Music in Surrey
&
Leatherhead's Lunchtime Concerts


Site Search: Use the search box to find an
artiste, composer, title, or venue on this site



Music on Thursdays - Online

Thursday 30th July 2020


Oboe Omnibus


Artistes include oboists:
Nicholas Stovall ♦ Lajos Lencses ♦ Bradley Shoemaker-Webster ♦ Bernice Lee ♦ Maurice Bourgue ♦ Isabel Maria Velasco

Starts: when you are ready
latecomers will be admitted at your personal discretion

Listening position:

Relax with your choice(s) of beverage, in a place of your choosing, alone, or with company
♫ ───────────────────────────────────────

Oboe Omnibus


Programme


Carl August Nielsen (1865-1931)
Fantasistykker for obo og klavier Op 2 (1889)
Fantasy Pieces for Oboe and Piano
Romance (originally Andante)    •    Intermezzo

performed by Nicholas Stovall, oboe, and Sashi Ayyangar, piano


Johann Christoph Friedrich Förster (1693-1745)
Concerto for oboe, strings & continuo in C minor
I  Allegro ma non Presto    Joyful, fast, but not too fast
II  Siciliano poco Vivace  Sicily pastoral feel, light, steady fast pace
III Allegro    Fast, light, joyful

performed by Ensemble Instrumental La Follia,
director & concert master, Christophe Poiget, with oboe soloist Lajos Lencses


Edmund Rubbra (1901-1986)
Oboe Sonata in C Op p100
    1 Con moto
    2 Elegy
    3 Presto

performed by Bradley Shoemaker-Webster


Joseph Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Pavane pour une enfante défunte M19 (1899)
Pavane for a dead Princess
Assez doux, mais d'une sonorité large   
Quite soft, but with a broad sound

performed by Orchestra UniMi (Orchestra dell'Università degli Studi di Milano)
director and conductor, Alessandro Crudele


Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Oboe Sonata in A minor TVWV 41 a3 (1728)
    1 Siciliana
    2 Sprituoso
    3 Andante
    4 Vivace

performed by Bernice Lee, oboe, and Philip Shannon, piano


Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Sonata for Oboe and Piano in D major Op 166 (1921)
1 Andantino    slightly quicker walking pace
2 Ad libitum - Allegretto - Ad libitum    tempo not marked - not quite allegro - unmarked
3 Molto Allegro   very fast and joyful

performed by Maurice Bourgue with piano accompaniment by Ichiro Nodaira


ENCORE


Edvard Hagerup Grieg (1843-1907)
from Klaverstykker etter egne sanger, hefte II Op 52 (1890)
Piano Pieces after Original Songs, Volume II
Solveig's Song (from the original in Op  23 Peer Gynt)

performed by Isabel Maria Velasco, oboe, and Nathalia Freitas Leite, piano



You will also find Oboe Extras after this concert. These are links to earlier oboe concerts and a couple of concerts with The Tailleferre Ensemble.
♫ ───────────────────────────────────────
Our Oboe Omnibus is loosely based on a concert which Nicola Hands gave in Winchester Cathedral in 2016. We know Nicola through her membership of the Tailleferre Ensemble (flute, 2 oboes, bassoon).

The opening work comes from a very early stage in Carl Nielsen's career, soon after he had taken up the post of second violinist in the Royal Danish Orchestra.

In a programme note written at least 20 years after he composed the oboe pieces, Nielsen offered the following short description:
"The two oboe pieces are a very early opus. The first — slow — piece gives the oboe the opportunity to sing out its notes quite as beautifully as this instrument can. The second is more humorous, roguish, with an undertone of Nordic nature and forest rustlings in the moonlight."

You will find more commentary on the work on wikipedia.

Our recording comes from two young players at the International Festival-Institute in Texas.

Located at the International Festival-Institute in Round Top, Texas, Edythe Bates Old Chapel was originally built as the Episcopal Methodist Church in La Grange, Texas, in 1883. It was moved the 20 miles to Round Top between January and April 1994.

The sanctuary was extensively restored and is now used as a venue for chamber music rehearsals and concerts, organ recitals and as a lecture hall, for the Round Top Festival Institute educational programs. The acoustics in the Edythe Bates Old Chapel make it the ideal setting for professional recording sessions.  festivalhill.org
Carl August Nielsen (1865-1931)
Fantasistykker for obo og klavier Op 2 (1889)
Fantasy Pieces for Oboe and Piano
Romance (originally Andante)    •    Intermezzo

performed by Nicholas Stovall, oboe, and Sashi Ayyangar, piano, in the Edythe Bates Old Chapel, at the International Festival-Institute, Round Top, Texas, in June 2016


We step back in time now for the first of today's larger works.

