Broken Consort

A 'broken consort' is an ensemble made up of instruments from more than one family, for example, a group featuring both string and wind instruments.

Friday 6 December 2013

Concert - 5th December

Despite the freezing temperature (both outside and inside the Church!), our Christmas concert was well attended, by regulars and some new audience members.

Here's what we played:

Programme

'Overture Miniature' from 'The Nutcracker'
Tchaikovsky (Arr. H. Brammer)
The Broken Consort

'I – Vivace' from 'Concerto in D Minor'
- J. S. Bach (Arr. Jasmine Choi)
Heather Loebl & Helen Brammer (Flutes); & Angela Ayton (Piano)

'Berceuse' – Fauré (Arr. Jan van der Goot)
Alison Shaw, Penny Layland & Judy Skelton (Flutes)

'Gavotte' & 'Bourée' from 'Orchestral Suite No. 3'
J. S. Bach (Arr. H. Brammer)
Alison Shaw (Flute); Annabel Crowe (Oboe); Theresa Hitching & Nicola Thompson (Clarinets); Mike Winterburn (Bassoon); Kath Russell, Rod Lackey & John Marshall (Violins); Polly Kaufmann (Viola); & Margaret Willson ('Cello)

'Chanson de Matin' & 'Chanson de Nuit'
- Elgar (Arr. H. Brammer)
The Broken Consort

'Adagio & Allegro' from 'Trio I' – J. S. Bach
Maureen Snell (Treble Recorder); Diana Locke (Tenor Recorder); & Angela Ayton (Piano)

'Sugar Plum Swing Out' from 'Nutcracker Surprise' – Tchaikovsky (Arr. Duncan Stubbs)
Theresa Hitching, Helen Brammer & Nicola Thompson (Clarinets)

'Andante & Vivace' from 'Quartet in D minor
Tafelmusik' – Telemann
Imogen Locke & George Goodall (Treble Recorders); Heather Loebl (Flute); Margaret Willson ('Cello); and Joan Goodall (Piano)

'Waltz of the Flowers' from 'The Nutcracker'
Tchaikovsky (Arr. H. Brammer)
The Broken Consort


As is traditional, we enjoyed a post-concert gathering wonderfully hosted by Mike & Angela, with lots of delicious food & drink, and fabulous company. Videos of all of the performances from the concert can be seen here on our YouTube Channel.

Tuesday 29 October 2013

Class - 24th October

It was a busy week...we whizzed through our ensemble pieces...then a few small group pieces, before squeezing in our AGM...whilst enjoying chocolate cake and champagne in honour of Mike's birthday! (Minutes of AGM will be added to the 'Committee' page on here)

Small group items:
  • 'Bouree' & 'Gavotte' from 'Orchestral Suite No. 3' by J. S. Bach (Arr. H. Brammer) - Alison, Helen, Theresa, Nicola, Mike, Kath, Rod, John, Polly & Margaret
  • 'Anitra's Dance' from 'Peer Gynt' by Greig - Heather, Penny, Judy & Angela
  • 'Trio No. 1' by J. S. Bach - Maureen, Diana & Imogen

Saturday 19 October 2013

Class - 17th October

Large ensemble pieces:

  • 'Overture Miniature' & 'Waltz of the Flowers' from 'The Nutcracker' by Tchaikovsky (Arr. H. Brammer) 
  • 'Chanson de Matin' & 'Chanson de Nuit' by Elgar (Arr. H. Brammer)
Small group items:
  • 'Sonata IV' by Corelli - Emily, Kath, John, Helen & Angela
  • 'Sonata in D Minor' by Schickhardt - Heather, George, Imogen, Mike & Joan
  • 'Three movements of Handel' - Penny, Maureen, Annabel, Theresa, Nicola & Diana

Sunday 13 October 2013

Class - 10th October

We continused working on our ensemble pieces...'Overture Miniature' and 'Waltz of the Flowers' from 'The Nutcracker' and 'Chanson de Matin' and 'Chanson de Nuit' by Elgar...there was definite improvement  in everything!

