The programme for the rest of the year is more or less finalised. I say ‘more or less’ because there are still a few issues about music hire and additional players (you will understand what I am getting at when you see the programme). I am sure all the problems will be sorted soon, so here it is in all its glory.
March.
1) Szymanowski – Etude for Orchestra
2) Poulenc – Stabat Mater , with Escafeld Chorale
3) Brahms – 4th Symphony
JUNE:
Shostakovich – Festive Overture
Karlowicz – Eternal Songs
Lutoslawski – Dance Preludes (With solo clarinet)
Rachmaninoff – Symphonic Dances
It looks a fantastic programme to me, but do you agree? Surely now is the time to click on that ‘comment’ button. I should say that there is also a move to give ‘Star Song V’ a second performance, but the schedule above looks somewhat congested. Perhaps next year…
D
String players new to Sheffield who want to join an orchestra are welcome to come along to one or two rehearsals to see if we are the right orchestra for you. Rehearsals start on Tuesday 2nd September and subsequent tuesdays at 7.30 pm in the Victoria hall (opposite the Crucible Theatre in the town centre). If you are late, you may need to hammer on the door and dance up and down in the street to attract attention, alternatively phone 07778 240419 and I will gratefully put down my horn and let you in!
You will find us a friendly and enthusiastic bunch. The orchestra is ‘on the way up’ with a great musical director but you won’t be ‘put on the spot’ and you are welcome to come for a drink (or 2) afterwards in the Ruskin and cadge a lift home if necessary. Bring a music stand if possible.
Most brass and wind places are occupied, but we are always on the lookout for extra players in ‘one off’ concerts, also deputies, bumps etc so if you are interested, leave your e-mail address by typing a comment in “contact us” (see panel opposite) or e-mail me (davidoakley@btopenworld.com) and I will forward it in the appropriate direction. Percussion players are always in demand and we would love to hear from you, and if you want to play the harp with us you must be an angel.
The SPO is great fun and good value. Do seriously consider contacting us. Read the review of our last concert here. http://www.calowclassics.net/spo1review.html.
The orchestra is currently trying to fix up a week of music making in Sardinia, at the end of July 2009.
D
No apologies for using the orchestra’s blog for a personal rant. I am referring here to the newly commissioned works for the 2008 Promenade Concert season. Now I regard myself as being genuinely receptive to new music: I thoroughly enjoyed the works by Stockhausen this year (as did our cat, whose musical tastes must command considerable respect. He purred continuously throughout Stimmung). Stockhausen, and many other 20th-21st century composers, have created a sound world that is interesting, stimulating, challenging and often startlingly beautiful. What a disappointment then to be presented with a litany of pretentiously titled pieces that, in the words of Peter Cooke, ‘lacked everything’. Above all, they lacked interest, sounding as one particular piece did, as though the composer was sitting on a cactus sucking an unripe lemon. Never mind: as my father once said, “the Proms’ audience is the least critical you will ever find. They will applaud anything, even if it hasn’t finished.”
I suppose it is all a quetion of fashion, and I admit that I did not listen to every new work, so I may have missed a masterpiece. But what I heard suggested to me that the commissioners were going for a particular sound palatte. It is a shame that unfashionable composers, even if they are extremely good, don’t get a look-in. Take Christopher Brown, for instance, who recently wrote a piece for our orchestra. He is a craftsman who has steadfastly ploughed his own furrow to create genuinely magical music in a style (simultaneously modern and traditional) that is recognisably his own. He has received commissions world wide from prestigious choirs, orchestras and chamber groups. Nothing from the Proms, of course.
Anyway, still 3 weeks to go and some mouth watering concerts to anticipate. There are some new works, too, and perhaps one will turn out to be a real gem. Then, yet again, I will be looking for that edible hat of mine. Click here to see what’s on this week http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/2008/whatson/season/ .
D
With the Botanic Gardens concert behind us, the orchestra can look forward to 6 weeks rest before we kick off again with rehearsals on September 2nd. Full marks to the hardy Sheffield public who braved a (rightly) pessimistic weather forecast to support us and the Rotary Charities last night. Despite conditions more akin to the South Col the loyal revellers stayed on till the end, which was well past 10pm. The organisers are already talking about next year when hopefully global warming will have got back into its stride.