Christoph Förster was a German Baroque composer who worked in the Italian style throughout his life.

In his review on allmusic.com James Manheim describes Förster's work for oboe as being 'the oboe's counterparts of the brilliant violin works of  Geminiani'.

This is a recording on modern instruments so perhaps it lacks some of the attack, the bite, of performances we are more used to. However, Manheim points to Lajos Lencses' outstanding performance.
Johann Christoph Friedrich Förster (1693-1745)
Concerto for oboe, strings & continuo in C minor
I  Allegro ma non Presto    Joyful, fast, but not too fast
II  Siciliano poco Vivace  Sicilian pastoral feel, light, steady fast pace
III Allegro    Fast, light, joyful

performed by Ensemble Instrumental La Follia, director & concert master, Christophe Poiget with oboe soloist Lajos Lencses

image on screen: Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor (1697-1745), painted by Georg Desmarées (1697–1776)
This note by Andrew Lindemann Malone for allmusic.com is a good guide to the next work in today's concert:

Edmund Rubbra's Sonata in C minor for oboe and piano was inspired by and dedicated to Lady Evelyn Rothwell Barbirolli, the foremost English oboist of the composer's (and her) time.

It is one of the few great oboe sonatas. Its autumnal lyricism, spirit of dialogue, partnership between the instruments, and effortless exploration of the unique sonorities of the oboe make it easy to see why.

Limpid, teardrop C minor arpeggios in the piano open the Con moto 1st movement, with a broad, winding melody in the oboe following soon after; trills in the piano suggest trills in the oboe, and vice versa. Eventually, the melody gives in to its winding tendencies and introduces a major-mode second subject, pastoral in feeling.

A short development feels the tidal pull of C minor, although the recapitulation manages to end in the major mode.

The 2nd movement, marked Elegy, is built around an improvisatory sounding, almost declamatory pattern of repeated notes, traded between oboe and piano to suggest a melodic contour.

The melody gradually broadens for a more positive central section; when the pattern of repeated notes returns it sounds essential to the melody, now calm and noble and sad.

Sparkling virtuoso figuration in the piano dominates the Presto finale, so much so that the oboe's more measured melody sounds as if it is being hurried along by the piano, to the point where it eventually speeds up to match it. The music slows down briefly before an emphatic closing C major chord.
Edmund Rubbra (1901-1986)
Oboe Sonata in C Op p100
1 Con moto    •    2 Elegy    •    3 Presto

performed by Bradley Shoemaker-Webster, in May 2019, at the University of Northern Colorado, where he was part of the UNC Oboe Studio. After marrying Kyle Webster last Autumn, this summer Bradley returns to his roots in Tampa, Florida, where he will be a private teacher of oboe
The next item in Nicola Hands' lunchtime concert was Ravel's beautiful Pavane pour une enfante défunte Pavane for a dead Princess (or Infanta.)

Ravel was still studying at the Paris Conservatoire, under Fauré, when he wrote this piano solo. He did not produce the orchestration until 1910. That version was premiered in February 1911 in Manchester, under the baton of Sir Henry Wood. The orchestration puts the main melody in a solo horn, with oboe as second lead. It is this orchestral version I have chosen to offer here.

How slow should the work be played, a question often asked of the Pavane. Ravel gave various answers during his lifetime, but perhaps the most telling of all is the speed he played at when recording a piano roll in 1922. That lasts about 5 minutes 40 seconds.

Joseph Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Pavane pour une enfante défunte M19 (1899)
Pavane for a dead Princess
Assez doux, mais d'une sonorité large   
Quite soft, but with a broad sound

performed by Orchestra UniMi (Orchestra dell'Università degli Studi di Milano), director and conductor, Alessandro Crudele
I can recommend a solo oboe and piano recording on youtu.be which, for copyright reasons, I was not permitted to include here. But you can listen to oboist Fabien Menzel with pianist Maria Conti Gallenti, as I have done twice now, on this link: https://youtu.be/RtudrWaKxmE  Return to this page by choosing your ◄ back arrow ◄.

Another step back in time as we listen to the four lovely movements of Telemann's Oboe Sonata in A minor.

Soloist Bernice Lee has won a place for this year in the London Sinfonietta Academy. That follows on from her studies at London's Guildhall School of Music & Drama.

Originally from Singapore, Bernice is settled for the time being in London. She is also on trial for co-principal oboist in the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Oboe Sonata in A minor TVWV 41 a3 (1728)
1 Siciliana    •    2 Sprituoso    •    3 Andante    •    4 Vivace

performed by Bernice Lee, oboe, and Philip Shannon, piano
in the Lecture Recital Room of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London

There are several excellent recordings of Saint-Saëns' Sonata for Oboe and Piano in D major on youtu.be - by players of all ages.