Small group items:
  • 'Dance of the Blessed Spirits' by Gluck (Arr. H. Brammer) - Heather, Alison, Theresa, Nicola, Kath, Rod, John, Polly & Mike
  • 'A Spring Rondo' by Mozart - Penny, Judy & Angela
  • Schickhardt Sonata in C Minor - George, Imogen, Diana, Margaret & Joan

Saturday 5 October 2013

Class - 3rd October

We started work on our final ensemble piece this week ('Overture Miniature' from 'The Nutcracker')...speed may be the challenge with this one!...and continued with the other pieces too.

Small group items:
  • J. C. Bach 'Quintet in D Major' - Heather, Annabel, Polly, Mike & Angela
  • 'Three Movements from Mr Handel' - Alison, Judy, Theresa & Diana
  • Haydn 'London Trios' - Penny, Imogen & Helen
  • Keller 'Sonata in C' - George, Maureen, Kath, John, Rod & Joan

Sunday 29 September 2013

Class - 26th September

All went well as we continued to work on 'Waltz of the Flowers' and 'Chanson de Matin' and 'Chanson de Nuit' at this week's class...there even seemed to be some dynamics creeping in!

Small group items:
  • Quintet in D Minor by Keller - George, Imogen, Maureen, Kath, John, Margaret & Joan
  • 'Dance of th Hours' from 'La Gioconda' by Ponchielli (Arr. Terry Kenny) - Penny, Theresa, Nicola & Mike
  • Concerto in D Minor by J. S.Bach (Arr. Jasmine Choi) - Heather, Helen & Angela

Sunday 22 September 2013

Class - 19th September

We started a brand new term this week, which means some new music ('Waltz of the Flowers' from The Nutcracker' by Tchaikovsky) and revisiting some old favourites ('Chanson de Matin' and 'Chanson de Nuit' by Elgar). It was lovely to see (almost) everyone again after the summer break, and we welcomed back Penny who was absent last term.

Small group items:
  • Trio Sonata in G major by Telemann - Penny, Kath, Diana & Angela
  • Sonata in F major by Scarlatti - George, Imogen, Maureen, Margaret & Joan
  • Two Minuets by Beethoven (Arr. H. Brammer) - Alison, Annabel, Theresa, Nicola, Rod, John & Mike

Sunday 8 September 2013

Summer Music @ Imogen's

We had our last summer music gathering of the holiday last Thursday, and this time it was hosted by Imogen. We selected the music using our usual method, and here's what we played:
  • 'Andante' from the Surprise Symphony' by Haydn 
  • 'English Dance No. IV' by Malcolm Arnold
  • 'Chanson de Nuit' by Elgar
  • 'The Great Gate of Kiev' from Pictures at an Exhibition' by Mussorgsky 
  • 'Romance' from 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik' by Mozart
  • 'Badinerie' from 'Suite in B Minor' by J. S. Bach
  • 'Seventeen come Sunday' from 'English Folksong Suite' by Vaughan Williams
  • 'March - For the Love of Three Satsumas (Oranges)' by Prokofiev
  • 'Rondo' from 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik' by Mozart
We concluded the evening with some delicious food & drink and fabulously entertaining story-telling from Joan!

The new term starts in a couple of weeks (September 19th), so I'll be back again then.

Saturday 24 August 2013

Summer Music @ Diana's

We had another Summer Music gathering last Thursday...it was a rather large group this time and was hosted by Diana, who spent the evening with her double bass in the 'minstrel's gallery'! We selected the music using our usual system...here's what we played:
  • 'Bouree' from 'The Water Music' by Handel
  • Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 'Allegro assai' by J. S. Bach
  • 'My Bonny Boy' from 'Folk Song Suite' by Vaughan Williams
  • 'Promenade' from 'Pictures at an Exhibition' by Mussorgsky
  • 'Capriol Suite' by Peter Warlock
  • 'Olympic Fanfare & Theme' by John Williams
  • 'Chanson de Matin' Elgar
  • 'Sinfonia' from 'Pulcinella' by Stravinsky
  •  'Rondo' from 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik' by Mozart
  • 'Toccata' from 'Pulcinella' by Stravinsky
  • Theme from 'Blackadder' by Howard Goodall
  • 'Overture' from 'Suite in B Minor' by J. S. Bach
Well, I think you'll agree that we had earned our refreshments after all that! Thank you to Diana for a lovely evening!

