FRMS BULLETIN Autumn 2003 No. 139 Ed i tor: CONTENTS Ar thur Baker All Ed i to rial copy to him at: page page 4 Ramsdale Road, Editorial CD REVIEWS Bramhall, Stockport, Cheshire SK7 2QA What is the FRMS for? 2 De Pro fun dis 11 Tel: 0161 440 8746 Curtis - Or ches tral Works 38 or E-Mail: NEWS Trio Gemelli 38 [email protected] Ed i to rial dead lines: Reg Wil liam son Re tires 3 STRATFORD Spring is sue - 31st Decem ber Fed er a tion Website 3 Au tumn is sue - 30th June Mu si cal Week end 20 Mar keting Man ager: LETTERS Ca thy Con nolly (see back SCOTLAND page). Ad ver tise ments are Schu bert 4 avail able from £35.00, de - John Bulman 4 An nual Con fer ence 24 tails from her. Equip ment 4 Cir cu la tion Man ager: Af fil i a tion Charges 5 THE REGIONS Gra ham Kiteley(see back Ted Perry 5 page for ad dress). Ex am i na tion of Ac counts 6 Cen tral Re gion 26 Sus sex Re gion 28 Copies are distributed to all FEATURES West Surrey Region 29 Federation affiliates with York shire Re gion 29 additional copies through Sir Lennox Berke ley 7 society secretaries. Estimated Art Nou veau Sound 10 THE SOCIETIES readership is well over 10,000. Ar nold Sugden 12 Individual Subscriptions are Life does not be gin… 15 Car diff 34 available at £6.80 for four Recorded and Live music 17 Kirkcaldy 35 issues. Direct orders and DVD-A or SACD 19 Lin coln 35 subscriptions for the Bulletin How to or ganise brass band 19 Uxbridge 36 should be sent to the FRMS York 36 Treasurer (see back page). BOOK REVIEWS The cover picture is of CROSSWORD Kettering Church and Market The Amadeus 36 © Brian Pack. Elgar and Chivalr y 37 Cross word 39 Type set by the edi tor us ing Corel Ventura. FRMS OFFICERS Please Note: No ma terial con - tent of this mag a zine may be Of fi cers, Board and re pro duced else where with - Com mit tees 40 out permis sion from the pub - lish ers, Fed er a tion of Re corded Mu sic So ci eties Ltd. Printed by Maxiprint, de - signers and colour printers, Kettlestring Lane, Clifton Moor, York YO30 4XF Visit the FRMS Website: ISSN 09628150 www.musicweb.uk.net/frms EDITORIAL FRMS EDITORIAL: What is the FRMS for? I think if you asked a typical member of an These problems have often been raised at affiliated Society he would say he didn’t know (but Committee but no solutions (easy or difficult) have it looked impressive on the programme). A more been suggested as how to reverse these trends which knowledgeable member, perhaps one who had seem to be both long term and inexorable. Always served on the local committee would probably there are things of pressing importance to do, minor reply that the Federation negotiates a crises and fights amongst members (see good rate for the copyright licences Editorial in Bulletin 138). However a required by Societies to play records in programme called Outreach has been public and also arranges public liability instituted and has the enthusiastic insurance at favourable terms. If really backing of John Davies our current pressed he might also remember that chairman. This is based on the concept of FRMS publishes a magazine (the Bulletin members of the Committee visiting — one or a few copies of which arrive Societies, explaining what FRMS does, twice a year), an annual musical weekend and listening to what the Societies want to (a few members have attended the odd tell us. So if a Society is approached by an one and reported it to be good, but FRMS Committee member, this is not expensive), there is also an equipment interference from the centre, but an insurance scheme. attempt to set up a two-way communication system This would be a fair description of what the so that you know more about us and we know more FRMS does. But is this all that the Federation is about you and your problems. for? Some would argue that yes this is the case and So to revert to the question posed, the FRMS that the Federation is not expected to do more. should continue to do what it does now (and even Most, perhaps all, officers or FRMS Committee better if possible) but also to try to devise strategic members upon election feel instinctively that the solutions to the problems of Societies and to help Federation should do more. Alas, like so very many Societies prosper. The main current problem is voluntary organisations, recorded music societies membership and this is a difficult one. report a shortage of members, increasing age of However, we should not despair, I