62047 cover_52183 FRMS cover 142 30/08/2011 09:26 Page 1 Cirencester Historic setting for FRMS 2010 AGM Bulletin Spring 2010 No. 152 £1.75 62047 cover_52183 FRMS cover 142 30/08/2011 09:26 Page 2 NEW RELEASES www.hyperion-records.co.uk TWO MAJOR NEW RELEASES FROM STEPHEN HOUGH THE ROMANTIC PIANO CONCERTO STRAVINSKY THE FAIRY’S KISS VOLUME 50: TCHAIKOVSKY SCÈNES DE BALLET THE COMPLETE MUSIC FOR A second disc of Stravinsky’s PIANO AND ORCHESTRA ballet music from the BBC Scottish A stellar cast has been assembled for a Symphony Orchestra and Ilan two-disc set that includes one of the most Volkov, this time featuring the famous concertos in the repertoire. composer’s fascinating recreation Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No 1 has of the music of Tchaikovsky. certainly achieved warhorse status—but BBC SCOTTISH SYMPHONY in the expert hands of Stephen Hough it is ORCHESTRA a new creature. This survey also includes ILAN VOLKOV alternative versions of the second movement of Piano Concerto No 2 as well as some delicious extras. 2 Compact Discs CDA67711/2 Compact Disc CDA67697 STEPHEN HOUGH / MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA / OSMO VÄNSKÄ CHOPIN LATE MASTERPIECES ROGIER MISSA EGO SUM QUI SUM Stephen Hough joins the celebrations for MOTETS Chopin’s 200th birthday with a disc Although well known and highly containing much of the composer’s most regarded in his lifetime and in the years extraordinary music, written in the last following his death in 1596, the music years of his life where the possibilities of of Philippe Rogier is today largely his art were constantly unfolding as he known through one motet alone, imbued his favoured forms with previously Laboravi in gemitu meo. But there is unknown levels of complexity and much to explore in this genuinely emotional depth. Hough’s deeply sensitive underrated composer, one of the most playing is informed by his limitless fascinating and rewarding of the late technique and musical imagination. sixteenth century. The Chopin of a true Romantic. THE CHOIR OF KING’S COLLEGE STEPHEN HOUGH LONDON / DAVID TRENDELL Compact Disc CDA67764 Compact Disc CDA67807 DOHNÁNYI / JANÁCEK ALBINONI / VIVALDI VIOLIN SONATAS OBOE CONCERTOS Hagai Shaham and Arnon Erez have ‘What a breath of fresh been enthusiastically acclaimed for their air! Played as they should dazzling duo performances: their be and never have been infectiously relaxed bravado and ’til now. This recording is a complete continual flexibility belying their delight, a small pattering of allegros and impeccable ensemble. For their latest adagios that purr as happily as a spring disc they turn to two composers who rain’ (The Magic Flute, USA) ‘Delightful are seminal figures in the development of ... played with vivacity and finesse’ Eastern European music during the early (Gramophone) ‘Delightful’ (BBC Music twentieth century. Magazine Top 1000 CDs Guide) HAGAI SHAHAM PAUL GOODWIN ARNON EREZ Compact Disc CDA67699 Compact Disc CDH55349 (budget price) THE KING’S CONSORT / ROBERT KING O PRAISE THE LORD RESTORATION GLINKA MUSIC FROM WESTMINSTER ABBEY TCHAIKOVSKY The Choir of Westminster Abbey under PIANO TRIOS their inspirational director James ‘The Moscow O’Donnell delves into the Abbey’s vaults Rachmaninov Trio for this latest fascinating disc. The demonstrate what a versatile and triumphant mood of the Restoration capable ensemble they are’ required much glorious liturgical music, (BBC Music Magazine) and the Abbey was home to some of THE MOSCOW RACHMANINOV TRIO the greatest composers and performers of the age. THE CHOIR OF WESTMINSTER ABBEY JAMES O’DONNELL Compact Disc CDA67792 Compact Disc CDH55322 (budget price) Hyperion Records PO BOX 25, LONDON SE9 1AX [email protected] · TEL 020 8318 1234 62047 frms pages_Layout 1 30/08/2011 09:39 Page 1 FRMS BULLETIN SPRING 2010 No. 152 CONTENTS EDITORIAL Page Editor Thelma Shaw Beginners, please! Inviting newcomers to the classics 2 15 Cann’s Lane OUT & ABOUT Hethersett Federation Norwich NR9 3JE Christmas came early for the 2009 AGM 3 Tel: 01603 812996 Regional Groups Editorial copy Scottish Group Music Day 2010 6 If your copy is in manuscript Vive la France! Central Regions Music Day 7 form or on CD or floppy disc, Societies send it direct to the Editor at the Putney’s 60 glorious years 6 above address. No need to be shy! A hint for programme planning 7 If your copy is available as an Special events at West Wickham RMS 8 email attachment send it to: Community award for member of Croydon RMS 8 [email protected] South Cheshire RMS keeps it name 8 TMW on the Cornish Riviera 9 Editorial deadlines Spring issue: 31st December Portslade RMS change of address 9 Autumn issue: 30th June SPECIAL FEATURES The Power of Music 10 Advertising by Dr. Jill White, former Director of the National