Variations in E flat major\, on a theme of the Magic Flute
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/brahms-piano-quartet-in-c-minor/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Brahms.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20211107T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20211107T150000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20210603T140619Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211027T092929Z
UID:1717-1636297200-1636297200@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Schubert Sonata in B flat\, Skempton 'Reflections'
DESCRIPTION:Diana Hinds presents \nSchubert’s last sonata\, the B flat (‘which absorbed me for much of the Lockdowns’)\, plus a series of “Reflections” by Howard Skempton. \nSchubert: \nIn 1828\, the last year of his life\, Franz Schubert composed three sonatas for piano which are generally described as the culmination of his lifelong occupation with the piano sonata genre. Schubert’s role as successor to classical-era composers is clearly evident in them\, while at the same time his very own\, deeply personal tone resounds here. In the frequently performed B flat major Sonata Schubert seems to have gathered up all his powers of introspection and tranquillity. Above all\, the calm theme of the first movement captivates through its dreamlike expression. It is highly demanding in terms of luminosity of tone and of subtlety of nuance. \nSkempton “Reflections”: \nThis is a collection of 36 piano pieces dating from 1995 to 2002. At times enigmatic\, at others direct\, the writing captures and reflects a myriad of moods\, revealing Skempton’s highly original voice.
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/schubert-sonata-in-b-flat-skempton-reflections/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DHjuly20jpg-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20211212T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20211212T150000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20210603T140956Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211203T192520Z
UID:1725-1639321200-1639321200@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Pavlova Wind Quintet Christmas concert
DESCRIPTION:Pavlova Wind Quintet return for our traditional Christmas concert.\nIncludes well known carols\, lollipops and some surprises. \nTicket includes first glass of mulled wine! \nGershwin Walking the Dog \nMozart Tunes from the Operas \nA Salute to M.G.M. \nDanzi Quintet in Bflat major Andante and Allegro \nHallam Dance Suite – Waltz\, Bossa nova\, Charleston \nZemlinsky Humoreske \nA Christmas Collection Sleigh Ride\, Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer\, Let it Snow\, Jingle Bells
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/pavlova-wind-quintet-christmas-concert-2/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/pavlova-sheldonian-sept-2021.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20220213T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20220213T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20220118T163119Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220118T164058Z
UID:2083-1644764400-1644768000@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Classic quintets for piano and wind
DESCRIPTION:Pavlova Wind Quintet\, with Glynne Butt piano\, present: \nMozart Quintet for piano and wind K452 \nBeethoven Quintet for piano and wind Op 16 \nProgramme notes \nMozart: \nMozart writing to his father Leopold  “I consider it the best work I have ever written…”\nThe Quintet was first presented on April 1\, 1784\, as part of a mammoth concert of Mozart’s works entirely new or new to Vienna\, in the capital’s Burgtheater. The playbill listed a “Symphony with Trumpets and Drums” (probably the “Haffner\,” K. 385)\, a Piano Concerto (K. 451); the “Linz” Symphony; a group of piano improvisations by Mozart; and another symphony\, possibly the “Paris” (K. 297) of 1778\, not previously heard in Vienna.\nK. 452 is in the three movements of a concerto. The first movement is brief\, with a slow\, sonorous introduction\, in which each of the five players is allowed to strut his/her stuff\, with a powerful concluding wind tutti over the piano. A gratifying surprise comes after only 20-odd measures have passed with the succeeding allegro\, a tour-de-force of variety and inspiration\, each wind allotted its brief theme – with such a mixed ensemble Mozart had no choice but to keep the individual statements as compact as possible – and the piano as partner rather than master\, the instruments presented in pairs\, in combinations of three\, four\, and five. While the key of B-flat is in Mozart usually a vehicle for frivolous thoughts\, in the second movement of K. 452 it is employed to convey a sadly sweet mellowness. The thematically rich rondo finale is the longest movement of the three\, crowned by a long cadenza for all five instruments.\nThat Mozart worked assiduously at getting this “study” right is affirmed by the extensive sketches that exist for the first movement\, examples of reworking hardly being common among the composer’s works. The impression of ease and spontaneity – certainly present here – is not always easily achieved\, even by Mozart.\nBeethoven: \nModelled on Mozart’s Quintet\, K. 452\, which is scored for the same ensemble (oboe\, clarinet\, bassoon\, and horn\, plus piano)\, there are as many differences as similarities between the two scores. Mozart was already an acknowledged master in 1784 when his Quintet appeared. The 26-year-old Beethoven had published piano trios and sonatas by this time\, but his fame had come primarily from his dazzling displays of improvisational skill and keyboard virtuosity. He was still exploring instrumental sonorities before setting out on his voyage of symphonic composition. Opus 16 offered a chance for him to showcase his composing and his performing prowess.\nThe first movement shows Beethoven making a serious attempt to be serious. The extended slow introduction\, marked Grave\, produces an opening movement that is as long as the two following movements combined. The winds start the proceedings\, after which the piano quickly makes itself known with a solo flourish. Thereafter\, for the most part\, the forces trade thematic materials in democratic fashion\, until another cadenza-like flourish from the piano leads into the Allegro proper. An invigorating and sprightly theme is stated and developed in a refreshingly non-dramatic way. After an exposition repeat\, things become more agitated and the dynamic level also rises as the development begins. A striding passage reminds us briefly that E-flat is the same key Beethoven will use for his “Eroica” Symphony\, still seven years in the future. Might we even hear a few pre-echoes of the “Emperor” Concerto\, another work in E-flat? The coda gives the horn an arpeggiated figure\, heard earlier in the piano; what is idiomatic for the keyboard is treacherous for the horn\, and it is as thrilling to hear as it must be chilling to play.\nThe Andante cantabile offers opportunities for each instrument to sing\, both solo and as a member of the ensemble. The delicate theme introduced by the piano returns to separate the episodes and initiate a new wave of rhapsodic dialogue among the conversationalists.\nWe end with a game. The Rondo’s nonchalant theme soon picks up speed as it is embellished and embroidered by the piano and the winds in a whirl of activity. As in a piano concerto\, Beethoven leaves room for a solo cadenza in the first half of the finale. It is reported that the composer (who played the piano part himself when the work was new) would indulge in some extra improvisational activity\, fooling the wind players\, who – at first amused and then disgruntled – were waiting to come back in.
