Concert - 1st December

We had our end of term concert on Thursday night...and after a rather fraught start, we had another wonderful evening of music-making...with some festive favourites, unknown (to us at least!) composers' works, and even some jazz! If you weren't there, here's what you missed:

Programme

'Sinfonia'; 'Aria'; and 'Choral' from the 'Christmas Oratorio' – J. S. Bach (Arr. H. Brammer)

The Broken Consort

'Chants sans Paroles' – Tchaikovsky (Arr. D. Sobrielo)

George Goodall (Treble Recorder); Margaret Willson ('Cello); & Angela Ayton (Piano)

'Spinning Song' & 'Scherzo' from 'Serenade for Seven' – Ronald Hanmer

Penny Layland, Judy Skelton (Flutes); Annabel Crowe (Oboe); Theresa Hitching, Dermot Stone, Anya Sitaram (Clarinets); & Mike Winterburn (Bassoon)

'My Baby Just Cares for Me' – (Arr. H. Brammer)

Heather Loebl (Flute); Emily Johnson, Kath Russell (Violins); Polly Kaufmann (Viola); Diana Locke (Double Bass); & Imogen Locke (Piano)

'Caprice for Clarinets' – Clare Grundman

Helen Brammer, Theresa Hitching, Dermot Stone & Anya Sitaram (Clarinets)

'Fantasie' – Fauré (Arr. L. Moyse)

Heather Loebl, Helen Brammer (Flutes); & Angela Ayton (Piano)

Wind Trio – Hedien

Penny Layland, Judy Skelton (Flutes); & Mike Winterburn (Bassoon)

'Elizabethan Serenade' – Ronald Binge (Arr. H. Brammer)

The Broken Consort

'Walking in the Air' & 'Dance of the Snowmen' from 'The Snowman' – Howard Blake (Arr. H. Brammer)

The Broken Consort

We then retired to our regular party venue for drinks & delicious food - many thanks to our hosts Angela & Mike!

I filmed the concert, and will be adding the videos to our YouTube Channel over the next week or so (it's not a quick process!)...but in the meantime you will find some new videos of our large ensemble pieces for this term (recorded at our last rehearsal).

Class - 24th November

We had another 'whistle stop tour' through our pieces for next week's concert at our class last night. In addition to working on our large ensemble pieces...which I filmed and will be adding to our YouTube channel as soon as I find the time...we managed to get through most of the small group items too.

Here's what we played:

• 'Caprice for Clarinets' by Clare Grundman - Helen, Theresa & Dermot
• 'Subjects Obey Army Farm' by Donaldson & Kahn (Arr. H. Brammer) - Heather, Emily, Kath, Polly, Diana & Imogen
• Woodwind Trio by M. Hedien - Penny, Judy & Mike
• 'Serenade for Seven' (with 6 players this week) by Ronald Hanmer - Penny, Judy, Annabel, Theresa, Dermot & Mike
• 'Chants sans paroles' by Tchaikovsky (Arr. Sobrielo) - George, Margaret & Angela
• Trio in D minor by Boismortier - Emily, Diana & Kath
• Quartet in D minor 'Tafelmusik' by Telemann - George, Imogen, Heather, Margaret & Joan
• Something by Handel that I didn't catch the name of... - Annabel, Polly & Angela

Class - 17th November

With only two classes left before our end of term concert, we were busy, busy, busy last night! We whizzed through our large ensemble pieces...which were all sounding much better now we're not so top heavy...and through two rotations of small group items too!

Here's what we played:

• 'Caprice for Clarinets' by Clare Grundman - Helen, Theresa & Anya
• 'Subjects Obey Army Farm' by Donaldson & Kahn (Arr. H. Brammer) - Heather, Emily, Kath, Polly, Diana & Imogen
• Woodwind Trio by M. Hedien - Penny, Judy & Mike
• Trio Sonata in G Minor by Boismortier - Annabel, Polly, Imogen, Margaret, Angela & Joan (though not all at the same time!)
• 'Serenade for Seven' (with 6 players this week) by Ronald Hanmer - Penny, Judy, Annabel, Theresa, Anya & Mike
• 'Fantasy' by Faure (Arr. L. Moyse) - Heather, Helen & Angela
• Trio in D minor by Boismortier - Emily, Diana & Kath

Class - 10th November

Tonight's class was a little bit different...with the Church being used for a rehearsal for the licensing of their new vicar, we decamped to two of our members' houses to rehearse some small chamber group pieces. It worked quite well...although I needed to run back and forth to hear what was going on everywhere...thankfully the houses were quite close together!

