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 - 22nd March

What a lovely evening we had last night...the weather was warm...the music was good...and the audience was large - perhaps swelled by those coming to support the Songbyrds, with whom we shared the concert.

If you weren't there...here's what you missed:

Programme

'Fantasia on Greensleeves' - Vaughan Williams (Arr. H. Brammer)

The Broken Consort

'Scottish Dance No. 3' – Malcolm Arnold (Arr. H. Brammer)

The Broken Consort

'It Don't Mean a Thing' – Duke Ellington

'California Dreamin'' – The Mamas & The Papas

'Fields of Gold' - Sting

The Songbyrds

Directed by Benjamin Cox, accompanied by Jonathan Pease (Piano)

'Grave, Largo & Allegro' from Trio Sonata in G minor – Telemann

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

'Scherzo & Trio in G minor' – Schubert (Arr. Emerson)

Heather Loebl, Penny Layland (Flutes); Polly Kaufmann (Oboe); Helen Brammer, Theresa Hitching (Clarinets); & Mike Winterburn (Bassoon)

'Andante & Allegro Moderato' from 'London Trio No. 1 – Haydn

Heather Loebl, Judy Skelton (Flutes); & Margaret Willson ('Cello)

 

'42^nd Street' – Harry Warren

'Hallelujah' – Leonard Cohen

'Close to You' – Burt Bacharach

The Songbyrds

Directed by Benjamin Cox, accompanied by Jonathan Pease (Piano)

'Largo, Adagio & Allegro' from Quintet in F – Pepusch

Judy Skelton, Penny Layland (Flutes); George Goodall (Treble Recorder); Diana Locke (Tenor Recorder); Margaret Willson ('Cello); & Imogen Locke (Piano)

Concerto in D minor – Telemann

Emily Johnson, Kath Russell (Violins); Polly Kaufmann (Viola); Margaret Willson ('Cello); & Angela Ayton (Piano)

'Golden Slumbers' & 'Charlie is my Darling' from 'Four Old Tunes – Gordon Jacob

Heather Loebl (Flute); Annabel Crowe (Oboe); Theresa Hitching (Clarinet); & Mike Winterburn (Bassoon)

'Chariots Comin'!'

'Moon River' – Henry Mancini

'If My Friends Could See Me Now' – Cy Coleman

The Songbyrds

Directed by Benjamin Cox, accompanied by Jonathan Pease (Piano)

'Irish Tune from County Derry' & 'Shepherd's Hey' – Percy Grainger (Arr. H. Brammer)

The Broken Consort

I will be uploading the footage to our YouTube Channel as soon as I can...please bear with me - it's not a quick process! 

I'll be back to let you all know when the videos are all uploaded, but for now I'd just like to say thank you to everyone for your hard work again this term and making the concert such a success!

Class - 15th March

Last night's class was the last rehearsal before our concert next week...so we were busy, busy, busy! As well as rehearsing all of our small group pieces, I filmed our large group items for our Youtube channel...although I had a bit of a fail with that...my camera turned itself off, so I didn't get everything, so will have to record the rest, along with the chamber pieces, at the concert.

Small group items:

• 'Four Old Tunes' by Gordon Jacob - Heather, Annabel, Theresa & Mike
• Telemann Concerto in D minor - Emily, Kath, Polly, Margaret & Angela
• Quintet in F by Pepusch - Judy, Penny, George, Diana & Imogen
• Telemann Trio Sonata in G minor - Imogen, Diana, Margaret & Joan
• 'Scherzo & Trio in G minor' by Schubert - Heather, Penny, Polly, Helen, Theresa & Mike
• Haydn 'London Trio No. 1' - Heather, Judy & Margaret
• Boismortier Quartet in A minor - George, Emily, Kath & Angela

Class - 8th March

Normal service has resumed...the piano was no longer wedged in the doorway this evening, and it was good to be able to arrange ourselves in our usual positions again! We had almost a full house...we're yet to have everyone in attendance...the first time that happens this term may well be at the concert! Everything sounded really good tonight ...although it did take us a couple of attempts to all finish 'Shepherd's Hey' together...and here's only one more week to get that right - eeeek!

Small group items:

• 'London Trio' (No. 1) by Haydn - Heather, Judy & Margaret
• Trio Sonata in G minor by Telemann - Imogen, Diana, Margaret & Joan
• 'Scherzo & Trio in G minor' by Schubert - Heather, Penny, Polly, Helen, Theresa & Mike
• 'Sonata da Camera' by Janitsch - George, Judy, Emily, Kath & Angela

Class - 1st March

We were again confronted by a piano wedged in the doorway when we arrived at the Church this evening...but as you can see, we carried on regardless! It's not really practical for us all to crowd around the piano, so we again set up in our usual position and used the two keyboards instead, to rehearse our large ensemble pieces. We almost had a 'full house' tonight...and although there's a little more 'tweaking' to do in places, the pieces are all sounding good.