Ewa has one more concert in London before a well earned brake in her native Poland. She has 10 concerts with the Halle next year, so watch her web site for dates and venues which include Wigan, Bradford and the Bridgewater Hall (also linked from this Blog). People may wish to read the revue of her most recent concert in the Bridgewater Hall to get some idea of what is in store! http://www.classicalsource.com/db_control/db_concert_review.php?id=6071
Keep an eye out for infrequent posts here (to while away the long balmy summer ahead). The SPO wishes that, in the coming weeks, visitors to this Blog will enjoy a few precious moments of relaxation from those pointless treadmills we all seem to have jumped on. (Sorry about the preposition at the end of the sentence).
Finally, I understand that the Botanic Gardens concert was recorded. More information about this will be posted as it emerges.
D
PS Note change of date for the Christmas concert. Saturday 13th December, not Sunday 14th. There is a straw in the wind suggesting the programme might be built around the theme of ‘trains’. Anyone know any good train music?!
Visitors to the this blog may be interested in a performance of Mozarts Requiem (by The Escafeld Chorale and the SPO), to be performed in Sheffield on April 12th. Full details can be found on Escafeld’s website : http://www.escafeldchorale.org.uk/.
This is our second association with Escafeld. Ewa will be conducting the Requiem and Escafeld’s musical director, Peter Dutton, will start the concert off with 2 ‘a capella’ (whoops! they were not a capella, but were very nice anyway) pieces.
The history of the Requiem is every bit as devious and fascinating as the totally mythological account in ‘Amadeus’. Wiki gives a reasonable introduction to this extraordinary work http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Requiem_(Mozart). I have to admit that some of my favourite bits seem to be those written by Sussmayr, but I suppose Mozart gave him a flying start (for example, the first 8 bars of the Lacrimosa, widely accepted to be the last music Mozart ever wrote).
Performing this work poses special challenges to an amateur orchestra, not least being the orchestration itself. The horns, oboes and flutes get a day off, but not the 3 trombones (alto, tenor and bass), who cop it for a hair raising solo in the Tuba Mirum. And where do you find 2 basset horns? Our clarinet duo were most insistent that we provide them, and they duly arrived this week. Then the orchestra will have to balance with the choir and tune in with the organ.
We confidently expect all these problems to be solved and look forward to a memorable performance, once again in St John’s Church, Ranmoor.
Easter greetings to all.
David.
PS. Another great audience. Thanks to all for coming. See you at the Broomhill festival.
As work gets under way for Mozart’s Requiem, I think the orchestra can reflect on our recent concert at St Johns with genuine pride. As usual, it’s best to turn to outsiders for criticism, so you may care to visit the following link. http://www.calowclassics.net/spo1review.html. Many thanks to Robert Webb at St John’s who helped us so much with this event.
It was by far the biggest audience we have had. Well, actually, that excludes the Botanic Gardens Cocert, oh and the City Hall Giltrap concert and possibly our first Christmas concert as well, but you get the general point. Feedback from the audience was positive and Ewa comments that the performance was full of energy (largely generated by her, of course). One perceptive observation was that though the energy was sustained throughout, the same could not be said about accuracy which faltered towards the end. It was certainly a tough programme to play all afternoon and then repeat in the evening and perhaps people were just getting knackered. It has been suggested that perhaps we could rehearse in the morning, allowing a longer recovery period before the performance. Comments please. (If you belong to another amateur orchestra and have found your way to this blog, please let us know how you cope with this problem; assuming you do find it a problem, of course. Click on ‘comments’ and help us out).
Despite her promotion, Ewa is anxious to keep faith with the SPO and is talking positively about next year’s programme, to include Tchaikowsy 6th in the first concert. Obviously she will have an increased committment to the Halle, but we now have an enviably good pool of guest conductors who can take rehearsals when she is not available and the future looks rosy.
Finally, I understand that the R K Rhapsody Espagnol is not going to feature in the Gardens Concert, but we will do it later in the year. Instead, we might do the whole of the New World Symphony. All of this is to be confirmed.