We have one more Summer gathering before term starts...at Imogen's on September 5th.

Saturday 3 August 2013

Summer Music @ Nicola's

We had our first Summer Music gathering of the holiday last Thursday...hosted by one of our newest members, Nicola. There were several other Summer Music 'first-timers' too...and I'm not sure that they knew what they were letting themselves in for! The music was selected by lucky dip (as always), and we played a wide variety of composers' works, although Vaughan Williams made several appearances!

Here's what we played:
  • 'The Old Castle' from 'Pictures at an Exhibition' by Mussorgsky 
  • 'English Dance No. 1' by Malcolm Arnold
  • 'Pavane pour une infante defunte' by Ravel
  • 'Hallelujah Chorus' from 'The Messiah' by Handel
  • 'Hebrides Overture' by Mendelssohn
  • 'Fantasia on Greensleeves' by Vaughan Williams
  • 'Folk Songs from Somerset' from 'Folk Song Suite' by Vaughan Williams
  •  'Toccata' from 'Pulcinella' by Stravinsky
  • 'Sicilienne' by Faure
  • Overture to 'The Marriage of Figaro' by Mozart
  • 'My Bonny Boy' from 'Folk Song Suite' by Vaughan Williams
We of course enjoyed some delicious food & drink afterwards...I think we'd earned it after playing all of that in the sweltering heat! Thank you to Nicola for a lovely evening!

Our next gathering is in on the 22nd at Diana's...looking forward to seeing you there!

Wednesday 31 July 2013

We're back!

You may have noticed that we've been rather quiet of late - that's if there's anyone still here reading this!.We encountered some more technical difficulties...Blogger locked me out again...not completely, I was able to write posts, just not publish anything! So, I had been making a post for each of the classes (and the concert) as they happened...we like to keep track of what we've played...but have been waiting for the time to sort out the issues with blogger. Well, it all seems to be working fine now...and I have published all of the 'missing' posts - I've backdated everything (using the date of the class or the concert) so that everything stays in the correct order, so please scroll down for those. I have also added all of the videos for the last concert to our YouTube Channel...there's a link to that in the sidebar...and have updated the committe and term dates pages too...phew! We have our first 'summer music' gathering of the holiday tomorrow, so hopefully I'll be back soon with another update!

Thursday 11 July 2013

Concert - 11th July

We had a lovely summer's evening for our end of term concert,and a rather 'select' audience...although it did seem to grow during the course of the concert! If you weren't there, here's what you missed:

 
Programme


'Overture' to 'The Mastersingers of Nurenburg' – Richard Wagner (Arr. H. Brammer)
The Broken Consort


'Largo & Allegro' from Trio Sonata in G Minor – G. F. Handel
George Goodall & Imogen Locke (Treble Recorders); Margaret Willson ('Cello); & Joan Goodall (Piano)


'Variations on the theme “La ci darem la mano” from Mozart's “Don Giovanni” - Beethoven
Heather Loebl (Flute); Helen Brammer (Clarinet); & Mike Winterburn (Bassoon)


'A Musical Joke' – W. A. Mozart (Arr. H. Brammer)
Theresa Hitching, Nicola Thompson & Helen Brammer (Clarinets)


'Allegro moderato' from 'Brandenburg Concerto No. 3' – J. S. Bach (Arr. H. Brammer)
The Broken Consort