Small group items:

• 'Four Old Tunes' by Gordon Jacob - Heather, Annabel, Theresa & Mike
• Concerto in D minor by Telemann - Emily, Kath, Polly, Margaret & Angela
• Trio Sonata in G minor by Finger - George, Judy & Joan
• Trio Sonata in D minor by Telemann - Penny, Diana & Imogen

Class - 23rd February

We've had an interesting evening. When we arrived at the Church, our usual entrance displayed a sign stating it was closed...no problem...we have the key...but no...it was bolted on the inside...thankfully, the other door, (which is usually bolted) was not, so we were able to get in. Upon entering the building, it became obvious why the door was not to be used...there was a grand piano wedged in front of it! Apparently, some work had been done to the floor, and the piano was not to be moved back into it's usual position until the floor had hardened...so it had to remain in the doorway, which made for some interesting ensemble work!
We were all delighted to welcome George back this evening...although we did rather throw him in at the deep-end with some of our large ensemble pieces!

Small group items:

• Quintet in F major by Pepusch - Judy, Penny, Diana, George, Theresa & Imogen 
• Concerto in D minor by Telemann - Emily, Kath, Polly & Angela
• Trio Sonata in D major by Boismortier - Annabel, Mike & Joan

Class - 9th February

It was marginally warmer than last week inside the Church last night...despite the falling snow outside...and we continued to work on our large ensemble items...which are coming along nicely...although I'm expecting even more improvement next time, after all the furious half-term practising!

Small group items:

• 'Scherzo & Trio in G minor' by Schubert (arr. Emerson) - Heather, Penny, Polly, Helen, Anya, Theresa & Mike
• Concerto for Four Flutes by Telemann - Judy, Emily, Annabel & Kath
• Trio Sonata in G minor by Telemann - Imogen, Diana & Joan

Class - 2nd February

Brrrrrrrrrrrrr...it was a bit brass monkeys in the Church at last night's rehearsal! With only a couple of the heaters producing any heat, the Church's heating was no match for the sub-zero temperature outside...but we bravely carried on despite our frozen fingers! Our large ensemble pieces are all improving...we even attempted the accelerando at the end of 'Shepherd's Hey'!

Small group items:

• Quintet in F by J. C. Pepusch - Judy, Penny, Diana, Helen, Dermot & Imogen
• 'Flower Duet' from 'Lakme' by Delibes (Arr. H. Brammer) - Annabel, Theresa & Mike
• Suite in A minor by Telemann - Heather, Emily, Kath, Margaret & Angela

Class - 26th January

We seemed to have got over the shock of the key signature with five flats (and then five sharps for the clarinets), and made good progress this evening with our large ensemble pieces...adding dynamics (ranging from pp to fff!) in the 'Irish Tune from County Derry'...and picking up speed in 'Shepherd's Hey'...although we have yet to try it with an accelerando at the end!

Small group items:

• 'Marie Antoinette' by Scott Joplin (Arr. H. Brammer) - Polly, Dermot & Mike
• Trio Sonata in E minor by Telemann - Diana, Kath & Joan
• Sonata in Bb major by Fasch - Imogen, Judy, Emily, Margaret & Angela
• 'Cuckoo Quartet' by Ronald Hanmer - Heather, Penny, Theresa & Helen

Class - 19th January

This expression...accompanied by audible gasps...was the reaction to the discovery that tonight's new piece ('Scottish Dance No. 3' by Malcolm Arnold) had a key signature of five flats in the middle! By the third time through it didn't seem so bad though! We made good progress with our other large ensemble pieces...negotiating the tricky changes in tempi and time signatures in 'Fantasia on Greensleeves'...and we even managed to finish 'Shepherd's Hey' (more or less) together...and at a faster speed!

Small group items:

• 'Air on a G String' by J. S. Bach (Arr. Karen Evans) - Heather, Polly & Dermot
• Divertimento no. 1 in Bb Major by Mozart - Penny, Theresa & Mike
• Trio Sonata in G Minor by Telemann - Imogen, Diana & Joan
• Concerto in G Minor by Vivaldi - Emily, Kath, Margaret & Angela

Class - 12th January

We were joined by some of last week's absentees this evening, as we continued working on our new ensemble pices...'Fantasia on Greensleeves' (by Vaughan Williams) and 'Irish Tune from County Derry' & 'Shepherd's Hey' (by Grainger) - it may take us some time to get that last one up to speed!

Small group items:

• 'Charlie is my Darling' from 'Four Old Tunes' by Gordon Jacob - Heather, Annabel, Theresa & Mike
• No. 6 from 'Sechs Menuetti' by Beethoven - Kath, Emily & Margaret
• Sonata in F Major by Schickhardt - Penny, Judy, Diana, Dermot & Angela

Class - 5th January

Happy New Year!

A new new term means new music, and this term we have a distinctly 'folky' theme to our large ensemble pieces. We made a start on 'Fantasia on Greensleeves' (by Vaughan Williams) and 'Irish Tune from County Derry' and 'Shepherd's Hey' (Grainger versions) - having great fun trying to play the last chord of 'Shepherd's Hey' all at the same time!

Small group items:

• 'London Trios' by Haydn - Heather, Judy & Margaret
• Quintet in F by J. C. Bach - Penny, Diana, Kath, Polly, Mike & Imogen
• 'Masonic Adagio' by Mozart - Theresa, Anya & Angela