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/classic-quintets-for-piano-and-wind-2/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Mozart-2-simonnetbook.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20220306T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20220306T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20211031T123445Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220117T120512Z
UID:1895-1646578800-1646582400@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Dvorak “Dumky” Trio
DESCRIPTION:The ‘ACE’ piano trio present \nDvorak ‘Dumky’ Trio\nBeethoven Trio in C minor\, Op 1 No 3 \nAndrew Blankfield piano\nClaire Parkin violin\nEmma Chamberlain cello
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/dvorak-dumky-trio/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/ACE-trio.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20220410T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20220410T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20211103T122238Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220224T215442Z
UID:1911-1649602800-1649606400@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Mozart Clarinet Quintet
DESCRIPTION:Newman string ensemble with Barbara Stuart clarinet present the Mozart Clarinet Quintet \nMartin Reed\, Evelyn Sanderson violins\nCatherine Coldstream viola\nDavid Whitaker cello \nThe first half of the concert will be made up of two elegies: Rachmaninoff\, Trio Élégiaque no 1 in G minor\, for Piano Trio\,  and Suk Elegie for Piano Trio\, opus 23\, played by the Hart Piano Trio Rosalyn Hart violin\, David Whitaker cello and John Richens\, piano
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/mozart-clarinet-quintet/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Mozart-2-simonnetbook.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20220515T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20220515T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20211031T121856Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220330T082209Z
UID:1887-1652626800-1652630400@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Osman Tack (piano) plays Chopin\, Clementi\, Adès\, Dodgson
DESCRIPTION:Osman Tack (piano) \nClementi Sonata quasi Concerto\nAdès Mazurkas\nDodgson Bagatelles\nSchumann “Abegg” Variations\nChopin “Oceanic” Etude
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/osman-tack-piano-plays-beethoven-and-dodgson/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/osman-tack.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20220605T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20220605T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20211031T120621Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211031T120903Z
UID:1873-1654441200-1654444800@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:From Poldark to Bridgerton - English country dances
DESCRIPTION:The Warleggan Village Band (Richard Heacock\, Matthew Coatsworth and Chris Green) appeared in BBC’s Poldark and the hugely successful Netflix series Bridgerton. This concert features some of the dances they performed for both programmes alongside 18th century English country dances and tunes from Playford’s Dancing Master. \nThe Warleggan Village Band’s latest recording is available at: https://warlegganvillageband.bandcamp.com/album/old-roger-the-new-way
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/from-poldark-to-bridgerton-english-country-dances/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Warleggan-Village-Band-photo-by-Franco-Santarsieri-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20220703T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20220703T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20211031T120311Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220510T162241Z
UID:1869-1656860400-1656864000@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:'The Baltic Connection' with vocal octet Amici della Voce
DESCRIPTION:Amici della Voce present ‘The Baltic Connection’ \nDirected by David Crown \nFeaturing Gorecki: ‘Totus tuus’\nPärt ‘Magnificat’\nPärt ‘Triodion’\nMiškinis ‘If the day is done’\nDubra ‘Ave Maria’ – 1\, 2 and 3\nEsenwalds ‘Evening’
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/the-baltic-connection-with-vocal-octet-amici-della-voce/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Amici-della-voce.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20220904T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20220904T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20220203T155956Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220825T133914Z
UID:2127-1662303600-1662307200@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Siegfried Idyll\, Dumbarton Oaks
DESCRIPTION:Pavlova Winds with A440 strings presents: \nWagner Siegfried Idyll\nThe Siegfried Idyll was composed as a birthday present for Wagner’s wife\, Cosima\, in 1870. Wagner had arranged for the orchestra to play the piece to her as she woke up in the morning of 25th December\, the day she celebrated her birthday (her actual birthday was 24th).\nHer diary for that day says:\nWhen I woke up I heard a sound\, it grew even louder\, I could no longer imagine myself in a dream\, music was sounding\, and what music! After it had died away\, R. came in to me with the five children and put into my hands the score of his “symphonic birthday greeting.” I was in tears\, but so\, too\, was the whole household; R. had set up his orchestra on the stairs and thus consecrated our Tribschen forever! \nThe piece was originally titled Tribschen Idyll\, named after the house the Wagner family lived in near Lucerne from 1866-1872. The name of the piece was changed when it was published reflecting birth of their son\, Siegfried\, and the use of thematic material from the opera of the same name. \nThe original ensemble had 15 players – flute\, oboe\, two clarinets\, bassoon\, two horns\, trumpet and strings – dictated by the size of the staircase it would be first performed on. The relatively small (only 12 bars) trumpet part was played by conductor Hans Richter\, who learned to play the instrument specially for this performance. The orchestration was expanded when the work was published. \nStravinsky Concerto in Eflat ‘Dumbarton Oaks’\ni. Tempo giusto\nii. Allegretto\niii. Con moto \nThis work is almost always referred to by its nickname. This is due partly to an error\, since it was at Dumbarton Oaks that an important conference was held in during the Second World War at which the foundation of the United Nations was laid. However\, the house to which it refers was the home of Robert and Mildred Bliss and it was for their thirtieth wedding anniversary in 1938 that the concerto was commissioned.\nThe Bliss couple were renowned collectors of antiques and pre-Columbian art\, for which their house in Washington DC (which they eventually donated to Harvard University) was a beautiful setting. Robert Bliss had been a distinguished US diplomat\, as ambassador in both Sweden and Argentina as well as serving in St Petersburg and Paris\, and he and his wife frequently hosted social and political events. Stravinsky visited the house in 1937\, and found the beautiful gardens inspirational – not least perhaps because he was suffering at the time from tuberculosis which was to kill his wife and daughter within a year.\nIt has been compared with Bach’s six “Brandenburg” concertos and there are in fact brief quotations from Bach embedded in this piece\, as well as a strong Baroque flavour which\, as with all Stravinsky’s work\, encounters and merges with his own style. He acknowledged his indebtedness to Bach\, saying “I do not think Bach would have begrudged me the loan of these ideas”. He had played Bach a lot during the composition of the concerto\, partly to console himself for his daughter’s impending death. It was the last work he completed in Europe\, before his forced emigration to the USA. Nevertheless the music is lively in the opening movement\, lyrical in the second and jaunty in the final part.
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/siegfried-idyll-dumbarton-oaks/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/wagner-2.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20221009T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20221009T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20220203T161653Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220203T161653Z
UID:2135-1665327600-1665331200@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Diana Hinds and Coral Lancaster: Beethoven and Janacek
DESCRIPTION:Diana Hinds and Coral Lancaster present  \nBeethoven Cello Sonata no 4 in C (op 102 no 1)\nLudwig van Beethoven composed only five sonatas for the cello and singlehandedly set the precedent for future composers in a genre that was practically non-existent. The instrument itself had only recently come into its own as a solo instrument\, released from its restrictive role as part of the basso continuo largely by the efforts of Joseph Haydn. Though the cello had already assumed for itself a more predominant role in the string quartet\, and secured a position in piano trio\, there was nevertheless no example for Beethoven to follow in the composition of cello sonatas. \nThe first of the opus 102 sonatas\, No. 4 in C major\, is an unusual two-movement work which displays Beethoven’s strikingly original approach to musical form. Though some of its elements may be traced back to earlier works\, its mode of expression has more in common with the composer’s burgeoning late period. Of roughly equal length\, the sonata’s two movements are strongly connected through their shared motives. Both movements\, in Allegro tempos\, are preceded by slow introductions built around the same melodic kernel\, yet the length of the latter movement’s introduction nearly gives it the feeling of being a brief slow movement preceding without break into a finale. The movement’s themselves are lively and energetic\, full of the rhythmic and melodic vitality one expects of Beethoven’s music. The introductions\, particularly that leading into the second movement\, are ethereal\, approaching that strange and wonderful vocal quality Beethoven so miraculously could elicit from his instruments in his last works.  \nJanacek’s piano sonata 1. X. 1905 ‘From the street’\nPosterity shall forever be grateful for the good sense of the pianist that saved one of the most important piano works of the twentieth century from oblivion. \nJanáček was an ardent Czech nationalist who\, with his aggressively anti-German sentiment\, had always resented the Austrian domination of his homeland. He was compelled to write “1. X. 1905\, From the Street” (later referred to as a Sonata) by a tragic incident that happened on the date the title commemorates. During a demonstration supporting the foundation of a Czech-speaking university in Brno\, tension arose between the German majority and the Czech minority of the city. During a skirmish that ensued\, a Moravian carpenter\, František Pavlík\, was violently bayoneted to death by the forces of the ruling Imperial Government of the Habsburgs. Deeply affected by this event\, Janáček conceived a three-movement work as a tribute\, but later deleted the last movement.\nThe volatile first movement “Presentiment” begins with a haunting melody\, dislocated by sudden unsettling angular interjections. Much of Janáček’s music is peppered with these wild\, obsessional and seemingly irrational outbursts\, like willful aberrations. Spoken rather than sung\, these agitated rhythmic patterns stem out of Czech speech. Janáček actively collected Moravian folk music and notated the speech melodies of people he encountered to use as material for his compositions. (He had\, rather morbidly\, scribbled down his daughter Olga’s last sigh on her deathbed.) A serene second theme recalls memories of a happier past. \nIn the second movement “Death” a chilling five-note phrase\, a prayer perhaps\, persists almost apathetically in a trance as if emotionally drained and numb with grief. The intensity imperceptibly builds as grief slowly grows into anger and torturous realisation\, culminating in a terrifying climax. When the theme returns it is punctuated by painful pulsations in the bass\, much like irregular beats of a heavy heart. The closing bars are utterly devastating in the profound hopelessness and quiet agony they convey; a faint glimmer of hope is extinguished like a brief candle by the final chord\, a single toll of a funereal bell\, signifying the end; nothingness engulfed in complete darkness.