Here's what we played at Kath's:

• Quartet in D minor 'Tafelmusik' by Telemann - George, Imogen, Heather*, Margaret & Joan
• Trio in D minor by Boismortier - Emily, Diana & Kath
• Trio Sonata in G minor by Pepusch - George, Diana & Imogen 
• Trio Sonatas by Corelli - Emily, Kath, Margaret & Joan
• And apparently something by Handel that I didn't hear...

And at Angela & Mikes:

• Woodwind Trio by M. Hedien - Penny, Judy & Mike
• 'Vocalise' by Rachmaninov - Theresa, Dermot & Angela
• 'Fantasy' by Faure - Heather*, Helen & Angela
• 'Serenade for Seven' (with only 5 players!) by Ronald Hanmer - Penny, Judy, Theresa, Dermot & Mike

 * I don't know how Heather managed to be in two places at once?!

Thank you to our hosts for a most enjoyable evening!

Class - 3rd November

We were still missing a few players this week...it's amazing how everything sounds so different with just a few missing parts...and it left some people feeling rather exposed! We spent quite a bit of time on our large ensemble pieces this evening, because we're not going to be able to do those next week as we'll be split over two locations next time...that should be fun!

Small group items:

• 'Caprice for Clarinets' by Clare Grundman - Helen, Theresa, Dermot & Anya
• 'Subjects Obey Army Farm' by Donaldson & Kahn (Arr. H. Brammer) - Heather, Emily, Kath, Diana & Imogen
• Quintet in D Minor by Keller - George, Judy, Penny, Annabel & Joan

Class - 20th October

We were rather depleted at the class last night...so, it was back to foot stamping out front to help keep time! We muddled though...a bit bare in places, but it was interesting to be able to hear parts not normally exposed! We had been deserted by all of our pianists...but, Anya bravely volunteered to play the piano part in one of the small group items...so it all worked out ok in the end.

Small group items:

• Sonata in E Flat Major by Scarlatti (Arr. Sobrielo) - George, Penny, Judy, Annabel & Margaret
• 'Subjects Obey Army Farm' * by Donaldson & Kahn (Arr. H. Brammer) - Heather, Emily, Kath, Dermot, Theresa, Diana & Anya

* Not the real title...the true identity of this piece will remain a secret until our concert on December 1st.

It's half-term for us next week, so our next class will be on November 3rd.

Class & AGM - 13th October

We had our AGM at last night's class...so no small group work. Instead, we spent extra time on our large ensemble pieces...inclucding the final addition to our pieces for our end of term concert...'Walking in the Air' (from 'The Snowman' by Howard Blake)...which on first playing seemed harder than you'd think! Thankfully it did improve on the second and third playings! Everything else is beginning to come together too...even the tricky bits in the movements from the 'Christmas Oratorio'...although some of the echoes in the 'Aria' are proving elusive!

We whizzed through the AGM...all the committee members remain in their posts...and are joined by Penny...who was lured in by the promise of good coffee & delicious cakes at the committee meetings!

Class - 6th October

There was more new music at last night's class...'The Dance of the Snowmen' from 'The Snowman' by Howard Blake...which made for interesting sight-reading at speed! We had mixed results with our other large ensemble items...which we're blaming on our absent friends!

Small group items:

• 'Divertissement in Bb Major' by Haydn (Arr. Sobrielo) - Emily, Annabel, Imogen, Penny, Polly & Joan
• 'Slavonic Dance No. 10' by Dvorak (Arr. Terry Kenny) - Kath, Diana, Theresa, Dermot & Mike
• 'Fantasy' by Faure (Arr. L. Moyse) - Heather, Helen & Angela

Class - 29th September

We welcomed back Emily this evening...it was lovely to have her playing with us again! As well as continuing with the 'Christmas Oratorio', we began working on a new piece...'Elizabethan Serenade' (by Ronald Binge)...and there was much discussion as to whether it had once been used as the theme music to radio or TV programme in the dim and distant past! Well, thanks to Wikipedia, I can put everyone out of their misery, and reveal that it was indeed...it was the theme for 'Music in Miniature' on the BBC Light Programme...long before my time!

Small group items:

• 'Vocalise' by Rachmaninov - Theresa, Dermot & Angela
• Concerto in C by Vivaldi - Heather, Annabel, Emily, Mike & Imogen
• Quintet in G minor by Pepusch - George, Penny, Judy, Kath, Margaret & Joan

Class - 22nd September

Ooops - so sorry for not posting this sooner...I wrote it Thursday night, but then lost my internet connection when I went to publish it, and have just realised it was still sitting in the drafts folder...anyway, better late than never!