You could choose Christophe Patrix and the plexiglass oboe, which is completely see-through. He looks as uncertain as I am as to why we'd want to see through the instrument to the shirt, tie or dress of the player behind.

I have chosen this recording by multi-award winning oboist Maurice Bourgue.
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Sonata for Oboe and Piano in D major Op 166 (1921)
1 Andantino    slightly quicker walking pace
2 Ad libitum - Allegretto - Ad libitum    tempo not marked - not quite allegro - unmarked
3 Molto Allegro   very fast and joyful

performed by Maurice Bourgue with piano accompaniment by Ichiro Nodaira
ENCORE


Let's listen to another popular work which exists in many different transcriptions.


From the music for Peer Gynt comes Solveig's Song:
Edvard Hagerup Grieg (1843-1907)
from Klaverstykker etter egne sanger, hefte II Op 52 (1890)
Piano Pieces after Original Songs, Volume II
Solveig's Song (from the original in Op  23 Peer Gynt)

performed by Isabel Maria Velasco, oboe, and Nathalia Freitas Leite, piano
Presenter: Peter Steadman
Assisted by: Jane Forrester & Richard Miller

We hope you have enjoyed your Oboe Omnibus  Concert Online


Watch your email and this website for next week's guitar concert

comments welcome:  musiconthursdays@gmail.com
♫ ───────────────────────────────────────

Oboe Extras:

Three summers ago we (ie, Peter) woke up to the fact that we had not heard a solo oboe concert in all the years of these concerts. We rapidly made up for that because first, Amy Roberts came along from the Royal Academy of Music, and the following year we invited Philip Haworth, of Atéa Winds,  to bring us an oboe and oboe-d'amore concert with his colleague Rachel Broadbent.

Here are some links to those earlier concert mixes and to the two appearances by The Tailleferre Ensemble. On the linked webpages please scroll down for the recordings.

Please click on the picture to access that day's concert.
Thursday 10th August 2017

Amy Roberts, oboe
Oliver Till, piano
courtesy of the Royal Academy of Music
Johann Sebastian Bach
from Herr Jesu Christ, wahr' Mensch und Gott BWV 127
      Lord Jesus Christ, true Man, and God
arr André Papillon for oboe and piano
    3 Die Seele ruht in Jesu Händen

Camille Saint-Saens
Sonate pour hautbois et piano en ré majeur, Op 166
   
Gilles Silvestrini
Horae Volubiles for solo oboe (2006)

Hamish Brown
Our Love Is Here To Stay world premiere performance
♫ ─────────────────
Picture
Nicola Crowe, flute ♦ Penelope Smith, oboe ♦ Nicola Hands, oboe ♦ Christina Marroni, bassoon
This full-length evening concert was held on International Make Music Day, 21st June 2019. It was a benefit for NewSPAL, the charity taking over the Performing Arts Library from Surrey County.

Shin-Itchiro Yokoyama (b 1956)
Souvenir de Caen (2002)

Franz Joseph Haydn
London Trio No 1 Hob IV:1 in C major
   
Liz Sharma (b 1951 )
Trialogues 1, 2, & 3

Bill Douglas (b 1944)
3 Lyrical Pieces

Julius Röntgen
Trio for Flute, Oboe and Bassoon Op 86

Ronald Binge  arr Penelope Smith
The Watermill

Georges Bizet compiled Ernest Guiraud arr A Cooper
Carmen Suite No 1
   
Thomas Fats Waller & Harry Brooks
from their musical revue Connies' Hot Cookies
Ain’t Misbehavin’

George Frideric Handel arr A Cooper
from the opera Rinaldo:  Lascia ch’io pianga - Let me weep

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
from The Marriage of Figaro K492
    Overture in D major

Ennio Morricone (1928-2020), arr P Smith
from the score for the 1986 film The Mission
Gabriel’s Oboe

Arthur Kent, arr P Smith, lyrics by Sylvia Dee
The Official UK Anthem of Make Music Day
Bring Me Sunshine

Thursday 26th July 2018

Philip Haworth    ♦    Rachel Broadbent
oboe ~ cor anglais ~ oboe d'amore
with piano accompanist Connie Luk

Rachel Broadbent, oboe, Philip Haworth, oboe, Connie Luk, piano,
Rachel Broadbent -♦- Philip Haworth -♦- Connie Luk
Heinrich Molbe
Air arabe für Oboe und Horn mit Clavirebegleitung Op 77

Johann Sebastian Bach
from the Sacred Cantata in E minor: Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Glücke  I am content with my lot BWV 84
    Soprano aria: Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Glücke

Tomaso Albinoni
from 12 Concerti a cinque Op 9 (1722)
No 12 Concerto for Two Oboes in D major

