MARLBOROUGH COLLEGE CONCERT SERIES NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2014 John Lill RapturousCollege Chapel reception to host for Nash Ensemble recital Wells Cathedral Choir The 2014-2015 Marlborough College Concert Series opened with a magnificent performance by the Nash Ensemble celebrating its 50th year and, to judge only by the captivated attention of the audience including 35 music students from the College, the original members of the Ensemble should have been hugely proud of the legacy that they have left. This was ensemble playing at its best and what came through so strikingly was not simply the hours of work that must have gone into the performance but rather the time spent on interpret- ation. It was a wonderfully contrasting programme which provided all the colours, the emotions, the sensitivities Music from the ‘Romantic’ era and at times the bravado of chamber music which could only have been properly interpreted by playing of the This month John Lill will perform solo works for highest quality, as we witnessed. From the gentle opening bars of piano from late 18th and 19th century Vienna Mahler’s Piano Quartet in A minor to the final ecstatic bars of Elgar’s Piano Quintet in the same key, via Felix Unanimously described as the leading all of which with the exception of a Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio in D Minor pianist of his generation, John Lill’s rare piece by Prokofiev were composed in there was an intensity in the perform- talent began to emerge in 1953, when Vienna between the late 18th and 19th ance that drew the audience in to he gave his first public recital at the age centuries. share the restless emotions of the of nine. The opening piece is Mozart’s Piano young Mahler, the contrasting lyricism At 18, he performed Rachmaninov's Sonata No. 18 in D major (K.576). and lightness of Mendelssohn’s trio to Piano Concerto No.3 under the direction Composed in 1789, it was part of a body the haunting, mystical quality of Elgar’s of Sir Adrian Boult; and soon after, made of work commissioned by Friedrich quintet. a much-acclaimed London debut with Wilhelm II, King of Prussia comprising The excellent and wonderfully Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ concerto. three string quartets (the ‘Prussian collaborative string playing in all depart- Last year, his 70th birthday celebra- Quartets’) and a series of six sonatas for ments was particularly enhanced by tions took him across the world with inter- the King’s daughter, Princess Friedrike. the underpinning of superb piano national tour dates at the Benaroya Hall Only one sonata was completed, which in Seattle, the National Concert Hall, Mozart published at his own expense, [Page 2, Column 1] Dublin, and the Grand Hall of Saint having received only a partial fee from Petersburg Philharmonia. the King. In Moscow, he performed a full cycle The second item and principal work Season 73 continues … of Beethoven piano concerti with the of the first half is Faschingsschwank aus National Philharmonic of Russia. While Wien,“Carnival Jest from Vienna” (Op.26) Sunday, 09-Nov-14, at 7:30pm in the UK, he toured with the Royal Phil- by Robert Schumann. Written 50 years John Lill (piano) harmonic Orchestra, and made guest later, it is a lengthy piece in five move- Sunday, 11-Jan-15, at 3:00pm appearances with the Hallé, the Bourne- ments for solo piano. Grimethorpe Colliery Band mouth Symphony, and the BBC National The first (allegro) is the longest Orchestra of Wales. section and ideally suited to demon- Sunday, 01-Feb-15, at 3:00pm This November, John will give a recital strate the virtuosic talent of the pianist. Southbank Sinfonia in Marlborough charting the develop- Listen out for a musical reference to Contact the Box Office for tickets – ment of the ‘Romantic’ music tradition, phone – 01672 892566. through a series of solo works for piano, [Page 2, Column 2] www.marlboroughconcertseries.org Nash Ensemble John Lill John will perform the Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor (Op.57), the ‘Appassionata,’ interpretation by Simon Crawford- “La Marseillaise.” by Beethoven. Composed between Phillips. The second movement (romanze), 1804 and 1806, it is an early work from While the Memorial Hall has many very brief, strikes a somber tone, while the composer’s ‘Middle’ period. It was limitations, as a listening venue for music the third (scherzino) is jostling and light, published in February 1807, with a of the quality that we heard on Sunday in contrast to the fourth (intermezzo), dedication to Count Franz von night from the Nash Ensemble, it could which restores the solemnity. The closing Brunswick. hardly be improved upon. It is not just