We had another visitor for a 'taster session' this evening...Katie on treble recorder (who will bring down the average age of the group dramatically if she joins!), as we continued working on the excerpts from J. S. Bach's 'Christmas Oratorio'. We've also been exploring some of the music that has been donated to us by the group's previous tutor (Denis Sobrielo), and all of this evening's small group items came from his collection:

• 'Serenade for Seven' by Ronald Hanmer - Penny, Judy, Annabel, Theresa, Anya, Dermot & Mike
• 'Chants sans paroles' by Tchaikovsky (Arr. Denis Sobrielo) - George, Margaret & Angela
• 'Quintet in D Minor' by Keller - Imogen, Katie, Polly, Kath & Joan

Class - 15th September

A new term usually means new music, but this evening we 'revisited' an old favourite...a selection of movements from J. S. Bach's 'Christmas Oratorio'. We first played it in 2005, and will be performing it, along with some new arrangements, in our concert at the end of term. We also welcomed a new member this evening (Anya on clarinet), and we may have another couple of prospective members coming for a taster session soon!

Small group items:

• Concerto No. 5 in C Major by Pepusch - George, Heather, Penny, Diana, Margaret & Imogen
• Trio Sonata in G Minor by Boismortier - Polly, Mike & Angela
• Trio Sonata in G Major by Telemann - Judy, Kath & Joan
• 'Caprice for Clarinets' by Clare Grundman - Helen, Theresa, Dermot & Anya

Summer Music @ Polly's

Our summer music sessions came to an end last night, with a most enjoyable evening hosted by Polly - thank you! We played a lovely (and varied!) selection of old (and not so old) favourites, then devoured a delicious feast, but the best thing about the evening was seeing Joan (and George!) up and about, and playing piano again!

Here's what we played:

• 'The Great Gate of Kiev' from 'Pictures at an Exhibition - Mussorgsky (Arr. H. Brammer)
• 'Serenade' - Bourgeois (Arr. H. Brammer)
• Andantino from 'The Trout Quintet' - Schubert (Arr. H. Brammer)
• Theme from 'Blackadder' - Goodall (Arr. H. Brammer)
• 'Fiddler on the Roof' Medley - Harnick & Bock (Arr. van der Goot)
• 'My Bonny Boy' from 'English Folk Song Suite' - Vaughan Williams (Arr. H. Brammer)
• 'Rondo' from 'Suite in B Minor' - J. S. Bach (Arr. H. Brammer)
• 'Capriol Suite' - Warlock (Arr. H. Brammer)
• 'Promenade' from 'Pictures at an Exhibition' - Mussorgsky (Arr. H. Brammer)
• 'Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 - Allegro' - J. S. Bach (Arr. H. Brammer)

Just a quick reminder before I go - term starts in two weeks (on September 15th). Looking forward to seeing everyone again...and working on some new music.

Summer Music @ Annabel's

We had another lovely summer music soiree last night, this time hosted by Annabel. Once again there was a feast of delicious food to be enjoyed after some musical fun. We delved into the depths of the music boxes and pulled out some old favourites, some of which hadn't seen the light of day since we performed them in a concert 5 or 6 years ago! There was also discussion of where to promote & advertise our group using the wonderful posters Penny has designed for us...and I'm going to try and make the blog more 'Googlebot' friendly, so you may notice some changes to the layout over the next few days - I promise I'm not doing it to confuse you!

Anyway, here's what we played last night:

• 'Fiddler on the Roof' Medley - Harnick & Bock (Arr. van der Goot)
• Theme from 'Blackadder' - Goodall (Arr. H. Brammer)
• 'Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 - Allegro Assai' - J. S. Bach (Arr. H. Brammer)
• 'My Bonny Boy' from 'English Folk Song Suite' - Vaughan Williams (Arr. H. Brammer)
• 'Sicilienne' - Faure (Arr. H. Brammer)
• 'Tirolese' from 'Soirees Musicales' - Britten/Rossini (Arr. H. Brammer)
• 'Karelia - Suite' - Sibelius (Arr. van der Goot)
• 'Hallelujah Chorus' - Handel (Arr. H. Brammer)
• 'Capriol Suite' - Warlock (Arr. . Brammer)

Our YouTube Channel!

Ok...I've turned the audio files that Dermot recorded into 'videos' (just overlayed some of the group shots that Martin took) and have uploaded them all to our YouTube channel:

If you fancy checking them out...click the image above. I've also added a button in the sidebar that will take you to the channel.

