2007
LtoR:
Iason Iannaou (Baroque Cello), Barbara Barros (Baroque Violin),
Erik Dippenaar (Harpsichord) &
Siv Thomassen (Baroque Violin)
On 16th
November, the society thoroughly enjoyed a performance of 16th to 18th
century music performed by the quartet Melopoetica. Formed in 2003, the ensemble
specialises in the performance of music from the baroque period that is
slightly unusual. The programme was titled Diabolus
in Musica, but the devil was only manifest in the form of an abnormal
amount of dissonance. Since audiences have, for about 100 years, been getting
used to composers who revel in dissonance on a massive and chromatic scale,
baroque dissonance sounds positively consonant by comparison.
There was much
that was distinctive in this programme. Some of the music was slightly
melancholy and not all the pieces seemed to be completely resolved at their
endings, particularly the Duodecima
Sonata by Dario Castello. Only Scarlatti and Vivaldi were familiar to most
of the audience – others were composers such as Maurizio Cazzati and
Pietro Antonio Locatelli who were well known in their day but are little
performed now. It is greatly to the credit of Melopoetica that they can
successfully re-introduce such music to modern audiences and present it with
flair and virtuosity. The large audience was well satisfied with this programme
and performance.
Ian Sargeant
__________
19th October – Thomas Gould (Violin) & John
Reid (Piano)
A large and appreciative audience demonstrated its
openness to music of a far later date than J.S. Bach at
These two outstanding performers appeared by courtesy
of the Countess of Munster Trust which provides financial assistance to help
launch talented young musicians on their careers. Through this scheme members of the TBS
have often been able to enjoy the excitement of hearing musical stars of the
future, among whom Thomas and John will undoubtedly number.
Their technical and stylistic range was amply
demonstrated in the varied programme, beginning with the lush and Romantic Violin Sonata in B major by
Delius. I’m sure a lark
ascended during the first movement.
The titles of Britten’s Three
Pieces (1935); March, Lullaby and
Waltz, are deceptively conventional as the pieces are sardonic, atonal
parodies of these genres. The
composer Graham Williams was present to acknowledge the applause for his challenging
Three Night Pictures, inspired by
Goya’s paintings. These
included some eerie effects on the violin, accomplished brilliantly by Thomas
Gould.
Most popular with the audience was the familiar Violin Sonata by Cesar Franck that ended
the programme. Here John
Reid’s virtuosity really shone out in the piano part. A very pleasing link with the Tilford
Bach Society’s past is that John studied under Denys Darlow, our founder,
at the Royal College of Music.
Rosemary Wisbey
__________
21st September – David Parson
(Lutenist) & Paul Robinson (Tenor)
A duo of tenor and lutenist giving a recital of 16th and 17th century songs in the Great
Hall of Farnham Castle was the
exquisite experience of the Tilford Bach Society on 21 September. Performers,
instruments, choice of music and venue combined to produce a memorable evening.
Paul Robinson is a singer of high repute who performs, records and
broadcasts regularly, mainly religious and early music. David Parsons is a
lutenist who is a member of The Haydn Lute Trio and who performs
internationally. He is also an expert performer on the long-necked cousin of
the lute, the theorbo. The resulting combination produced a highly enjoyable
variety of music by Dowland, Rosseter, Blow and Purcell.
The Dowland music was, for many in the audience, the most familiar. There
is a slight melancholy to most of his songs, reflecting the style of the times
and, perhaps, his own frustrating life trying to find employment. The programme
also included two solo pieces – one for lute (Fantasia by Dowland) and
the other for theorbo (Allemande and Chaconne by Robert de Visée). An
audience that knows and appreciates period music found its appetite well
satisfied at this event.
Ian Sargeant
__________
20th April – Victoria
Davies
The harpist
Victoria Davies is a great local favourite amongst the music-lovers of Farnham.
Born in
Her early promise is being fulfilled now that she has become an
international musician. The members of Tilford Bach Society were delighted to hear
her perform at
A concert recital on a single instrument may have seemed a bit daunting
for both audience and performer, but many people, including this reporter,
discovered that the harp can be ranked with the piano and organ as an
instrument that totally sustains one’s interest over a 2-hour period. The
elegance and acoustics of the Great Hall greatly enhanced the audience’s
enjoyment.
The six-octave range of this instrument and the infinite variety of tone
that can be evoked by a skilled performer such as Victoria Davies allow many
voices to be heard. The wide variety of pieces that were played showed the
range of interpretation that is possible – composers included JS Bach
(Sarabande and Bourrée adapted from the Violin Partita No.1 and a Lute
Suite), Claude Debussy, Prokoviev and Khatchaturian.
The final work was a surprising piece of Tchaikovsky arranged by Ekaterina
Walter-Küne, being a Fantasia on themes from the opera Eugene Onegin.
Embracing the airs from the haunting aria by Tatyana and moving to the famous
ballroom waltz, this harp recital also became a great joy to opera-lovers in
the audience.
Victoria Davies is currently in
Ian Sargeant
__________
23rd March – The
The Tilford Bach Society’s March concert was like a breath of spring,
even if the weather outside did not match it. Haydn can always be relied on to raise
sunshine and smiles, and the audience in the castle’s Great Hall was
treated to two delightful trios by this composer as well as popular works by
Bach, Mozart, Brahms and Elgar.
The London Trio, consisting of Richard Smith (violin), Lucy Shimidzu
(piano) and Penelope Sapiro (cello), have built up a prestigious reputation in
the capital since their formation in 2000 and the evening’s programme
certainly demonstrated their versatility.
In Mozart’s Trio in G, much admired by the older Haydn, the
contrasts in mood from a dramatic Allegro to an elegant Andante and finally a
light-hearted, lively Rondo, were sensitively expressed. Then the sensuous melodies of
Elgar’s ‘Chanson de Matin’ and ‘Chanson de Nuit’
transported us to the age of the
However, it was the performance of Brahms’s Hungarian Dances,
brilliantly arranged for the trio by Lucy Shimidzu, that drew the most
enthusiastic applause from the audience.
Originally scored for piano, the addition of strings provided true gypsy
passion, tugging at the heartstrings at one moment and whirling us away with
breathtaking abandon at the next.
Rosemary Wisbey
__________
16th February – Sheida Davis & Helen Reid
The large audience at 
musicians in the early stages of their very
promising careers.
Sheida Davis is becoming internationally known as a sensitive cello
player of the first order. Her controlled playing of quiet passages is
outstanding and was very moving in many parts of the TBS concert, particularly
during a Sonata by Zoltan Kodaly and another by Beethoven. The Suite in G major
by J.S. Bach for solo violoncello included passages in which, with eyes closed,
a listener would think he could hear two instruments.
Helen Reid is a pianist whose skills perfectly matched and complemented
those of her accompanying player. As a finalist of the Young Musician of the
Year 1998 and now a professor of piano at the Guildhall School of Music,
exceptional solo playing and discreet accompaniment when required were both
expected and superbly delivered.
In addition to the pieces mentioned, there was music by Schumann and
Ian Sargeant
__________