D
I suppose it is not up to an orchestral member (particularly the one one resposible for the unscheduled solo at the end of the Sibelius) to comment on our latest concert. We can leave that to others (http://www.calowclassics.net/spo1review.html). This concert, however, was a double ‘first’, being our first serious offering with Eva at the rostrum and our first performance in the Victoria Hall. We were fearful that parking difficulties on a cold night would put people off, but in fact we had the best audience for a while.
It was a delight to play in the newly refurbished Victoria Hall. The building is splendid and the staff were extremely helpful. Is this the best acoustic in Sheffield for concerts of this nature? I, for one, really hope we can perform there again.
Now it is back to rehearsals for the family concert at Christmas at St Andrews, Psalter Lane.
Anyone wishing to be added to our electronic mailing list should contact the secretary, cat@fsmail.net. We will use your address to remind you of upcoming concerts and for no other purpose.
Feedback from the last concert, and particularly about the venue would be appreciated. Just click ‘comment’ and type away. Meanwhile we are still looking for a new rehearsal venue. Ideas are urgently needed and should be sent to the secretary at the above address.
TM
Last June the leader of our second violins, Charlotte Pinder, played the Lark Ascending in Doncaster Minster as part of our musical director’s last concert with us. Charlotte writes:-
June feels like a long time ago now, but my memories of the Lark Ascending concerts are certainly ones to treasure. Playing a concerto would have been a dream come true under any circumstance, but to perform it with the orchestra that I had played in for so long was double the honour.
I knew one of the greatest challenges was going to be how to perform such a well-known work with individuality. Progress was generally a steady process – I took the piece to my lessons with Robin Ireland, and worked on it regularly with John, so gradually I felt as though I was getting to know it more intimately. Then there was the small matter of meeting Tasmin Little. I had heard her play the piece in the City Hall several years ago, needless to say, rather well. Scanning her website one day, I just thought, why not? Several emails and phone calls (and pinches) later, lesson arranged for early May. It was great – she was so helpful, both technically, and also in passing on her wealth of experience in playing this piece.
When it came to the concerts, I couldn’t understand why I felt so calm! I was so desperate to play at my best, not only for the audience, and myself but also because it was John’s last concert with us. But I felt totally ready to go for it. After all those months preparing, I fully intended to enjoy every minute, and not succumb to terrible nerves. I knew I had plenty of support in the audience and orchestra for both concerts.
I enjoyed both performances for different reasons, but there was something extra special about the atmosphere at St Marks on Saturday evening. I really want to thank everyone in the orchestra for helping to make the experience so special; for all the encouraging things they said, for accompanying me so sensitively, and simply for applauding so loudly. Having my SPO friends behind me was the icing on the cake.
Click the link below for a clip. Be patient, or go to ‘Our latest Podcast clips’ for a quicker upload. Recording courtesy Rob Goodall.
Sunday and Doncaster Minster saw the final Hoorah! for John Pearson’s time with the Phil. He gave us a concert to remember, with Charlotte Pinder wowing the audience as her Ascending Lark trilled into the stratosphere, Pyotr Ilyich blowing away the cobwebs and Delius walking us through a thoroughly enjoyable summer evening. I am persuaded that many people didn’t realise just how much they were going to miss John’s gentle good humour, faithfulness, knowedge and charm until his departure sneaked up on them. We wish him every joy in his retirement and hope that he doesn’t succumb too quickly to the lure of Emmerdale on Tuesday evenings.
Straight off the bounce from two thumping concerts at the weekend, we say Welcome! to Ewa. With five, now four rehersals to the Botanical Gardens Concert on 14th July, we’re in for a workout if Wednesday’s run-through was anything to go by. At the end of two hours reading Tchaikowsky, Borodin, Smetana et al, I felt like I was the one who had been run through. It’s going to be a challenge, this next concert, particularly with a tough program, amplification, an audience potentially in the thousands and the great outdoors to contend with. Having a new pair of hands on the tiller will no doubt shake us up and keep us on our mettle, but every member with whom I have spoken is excited (if not a little scared) and fully up for it.
Chris.