Summer Music @ Kath's

A most enjoyable evening was had last night, as we kicked off this year's 'Summer Music' soirees with an evening of music (and delicous food!) at Kath's. Music was chosen by 'Lucky Dip' from a huge selection of old favourites...here's what we played:

• 'My Bonny Boy' from 'English Folk Song Suite' - Vaughan Williams (Arr. H. Brammer)
• 'Funeral March of a Marionette' - Gounod (Arr. van der Goot)
• 'Serenade' - Derek Bourgeois (Arr. H. Brammer)
• 'Peter & the Wolf' - Prokofiev (Arr. van der Goot)
• 'Brandenburg Concerto No 3 - Allegro' - J. S. Bach (Arr. H. Brammer)
• 'Chanson de Matin' - Elgar (Arr. H. Brammer)
• 'Slavonic Dance No 8' - Dvorak (Arr. H. Brammer)
• 'Overture' from 'Suite in B Minor' - J. S. Bach (Arr. H. Brammer)
• 'Alla Hornpipe' from 'The Water Music' - Handel (Arr. H. Brammer)
• 'Toccata' from 'Pulcinella' - Stravinsky (Arr. H. Brammer)

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In other news...

We now have a YouTube Channel! 

At the moment there is only one video - edited highlights of the small group items from our last concert. You may have noticed that video has also been added to the top of our blog, so you can also watch it on here. I now have audio recordings of our full ensemble pieces from that concert (thank you Dermot!), and have turned those into videos too, with some of the photos from the concert. I will be uploading those to our channel over the next couple of days (it's not a quick process!), and will let you know when they're ready for your viewing pleasure!

I've added a new page for 'Term Dates' - hopefully this should make it easier for everyone to find. I've not added dates for the Spring and Summer terms 2012 yet, but will update the page when those have been finalised.

Summer Concert

We had a wonderful evening at our summer concert on last night...with an appreciative audience, including a few new faces...and some superb music-making. We were sadly missing Joan on piano, who had a bad fall earlier this week, and cracked her pelvis - we hope you'll make a swift recovery Joan, and be back with us soon! Angela very kindly stood in for her in the small group items - thank you Angela!

Here's what we played:

Overture to 'The Marriage of Figaro' – Mozart (Arr. H. Brammer)

The Broken Consort

'Shimmering Flutes' – John Cacavas

Annie Kaufmann, Judy Skelton, Penny Layland (Flutes); & Imogen Locke (Piano)

'Pavane pour une infante defunte' – Ravel

Heather Loebl (Flute); Polly Kaufmann (Viola); & Angela Ayton (Piano)

'Salut d'Amour' – Elgar (Arr. John Newhill)

Penny Layland (Flute); Theresa Hitching (Clarinet); & Mike Winterburn (Bassoon)

'Arioso & Allegro' from Sonatine – Kuhlau

Angela Ayton & Imogen Locke (Piano)

'Grave & Presto' from Trio Sonata in D Minor – Quantz

Annie Kaufmann (Flute); Annabel Crowe (Oboe); Margaret Willson ('Cello); & Joan Goodall (Piano)

'Andantino' from Trio Sonata in G Major – C.P.E. Bach

Diana Locke (Tenor Recorder); Kath Russell (Violin); & Imogen Locke (Piano)

'Adagio & Vivace' from Sonata in E Minor – Francesco Geminiani

Polly Kaufmann (Oboe) & Mike Winterburn (Bassoon)

'Allegro Agitato & Allegro non troppo' from Trois Duos de Mendelssohn et Lachner - Boehm

Judy Skelton (Flute); Diana Locke (Tenor Recorder);& Angela Ayton (Piano)

'Affettuoso & Vivace' from Trio Sonata in F Major – Telemann

George Goodall, Imogen Locke (Treble Recorders); Margaret Willson ('Cello); & Joan Goodall (Piano)

'General Radetsky Goes Cuckoo (with apologies to Johann Strauss)' – Michaelson

Heather Loebl, Annie Kaufmann (Flutes); Helen Brammer (Clarinet); & Mike Winterburn (Bassoon)

'Waltz & Polka' from Jazz Suite No. 1 – Shostakovich (Arr. H. Brammer)

The Broken Consort

'Tahiti Trot' – Shostakovich (Arr. H. Brammer)

The Broken Consort

'La Marseillaise' – Rouget de Lisle (Arr. H. Brammer)

The Broken Consort

**Edited to add - photos have now been uploaded to our 'Photos page'**

I will have some photos soon...our 'official photographer' is just tidying them up, so I'll upload those as soon as I can. I also have a video compilation of most of the concert items (not everything, as I was unable to film whilst I was playing!), but I'm just checking to see if anybody has any objections to it being placed on here for the world to see before I add that!