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/diana-hinds-and-coral-lancaster-beethoven-and-janacek/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DHjuly20jpg-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20221106T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20221106T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20220203T162120Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221021T204951Z
UID:2141-1667746800-1667750400@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Schubert and Grieg sonatas for violin and piano\, Haydn Trio
DESCRIPTION:A violin/piano concert with the Schubert A major Sonata followed by the Grieg Sonata in c minor\nPlus a Haydn Trio \nA great contrast\n– the Schubert is a beautiful\, calm almost pastoral opening\, then a humorous scherzo\, gorgeous slow movement and Allegro vivace Finale.\n– the Grieg is VERY dramatic! \nMartin Reed violin\nEmma Chamberlain cello\nBethe Levvy piano
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/schubert-and-grieg-sonatas-for-violin-and-piano-haydn-trio/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/schubert.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20221218T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20221218T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20220203T162312Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220203T162610Z
UID:2151-1671375600-1671379200@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Pavlova Wind Quintet Christmas concert
DESCRIPTION:Pavlova Wind Quintet return for our traditional Christmas concert.\nIncludes well known carols\, lollipops and some surprises – Sleigh Ride\, Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer\, Let it Snow\, Jingle Bells
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/pavlova-wind-quintet-christmas-concert-3/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/xmas-concert.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230212T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230212T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20221104T193031Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230205T081552Z
UID:2584-1676214000-1676217600@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Dvořák Serenade in D-minor for Winds\, Raff Sinfonietta
DESCRIPTION:Antonin Dvořák   (b Nelahozeves\, near Kralupy\, September 8\, 1841; d Prague\, May 1\, 1904) \n1. Moderato quasi marcia\n2. Menuetto\n3. Andante con moto\n4. Allegro molto \nWe have Johannes Brahms to thank for essentially launching Dvorák’s career.  In 1878\, Brahms was a judge in a composition contest that awarded Dvorák honor as a contestant.  Brahms then continued to champion the young Czech composer\, and helped him land his first publishing contract.  The contract asked of Dvorák a Symphony\, which we know now as No. 5\, and\, as well as some other works\, including the delicious Serenade for Winds (and strings). \nThe Serenade offers us Dvorák in youthful invention\, as well as at his best in beautiful melodies and luscious harmony.  That he chose to write this work for the winds that he did (2 oboes\, 2 clarinets\, 2 bassoons\, contrabassoon\, 3 horns) together with cello and bass\, while omitting the flute\, reveals the intention and fabric of this Serenade: darkly rich sonorities\, chocolate-like lines\, echoing the lovely Serenades of the Mozart of Old\, while creating a uniquely Czech-sounding work.  It is indeed exquisitely done\, and one of the most glorious chamber-works ever written. \nThe satirically pompous first movement is at once arresting with its dotted rhythmical patterns and its delightful conjuring of the famous European/Czech village wind bands\, or “Harmoniemusik.”      [. . .]    Finally\, the Allegro molto arrives to bring all ‘round right with a stout rondo and certain glee.  And\, for good measure\, themes from the first movement are brought back in this finale to give the piece a lasting counterbalance.  The overall result is as creative and brow-raisingingly clever as Dvorák could be\, and immensely fun to hear. \nJoachim Raff (1822-82) Sinfonietta for double wind quintet\, Op 188 (1873) \nI. Allegro\nII. Allegro molto\nIII. Larghetto\nIV. Vivace \nJoachim Raff  was born in Switzerland. As a child\, he showed great natural talent as a pianist\, violinist and organist\, and taught himself the rudiments of harmony and composition. In 1840 while working as a teacher and composing music in his spare time\, he sent some of his piano works to Mendelssohn\, who was impressed and recommended them to his publisher. Encouraged by this and other favourable reviews\, he moved to Zürich in 1844 to start a career as a composer. His horrified father wrote “he has made nothing of himself but a begging musician”. His fears were proved correct: Raff was shortly after declared bankrupt. \nWhile living in poverty in Zurich\, Raff walked 80 kilometres to Basle to hear the famous Franz Liszt play. He arrived in the pouring rain to find that all the tickets were sold. However\, just before the concert began Lizst was told the extraordinary story of Raff’s determination to hear him play and insisted that he should be given a seat on the stage. This incident was the start of a long relationship between the two in which Lizst employed Raff on a meagre wage as a secretary and copyist\, but also helped him to promote his own music. The relationship was never easy. Lizst was a tyrannical employer\, making Raff work hard\, and Raff resented his subservient role. He was very poorly paid\, and on one occasion\, being committed to prison for debt\, wrote that his cell was far more comfortable than his lodgings. Gradually Raff’s reputation grew\, and in 1851\, his first opera “King Alfred” was performed three times in Weimar’s Hoftheater with Liszt’s help. \nRaff was the first composer to use the name “Sinfonietta” for an orchestral work in several movements similar to a symphony\, but shorter and lighter in content. His single example of the genre he created is indeed symphonic in style with seriousness of purpose and technical brilliance. The work however has a relaxed sunny nature and a lightness of touch in the scoring for a small wind band. It was unique and popular in its time\, and was clearly intended by Raff to be regarded as something greater than the wind serenades\, which had been popular since Mozart’s time. \nPavlova Winds\nFlute \nOboe  Aldus Whitfield\, Alison Street\nClarinet  Barbara Stuart\, Lindsey Iyles\nBassoon Simon Payne\, Chris Grovenor\nContra Carol Brooks\nHorn Jenny Steele\, Jenny Morgan\, Frances Jones\nCello Emma Chamberlain\nDouble Bass Chris Seddon
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/dvorak-serenade-in-d-minor-for-winds-gounod-petite-symphonie/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/abbey-chamber-concerts.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230305T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230305T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20221104T194242Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230202T173211Z
UID:2588-1678028400-1678032000@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Mozart Serenade in B-flat major\, K. 361 (“Gran Partita”)