movement (finale), also quite lengthy The ‘Appassionata,’ which at the the clear acoustics, but the tiered seat- draws to a dramatic climax. time Beethoven considered to be his ing around the apron stage that Then before the interval, we transfer best from the genre is noted as a work induces an intimacy with the performers to Saint Petersburg in 1912, when of considerable contrasts. and an involvement in the performance Prokofiev composed the Toccata in D The scholar and music biographer that is hard to match and certainly not minor (Op.11), a showpiece favoured Eric Blom suggests that the dedication found in major venues even in London. by many virtuoso pianists. Short and of the sonata may in fact be attributed On the day that people were march- frenetic, it is typical of early works by to Beethoven’s affections towards the ing in London to draw the attention of Prokofiev, in which the composer came Count’s two sisters – Therese von politicians to the impact of climate to prominence through a series of virtu- Brunswick and the widowed Josephine change, here we were in a small osic, often dissonant works for piano. von Deyma. market town in Wiltshire not having to The work debuted four years later, in He further speculates that the travel to distant cities to hear classical December 1916. tempestuous mood of the sonata music of the highest standard. After the interval, we return to Vienna, potentially reflects the composer’s We are grateful to the Artistic when the programme resumes with struggle to resolve his spiritual feelings Director at Marlborough College, the Three Intermezzi (Op.117), by Johannes for the first, and physical attraction to indefatigable Philip Dukes playing Brahms – another piece favoured by the second sister. viola with the Nash Ensemble and the piano soloists. From the composer’s late One other curiosity is that the sonata Marlborough College Concert Series period, Brahms described them as was not originally published as Committee for providing us with these “three lullabies to my sorrows.” ‘Appassionata,’ but only acquired this local opportunities, and if the rest of Collectively, they strike a somewhat reference after the composer’s death, the season of concerts reaches the introspective tone – the first pair possibly when a publisher sought to promote a same heights of performance that was inspired by the old English poem “Lady four-hand transcription of the work. shared with us on Sunday, we shall be Ann Bothwell’s Lament” by Herder, and We are thrilled John has found time more than (musically) satisfied. the third by “Victor Galbraith,” a poem in his demanding schedule to join our by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. concert series, and look forward to wel- Nick Maurice And finally, to conclude the recital, coming him to our stage this month. Colliery Band will bring bold and brassy start to the New Year ! Grimethorpe Colliery Band was formed arose in 1992, when the government paralleled the pit’s story told through a in 1917 as a leisure activity for colliery announced a programme of pit closures fictional colliery band from Grimley, workers. It was initially financed by the just five days before the band was due who went on to win a national com- colliery, a sister company, and a wel- to contest the National Brass Band petition days after facing closure. fare fund established by the miners. Championships at the Royal Albert The band recorded the soundtrack, The musicians, most of and some of the members whom worked at the coll- Grimethorpe Colliery Band appeared as on-screen iery, perfected their skills extras. Written and direct- through competition, ed by Mark Herman, the winning 19 of the 42 film was a bigger hit than contests they entered anyone could have imag- between 1932 and 1945. ined, giving the band During this period, they international exposure. never came lower than Since then, Grimethorpe fifth! Colliery Band has perform- A turning point for the ed throughout Europe, band came with the with Millennium tours appointment of Elgar extending as far as Hong Howarth as professional Kong, Japan, Australia and conductor and music New Zealand. adviser, in 1972, and his They will appear in inspiration to commission Marlborough when the new works by avant-garde composers, Hall, London. concert series resumes in 2015, with a such as Hans Werner Henze and Sir Three years later, the film ‘Brassed programme to be announced in the Harrison Birtwistle. Off,’ starring Ewan McGregor, Pete New Year. We look forward to it with Something of a defining moment Postlethwaite and Tara Fitzgerald much eagerness. www.marlboroughconcertseries.org © 2014 Duncan Liddle (Marketing Communications) Contact: [email protected] .