Oh...one more thing...here are the cakes:

Thank you everyone for a wonderful term - I'm looking forward to some Summer Music now!

Class - 7th July

There was a touch of deja vu about this evening's class...the final rehearsal before next week's concert. We even had a small audience for our 'dress rehearsal', of family members and one very confused gentleman who didn't seem to know why he was there! They seemed to enjoy our large ensemble items, and we now know that if we want louder applause, we need to play faster!

Small group items:

• 'General Radetsky goes Cuckoo' by Michaelson - Heather, Annie, Helen & Mike
• Telemann Trio Sonata in F Major - George, Imogen, Margaret & Joan
• 'Trois Duos de Mendelssohn et Lachner' - Judy, Diana & Angela
• 'Summertime' by George Gershwin - Penny, George, Annabel, Kath, Theresa, Polly, Mike, Margaret & Joan
• Trio Sonata in D Minor by Quantz - Annie, Annabel, Margaret & Joan
• 'Shimmering Flutes' by John Cacavas - Annie, Judy, Penny & Imogen
• Trio Sonata in G Major by C.P. E. Bach - Diana, Kath & Imogen
• 'Salut d'Amour' by Elgar - Penny, Theresa & Mike
• 'Pavane pour une infante defunte' by Ravel - Heather, Polly & Angela
• Telemann Trio Sonata in D Minor - George, Judy & Angela

Phew! I think that must be a record for the most number of pieces rehearsed in one class!

Class - 30th June

It was good to be back nearly up to full strength last night, and our large ensemble pieces are sounding good, even though we'd picked up some speed in the 'Marriage of Figaro' which took a few people by surprise! With only a couple more classes before our concert, we had a 'whistle-stop' tour through (nearly) all the other concert items too...a dress rehearsal for all the room & personnel changes in next week's final rehearsal!

Small group items:

• 'General Radetsky goes Cuckoo' by Michaelson - Heather, Annie, Helen & Mike
• Telemann Trio Sonata in F Major - George, Imogen, Margaret & Joan
• 'Trois Duos de Mendelssohn et Lachner' - Judy, Diana & Angela (with substitutions of Heather & George!)
• 'Summertime' by George Gershwin - Penny, George, Annabel, Kath, Theresa, Mike, Margaret & Joan
• Trio Sonata in D Minor by Quantz - Annie, Annabel, Margaret & Joan
• 'Shimmering Flutes' by John Cacavas - Annie, Judy, Penny & Imogen
• Trio Sonata in G Major by C.P. E. Bach - Diana, Kath & Imogen
• 'Salut d'Amour' by Elgar - Penny, Theresa & Mike

Class - 23rd June

It was a very 'select' gathering this evening...but we ploughed on undeterred by the moments of silence in our large ensemble pieces!

Small group items:

• 'Chants sans paroles' by Tchaikovsky - George, Margaret & Angela
• Telemann Trio Sonata in G Minor - Diana, Polly & Joan
• 'Salut d'Amour' by Elgar - Penny, Thersa & Mike

Class - 16th June

We have a new member! Emily brought along baby Jemima to see us all...and it was lovely to meet her, but at only 7 weeks old, it may be a little while before she's joining in, but mummy has plans for those 'pianist's fingers' so it's only a matter of time!
Despite being a little thin on the ground, our large ensemble items were sounding good this evening...we may be in danger of 'peaking too soon'!

Small group items:

• Vivaldi Concerto in G Minor - George, Judy, Margaret & Imogen
• Boismortier Trio Sonata in D Major - Diana, Mike & Joan
• 'Allegro Brilliante' by Mozart - Penny, Annabel & Theresa
• 'Pavane pour une infante defunte' by Ravel - Heather, Polly & Angela

Class - 9th June

I don't know if it was the week off...or lots furious practising over half-term...but our large ensemble pieces sounded so much better this evening...lots of contrasts in dynamics...and we're picking up speed in 'The Marriage of Figaro'...didn't realise the metronome went up that high!

Small group items:

• 'Scherzo & Trio in G Minor' by Schubert - Heather, Penny, Polly, Helen, Theresa, Dermot & Mike
• C. P. E. Bach Trio Sonata in G Major - Diana, Kath & Imogen
• Quantz Trio Sonata in D Minor - Annie, Annabel & Joan
• Telemann Trio Sonata in C Major - George, Judy, Margaret & Angela

Class - 26th May

We're still cracking on with our large ensemble items...and they were certainly sounding more together this week, with dynamics too! It's half-term next week...which is usually the point at which practising gets more serious, so I'm looking forward to hearing big improvements at the next class!

