LONDON CELLO SOCIETY Registered Charity No 1098381 A Tribute to William Pleeth Royal College of Music Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall Sunday 20th November 2016 ‘Whenever we make a stroke with our bow, when we place a finger on a string, we cause a sensation of sound and feeling; and the gesture of the bow and of the finger which brought that sound into existence must breathe with the life of the emotion that gave birth to it.’ William Pleeth ‘Wiliam Pleeth’s enthusiasm is absolutely boundless and anyone who comes into contact with him and his teaching will be able to feed from his love for music.’ Jacqueline du Pré 3 Participating Artists Anthony Pleeth and Tatty Theo Alasdair Beatson, piano Lana Bode, piano Adrian Brendel, Natasha Brofsky, Colin Carr, Nicholas Parle, harpsichord Thomas Carroll, Robert Cohen, Rebecca Gilliver, Sacconi Quartet, Quartet in Association at the John Heley, Frans Helmerson, Seppo Kimanen, Royal College of Music Joely Koos, Stephen Orton, Melissa Phelps, Hannah Catherine Bott, presenter Roberts, Sophie Rolland, Christopher Vanderspar, Kristin von der Goltz, Jamie Walton RCM Cello Ensemble with Richard Lester The London Cello Society extends its warmest thanks and appreciation to the Royal College of Music and J & A Beare for their gracious support of this event. To the Pleeth family and to all the artists who are taking part today, we are deeply grateful to you for making this celebration possible, a testimony to the high esteem in which William Pleeth is held by the cello community in the United Kingdom and abroad. Afternoon Events 2.00 PM RCM Cello Ensemble P. CASALS (1876-1973) ‘Les Rois Mages’ from El Pessebre, for six celli H. VILLA-LOBOS (1887-1959) Bachianas Brasileiras no. 1, for eight celli I. Introduction (Embolada) II. Preludio (Modinha) III. Fugue (Conversa) RCM Cello Ensemble: Casals: Cello 1: Richard Lester Cello 4: Nina Kiva Cello 2: Melody Lin Cello 5: Yaroslava Trofymchuk Cello 3: Lydia Dobson Cello 6: Carola Krebs Villa-Lobos: Cello 1: Richard Lester Cello 5: Jo Dee Yeoh Cello 2: Melody Lin Cello 6: Zara Hudson Kuzdoj Cello 3: Lydia Dobson Cello 7: Yaroslava Trofymchuk Cello 4: Nina Kiva Cello 8: Carola Krebs 2.30 PM William Pleeth – The Early Years with Anthony Pleeth and Tatty Theo 3.00 PM William Pleeth on Recording and Film 4.15 PM Tea break 4.45 PM Cellist Forum – Remembering William Pleeth 5.45PM Break 7.00 PM Evening Concert 4 Evening Concert WELCOME with Catherine Bott PART I - BAROQUE CELLO G. B. CERVETTO (1682-1783) Trio Sonata Op.1, No.1 in A minor Adagio; Allegro; Minuetto Primo Comodo; Minuetto Secondo Kristin von der Goltz, baroque cello Tatty Theo, baroque cello Anthony Pleeth, baroque cello Nicholas Parle, harpsichord PART II - PIANO/CELLO L. van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) 12 Variations on a Theme from Handel’s Judas Maccabeus, ‘See the Conqu’ring Hero Comes’, WoO 45 Adrian Brendel, cello Alasdair Beatson, piano J. S. BACH (1685-1750) Sarabande from the Solo Suite in D Major BWV 1012 A. PIATTI (1822-1901) Caprice No 7 in C Major Colin Carr, cello E. RUBBRA (1901-1986) Soliloquy, Op 57 (1947) Robert Cohen, cello Lana Bode, piano J. KLENGEL (1859-1933) Kleine Suite for Three Cellos, Op 56 I. Andante II. Gavotte IV. Scherzino: Vivace Natasha Brofsky, cello I Hannah Roberts, cello II Rebecca Gilliver, cello III Interval (20 minutes) PART III- CHAMBER MUSIC L. van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) ‘Cavatina’ from String Quartet in B-flat major, Op 130 Sacconi Quartet W. FITZENHAGEN (1848-1890) Concert Waltzes, Op 31 Thomas Carroll, cello I Frans Helmerson, cello II Jamie Walton, cello III Seppo Kimanen, cello IV J. KLENGEL (1859-1933) Hymnus, Op 57 Orlando Jopling, conductor 5 William Pleeth by Margaret Campbell I first met William Pleeth in 1975 when I was name was taboo because at the time there was this terrible researching my book, The Great Cellists, and found inverted snobbery. You had to have a “ski” or a “vitch” on him to be one of the most interesting and articulate the end of your name. It was tough for English artists. musicians I have ever met. Since my family were originally Polish, I could easily have impressed them, but my parents were naturalized and had Pleeth was born in London in 1916 into a musical family anglicized their name, so I refused to trade on my origins.’ of Polish-Jewish origin, many of whom were members of the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra spanning several His first break came in 1933 with a BBC audition when generations. However, he admitted to me that he did not Pleeth was 17, which resulted in a couple of broadcasts, necessarily follow the family traditions, but at one time had but no concert engagements were forthcoming. Pleeth’s ambitions of being either an actor, a barrister or a cook. parents, who by now were running short of funds, scraped But when he was seven he heard a cellist named Waldstahl up enough money to give him his début recital at the playing in a café, liked the sound of the instrument and old Grotrian Hall which was opposite the more famous took a few lessons with him. The boy’s progress was so ‘Wigmore.’ Despite the rave reviews, no offers came along phenomenal that Waldstahl begged his parents to buy him until several months later when he was invited to play the a small cello and send him to the London Academy where Dvorak Concerto with the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra William’s mother, a pianist, had also studied. At ten William under Leslie Heward for the handsome fee of two guineas! entered the London Cello School and at 13 was awarded a After a few engagements with other provincial orchestras, scholarship to study with the great Julius Klengel in Leipzig, Pleeth made his first concerto broadcast with the BBC the youngest ever to be accepted. Symphony Orchestra under Sir Adrian Boult. Pleeth always recalled that day with affection. ‘I was so lucky to start The young Pleeth’s progress was phenomenal. In with dear Sir Adrian. It was a lovely experience to start December 1931 at 15 he made his début at the Leipzig with such a marvellous man. He was so kind and helpful.’ Conservatory playing the Haydn D Major Concerto From this time, Pleeth’s career began to take an upward and received rave reviews. His first appearance at the turn, and besides his solo engagements he was the cellist in Gewandhaus under Bruno Walter soon followed and the Blech Quartet from 1936-1941. In 1941, two years after again the press was enthusiastic. Shortly after this he was the outbreak of war, Pleeth was called up and served in the invited to perform a piece for four cellos by Klengel with army for five years. One good outcome was that he met his second in command, Feuermann—a fellow student— up with the composer Edmund Rubbra which resulted in and himself. In the first two years, he managed to learn a lasting friendship and many dedications. Rubbra’s Cello a vast repertoire. He told me: ‘There were innumerable Sonata was written for Pleeth and his wife, the pianist studies, 32 cello concertos, all the Bach Suites and Piatti Margaret Good, and the Soliloquy for Cello, also dedicated Caprices; I knew about 23 of those from memory.’ to him, dates from those war years. Later many other composers wrote works for Pleeth, and for him and his wife, Klengel made a deep and lasting impression on Pleeth: including Franz Reizenstein, Gordon Jacob, Matyas Seiber ‘What I loved so much about the old boy was that he and Benjamin Frankel. was himself a very simple man. He had no whims. No sophistication. He was always honest and I loved him for it. Although for many years Pleeth followed a highly What I am today, for better or worse, is me. I haven’t been successful solo career, appearing with leading orchestras tainted by anybody. Klengel never encouraged us to copy. and giving recitals with his pianist wife, Margaret Good, After all, Feuermann and Piatigorsky were both his pupils whom he married in 1944, he became disenchanted and we’re all different. We never copied. Any dramatic or with the endless travelling and the artistic isolation lyrical qualities you developed were you. It was Klengel’s which attends the soloist when confronted with a large honesty that allowed this to happen.’ Pleeth’s studies ended orchestra. He was very articulate when it came to his when he was 16. ‘I was his last pupil in May 1932. He died views on ‘eminent‘ conductors. ‘There aren’t so many the following year and that was my final lesson and I’ve great conductors anyway! You sit at home and work out never had one since.’ Despite his Leipzig successes, when your concerto, Elgar, Schumann, whatever, in the same Pleeth returned to London he found it difficult to get work. way that a conductor works it all out. You formulate Music was at a low ebb at the time and only foreign artists this great work of art in your mind and you are ready to seemed to have any real status. Pleeth told me: ‘An English 6 pupils and masterclasses world-wide, he also taught for many years at the Menuhin School. He explained that apart from Jackie du Pré, his son Anthony and Robert Cohen, he had never taken on children as such, but: ‘Menuhin has them picked for their sparkle, their personality—not just their personal ability. He looks for liveliness of mind and imagination.’ Pleeth’s students were fortunate in being able to reap the benefit of his sound philosophy which was the long-term legacy from Klengel.