Edwin Carr
from Two Mansfield Poems, for Oboe d'amore & piano
    2  Sleeping Together  Allegro moderato

Robert Schumann

from 12 Klavierstücke für kleine und große Kinder Op 85
12 Piano Pieces for Young and Older Children (piano 4 hands)
    12 Abendlied

Etuden in kanonischer Form für Orgel oder Pedalklavier Op 56  Studies in the Form of Canons for Organ or Pedal Piano
    2  Mit innigem Ausdruck (A minor)  With tender expression
    4  Innig (A♭ major)  Tenderly

Adolphe Blanc
Romance for oboe, horn (or cor anglais) with piano accompaniment Op 43b
♫ ─────────────────
The last Lunchtime Concert of 2019:

Georg Melchior Hoffmann
Trio Sonata in G minor
  
Eugène Joseph Bozza
Sonatine for Flute and Bassoon
 
Thea Musgrave
Whirlwind for Solo Oboe (2018, premiered at her 90th birthday concert in New York)

Giuseppe Maria Gioacchino Cambini
Trio for Flute, Oboe & Bassoon No 2 Op 45 
    Allegro affetuoso
    Presto

Katherine Hoover  
Kokopeli for Solo Flute

Judith Margaret Bailey
Wind Willows Op38
  
We had one more live concert at LMC after this. We always have an afternoon piano concert after our AGM, which this year was held on 27th February 2020.

Our plans for April 2020 onwards went online only.
♫ ───────────────────────────────────────

Did

we

make

it?
Last Friday really was a big day for Mollie. Visitors popping in all day long, and a lovely cake and fizz party, with a harpist, at lunchtime (with always fewer than 30 people present!)

The Queen's card arrived the day before, and looking round I lost count of the number of cards on show in Mollie's lounge - 114, I've since been told.

So how did we do for  MENCAP ?

Well of course we made it. I believed all along there was £5,000 out there among Mollie's friends and the friends of these concerts.

When I looked on Wednesday afternoon we had reached £4,405. Adding Gift Aid to that will take us well past the target.

A very big thank you (see below) to everyone who donated. I'm told there are quite a lot of  'anonymous' donations, so I'm guessing that accounts for many of you, our generous, and modest, audience.

Below is a very personal thank you to Mollie, from Harry, at MENCAP.
Picture
you can still click on the image above to donate to Mollie Canning's 100th Birthday Appeal for MENCAP
♫ ───────────────────────────────────────
Never miss a concert . . .

Our weekly* newsletter tells you about upcoming concerts and other local music events

*weekly - only during the weekly concert season, occasional at other times
♫ ───────────────────────────────────────
Concert Selections Still Available for your listening on this Website:


Thursday

2nd
July
2020

anytime
Music on Thursdays  - Online

guest curator Lynda Chang with a personal musical selection titled

Virtual Viola

featuring music by: York Bowen •  Telemann • Brahms • Rebecca Clarke

performances by: Ting-Ru Lai ♦ Timothy Ridout ♦ Jeremy Berry
Academia Bach de Buenos Aires

access this concert: by clicking on the date or the picture
Thursday 9th
July 2020

anytime
Music on Thursdays  - Online

Multi Piano

music by: Rossini • Holst • Mozart • Rollins • Lavignac • Beethoven

under the hands and fingers of 55 pianists playing on 31 pianos (not all at once, of course)

and including some quite famous names among the pianists

access this concert: by clicking on the picture or the date

Thursday

16th
July
2020

anytime
Music on Thursdays - Online

from Sagbutts to Trombones

from the sagbutt to the modern trombone, with introductions by top players, and the music of Gabrieli ♦ Priuli  ♦ Beethoven ♦ Ropartz ♦ Stravinsky ♦ Rimsky-Korsakov ♦ Freddie Mercury

plus extra listening  by Purcell • Gounod • Albert E Brumley (New Orleans)

to access our From Sagbutts to Trombones concert please
click on the Date above or on the trombone player image

Thursday

23rd
July
2020

anytime

Music on Thursdays - Online
LCAS President's 100th Birthday Concert
Harp Haven - a sequence of music for the harp

Harpists: Heather Brooks ♦ Fern Brooks ♦ Rhys Whatty ♦
Anne Denholm* ♦ Gwenllian Llŷr
*with The Hermes Experiment: Oliver Pashley, clarinet
Marianne Schofield, double bass • Héloïse Werner, soprano

Composers: Fern Brooks  •  André Caplet  •  CPE Bach  •  Grandjany  •  Deborah Henson-Conant  •  Scarlatti • Meredith Monk • Scriabin • Haldon Evans • David Watkins

access this Harp Haven concert: by clicking on the dateline or on the picture ►
Picture
Gwenllian Llŷr
♫ ───────────────────────────────────────