Small group items:

• 'Vocalise' by Rachmaninov - Theresa, Dermot & Angela
• C. P. E. Bach Trio Sonata in G Major - Diana, Kath & Imogen
• J. C. Bach Quintet in G Major - George, Penny, Judy, Polly & Joan
• General Radetsky Goes Cuckoo (with apologies to Johann Strauss) by Michaelson - Heather, Annie, Helen & Mike

Class - 19th May

We had a visitor this evening...Anya (on clarinet) joined us for a free 'taster' session...she enjoyed the evening, and we didn't scare her off, so she'll be back again next week! We continued working on all our large ensemble items, which (despite a few ropey moments) are all coming along nicely.

Small group items:

• 'Caprice for Clarinets' by Clare Grundman - Helen, Theresa & Anya
• Loeillet Sonata in D Minor - Heather, Annie, Penny, Judy, Mike & Joan
• Keller Sonata in G - George, Imogen, Diana, Kath, Margaret & Angela
• Telemann Canonic Sonata No 1 - Annabel & Polly

Class - 12th May

Sorry for the delay (again!)...I did write and publish this last night, but Blogger decided to throw a wobbly after that, and has deleted everything posted on all blogs since sometime on Wednesday (11th)...including what I wrote last night, so here we go again...

We continued working on our large ensemble pieces this evening...and we're gaining speed in the 'Marriage of Figaro Overture'. I added double bass parts to the Shostakovich pieces, and it's added a real depth to our sound...even if I did catch Diana by surprise with some pizzicato notes!

Small group items:

• 'Shimmering Flutes' by John Cacavas - Annie, Judy, Penny & Imogen
• Sonata da camera by Janitsch - George, Diana, Kath, Margaret & Joan
• 'A Simple Serenade' by Gordon Jacob - Heather, Annabel, Helen & Mike
• 'Vocalise' by Rachmaninov - Theresa, Dermot & Angela

Class - 5th May

We had a full house this week...and a special guest in the form of Diana's Double Bass...so we now have a full compliment of strings! We whizzed through quite a lot of full ensemble pieces: 'La Marseillaise'; the Overture to 'The Marriage of Figaro' (by Mozart); the two movements from Shostakovich's 'Jazz Suite No. 1'; and also 'Tahiti Trot - Tea for Two' by Shostakovich.

Small group items:

• 'Minuet in F' by JS Bach (Arr. David Farnon) - Theresa, Dermot & Mike
• 'Pavane pour une infante defunte' by Ravel - Heather, Polly & Angela
• Trio Sonata in D Minor by Quantz - Annie, Annabel & Joan
• Concerto in A Minor by Telemann - George, Penny, Judy, Diana, Kath, Helen, Margaret & Imogen

Class - 28th April

A new term means new music...and we started this evening's class with the Overture to 'The Magic Flute' by Mozart...we just need to get it twice as fast by the end of term concert! We also revisited a couple of old favourites, the 'Waltz' and 'Polka' from Shostakovich's Jazz Suite No. 1...although they didn't seem all that familiar to everyone!

Small group items:

• Sonata in C by Gottfried Keller - Imogen, Penny, Kath, Polly, Margaret & Angela
• 'Sheep May Safely Graze' by J. S. Bach - Judy, Annabel & Dermot
• 'Adagio Cantabile (Mrs Winslow's Soothing Syrup)' by Elgar - Helen, Annie, Diana, Theresa & Mike

Spring Concert

Wow...what a fantastic evening we had last night at our Spring concert! It was a bit of a new venture for us, we shared the concert with a newly formed all female group of singers (also based in Ealing), called The Songbyrds. We are planning to include some joint items with The Songbyrds in our future concerts, but this was just to 'test the water'! We also welcomed some new audience members, with some members of the Church's congregation, and also friends and family of The Songbyrds. If you weren't there...here's what you missed:

Programme

'Wedding Day at Troldhaugen' – Grieg (Arr. H. Brammer)

The Broken Consort

'Rondeau' – Purcell (Arr. H. Brammer)

Annie Kaufmann, Penny Layland (Flute); Diana Locke (Tenor Recorder); Kath Russell (Violin); and Polly Kaufmann (Viola)

'The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba' – Handel

Angela Ayton & Imogen Locke (Piano)

'Adagio' & 'Allegro' from Trio Sonata in G Minor – Finger

George Goodall, Imogen Locke (Treble Recorder); Margaret Willson (Cello); and Joan Goodall (piano)

