The Academy of St. Thomas at St. Andrew's Hall

I was back in Norwich City Centre on the evening of Saturday 2nd March 2013 to attend the Academy of St. Thomas concert at St. Andrew's Hall. This performance featured violinist Lorraine McAslan who is currently a member of the London Soloist Ensemble, she also teaches at London's Junior Royal Academy of Music. The orchestra were conducted by Christopher Adey

The programme consisted of Karelia Overture - Sibelius, Violin Concerto - Britten and Symphony No.7 in A major - Beethoven. Part of the orchestra's philosophy is to offer diverse programming as well as more familiar repertoire.

In the Summer of 1892 Jean Sibelius visited the Karelia region of Eastern Finland. The region won his heart and the following year the Viborg Students Society at Helsinki University asked him to compose incidental music for a gala to help raise awareness of the culture of the Karelian people. Sibelius composed an overture and nine numbers, three of these formed the Karelia Suite Op.11.

Benjamin Britten's Violin Concerto was completed in 1939 and was given its premiere in New York on 29th March 1940, by the Spanish violinist Antonio Brosa with the New York Philharmonic conducted by John Barbirolli.  A revised version of the concerto appeared in the 1950s, including alterations of the solo violin part prepared with the assistance of Manoug Parikian.

In 1811 Beethoven worked on his Symphony No.7 while staying in the Bohemian spa town of Teplice in the hope of improving his health. It was completed in 1812, and was dedicated to Count Moritz von Fries. It was first performed on 8th December 1813 at a concert for wounded soldiers in Vienna arranged by Maelzel, the inventor of the metronome.

This was another wonderful evening to be in attendance at St. Andrew's Hall as the Academy of St. Thomas treated us to a splendid programme of Classical Music. Lorraine McAslan and the orchestra played a brilliant Britten Violin Concerto while after the interval Beethoven's 7th Symphony was an uplifting piece to finish the concert.

Musical treats from the Academy of St. Thomas

On the evening of Saturday 20th October 2012 I attended the Academy of St. Thomas concert at St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich which featured soloists Kanako Ito on violin and Martin Storey on cello. Christopher Adey was conductor as we were treated to a programme of Egmont Overture - Beethoven, Double Concerto for Violin and Cello - Brahms and Symphony No.4 The Italian - Mendelssohn.

In the autumn of 1809 Beethoven was commissioned by the Director of the Vienna Court Theatre to compose the incidental music for a new production of Goethe's 1787 play Egmont. The music consists of an overture and nine additional pieces for soprano, narrator and orchestra. Brahms write his Double Concerto for Violin and Cello for his friend Joachim in 1887 who he had fell out with for several years. Mendelssohn's The Italian is always referred to as his Fourth Symphony although it is his third in order of composition. It was started during a visit to Italy in 1830 but was not completed until three years later in Berlin.

This was a wonderful evening at St. Andrew's Hall as The Academy of St. Thomas put on a brilliant performance with the highlight of the night being the Brahms Double Concerto for Violin and Cello when Kanako Ito and Martin Storey gave us a moment to remember. The programme was true to the orchestra's philosophy to offer diverse programming as well as more familiar repertoire.

Academy of St. Thomas concert at St. Andrew's Hall

On the evening of Saturday 3rd March 2012 I attended the Academy of St. Thomas concert at St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich which featured soprano Catherine May and conductor Christopher Adey. This was the Orchestra's Russian concert on another night of wonderful music.

The programme consisted of Ruslan and Ludnila Overture - Glinka, The Enchanted Lake - Liadov, Concerto for Coloratura Soprano and Orchestra - Gliere, Vocalise - Rachmaninov and Nutcracker Suite - Tchaikovsky.

Mikhail Glinka wrote two operas the second being Ruslan and Ludmila based on a fairy tale by Pushkin which was worked on between 1837 and 1842. The overture opens with the wedding music at the end of the opera which was an exciting way to begin the concert.

Liadov composed The Enchanted Lake in 1909 which is a depiction of an imaginary landscape inspired by a lake in a forest. With the effect of orchestral textures and harmonic changes the music suggests rippling water and the sparkle of the sun on the lake. A great piece to listen too close to the banks of the River Wensum.

Concerto for Coloratura Soprano was the first Russian vocal concerto composed by Gliere in 1943. This lyrical work was dedicated to singer Pantofel-Nechetskaya. British Canadian soprano Catherine May performed brilliantly along with the orchestra on this piece which was greatly appreciated by the St. Andrew's Hall audience.

Rachmaninov wrote over eighty songs including the wordless Vocalise in 1915 which was dedicated to the singer Antonia Nezhdanova. Yet again Catherine May and the orchestra conducted by Christopher Adey put in another splendid performance.

The concert concluded with Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite which is always popular with concert audiences. Tchaikovsky completed the score in 1892 and the Nutcracker ballet was first performed at the Mariinsky Theatre on 18th December 1892. The music from the Nutcracker always sounds magical and on Saturday night St. Andrew's Hall was turned into the Land of Sweets. This was the perfect way to finish the Academy of St. Thomas' Russian concert.

Violin and bassoon delights at St Andrew's Hall

Hannah Perowne and Selim Aykal thrill at
St Andrew's Hall, Norwich

On Saturday I was at St Andrew's Hall, Norwich for the Academy of St Thomas concert with a programme of Haydn Symphony No.22, Mozart violin concerto No.4, Mozart bassoon concerto and Schubert symphony No.5.

Norwich born Hannah Perowne who is Second Concertmaster of the Komische Oper, Berlin was violin soloist while Selim Aykal, principal bassoonist of the Deutsche Oper, Berlin was bassoon soloist on the evening.

Conductor Christopher Adey made sure that the orchestra gave us a fine performance of Haydn's The Philosopher. It was then left to Hannah Perowne to give us the highlight of the night as she thrilled us on Mozart's violin concerto No.4 with great gusto.

After the interval it was Selim Aykal's turn to show his skills with the bassoon on Mozart's only surviving bassoon concerto. It resulted in a great respond from the audience with plenty of applause and bowing from Selim. The evening was completed with the orchestra giving us a piece of Schubert to make sure the evening ended in a lively manner.