DESCRIPTION:Mozart Serenade in B-flat major\, K. 361 (“Gran Partita”)\nWolfgang Mozart struggled to free himself from his father’s shadow. If Leopold Mozart was around today\, we might call him a “pageant dad\,” keeping a busy\, lucrative schedule for his son and living vicariously. But for the young Mozart\, the European tours and coveted court position in Salzburg were unsatisfying—at times even insulting.In his twenties\, Mozart set out for the artistic promised land of Vienna\, burning bridges with patrons and his father behind him. In a few short years\, he came into his own as a freelance composer\, husband\, and father. \nThe Serenade was written during this new period of self-determination. At the time\, “serenade” was a moniker for party music\, something light\, consumable. But Mozart’s is deliberate and nuanced.There are a few clues to this Serenade’s difference even before the music starts. For a composer known to write at top speed\, the manuscript appears unrushed\, like it came from a careful stretch of writing.There’s some debate as to whether Mozart intended the subtitle “Gran partita” (grand suite)\, but in either case it is unique among his works. One more clue is the unexpected ensemble\, which is roughly twice the customary size for this genre. \nLargo—Allegro molto: A distinguished curtain-raiser\, calling your attention away from spoken conversation and into musical conversation.\nMenuetto: A graceful dance\, with a dash of spice for good measure.\nAdagio: “So wonderful\, so mysterious that it has you thinking ‘What will happen?’ It’s a magical\, ceremonial moment\,” wrote the celebrated composer and conductor Pierre Boulez.\nMenuetto: Allegretto: Another dance\, this time upbeat and chipper.\nRomanze: Adagio—Allegretto—Adagio: Brief excitement flanked by long\, deep breaths.\nThema mit Variationen: A playful walk in the gardens.\nRondo: Allegro molto: A burst of motion. Serve the coffee\, gather the coats\, get the guests on their way! \nPavlova Winds\nOboe  Wendy Marks\, Alison Street\nClarinet  Barbara Stuart\, Malcolm Sadler\nBasset horns Lisa Walker\, Keith Bowen\nBassoon Simon Payne\, Carol Brooks\nContra Chris Grovenor\nHorn Helen Newing\, Jenny Steele\, Jenny Morgan\, Frances Jones
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/mozart-serenade-in-b-flat-major-k-361-gran-partita/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/mozart-13-winds-6.jpeg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230402T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230402T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20221104T194910Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230302T132144Z
UID:2592-1680447600-1680451200@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Dvorak piano quartet. Mozart clarinet quintet
DESCRIPTION:Antonín Dvorák (1841-1904) Piano Quartet no.  in D major\, Op23\nAllegro moderato\nAndantino (Tema con variazioni)\nFinale. Allegretto scherzando \nDvořák composed his first piano quartet in 1875\, the same year that Brahms composed his third and final work for the same ensemble. Dvořák was 34 with still merely a local reputation despite all his hard work. He was yet a few years away from his international “breakthrough” with the Slavonic Dances and even more years from what in hindsight are regarded as his mature chamber masterworks. Yet still\, within a few measures of the opening\, one can recognize Dvořák’s distinctive musical personality. The initial themes of the first movement already suggest the folk-like modal simplicity some would associate with his “American” phase nearly two decades hence. Along with Dvořák’s gift for lyricism and color\, this early quartet demonstrates numerous evocations of Slavonic national character that give nearly all of Dvořák’s work a special\, novel cast when compared with every composer that preceded him (save Smetana). If one looks for any particularly youthful trait in this quartet\, it might be sheer\, undaunted ambition: with only three movements\, the quartet is huge in scale with a confident if not overzealous generosity of musical content\, perhaps even just a trace of self-indulgence and Schubert’s self-absorbed propensity for “heavenly lengths.” \n  \nWolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-91)  Clarinet Quintet in A major K581 (1789)\nAllegro\nLarghetto\nMenuetto\nAllegretto con variazioni \nMozart’s Clarinet Quintet in A major is one of his very finest chamber works\, and its composition in the summer of 1789 makes it the chamber music companion to his opera Cosi fan Tutte. Something happens to Mozart style around this time which points to the clarity\, boldness and calm of the very final works which some have labelled “masonic” – both Cosi and this clarinet quintet seem bathed in Mediterranean sunlight and possess a curious symmetry\, poise and transparency that feel like a paring down after the boundless energy\, white hot intensity\, and lush extravagance of the immediately preceding Symphonies No. 39\, 40 and 41\, and the operas Figaro and Don Giovanni. The level of musical complexity remains unaltered however\, it’s just that it’s subsumed beneath the honeyed surface – harmonically the palette is wider than ever\, and the compositional range as great as it ever was. Although written for the basset horn of the virtuoso Anton Stadler\, this isn’t merely a clarinet concerto in microcosm – the clarinet blends\, converses\, leads and accompanies as a true chamber partner. Only in the endlessly rapt slow movement does it take on the clear role of a soloist in a pliant\, drifting cantabile line of beatific serenity. The charming minuet is accompanied by two trios: the first\, for strings alone\, much more delicate and mysterious than the minuet would suggest; the second\, insouciant\, cheeky\, and not without its own strangeness. The Finale is an easy going set of variations – a more lovely last movement to this most lovely of chamber works would be hard to imagine. \nPiano Bethe Levvy\nClarinet Barbara Stuart\nViolins Martin Reed\, Diana Hinds\nViola Karin Norlen\nCello Emma Chamberlain
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/dvorak-piano-quartet-mozart-clarinet-quintet/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/barbara-stuart.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230416T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230416T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20230110T143658Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250513T101038Z
UID:2660-1681639200-1681664400@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Waterhouse Bassoon Museum Open Day Sunday 16 April 2023
DESCRIPTION:BRING A PACKED LUNCH. \nA visit to the renowned collection of baroque and classical bassoons\, curated by the late William Waterhouse.  At the invitation of Elisabeth Waterhouse. \nThe visit is free\, we would just like to have some idea of numbers attending.  Please email Simon Payne or call 07775 904626 \nTIMETABLE: \nArrive 10am for tea and coffee\n10.30am James Kopp\, author The Bassoon (Yale University Press)\, on the history of the instruments.\n11.30am Philip Tarlton\, a William Waterhouse student\, who later played in the Welsh National Opera Orchestra and the LPO will give a talk on reeds\, in particular new ideas from Mordechai Rechtmann.\n12.30 lunch\n1.30am Mathew Dart will talk about the making of baroque and classical instruments. Mathew has been making copies of historical bassoons and flutes in his London workshop since 1985.\n2.30am Meyrick Alexander\, ex principal bassoon of the Philharmonia and  Head of Woodwind at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama\, will talk about British bassoonists before 1950 and the changeover from the French to German system. \nThe legendary Roger Birnstingl (LSO\, LPO\, Orchestre de Suisse Romande) will be in attendance. \nOliver Ludlow from www.DoubleReed.co.uk will exhibit. \nThis year\, there will not be a playing session.