can think of membership and despair for the prospect of two organisations which are expanding in the recruiting young members. We know that so many current climate — these are U3A and Probus. other organisations report similar problems, but Perhaps we can learn from them. this is no consolation. Federation of Recorded Music Societies — Annual General Meeting Commences 2pm. on Saturday 25th October 2003 at The George Hotel, Sheep Street, Kettering NN16 0AN Hosted by The Kettering and District Recorded Music Society Following the meeting, bar facilities will be available. A three-course dinner will be followed in the evening by a recital by the Quartet of the Northamptonshire Music and Performing Arts Service Tick ets (£20 each) for the din ner and recital should be obtained from FRMS Secre tary, Tony Baines, 2 Fulmar Place, Meir Park, Stoke-on-Trent, ST3 7QF Please enclose a DL size stamped addressed en velope with your appli ca tion. All cheques to be payable to the Fed era tion of Recorded Music Soci et ies Ltd. Some ac com mo da tion is avail able at the ho tel for £25 per night in clud ing break fast. Ap pli ca tion for ac com mo da tion, quoting the FRMS AGM, should be made directly to the Ho tel: Tel. 01536 410787 Advice on other places to stay in and around Kettering will be supplie d to Soci ety Secre tar ies 2 NEWS FRMS Reg Williamson Retires t the Committee meeting held in May, Reg became emergency editor of the Bulletin and Williamson, after presenting a report on the produced one issue (No. 130); this was designed in Asuccessful Musical Weekend held at conjunction with our printer, Maxiprint of York, Stratford earlier this year, announced that he was based upon modern electronic design that was retiring from the Committee with immediate subsequently developed by the current editor. effect. Perhaps his most important innovation was as This brings to an end an era in the life of the Treasurer. The previous Treasurer had maintained Federation that has produced many changes most paper records, none of which were made available of which have had the intimate involvement of Reg. to FRMS. Reg thus was faced with the task of Reg first joined the setting up a system from Committee in 1971; he resigned scratch; this he did based upon in 1981 but subsequently computer spreadsheets, which rejoined in 1998. Much of his enable detailed reports to be second period on the prepared within minutes. This committee was in conjunction is fully in accordance with with his wife Marjorie (now, of modern practices and is still course, a Vice-President) then used with some refinements by Secretary, and a formidable the present Treasurer. combination this was. From the above it can be Reg has held an unprec e- seen that Reg left a solid set of dented number of po sitions achievements that has dragged within the Fed era tion. He has a not always willing Federation been Techni cal Offi cer, Vice firmly into the 20th Century. Chair man, Sec re tary, Trea surer The process has not been and Bul letin Ed i tor. This is an without controversy and Reg amaz ing re cord. One for mer Chair man told me who prides himself as being a blunt speaking man that his de fin ing char acter is tic is a to tal loyalty to from Norfolk (not to be confused with a blunt the Federation. speaking Yorkshire man!) was always happy to He is a man of action, he was not one to faff give robust reply to anyone who questioned his around but if something needed to be done he approach. Thus we did not always have an easy would set to and do it; he would then present the ride but the Federation has gained a lot from Reg result to an often surprised committee. As who has provided a solid foundation for future mentioned in the last paragraph, he became development. Thank you Reg, and we wish you a Technical Officer and his encyclopaedic knowledge happy retirement. of all aspects of Hi Fi served him well and even now AB. he contributes articles to Hi Fi magazines (although these days he has tended to specialize in Fed er a tion Website Digital Radio). However his technical skills were rom 1st July Bob Astill has taken over the not confined to sound reproduction, as he was also Web-master job previously performed by Reg very knowledgeable in the use of computers and FWilliamson. There will be a change as your this he put to very effective results for the website information is updated, browsers will Federation.