'Song of the Tree of Life' – Vaughan Williams

The Songbyrds

'Duo' – Busoni

Heather Loebl, Helen Brammer (Flute); and Angela Ayton (Piano)

Sonata da Chiesa – Corelli

Annabel Crowe, Polly Kaufmann (Oboe); and Mike Winterburn (Bassoon)

'Berceuse' – Faure

Heather Loebl, Annie Kaufmann & Penny Layland (Flute)

'Ave Verum Corpus' – Faure, Mozart & Elgar

The Songbyrds

'Vivace' & 'Allegro' from Trio Sonata in F Major – Telemann

Imogen Locke (Treble Recorder); Diana Locke (Tenor Recorder); Margaret Willson (Cello); and Joan Goodall (Piano)

'Alice' – Geoffry Russell-Smith

Helen Brammer, Theresa Hitching & Dermot Stone (Clarinet)

'Divertimento' (Romance, Intermezzo, Serenade & Burlesque) – Paul Harris

Heather Loebl (Flute); Annabel Crowe (Oboe); Helen Brammer (Clarinet); Mike Winterburn (Bassoon); and Angela Ayton (Piano)

'Autumn Leaves' – Kosma & Prevert

The Songbyrds

'All that Jazz' – Kander & Ebb

The Songbyrds

'The Hebrides Overture' – Mendelssohn (Arr. H. Brammer)

The Broken Consort

Phew...looks like it was a bit of a marathon, but the concert was no longer than our previous ones...just a lot more slick with the changeovers! And our rendition of 'The Hebrides Overture' was (and I'm quoting a couple of our audience members here) 'triumphant'! Well done everyone - you really excelled yourselves!

I do have a few photos...apologies for the blurryness of some of these...I blame my photographer!

I'm also going to add these to our 'Photos' page, which you can find at the top of the blog...we've also added some information about The Broken Consort, written by Kath, to the 'About Us' page, which was also included in the programme for last night's concert.

Oh...and it wouldn't be a Broken Consort concert, and party (thanks Angela and Mike for once again being excellent hosts!) without some cakes:

Nearly forgot...as usual, admission was free to our concert, but we did have a retiring collection in aid of the Church's fund to restore their Walker organ (more details can be found here), which raised a massive £75!

Class - 31st March

It was all systems go last night for the final rehearsal before our concert next week. The large ensemble pieces are sounding great, and I think we're all looking forward to (but perhaps a little nervous of) having some new audience members to perform to.

Small group items:

• 'Alice' (she's lost the Mad Hatter!) by Geoffry Russell-Smith - Helen, Theresa & Dermot
• Finger Trio Sonata in G Minor - George, Imogen, Margaret & Joan
• 'Rondeau' by Purcell - Annie, Penny, Diana, Kath & Polly
• 'Divertimento' by Paul Harris - Heather, Annabel, Helen, Mike & Angela
• Telemann Trio Sonata in F Major - Imogen, Diana, Margaret & Joan
• Corelli Sonata da Chiesa - Annabel, Polly & Mike
• 'Berceuse' by Faure - Heather, Annie & Penny
• 'The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba' by Handel - Angela & Imogen
• 'Duo' by Busoni - Heather, Helen & Angela

Phew! I'm not sure we've ever managed to get through so much in one evening!

Class - 24th March

With only two more rehearsals left before the concert, it was time to be brave and try 'The Hebrides Overture' without me standing at the front keeping time...and it worked!

Small group items:

• 'Berceuse' by Faure - Heather, Annie & Penny
• Corelli Sonata da Chiesa - Annabel, Polly & Mike
• Telemann Trio Sonata in F Major - Imogen, Diana, Margaret & Joan
• 'Maple Leaf Rag' by Scott Joplin - George, Kath, Theresa, Dermot & Angela

And very briefly at the end:

• Busoni 'Duo' - Heather, Helen & Angela

Class - 17th March

We were back to almost full strength last night, and with only a couple more rehearsals to go before our concert, 'The Hebrides Overture' and 'Wedding Day at Troldhaugen' are taking shape nicely...although we may find it more difficult to stay together when we try them without me standing at the front stamping my foot in time....but that's a job for next week!

Small group items:

• 'Rondeau' by Purcell - Annie, Penny, Diana, Kath & Polly
• Finger Trio Sonata in G Minor - George, Imogen, Margaret & Joan
• 'Alice & the Mad Hatter' by Geoffry Russell-Smith - Helen, Theresa & Dermot
• 'Divertimento' by Paul Harris - Heather, Annabel, Helen, Mike & Angela 

Class - 10th March

We were a rather select gathering this evening...but still managed to make good progress with the final, definitive version of 'The Hebrides Overture', despite being lacking in the bass department.