'Send in the Clowns' – Stephen Sondheim (Arr. H. Brammer)
Theresa Hitching, Nicola Thompson (Clarinets); Kath Russell, Rod Lackey, John Marshall (Violins); Polly Kaufmann (Viola); Diana Locke (Double Bass); & Angela Ayton (Piano)


'Largo & Allegro molto' from Concerto in C Major – Vivaldi
Heather Loebl, Judy Skelton (Flutes); Polly Kaufmann (Viola); Mike Winterburn (Bassoon); & Angela Ayton (Piano)


'March, Canzonetta & Tirolese' from 'Soirees Musicales' – Rossini/Britten (Arr. H. Brammer)
The Broken Consort


We of course enjoyed an 'after party' hosted once again by Mike and Angela (thank you!), with delicious food and drinks.

I filmed the concert, and the videos have been uploaded to our YouTube channel, so if you fancy having a look (or re-living the occasion!) click the link in the sidebar to watch them.

We will be having some 'Summer Music' gatherings over the course of the summer break, starting with a visit to Nicola's on the 1st of August.

Thursday 4 July 2013

Class - 4th July

It was the last class before our concert this week, so despite the fact we were missing a few players, we put the finishing touches to our laarge ensemble pieces, and also managed to get through most of the small group pieces too!

Small group items:
  • 'Variations on "La ci darem la mano" from Mozart's "Don Giovanni"' by Beethoven - Heather, Helen & Mike
  • 'Send in the Clowns' by Stephen Sondheim - Kath, John, Polly, Diana & Angela
  • Trio Sonata in G Minor by Handel - George, Imogen, Margaret & Joan
  • Sonatas for Two Flutes by Telemann - Judy & Maureen
  • Concerto in C Major by Vivaldi - Heather, Judy, Polly, Mike & Angela
  • 'Rondeau' by Mouret - Maureen, Diana, Kath & John

Thursday 27 June 2013

Class - 27th June

We're getting to the 'sharp end' of term, with only one more class to go after this week before our concert, so there was much to do this evening! 

Small group items:
  • Concerto in C Major by Vivaldi - Heather, Judy, Polly, Mike & Angela
  • Trio Sonata in G Minor by Handel - George, Imogen, Margaret & Joan
  • 'A Musical Joke' by Mozart - Theresa, Nicola & Helen
  • Concerto for Four Flutes by Telemann - Alison, Maureen, Kath, John & Diana

Thursday 20 June 2013

Class - 20th June

We're still working away on our large ensemble pieces, and everything is starting to come together nicely...there are even some dynamics starting to creep in!

Small group items:
  • 'Variations on "La ci darem la mano" from Mozart's "Don Giovanni" by Beethoven - Heather, Helen & Mike
  • 'Send in the Clowns' by Stephen Sondheim - Theresa, Nicola, Kath, Rod, John, Diana & Angela
  • Concerto No. 5 by Pepusch - Alison, Judy, George, Imogen, Margaret & Joan

Thursday 13 June 2013

Class - 13th June

We had a visitor this evening...a composer who may be comissioned to write a piece especially for us! He listened (and offered some constructive feedback) to all of our large ensemble pieces, then worked with one of the small groups - and seemed very positive about working with us.

Small group items:
  • Concerto in C Major by Vivaldi - Heather, Judy, Alison, Polly, Mike & Angela
  • Trio Sonata in G Minor by Handel - George, Imogen, Margaret & Joan
  • 'Greensleeves' (Arr. H. Brammer) - Theresa, Nicola, Rod & John

Thursday 6 June 2013

Class - 6th June

We continued working on all of our large ensemble pieces...and we're even beginning to pick up speed in the 'Brandenburg'...much to Heather's relief! We're looking forward to welcoming a visitor next week...a composer that we may be looking to comission a piece from.