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/waterhouse-bassoon-museum-open-day-2023/
LOCATION:Oxon
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/waterhouse-bassoons.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230514T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230514T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20221104T195342Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230421T134636Z
UID:2600-1684076400-1684080000@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Jacqueline Johnson cello - Chopin and Bridge
DESCRIPTION:Jacqueline Johnson cello \nDominic Piers Smith  piano \nFrederic Chopin  (1810-49) Sonata for cello and piano Op 65 (1845-46) \nIf the piano was the center of Frédéric Chopin’s universe\, the cello was a significant satellite. Three of his four chamber works are for cello\, including the Sonata in G Minor.\nIt’s a late work\, and it gave him two years of trouble to get it into a shape he wished to publish. Its many sketches reveal that Chopin worked hard at finding a balance between the two instruments and that he had in mind a sonata in which the themes constantly evolve and relate back to one central idea. At its core\, this idea is the interval of a falling second\, heard in the opening theme. It propels the energetic Scherzo and haunts the melancholy beauty of the slow movement. It also drives the Finale\, both its twisting\, tarantella-like first theme and its expansion into a syncopated dance theme\, first given to the cello. The same musical idea also permeates Schubert’s song cycle Winterreise (Winter Journey) — a seminal work that Chopin is known to have admired — and\nconvincing arguments have been made linking the two works.\nChopin\, at the time of writing this sonata\, was going through the final stages of what had been a tempestuous relationship with the novelist George Sand. She had just published a serialized novel\, Lucrezia Floriani\, in which she unleashed her frustration at her relationship with Chopin— and\, in the process\, provided titillation for the Parisian salons. Chopin’s instinct was to retire to his room and avoid direct conflict. But he appears to have worked out some of his personal torment by turning to the great Schubert song cycle for solace and reworking some of its musical substance in Op. 65. It is also likely that he wished this parallel between life and art to remain hidden\, at least while he was alive. \nFrank Bridge (189-1941) Sonata for cello & piano \nI. Allegro ben moderato\nII. Adagio ma non troppo \nFrank Bridge is an unjustly neglected composer who is best known as Benjamin Britten’s teacher. He was an outstanding musician of great versatility — a fine violist and experienced conductor\, as well as a prolific composer. \nBridge’s style undergoes a vast metamorphosis from his earliest works\, written at the turn of the century\, to those composed at the end of his life. At the beginning\, his idiom is that of a conservative post-Brahmsian; many of his smaller works composed between 1901 and 1910 are little more than salon music. Shortly after 1910\, an impressionistic influence becomes noticeable\, suggesting elements of Fauré and Scriabin. But after World War I\, Bridge’s style undergoes a radical transformation. His harmonic language no longer suggests keys or tonics\, and his forms take on aspects of free association. This development was not favourably received in England\, and his music fell into disuse. At present\, he is consigned to obscurity. \nBridge’s Sonata for Cello and Piano\, written between 1913 and 1917\, belongs to the end of his first period. Already the form exhibits free elements that take on a quasi-improvised character in unexpected mood changes. For example\, the first theme of the first movement is characterized by Romantic introspections\, impressionistic murmurings\, and agitated outbursts. The songful second theme is in G-flat major\, but contains no tonic triad throughout its entire length of twenty-one bars. The stirring climax in D major near the end of the movement is abruptly followed by a hushed echo in the parallel minor. The second movement is an extended fantasy\, comprising a number of sharply contrasting elements. Especially noteworthy is the unheralded agitato section\, coming as it does after an extended meditative opening. Elements from the first movement are recalled near the end\, and the work closes succinctly with a fiery climax.
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/jacqui-johnson-cello-chopin-and-bridge/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/jacqui-johnson-cello.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230604T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230604T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20221104T200013Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230404T124719Z
UID:2606-1685890800-1685894400@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Ravel Piano Trio\, Mozart Piano Trio\, Schoenfield Café Music
DESCRIPTION:Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) Piano Trio (1914) \nRavel’s Piano Trio was the last of his great pre-War scores. In fact\, he completed the piece in a rush to join the French army in the late summer of 1914 (thankfully\, for Ravel and posterity\, the army rejected him on grounds he was too slight of build to fight. He served in the Great War as an ambulance driver instead). There is\, perhaps in its closing pages\, a sense of the heady exuberance that greeted the outbreak of hostilities; otherwise the Trio stands as an astounding\, timeless creation that quickly established itself as one of the leading works in its genre. \nMuch of the music is informed by gestures found in folk music from Ravel’s native Basque region (he was sketching a piano concerto on Basque themes that he never finished around the same time he was composing the Trio). The first movement\, in fact\, begins with a Basque-ish rhythmic pattern: a three-plus-three-plus-two grouping that has the effect of completely obscuring the barline and any strong sense of meter. Both of the movement’s themes – the first narrow and chromatic\, the second folk-like and lyrical – try to counter that feeling\, but without complete success: it is a striking\, hypnotic movement in large part because of this wonderfully strange rhythmic groove. \nThe second movement\, “Pantoum\,” continues the play of rhythm while it adapts the Malaysian poetic form from which it derives its title into musical terms. Its two themes – the first\, choppy and staccato; the second\, a tempestuous waltz – alternate wildly before being interrupted by a broad\, expansive trio section. \nThe Trio’s third movement is perhaps as concise a passacaglia (variations on a bass line) as any composer wrote\, its ten variations building to a mighty climax before retreating into the sweeping\, orchestral-like hues of the finale. The latter wraps up this most phenomenal of chamber scores with gusto: in hindsight\, it forms an aptly shining close to the most remarkable chapter of Ravel’s career. \nMozart (1756-81) Piano Trio in G K496 \nThe piano trio\, as a genre\, is one of several love-children attributed to Mozart and Haydn. And indeed\, as with the string quartet\, both deserve some credit. While Haydn contributed prolifically to the genre — over the course of his forty trios\, you can feel the genre evolving beneath your very fingers — Mozart provided us with a more modest six. But there is nothing modest about their conception: these trios contain all the melodic abundance and formal perfection one would expect. The Piano Trio in G major\, KV496\, dates from 1786\, and is alternatively entitled “Sonata”: we are still so early in the genre’s history that its name has not yet properly landed. (Mozart’s first piano trio was entitled “Divertimento”.) Alongside its companion trio in B flat major\, KV502\, the work was composed for Mozart’s dear friends\, the Jacquin family. It is appropriate that so convivial a work should have emerged from so cherished a friendship\, and speaks of Mozart’s conception of the genre; later\, when three of Mozart’s trios were published\, he specified that they should be performed in “friendly\, musical\, social circles.” \nPaul Schoenfield (born 1976) Café Music. Second movement. \nThe next time you’re out to dinner\, and there’s a piano player providing live “background music\,” you might want to put an extra tip in the jar. You never know if that piano player is the next Paul Schoenfield. As Schoenfield explains the genesis of his best known work: \nThe idea to compose Café Music first came to me in 1985 after sitting in one night for the pianist at Murray’s Restaurant in Minneapolis. Murray’s employs a house trio which plays entertaining dinner music in a wide variety of styles. My intention was to write a kind of high-class dinner music — music which could be played at a restaurant\, but might also (just barely) find its way into a concert hall. The work draws on many of the types of music played by the trio at Murray’s. For example\, early 20th century American\, Viennese\, light classical\, gypsy\, and Broadway styles are all represented. A paraphrase of a beautiful Chassidic melody is incorporated in the second movement. \nAmalfi Trio \nAndrew Blankfield piano\, Emma Chamberlain cello\, Claire Parkin violin \n 
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/ravel-piano-trio-mozart-piano-trio-schoenfield-cafe-music/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/ACE-trio.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230917T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230917T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20230421T172126Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230822T131646Z
UID:2900-1694962800-1694966400@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Mozart and Thuille - quintets for piano and wind