Small group items:

• Boismortier Sonata in A Minor - George, Heather, Penny & Joan
• C.P.E. Bach Trio Sonata in G Major - Diana, Kath & Imogen
• 'Summer Sketches' by Alfred Castle - Annie, Polly, Dermot & Theresa

Class - 3rd March

We welcomed back Penny this evening from her travels...and launched her straight in at the deep end with The Hebrides Overture & Wedding Day at Troldhaugen. They're beginning to take shape, and we even managed some dynamics whilst sight-reading!

Small group items:

• 'Berceuse' by Faure - Heather, Annie & Penny
• 'Alice & the Mad Hatter' by Geoffry Russell-Smith - Helen, Theresa & Dermot
• Janitsch Sonata da camera in Bb major - George, Annabel, Polly & Imogen
• Heinichen Trio Sonata in G major - Diana, Kath, Margaret & Joan

Class - 17th February

We're still working away on 'Wedding Day at Troldhaugen', and 'The Hebrides Overture'...which received it's third installment this week.

Small group items:

• Vivaldi 'Sarabanda' and 'Giga' - George, Imogen, Diana & Joan
• Grieg 'Sarabande' and 'Gavotte' from 'Holberg's Time - Annie, Judy, Kath, Theresa, Dermot & Margaret
• Busoni Duo - Heather, Helen & Angela
• Corelli Sonata da Chiesa - Annabel, Polly & Mike

It's half-term next week, so no class...but I'm sure everyone will be practising furiously! ;0)

Class - 10th February

We had a visitor this evening, Krystyna - she joined in our rehearsal this evening playing treble recorder in both the full ensemble, and one of the smaller groups. I'd added an 'extension' to 'The Hebrides Overture', which means we're now swamped with pages and pages of music, and it's still not finished! We're still gaining speed in 'Wedding Day at Troldhaugen', though not all at the same rate!

Small group items:

• Heinichen Trio Sonata in G Major - Diana, Kath & Joan
• The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, by Handel - Annie, Polly, Theresa, Dermot & Mike
• Finger 'Trio Sonata in G Minor - George, Krystyna, Margaret &Angela
• J. C. Bach Trio Sonata in G Major - Heather, Judy & Imogen

Class - 3rd February

We embarked on a 'Hebridean' adventure this evening...it's not finished yet, but I thought we'd try the opening third of Mendelssohn's 'Hebrides Overture'. We did so with a good degree of success...although Annabel thought we sounded 'out of tune' at the end...turns out they were 'intentional dischords'! We're picking up speed in Wedding Day at Troldhaugen', although not everybody appreciated it!

Small group items:

• J. C. Bach 'Quintet in G major' - Annie, Annabel, Kath, Polly, Margaret & Joan
• Vivaldi 'Concerto in G minor' - Judy, Diana, Mike & Angela
• Mendelssohn 'Prelude' (Opus 7, #2) - Heather, Imogen, Theresa & Dermot

Class - 27th January

I think I must be making the arrangements too easy - the 'Wedding Day at Troldhaugen' is already beginning to take shape, on only the second rehearsal.

Small group items:

• Telemann Concerto in F - Kath, Polly, Margaret & Imogen
• 'Cuckoo Quartet' by Ronald Hanmer - Annie, Diana, Theresa & Dermot
• Hotteterre Trio Sonata in C 'Le Romain' - George, Judy & Joan
• Divertimento by Paul Harris - Heather, Annabel, Helen, Mike & Angela

As well as making music this evening, we also celebrated Theresa's birthday...she's in good company...Mozart was born on this day in 1756. She was very naughty...and hadn't told any of us, and spoilt us with yummy cakes and bubbly - Happy Birthday Theresa!

Class - 20th January

It was lovely to see (nearly) everyone again after the Christmas break, and we got straight back into the swing of things with one of the new arrangements for this term - 'Wedding Day at Troldhaugen' by Grieg. It's great to be able to position ourselves in our old familiar set-up for rehearsals...and with the lovely new keyboard (thank you George & Joan!), we have a more balanced sound.

Small group items:

• Scarlatti 'Sonata in F Major' - George, Kath, Diana, Margaret & Joan
• Albinoni 'Adagio' - Judy, Theresa, Dermot & Imogen
• Dusek 'Partita' & Tartini 'Two Sonatas' - Annabel, Polly & Mike
• Busoni 'Duo' & Doppler 'Fantaisie sur des motifs Hongrois' - Heather, Helen & Angela