Small group items:
  • 'Send in the Clowns' by Stephen Sondheim (Arr. H. Brammer) - Theresa, Nicola, Kath, Rod, John, Helen, Margaret, Diana & Angela
  • Sonata for Three Flutes by Quantz - Alison, Judy & Heather
  • Trio Sonata in G Minor by Finger - George, Imogen, Mike & Joan

Thursday 23 May 2013

Class - 23rd May

We were still rather depleted in numbers this week (with only one flute!) but managed to make progress with our large ensemble pieces, as well as trying our possible concert pieces in our small groups.

Small group items:
  • 'A Musical Joke' by Mozart (Arr. H. Brammer) - Theresa, Nicola & Helen
  • Concerto in A Minor by Vivaldi - George, Maureen, Diana, Margaret & Angela
  • Concerto in C Major by Vivaldi - Imogen, Annabel, Kath, John, Rod, Mike & Joan
It's our half-term break next week, so we'll be back in a fortnight.

Thursday 16 May 2013

Class - 16th May

We were reuntied this week, and it was time to try our final large ensemble piece...'Overture' to 'The Mastersingers of Nurenburg' by Wagner...despite the fact that I've edited it (and cut quite a lot out!) it's still fairly epic! We were missing a few people this week, but still managed to make good progress with our other pieces.

Small group items:
  • 'Summer Sketches' by Alfred Castle - Alison, Polly, Theresa & Nicola
  • 'Variations on "La ci darem la mano" from Mozart's "Don Giovanni"' by Beethoven - Heather, Helen & Mike
  • Trio Sonata in G Major by Telemann - Judy, Kath & Joan
  • Quartet in C Minor by Schickhardt - George, Imogen, John, Dinana & Angela

Thursday 9 May 2013

Class - 9th May

We were split across two locations this week...with some of us at Kath's house, and the rest at Mike & Angela's. We weren't able to rehearse our large ensemble pieces this evening, but that did mean that we had plenty of time for lots of small group pieces...here's what we played:

At Kath's House:
  • Sonata in G Major by Tartini - Alsion, Judy & Margaret
  • Trio Sonata in G Minor by Telemann - George, Kath, John & Joan
  • Concerto No. 5 by Pepusch - Alison, George, Judy, Kath, John, Margaret & Joan
At Mike & Angela's:
  • Sonatas in F Major & G Minor by Finger - Imogen, Helen, Diana, Nicola & Angela
  • Prelude & Fugue by J. S. Bach - Heather, Polly & Mike
  • 'Slavonic Dances' by Dvorak - Diana, Helen, Nicola & Mike
  • Quartet in C Minor by Janitsch - Heather, Imogen, Polly & Angela 
Thank you to our hosts for a lovely evening!

Thursday 2 May 2013

Class - 2nd May

We continued to work on the movements from the 'Soirees Musicales'   (Britten/Rossini) and the Brandenburg Concerto (J. S. Bach), and we're starting to make progress...although I think we're going to need to pick up quite a lot of speed in the latter if we're going to stop Heather from passing out in the concert! We also had a 'Special General Meeting' this evening as we needed to elect a couple more committe members in order to be 'constitutional' once more! (The minutes have been added to the committee page).

Small group items:
  • Sonata in D Major by Tartini - Alison, Judy & Margaret
  • Quintet in E Flat Major by J. C. Bach - Heather, Annabel, Kath, Polly, Mike & Angela
  • 'Funeral March of a Marionette' by Gounod - George, Imogen, Maureen, Helen, Theresa, Nicola, Anya, John, Rod, Diana & Joan

Class - 25th April

We revisited another 'old favourite' at last week's class...'Allegro Moderato' from the 'Brandenburg Concerto No. 3' by J. S. Bach, and continued with the 'Soirees Musicales' (Britten/Rossini)...I'm still working on the final large ensemble piece...it's a bit of an epic! Before we split into small groups, we celebrated Annabel's birthday with some delicious cake and bubbly...we should definitely do that every week!