DESCRIPTION:Pavlova Winds\, with Malcolm Pearce piano\, present: \nMozart Quintet for piano and winds \nThuille Sextet for piano and winds \nProgramme Notes \nMozart\nMozart writing to his father Leopold “I consider it the best work I have ever written…”\nThe Quintet was first presented on April 1\, 1784\, as part of a mammoth concert of Mozart’s works entirely new or new to Vienna\, in the capital’s Burgtheater. The playbill listed a “Symphony with Trumpets and Drums” (probably the “Haffner\,” K. 385)\, a Piano Concerto (K. 451); the “Linz” Symphony; a group of piano improvisations by Mozart; and another symphony\, possibly the “Paris” (K. 297) of 1778\, not previously heard in Vienna.\nK. 452 is in the three movements of a concerto. The first movement is brief\, with a slow\, sonorous introduction\, in which each of the five players is allowed to strut his/her stuff\, with a powerful concluding wind tutti over the piano. A gratifying surprise comes after only 20-odd measures have passed with the succeeding allegro\, a tour-de-force of variety and inspiration\, each wind allotted its brief theme – with such a mixed ensemble Mozart had no choice but to keep the individual statements as compact as possible – and the piano as partner rather than master\, the instruments presented in pairs\, in combinations of three\, four\, and five. While the key of B-flat is in Mozart usually a vehicle for frivolous thoughts\, in the second movement of K. 452 it is employed to convey a sadly sweet mellowness. The thematically rich rondo finale is the longest movement of the three\, crowned by a long cadenza for all five instruments.\nThat Mozart worked assiduously at getting this “study” right is affirmed by the extensive sketches that exist for the first movement\, examples of reworking hardly being common among the composer’s works. The impression of ease and spontaneity – certainly present here – is not always easily achieved\, even by Mozart. \n  \nThuille\nThuille was born in Bozen\, Tyrol in the western part of Austria now known as Bolzano\, Italy. Although he was left orphaned when his father passed away in 1876\, his education was secured by a wealthy widow of the composer and conductor Mathius Nagiller. This education allowed him to meet and work with Richard Strauss\, who became his good friend. Strauss even dedicated his tone poem\, Don Juan\, to Thuille. Thuille was part of the “Munich School” of composers\, which included Max Schillings and Strauss whom were a significant part of the cultural life in Munich.\nAlthough he composed many operas\, concert music and chamber music\, Thuille really had his heart set on teaching. He taught theory and composition at the Königliche Musikschule in Munich. He also collaborated with Louis Rudolph to write a harmony textbook known as the Harmonielehre (1902) which was a standard textbook even after his death.\nThe Sextet Op 6\, was written between 1885 and 1887 and is considered one of his best known works. The piece was premiered at the Wiesbaden Festival in 1889 with Thuille playing the demanding piano part himself. Since the piece turned out to be a success\, Strauss suggested that he should submit it for the prestigious Beethoven Award for Composition in Vienna in 1901. Although he did not win the award the sextet was still highly recognized for its virtuosity and brilliance.\nThis piece is very romantic in style with a Brahmsian flair especially in the keyboard. It interweaves the instruments with melodic passages that overlap each other creating constant color and textural changes as the piece progresses. It contrasts from stately passages of the first movement to the dance feel of the third and from the intense emotional melodies of the second to light fast paced playful ones in the fourth.\nDedicated to his wife Emma Dierl. \nPeter Robertson flute\nAlison Street oboe\nBarbara Stuart clarinet\nJenny Steele horn\nSimon Payne bassoon\nMalcolm Pearce piano
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/mozart-and-thuille-quintets-for-piano-and-wind/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Mozart-2-simonnetbook.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231008T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231008T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20230421T172432Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230919T142438Z
UID:2906-1696777200-1696780800@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Diana Hinds piano and Coral Lancaster cello - Faure and Poulenc
DESCRIPTION:Fauré Élégie\,  Thème et variations\nPoulenc Cello sonata\,  Novelettes  \nDiana Hinds piano\nCoral Lancaster cello \nComposed in 1880\, Gabriel Fauré’s Élégie for solo cello was first performed in 1883.  At first\, Fauré was looking into writing a cello sonata and it was in his method to pen the slow movement first. This was premiered under the guise of the sonata at the salon of Camille Saint-Saëns in 1880. Fauré never completed the sonata\, and so in 1883 he had this one movement published under the new title of Élégie.  For the premiere\, Fauré played the piano with cellist Jules Loeb\, to whom the piece is dedicated. The piece was instantly a hit with conductor Édouard Colonne asking Fauré for a version for cello and orchestra. This version premiered in April 1901\, with Fauré conducting and Pablo Casals playing the cello. It has been said that Élégie was “one of the last manifestations of French musical Romanticism. From now on Fauré’s music was to be more introverted and discreet.” \nThe Thème et variations Op 73 — Fauré’s longest and certainly one of his greatest pieces for solo piano—was begun in the summer of 1895\, most of which Fauré wasted lobbying for the job of music critic of France’s leading newspaper\, Le Figaro (a post he finally got in 1903). Its premiere didn’t come\, however\, until December 1896 when it was performed by Léon Delafosse at St James’s Hall in London. Several things could have led Fauré to compose a set of variations at this time. No doubt he heard his friend Louis Diémer perform Rameau’s Gavotte et six doubles\, which figured that year in his recitals. Saint-Saëns had just composed his Thème varié. But most likely it was Fauré’s love of Schumann and his Études symphoniques that was his greatest influence. \nFrancis Poulenc began sketching his Cello Sonata in 1940\, but the work was considered complete until 1948. The premiere performance happened in Paris in May 1949\, with Poulenc playing the piano and Pierre Fournier\, to whom the piece is dedicated\, playing the cello. Fournier helped Poulenc with some of the technical aspects of the sonata\, as the composer was not as familiar with the cello as a solo instrument.  Set into four movements the sonata adheres to the classical traditions of a sonata form first movement\, a slow and lyrical second movement\, an upbeat scherzo penultimate movement and then an exuberant finale. \nPoulenc’s Trois Novelettes is a charming set of miniatures for piano\, which display the composer’s characteristic wit and lyricism. The first two were composed in 1927 and 1928 respectively\, and were published together. The first\, in C major\, is a bright yet serene miniature written in the neoclassical style. By contrast\, the second is far more extroverted\, brimming with humour and pantomime-like drama. The third was written much later in 1959 at the request of Chester & Co. publishers on the occasion of the firm’s centenary. Poulenc chose to honour the memory of his friend\, Manuel de Falla\, by setting a theme from the Spanish composer’s ballet\, El amor brujo.Poulenc accompanies de Falla’s melody with his distinctive luxurious and sensual harmony with the beguiling direction\, baigné de pédales (‘bathed in pedal’). The piece concludes by fading into a haze of nostalgia with one of his very best chords.
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/diana-hinds-piano-and-coral-lancaster-cello-faure-and-poulenc/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/faure.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231112T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231112T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20230421T172503Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231001T090040Z
UID:2912-1699801200-1699804800@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Schubert Octet
DESCRIPTION:Franz Schubert ‘Octet in F’ Op 166 \nThis is Schubert’s largest-scale chamber music work.  It is roughly contemporaneous with his “Rosamunde” and “Death and the Maiden” string quartets.  Count Ferdinand Troyer commissioned a work similar to Beethoven’s popular Septet\, op. 20\, of 1800. \nSchubert wrote the Octet in February 1824.  (“Schubert\, like Mozart\, was one of the fastest writers in musical history: a composer who could conceive a whole work in his head and immediately write it down” [Harold Schonberg].)  He enlarged Beethoven’s ensemble by adding a violin.  Like Beethoven\, he structured the piece as a six-movement work.  As Beethoven had written his Septet in preparation for his First Symphony\, Schubert viewed the Octet as “pav[ing] the way towards a grand symphony” –what ultimately became his Symphony No. 9 of 1828. \nThe movements of the Octet are: (1) Adagio – Allegro – Più allegro (the theme derives from Schubert’s song Der Wanderer); (2) Adagio; (3) Allegro vivace – Trio – Allegro vivace; (4) Andante – variations.  Un poco più mosso – Più lento (the variations derives from a theme in Schubert’s early opera Die Freunde von Salamanka); (5) Menuetto.  Allegretto – Trio – Menuetto – Coda; and (6) Andante molto – Allegro – Andante molto – Allegro molto. \nThe Octet was privately performed in the spring of 1824 at the home of the commissioner’s employer\, Archduke Rudolph (to whom Beethoven dedicated his “Archduke” Trio of 1811).  The Octet received its public premiere in Schubert’s last subscription concert in 1827\, but it was not published until 1889. \nJacqui Miles\, Claire Parkin violin\nAdam Clarke viola\nEmma Chamberlain cello \nChris Seddon double bass \nBarbara Stuart clarinet \nHelen Newing horn\nSimon Payne bassoon \n 
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/schubert-octet/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/schubert.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231217T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231217T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20230421T172857Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231023T150233Z
UID:2922-1702825200-1702828800@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Pavlova Wind Quintet Christmas Concert
DESCRIPTION:Pavlova Wind Quintet Christmas Concert \nLight music for a winter afternoon \nTraditional Christmas Favourites \n  \nPavlova Winds \nPeter Robertson flute \nAlison Street oboe \nBarbara Stuart clarinet \nJenny Morgan horn \nSimon Payne bassoon
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/pavlova-wind-quintet-christmas-concert-4/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/xmas-concert.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240211T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240211T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20231010T121008Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231013T205046Z
UID:3137-1707663600-1707667200@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Cello Trios - Handel\, Purcell\, de Falla\, Chick Corea\, Duke Ellington
DESCRIPTION:Programme to include\nHandel\, Purcell\, de Falla\, Chick Corea\, Duke Ellington \nCello Trio\nJane Fenton\nJacqueline Johnson\nKath Sharman
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/cello-trios-handel-purcell-de-falla-chick-corea-duke-ellington/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/cellos-3.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240303T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240303T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20231013T202702Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240213T120607Z
UID:3151-1709478000-1709481600@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:The Virtuoso Flute - Peter Robertson
DESCRIPTION:The Virtuoso Flute \nPeter Robertson flute\nYoshiko Endo piano \nPoulenc Flute Sonata\nTelemann Sonata in f minor\nFaure Fantaisie Op 79 \nSomething about a Pan\n…and something about my hat having 3 corners.
