Class - 8th January

Large ensemble pieces:

• 'St. Paul's Suite' by Holst (Arr. H. Brammer)

Small group items:

• 'Masonic Adagio' by Mozart - Theresa, Nicola & Angela
• 'Sonata in G' by Keller - Maureen, Emily, Kath, John, Polly & Imogen
• 'Minuet' by Boccherini - Penny, Alison, Judy & Dina
• 'Fragments' by Robert Muczynski - Heather, Helen & Mike

Concert - 4th 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

'Sinfonia' & 'Choral' from 'Christmas Oratorio' by J. S. Bach (Arr. H. Brammer)

The Broken Consort

'Maya' by Ian Clarke

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

'Adagio, Vivace & Allegro' from Trio Sonata in G Minor by Gottfried Finger

Maureen Snell (Treble Recorder); Lucy Devereux (Flute) & Imogen Locke (Piano)

'Andante in C' by W. A. Mozart (Arr. H. Brammer)

Heather Loebl (Flute); Emily Johnson, Kath Russell, Rod Lackey (Violins); Polly Kaufmann (Viola); John Marshall ('Cello) & Diana Locke (Double Bass)

'Ain't Misbehavin'' by Thomas “Fats” Waller

Nicola Thompson, Helen Brammer, Theresa Hitching (Clarinets) & Mike Winterburn (Bassoon)

'Flutation' by Clare Grundman

&

'The Little Red Monkey' by Jack Jordan

Penny Layland, Judy Skelton, Alison Shaw (Flutes) & Angela Ayton (Piano)

'Troika' from 'Lieutenant Kije' by Prokofiev (Arr. H. Brammer)

The Broken Consort featuring:

Theresa Hitching (Sleigh Bells & Tambourine)

'The Toy Symphony' by L. Mozart (Arr. H. Brammer)

The Broken Consort featuring:

Imogen Locke (Toy Trumpet); Angela Ayton (Cuckoo); Judy Skelton (Bird Whistle); Nicola Thompson (Triangle) & Emily Johnson (Rattle & Chime Bar)

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.

Class - 27th November

We had a run-through of our concert programme this evening...the running is as follows:

• 'Sinfonia' and 'Choral' from 'Christmas Oratorio' by J. S. Bach (Arr. H. Brammer)
• 'Maya' by Ian Clarke - Heather, Helen & Angela
• 'Adagio, Allegro & Vivace' from 'Trio Sonata in G Minor' by Gottfried Finger - Maureen, Lucy & Imogen
• 'Andante in C' by Mozart (Arr. H. Brammer) - Heather, Emily, Kath, Rod, Polly, John & Diana
• 'Ain't Misbehavin'' by Thomas "Fats" Waller - Nicola, Helen, Theresa & Mike
• 'Flutation' by Clare Grundman & 'Little Red Monkey' by Jack Jordan - Alison, Penny, Judy & Angela
• 'Troika' from 'Lieutenant Kije' by Prokofiev (Arr. H. Brammer)
• 'The Toy Symphony' by Leopold Mozart (Arr. H. Brammer)

Class - 13th November

Large ensemble pieces:

• 'Toy Symphony' by Leopold Mozart
• ''Sinfonia' & 'Chorale' from 'Christmas Oratorio' by J. S. Bach
• 'Troika' from 'Lieutenant Kije' by Prokofiev

Small group items:

• 'Andante in C' by Mozart (Arr. H. Brammer) - Heather, Emily, Kath, Rod, Polly, John & Diana
• 'Ain't Misbehavin'' by Thomas "Fats" Waller - Nicola, Helen, Theresa & Mike
• 'Flutation' by Clare Grundman & 'Little Red Monkey' by Jack Jordan - Penny, Alison, Judy & Angela

Class - 6th November

Large ensemble pieces:

• 'Toy Symphony' by Leopold Mozart
• ''Sinfonia' & 'Chorale' from 'Christmas Oratorio' by J. S. Bach
• 'Troika' from 'Lieutenant Kije' by Prokofiev

Small group items:

• 'Trio Sonata in G Minor' by Finger - Maureen, Lucy & Imogen
• 'Flutation' by Clare Grundman - Penny, Alison, Judy & Angela
• 'Salut d'Amour' by Elgar - Heather, Theresa & Mike
• 'Minuet' from 'Divertimento No. 2' by Mozart (Arr. H. Brammer) - Kath, Polly, John & Diana

Class - 9th October

Large ensemble pieces:

• 'Toy Symphony' by Leopold Mozart
• ''Sinfonia' & 'Chorale' from 'Christmas Oratorio' by J. S. Bach
• 'Troika' from 'Lieutenant Kije' by Prokofiev

Small group items:

• 'A Spring Rondo' by Mozart (Arr. A Collins) - Penny, Judy & Imogen
• 'Andante in C' by Mozart (Arr. H. Brammer) - Heather, Emily, Kath, Polly, Rod, John & Diana
• 'Allegro molto' by Beethoven (Arr. H. Brammer) - Lucy, Edward, Theresa, Nicola, Mike & Angela