Small group items:
  • 'The Maple Leaf Rag' by Joplin (Arr. H. Brammer) - Alison, Annabel, Theresa, Nicola & Mike
  • Concerto for Four Flutes by Molter - George, Imogen, Maureen, Judy, Margaret & Joan
  • Trio Sonata No. IV by Corelli - Kath, John, Polly, Rod & Angela

Friday 19 April 2013

Class - 18th April

We had our first rehearsal of the new term last night...so that meant new music...or rather 'old' music as we started with some pieces from 'Soirees Musicales' by Rossini/Britten that we're 're-visiting' in honour of the centenary of Britten's birth. We shall also be celebrating a bicentenary...with some Wagner...and...after a quick vote last night...looking again at some J. S. Bach this term.

Small group items:
  • Sonata in C by Gottfried Keller - George, Annie, Judy, Imogen, Maureen, Kath, Rod, Annabel, John, Diana & Joan
  • 'Gavotte & Minuet' from 'Bach for Three' (Arr. Neil Butterworth) - Theresa, Nicola & Anya
  • 'Variations on 'La ci darem la mano' from Mozart's 'Don Giovani'' by Beethoven - Heather, Helen & Mike
  • Trio Sonata in G Minor by Telemann - Alison, Polly, Margaret & Angela
Some of the videos from our concert last term have now found their way on to our YouTube Channel...we can now be experienced in HD! I'd like to say a huge thank you to Stephen for filming and editing the videos!

Friday 5 April 2013

Concert - March 21st

Wow - what a fabulous evening we had! We had probably our largest audience to date to perform to...no doubt strengthened by the Songbyrds' supporters, but we weren't daunted, and everybody played their best. We thoroughly enjoyed performing with the Songbyrds...so I'm sure there'll be another collaboration in the future...we just need to think of some suitable pieces!

Here's what we played:

 
Programme

'Slavonic Dance No. 8' - Dvorak (Arr. H. Brammer)
The Broken Consort

'Cantique de Jean Racine' – Faure (Arr. H. Brammer)
The Broken Consort & The Songbyrds
Directed by Ben Cox

'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' from Cantata No. 147 - J. S. Bach (Arr. H. Brammer)
Heather Loebl (Flute); Imogen Locke, Maureen Snell (Treble Recorders); Margaret Willson ('Cello); & Angela Ayton (Harpsichord)

'Promenade – Walking the Dog' – Gershwin (Arr. H. Brammer)
Heather Loebl, Alison Shaw (Flutes); Polly Kaufmann (Oboe); Helen Brammer, Theresa Hitching (Clarinets); & Mike Winterburn (Bassoon)

'Rondeau' from 'Abdelazer' – Purcell (Arr. H. Brammer)
Penny Layland, Judy Skelton (Flutes); Annabel Crowe (Oboe); Theresa Hitching, Anya Sitaram, Nicola Thompson (Clarinets); Kath Russell, John Marshall, Rod Lackey(Violins); Mike Winterburn (Bassoon); & Diana Locke (Double Bass)

'Sound of Silence' – Simon & Garfunkel
'Scarborough Fair' - Trad.
'El Condor Pasa' - Simon & Garfunkel
'Unexpressed' – John Bucchino
The Songbyrds
Directed by Ben Cox

'Affettuoso & Vivace' from Trio Sonata in F – Telemann
Imogen Locke (Treble Recorder); Penny Layland (Flute); Margaret Willson ('Cello); & Maureen Snell (Harpsichord)

'Andante & Rondo' – Doppler
Heather Loebl, Helen Brammer (Flutes); & Angela Ayton (Piano)

'The Ashokan Farewell' – Jay Ungar (Arr. H. Brammer)
The Broken Consort

'I Feel Pretty' from 'West Side Story' – Bernstein (Arr. H. Brammer)
The Broken Consort & The Songbyrds
Directed by Ben Cox

Of course there was an 'after party'...again hosted by Angela & Mike (thank you!) where much delicious food (and drink) was enjoyed! The concert was filmed...not by me this time...and the videos will be appearing on our YouTube channel at some point, so I'll let you know when they're there.