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/the-virtuoso-flute-peter-robertson/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/peter-robertson-hi-res.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240414T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240414T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20231010T115510Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240304T150729Z
UID:3127-1713106800-1713110400@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Rachmaninov and Mendelssohn Cello Sonatas - Jacqueline Johnson cello Dominic Piers Smith piano
DESCRIPTION:Rachmaninov Cello Sonata in G minor Op. 19 \nThe mystic aspect to Rachmaninov’s art can be felt strongly throughout his Cello Sonata\, his most famous piece of chamber music. While there are no obvious quotations from any Orthodox hymns\, the style of many of the themes\, with their close intervals\, their incense-filled colours\, the passionate\, almost obsessive repetition of single notes (particularly in the main theme of the slow movement)\, and the frequent bell-like sonorities\, owe a huge debt to the music of the Russian Church that was such an important influence on the composer’s life. Written in 1901\, the year after the perennially beloved Second Piano Concerto\, the Cello Sonata reflects\, perhaps\, the state of Rachmaninov’s heart and mind. Having suffered a nervous breakdown after the catastrophic failure of his First Symphony in 1897\, Rachmaninov had fought his way back to mental and creative health. Surely it is not fanciful to hear an echo of this in the struggles of the first movement\, with its conflict between semitones and whole tones; in the dark night of the Scherzo; and then in the blazing joy of the Finale? No bearded Russian priest with his Easter cry ‘Christ is Risen’ can ever have sounded more triumphant than the cello does as it announces the glorious second theme of this movement. The whole sonata\, imbued as it is with the classical discipline that is so vital a feature of all Rachmaninov’s music\, encompasses a vast range of romantic emotion—a journey of the soul. \nMendelssohn Sonata for piano and cello Op. 45 \nComposed for his brother Paul\, the Sonata in B-flat Major Op. 45\, was written in Leipzig in 1838\, almost a decade after the Variations concertantes. In this sonata\, Mendelssohn shows his gift for cantabile melodic writing\, giving an equal assignment to each partner and providing long\, singing phrases for the cello. \nJacqueline Johnson cello \nDominic Piers Smith piano
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/rachmaninov-cello-sonata-jacqueline-johnson-cello-dominic-piers-smith-piano/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/jacqui-johnson-cello.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240512T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240512T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20231009T161514Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231013T204126Z
UID:3111-1715526000-1715529600@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Shostakovich Piano Trio no 2\, Beethoven Archduke Trio - Amalfi piano trio
DESCRIPTION:Shostakovich Piano Trio no 2 in E minor \nThe horrors of the Second World War loomed large for Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-75)\, perhaps more so than any other Soviet composer. Nazi persecutions of Jewish people and other dissidents reflected his own tribulations with the Soviet regime\, and the friends and colleagues who had disappeared into the night during Stalin’s purges. The E minor Piano Trio of 1944\, his second\, can be heard as a tribute and lament not only for one specific individual—Ivan Ivanovich Sollertinsky\, about whom more to follow—but for all those obliterated by the grinding machine of war. \n“I cannot express in words all the grief I felt when I received the news of the death of Ivan Ivanovich\,” wrote Shostakovich to Sollertinsky’s widow in February 1944. “He was my closest friend. I owe all my education to him. It will be unbelievably hard for me to live without him.” Sollertinsky had been a dear and important friend\, indeed: Musicologist\, critic\, and a fine writer on music\, he had championed Shostakovich through times good and bad and had just recently travelled to Siberia to give introductory talks on Shostakovich’s new Eighth Symphony. Although Shostakovich had begun what was to become the second piano trio before Sollertinsky’s death from a heart attack at age forty-one\, it was the loss of his cherished friend and colleague that spurred the work on to a rapid completion in the spring of 1944. \nIt’s hard not to envision the recently revealed death camps of Treblinka and Majdanek in the trio’s frozen opening\, as the cello carves out a bleak melody in extremely high harmonics\, so much so that the violin seems like a bass instrument when it enters and reveals that melody as the subject of an informal fugue. The piano establishes the extreme bass with its entry\, and eventually the instrumental ranges right themselves\, as it were\, into a normal configuration. The first movement cannot be pinned down with a brief formal description; it’s Shostakovich at his most volatile\, changeable\, quixotic\, unsettled\, and enigmatic. \nThe second-place Allegro non troppo presents a scherzo-like movement written in white heat\, in Shostakovich’s most savage and biting idiom. (Shostakovich has to be one of the very few composers who can make the major mode sound far darker and more ominous than the minor.) Only fleeting moments of dance-like joy emerge from what is overall a frantically supercharged dance of death. \nIn third place comes one of the composer’s most profoundly moving laments\, a Largo that was played at Shostakovich’s funeral three decades later. A near-static series of repeated piano chords creates the ancient cyclic form of the passacaglia\, used frequently by both Shostakovich and his friend and colleague Benjamin Britten. \nWhether the last movement is overtly programmatic or not\, the sense of Jewish people sent to their deaths in the Nazi camps is palpable. A middle section evokes Klezmer music\, at first celebratory but progressively warped into music of horrific destructive power. After a sudden halt\, gentle shimmering arpeggios in the piano lead to a reminiscence of the work’s very opening; a return to the stark bleakness from which the trio originally arose. \nBeethoven Trio in Bflat major\, Op 97 ‘Archduke’ \nThis incomparable piano trio was written for Archduke Rudolf\, the youngest child of Emperor Leopold II and Beethoven’s lifelong friend and patron. Sickly\, also unencumbered by affairs of state\, he devoted himself to music and by the time he was sixteen had dumped his piano teacher – the official music teacher to the Hapsburg princes – in favour of the 34-year old Beethoven who was making such a splash in Vienna. They became fast friends\, despite the gap in their ages\, and Beethoven even accepted him for composition as well as piano – the only composition pupil Beethoven ever had. \nAnd\, of course\, the Archduke’s position meant that he could introduce Beethoven to the cream of Viennese society just when he needed it. Not only that\, when it seemed Beethoven might leave Vienna – he’d been offered a job in Westphalia in northern Germany – the Archduke lured him to stay by teaming up with Princes Lobkowitz and Kinsky to guarantee him an annual salary\, 4\,000 florins for life; and when one was killed in a fall from his horse and the other went bankrupt\, he took over sole responsibility and continued to pay Beethoven himself\, even increasing for inflation until he died. Beethoven repaid his friend by dedicating some fourteen works to him in total – all his most important works\, including the Emperor piano concerto\, the Hammerklavier sonata\, the Missa Solemnis – and this. \nThis is Beethoven at the height of his powers\, completely the master of large-scale sonata form. The opening theme is one of great spaciousness\, luxuriance\, flowing serenely along into the more staccato second subject\, masterfully developed in lush writing for both piano and strings. The scherzo is energetic and bouncy\, wrapped around a trio that combines mysterious fugato with a brilliant waltz. Then\, the heart of the work\, a hymn-like set of variations “singing\, but keeping the movement going” that seem to evolve from within\, inexorable\, crossing all the usual time boundaries – this is one of Beethoven’s later hallmarks – until a swift change in mood leads into the dazzling\, dancing\, gypsy-inspired finale. Subjected to constant development\, displaying his incredible mastery of harmony and texture as well as rhythm and melody (that cello soaring above the piano tremolandos)\, it all leads to a thrilling presto coda. \n  \nAMALFI TRIO \nAndrew Blankfield piano\nClaire Parkin violin\nEmma Chamberlain cello