Youth Orchestra Advertisements are available Accurate Reproduction of Recorded Classical Music 12 from £35. For information on A preview of the Technical Forum at Daventry by Philip Ashton rates and discounts contact the REVIEWS Editor: [email protected] Early and unfamiliar gems on EPOCH 14 V. Williams;William Alwyn; York Bowen; première Parry recording; (full address inside back cover) First orchestral works by Corp Circulation HYPERION’s Baltic Exchange 14 If you would like your own Music by contemporary composers from the Baltic States. copy of Bulletin sent direct, Sullivan’s Ivanhoe on CHANDOS 15 contact the Distribution Manager NAXOS A – Z of the Classics 15 [email protected] BOOK REVIEW (full address inside back cover) Copies are distributed to all The Music goes Round and Around: Basil Tschaikov 15 affiliated societies and to the NEWS & VIEWS Federation’s Associates, with a Cirencester plans for the FRMS 2010 AGM 16 total estimated membership in L’OperaDou - from garage to personal opera house 17 the region of 10,000. Wyastone celebrates Lyrita’s 50th anniversary 18 Remembering Sheila Pezarro 18 NB Copyright. The material content of Bulletin may not be From the Chairman’s desk 19 reproduced elsewhere without What’s in the Secretary’s postbag? 20 the formal permission of the Forward looking, forward planning 21 publishers, The Federation of REGULAR FEATURES Recorded Music Societies Ltd. FRMS Presenters Panel 22 Printed by: The Max Chessingham Park Industrial Est Notable Anniversaries for 2011 27 Common Road, Dunnington North Yorkshire YO19 5SE ISSN 0928150 Front cover: Please note that the address of Cirencester Parish Church the FRMS website is Photograph by Maureen Jenner www.thefrms.co.uk 1 62047 frms pages_Layout 1 30/08/2011 09:39 Page 2 EDITORIAL Beginners, please! Inviting newcomers to the classics This could be a way of How much do you know? opening the door for those Also, at the Torbay Music who would like to dip their Weekend last November, toes in the classic waters Adrian and Antony displayed without getting submerged at a poster with photographs of the first attempt. Thinking various people who had been along these lines, I looked involved in some way with for suitable CDs to suggest Lyrita recordings, and and, hey presto! found a weekend visitors were tailor-made set from Naxos. I wonder how many readers invited to identify them. have noticed that under the The start of a learning curve This was so successful that crossword of a well-known On p.15 is a review of its Antony decided to use the daily broadsheet newspaper A-Z of Classical Music, an same poster as the there is often a small excellent 1000-page book advertisement on the inside advertisement carrying an and two CDs of short back cover of this issue so Bulletin invitation to courses for strict extracts that would fill the that readers can test beginners, intermediate or bill exactly for such a their knowledge. advanced players – of the beginners’ course. The Working clockwise from the game of Bridge, mind you, hardest part would be top left and then the two not instruments. making a suitably tempting photographs in the centre, there are 25 key people to be It struck me that there are advertisement for display in identified, some more than many people, particularly of a libraries, youth clubs and so once. Answers on p. 21. younger age group, who are a on. Over to you! bit scared off by what they Now it’s the basses’ turn! Lyrita’s half century A ditty that I published about consider a sort of mystique Most readers will remember about classical music. altos in a choir seems to have the flourishing in the 60s and touched a chord and one kind Societies looking for new 70s of music by British ways to attract members reader (presumably male!) composers who were hitherto sent the following poem might target this section of hardly ever recorded. their local population with an written by the English bass eye-catching advertisement of This changed when Richard singer Robert Radford (1874- a listen-and-learn course for Itter founded the Lyrita label 1933) the morning after he absolute beginners. in 1960, and produced had appeared in an opera. excellent LP recordings that Embedded in our beards we sing, The programmes could be brought British composers With staff in hand we plod about. structured to begin with short into the musical limelight. We try to act like anything pieces with a good tune, and Adrian Farmer and Antony While dreaming of a glass of stout. supported with background And not for us the giddy heights information about the work, Smith of Wyastone decided Of coloratura, tenor brave, and progress to more to commemorate 50 years of We basses are the luckless wights, challenging music. Most British music with two boxed We sing with one foot in the grave.