Class - 14th March

Ok, it was all systems go...it was our last chance to rehearse our concert pieces, and we had a deadline...the Songbyrds were arriving at 8.30pm...so we had to whizz through everything else before they arrived! Our joint pieces with the Songyrds sounded great - it was good to know that we hadn't forgotten all the things we talked about the last time!

Small group items:
  • 'Rondeau' from 'Abdelazer' by Purcell (Arr. H. Brammer) - Penny, Judy, Theresa, Nicola, Mike, Kath, John & Rod 
  • 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' by Bach (Arr. H. Brammer) - Heather, Imogen, Maureen, Margaret & Angela
  • 'Sentimental Journey' by Brown, Green & Homer & 'Music for the Royal Fireworks' by Handel (Arr. van der Goot) - Alison, Dermot, Polly & Helen
  • 'Promenade - Walking the Dog' by Gershwin (Arr. H. Brammer) - Heather, Alison, Polly, Helen, Theresa & Mike
  • Trio Sonata in F Major by Telemann - Penny, Imogen, Margaret & Maureen
  • 'Music for the Royal Fireworks' by Handel & 'Fiddler on the Roof by Harnick & Bock (Arr. van der Goot) - Annabel, Dermot, Nicola, Kath, John, Rod, Diana & Angela

Class - 7th March

We had quite a busy evening...not long to go before the concert so we needed to get through most of our concert pieces, as next week we'll be spending half of our rehearsal with the Songbyrds. 

Small group items:
  • 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' by Bach (Arr. H. Brammer) - Heather, Imogen, Maureen, Margaret & Angela
  • Schumann Flute Trios (Arr. Eileen Clews) - Alison, Penny & Judy
  • 'Sarabande & Gavotte' from 'Holberg's Time by Grieg (Arr. H. Brammer) - Annabel, Theresa, Kath, John, Rod & Polly)

Thursday 4 April 2013

Long Time No See!

Phew! So sorry it's been such a long time since the last post on here - I've been experiencing some 'technical difficulties'! They are still not fully resolved, but I have found a way around the problem, and will now be posting on here as 'Broken Consort' rather than 'Helen', as Mr Blogger seems to have taken a dislike to me!

Now that I am able to publish once again, I shall be adding the missing posts and updating the 'Term Dates' and 'Committee' pages as soon as I can.

Please bear with me - there's rather a lot to catch up on!

Oh, and due the increasing number of spam comments this blog seems to be attracting, we shall no longer be allowing 'anonymous' comments on this blog.

Wednesday 6 March 2013

Class - 28th February

Our first joint rehearsal with the Songbyrds was a huge success - the two joint pieces ('Cantique de Jean Racine' & 'I feel pretty') sounded great together! Having a conductor was a new experience for some members of the Broken Consort...and we're all really looking forward to our next joint rehearsal when hopefully everyone will be there. We still found some time to whizz through our other large ensemble pieces, and even managed to get some of the other concert pieces rehearsed too!

Small group items:
  • 'Promenade - Walking the Dog' by Gershwin (Arr. H. Brammer) - Heather, Alison, Polly, Helen, Theresa & Mike
  • Trio Sonata in F by Telemann - George, Penny, Margaret & Imogen
  • 'Music for the Royal Fireworks' by Handel & 'Carnival of the Animals' by Saint-Saens (Arr. J van der Goot) - Maureen, Kath, John, Rod, Joan & Angela

Monday 18 February 2013

Class - 14th February

We worked hard on our full ensemble pieces at last week's class, in preparation for our first joint rehearsal with the Songbyrds which will happen after our half-term break. It's the first time in the Broken Consort's 40 year history that there's been a collaboration with another group, so we're all very excited to hear how it sounds!