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/shostakovich-piano-trio-no-2-beethoven-archduke-trio-amalfi-piano-trio/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/ACE-trio.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240609T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240609T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20231009T155741Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240609T160915Z
UID:3101-1717945200-1717948800@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:Diana Hinds piano - Bach\, Janacek and Schubert
DESCRIPTION:JS Bach Partita no 2 in C minor BWV826 \nJ.S. Bach was a composer\, violinist\, harpsichordist\, and organist of the Baroque period. Throughout his sixty-five years lifetime\, Bach composed an incredible 1128 pieces of music. Among them\, 223 pieces are written for the keyboard; this includes Bach’s most well-known keyboard repertoire\, “The Well-Tempered Clavier\,” as well as his Keyboard Partitas. Bach wrote six Partitas for the keyboard\, being the last set of keyboard suites he had composed. Bach’s Keyboard Partitas were originally written for the harpsichord instrument\, first published individually in 1726\, and\, as a set\, titled “Clavier-Übung I” in 1731 – BWV 825-830. The Keyboard Partita No.2 in C Minor\, BWV 826 has six movements\, each movement  representing a unique Baroque dance style. The piece starts with a grand French Ouvertüre style titled\, Sinfonia\, and evolves into a fugue. The Sinfonia is followed by the Allemande – the first entrance dance in moderately slow\, serious dance in quadruple meter; the Courante is a fast pace gallop style dance in triple meter\, with fire and passion; the Sarabande – a moderately slow dance in triple meter with the emphasis on the second beat; the Rondeau – a fast paced dance in triple meter\, but count one beat per measure; and lastly\, the Capriccio – another fast paced dance with the emphasis on the second half of the measure. \nLeos Janacek On an overgrown path \nJanáček composed his piano music around the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries\, before he found fame late in life with operas such as ‘Jenůfa’\, ‘Káťa Kabanová’ and ‘The Makropulos Case’. Epigrammatic but obsessive\, these intimate pieces speak of the composer’s passions and frustrations. But like his later works they are loaded with drama and big ideas. \nThe first book in ‘On An Overgrown Path’ is notable for its poetic titles – such as ‘Our evenings’\, ‘They chattered like swallows’\, ‘Unutterable anguish’ – which find expression in music of apparent folk-like innocence and sudden passions\, which reach a powerful climax in the violent contrasts of the first book’s final piece\, ‘The Barn-Owl has not flown away’. This is music of heartbreak and desolation hardly less moving in its way than the great scenas of love and abandonment which Janáček composed for his operatic heroines. \nStripped of such titles\, the second book in ‘On An Overgrown Path’ is more elusive in meaning\, swinging between a gentle\, Czech translation of Debussy’s Impressionist tone-painting and darker\, more sinister currents of expression that run raw and angry in the Sonata which Janáček wrote to commemorate the death of a young man at the hands of the police in Prague during political protests in the autumn of 1905. From seven years later\, the four-movement cycle of Mists recovers some of the Romantic melancholy of ‘On an Overgrown Path’\, though its cathartic finale presents a stiff challenge to any pianist with its torrents of notes. \nSchubert Allegretto in C minor\, D915 \nSchubert’s fondness for beginning movements with subdued unison statements finds expression again in his melancholy Allegretto in C minor\, unpublished until 1870 but penned on April 26th\, 1827. It was conceived as a farewell gift for his friend Ferdinand Walcher – a fine amateur singer\, lawyer and recently appointed member of the imperial civil service – who\nhad entered Schubert’s circle the previous year and was soon to leave Vienna to take up a posting to Venice. The work’s combination of 6/8 metre and flowing arpeggios seems to hint at gondoliers’ songs its dedicatee would soon encounter\, and the alternating minor/major tonalities evoke the regret of departure and hope of return. Momentum in the outer panels is twice interrupted by the arrival of two disquieting chords\, while sighing gestures bring untroubled warmth to the movement’s chordal centrepiece in a glowing A flat major \nSchubert Hungarian Melody\, D817\nThe Ungarische Melodie belongs to the second of two visits Schubert made to Zelész in Hungary between late May and mid-October 1824. At a salary of 100 florins a month\, his duties included teaching and supervising the musical activities of the two daughters of Count Johann Karl Esterházy of Galánta during their summer residence. \nDiana Hinds piano \nDiana read English at Jesus College\, Cambridge and worked as a national newspaper journalist\, including on the stafff at The Independent\, before resuming serious study of the piano when her children were young. She now combines playing and teaching\, with pupils at New College School and Oxford High School in addition to her private practice. She enjoys accompanying\, including at the Abingdon Music Festival which she helps to run. She gives regular recitals of piano and chamber music in and around Oxford\, and in recent years has enjoyed lessons with the pianist William Howard. She also plays violin in a number of Oxford ensembles.
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/diana-hinds-piano-bach-janacek-and-schubert/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DHjuly20jpg-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240908T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240908T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T231858
CREATED:20240311T153153Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240824T151940Z
UID:3427-1725807600-1725811200@abbeychamberconcerts.org
SUMMARY:CANCELLED Whither must I wander: A Recital of English Song
DESCRIPTION:ALAS.  This concert has been cancelled at very short notice. \nOliver Morrell tenor\nWill Sims piano \nGo\, lovely rose  Roger Quilter (1877-1953) \nO Fair to See\, op 13b   Gerald Finzi (1901-1956) \nIn Flanders   Ivor Gurney (1890-1937) \nFour Songs of Thomas Hardy   Robin Milford (1903-1959) \nIs my team ploughing?   George Butterworth (1885-1916) \nSongs of Travel   Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) \nThe Cloths of Heaven   Thomas Dunhill (1877-1946)
URL:https://abbeychamberconcerts.org/event/whither-must-i-wander-a-recital-of-english-song/
LOCATION:St Nicolas’ Church\, Abingdon\, Oxon\, OX14 3HF\, United Kingdom
ORGANIZER;CN="Abbey Chamber Concerts":MAILTO:concerts@abbeychamberconcerts.org
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END:VCALENDAR