Class - 2nd October

Large ensemble pieces:

• 'Toy Symphony' by Leopold Mozart
• ''Sinfonia' & 'Chorale' from 'Christmas Oratorio' by J. S. Bach
• 'Troika' from 'Lieutenant Kije' by Prokofiev

Small group items:

• 'Serenade for Seven' by Ronald Hanmer - Alison, Lucy, Annabel, Helen, Theresa, Nicola & Mike
• Trio Op. 87 by Beethoven - Emily, Kath & Polly
• Sonata in D minor by Boismortier - Heather, Diana, Rod, Edward, John & Angela
• 'A Spring Rondo' by Mozart (Arr. A. Collins) - Penny, Judy & Imogen

Class - 25th September

Large ensemble pieces:

• 'Toy Symphony' by Leopold Mozart
• ''Sinfonia' & 'Chorale' from 'Christmas Oratorio' by J. S. Bach
• 'Troika' from 'Lieutenant Kije' by Prokofiev

Small group items:

• 'Andante in C' by Mozart (Arr. H. Brammer) - Heather, Emily, Kath, Rod, Polly, John & Diana
• 'Three Pieces' by Bizet - Alison, Annabel, Theresa, Mike & Angela
• 'Sonata in D Minor' by Schickhardt - Penny, Judy, Edward, Helen & Imogen

Summer Music @ Polly's

We had our summer music of the holidays a couple of weeks ago, hosted by Polly. There was quite a large group of us, and using our usual 'lucky dip' method of selecting the music for the evening, this is what we played:

• Theme from Blackadder' by Howard Goodall
• 'Tango Ballad' from 'The Threepenny Opera' by Kurt Weill
• 'Polka' from 'Jazz Suite No. 1' by Shostakovich
• 'English Dance No. IV' by Malcolm Arnold
• 'Crown Imperial' by William Walton
• 'Elizabethan Serenade' by Ronald Binge
• 'Scottish Dance No. 3' by Malcolm Arnold
• 'Sinfonia' from 'Pulcinella' by Stravinsky
• 'Cantique de Jean Racine' by Faure
• 'Overture Miniature' from 'The Nutcracker' by Tchaikovsky
• 'Menuetto' from 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik' by Mozart
• 'Shepherd's Hey' by Percy Grainger

Phew! Once we'd played that lot we had really earned our feast! Thanks to Polly for a wonderful evening...next up is Judy!

Concert - 27th March

We had a jam-packed programme at our Spring concert...there was a little bit of everything. Here's what we played:

Programme:

The Broken Consort - directed by Helen Brammer:

'Eyjafjallajökull' - Andrew Toovey

A world premiere performance of a new work commissioned by, and dedicated to, the performers of The Broken Consort

The Songbyrds – directed by Ben Cox:

'The Bare Necessities' (from Disney's 'The Jungle Book') - Terry Gilkyson

'Will Ye Go, Lassie, Go?' - Scottish trad., Anon.

'The Salley Gardens' - Trad. (Arr. Benjamin Britten)

'Danny Boy' - Trad. (Arr. Alan Simmons)

'Feelin' Groovy' - Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel

'Ave Maria' - Franz Schubert

'I Know Him So Well' (from the musical 'Chess') - Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus

'Thank You For The Music' – ABBA

The Broken Consort & The Songbyrds - directed by Ben Cox:

'Stabat mater dolorosa' from 'Stabat mater' – Pergolesi (Arr. H. Brammer)

'Largo & Allegro' from Sonata in G minor – J. Loeillet of London

George Goodall & Imogen Locke (Treble Recorders); and Joan Goodall (Harpsichord)

'Largo, ma non tanto' from Concerto in D minor – J. S. Bach (Arr. Jasmine Choi)

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

'Affettuoso & Allegro Vivace' from Concerto in A minor – Telemann

George Goodall, Imogen Locke, Maureen Snell (Treble Recorders); Penny Layland, Judy Skelton (Flutes); Annabel Crowe (Oboe); and Joan Goodall (Harpsichord)

'Che soave zeffiretto' & 'Voi che sapete' from 'The Marriage of Figaro' – Mozart (Arr. H. Brammer)

Heather Loebl (Flute; Theresa Hitching, Nicola Thompson (Clarinets); Mike Winterburn (Bassoon); Kath Russell, Rod Lackey, John Marshall (Violins); Polly Kaufmann (Viola); Diana Locke (Bass)

The Broken Consort:

'English Folk Song Suite' – Vaughan Williams (Arr. H. Brammer)

I – 'March: Seventeen Come Sunday'

II – 'Intermezzo: My Bonny Boy'

III – 'March: Folk Songs from Somerset'

The videos have all been uploaded to our YouTube Channel...although my camera switched itself off before the end of a couple of the pieces...not a indication on our performances - I promise!
Once again we enjoyed a lovely post-concert party hosted by Angela & Mike - thank you!

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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

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!

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