Small group items:
  • 'Rondeau' from 'Abdelazer' by Purcell (Arr. H. Brammer) - Penny, Judy, Theresa, Anya, Nicola, Mike, Kath, John, Rod & Diana
  • 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' by J.S. Bach (Arr. H. Brammer) - George, Imogen, Maureen, Margaret & Joan
  • 'Andante & Rondo' by Doppler - Heather, Helen & Angela

Thursday 14 February 2013

Class - 7th February

We were still looking a little bit sparse in places at last week's rehearsal, especially in the back row! Anyway, we were still able to make good progress in our large ensemble pieces.

Small group items:
  • 'Promenade - Walking the Dog' from 'Shall We Dance?' by Gershwin (Arr. H. Brammer) - Heather, Alison, Polly, Helen, Theresa & Mike
  • Quintet in D Minor by Keller - Imogen, Diana, Kath, John, Rod & Angela
  • Trio Sonata in F Major by Telemann - George, Penny & Joan

Wednesday 6 February 2013

Class - 31st January

After a couple of weeks of record beating attendances, for one reason or another, we were back down to more modest numbers last week. Despite some gaps, our large ensemble pieces are progressing well, and we look forward to our first rehearsal with the Songbyrds at the end of the month.

Small group items:
  • 'Rondeau' from 'Abdelazer' by Purcell (Arr. H. Brammer) - Penny, Helen, Annabel, Theresa, Anya, Nicola, Kath, John & Mike
  • 'Valse des Fleurs' by Kohler - Heather, Alison & Angela
  • Trio Sonata in G Minor by Pepusch - Maureen, Polly & Imogen

Thursday 31 January 2013

Class - 24th January

We had another record turnout this week, as we welcomed back Penny from her travels. We also revisited an 'old favourite'...'The Ashokan Farewell' by Jay Ungar...so we've now begun working on all of the large ensemble pieces we'll be performing in our end of term concert. We have yet to rehearse the joint pieces ('I Feel Pretty' and 'Cantique de Jean Racine') with the Songbyrds, but are looking forward to the challenge!

Small group items:
  • Concerto in A minor by Telemann - George, Maureen, Penny, Judy, Rod, John, Anya, Nicola, Dermot, Margaret & Joan
  • 'Evesham Andante' by Elgar - Heather, Alison, Diana, Helen, Mike & Angela 
  • 'Dance a Cachucha' by Sullivan - Imogen, Polly, Kath & Theresa

Wednesday 23 January 2013

Class - 17th January

We had another couple of potential new members at last Thursday's class...Nicola on clarinet, and Rod on violin...so it was a record turn-out for the Broken Consort! As well as continuing with 'I Feel Pretty' and 'Slavonic Dance No. 8', we had our first read-through of 'Cantique de Jean Racine' by Faure - the other piece that we'll be performing with the Songbyrds at our end of term concert.

Small group items:
  • Concerto in E Minor by Telemann - Heather, Alison, Kath, John, Rod, Polly, Diana & Angela
  • 'Allegretto' by J.C. Bach (Arr. H. Brammer) - Judy, Annabel, Theresa, Dermot & Mike
  • 'Quartettino' by Scarlatti - George, Imogen, Maureen, Margaret & Joan

Sunday 13 January 2013

Class - 10th January

Happy New Year everyone! We had our first class of the term last Thursday, and welcomed back Anya (on clarinet) as well as Alison (on flute). We have an exciting collaboration planned for our end of term concert with the Songbyrds, and began working on one of the pieces we will be performing together, 'I Feel Pretty' from 'West Side Story' by Leonard Bernstein, as well as an old favourite 'Slavonic Dance No. 8' by Dvorak.

Small group items:
  • 'Rondeau' by Purcell (Arr. H. Brammer) - Alison, Judy, Helen, Polly, Margaret & Joan
  • Trio Sonata 'Le Romain' by Hotteterre - Imogen, Maureen & Angela
  • 'Che soave zeffiretto' from 'The Marriage of Figaro' by Mozart (Arr. H. Brammer) - Heather, Annabel, Theresa, Dermot, Mike, Kath, John & Diana