Happy 20th Birthday Britten Sinfonia!

On the evening of Tuesday 23rd October 2012 I attended the Britten Sinfonia 20th Birthday concert at Norwich Theatre Royal. This was a celebration of Britten Sinfonia both present and future. The line-up included Pekka Kuusisto - violin/director, Thomas Gould - violin/director, Jacqueline Shave - violin/director, Caroline Dearnley - cello, Nicholas Daniel - oboe and the Britten Sinfonia Academy.

The programme consisted of Gallo Variations - Alissa Firsova, Rakastava Op 14 - Sibelius, Concerto for Oboe and Violin in D minor, BWV 1060 - Bach, Fantasia Concertante on a theme of Corelli - Tippett, One - James MacMillan and Symphony No.1 in D major, Classical - Prokofiev. The pieces from  Alissa Firsova and James MacMillan were Birthday Commissions which were being World Premiered on this tour.

This was the perfect night to showcase twenty years of  Britten Sinfonia with an very imaginative and varied programme being performed at Norwich Theatre Royal. My personal favourite piece of music was Bach's Concerto for Oboe and Violin. Happy 20th Birthday Britten Sinfonia and we all hope that the next 20 years will be as equally successful and pioneering.

Prokofiev magic at Norwich Assembly House

On Monday 14th May 2012 I attended the Royal Academy of Music Lunchtime Concert at the Assembly House, Norwich as the Norfolk and Norwich Festival brought us more splendid classical music. Violinist Midori Komachi and pianist Riyad Nicolas brought us a varied programme to delight the large audience who gave the duo a warm Norfolk welcome to the Festival.

The programme consisted of From Far Beyond Chrysaanthemums and November Fog - Takemitsu, Sonata for Violin and Piano No.2 in D, Op. 94a - Prokofiev, Piece en forme de Habanera - Ravel, Poeme op. 25 - Chausson and Souvenir de Moscou op. 6 - Wieniawski.

Midori Komachi and Riyad Nicolas put on a brilliant performance with my personal highlight being the Prokofiev Sonata which highlighted the musical talents of these two young musicians. This is a wonderful opportunity for the Royal Academy of Music to showcase some of the stars of the future at such a beautiful venue as Norwich's Assembly House and their series at the Festival is always very popular.

Jonathan Dove and Prokofiev at St. Andrew's Hall

On the evening of Saturday 17th March 2012 I made my way to St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich for the Norwich Philharmonic Society's last concert of the 2011/12 season which featured a programme of There was a Child - Jonathan Dove and Alexander Nevsky - Prokofiev.

The line-up on the night was Nicola-Jane Kemp - Soprano, Jennifer Westwood - Mezzo-Soprano, Martin Hindmarsh - Tenor, Norwich Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, Norwich Cathedral Choristers, Norwich Cathedral Girls' Choir and David Dunnett - Conductor.

There was a Child is large scale piece of communal music by Jonathan Dove that was commissioned in 2009 jointly by the Norfolk and Norwich Festival and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. The commission coincided with a request from a friend whose nineteen year old son had drowned while on holiday ten years before for a musical commemoration of his death which would be a celebration of life that could be shared with lots of people.

The Russian filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein asked Prokofiev to write the score for Alexander Nevsky his first sound film in 1938. The following year the composer developed the score into a cantata to a text he devised in collaboration with V. Nugovskoi. It's seven sections tell the story of Russia's struggles against its enemies in the 13th century culminating in victory over the Teutonic Knights. From the oppression brought by the Tartar invasion onto Russia's defeat of the Swedes under the leadership of Alexander Nevsky, Prince of Novgorod.

The third section's harsh brass chords represent the Germans while the fourth is a call to join Alexander Nevsky's army and repel the foe. In the next section we hear the approach of the German knights, the Russian charge, the fury of battle and eventual Russian victory. In the penultimate scene a Russian girl surveys the battlefield and vows to wed the brave soldier rather then the handsome before Alexander Nevsky's triumphant entry into Pskov.

The was a wonderful and emotional concert at St. Andrew's Hall with splendid performances from the Orchestra and Choir. A large audience ensured this was a night to remember at this historic Norwich venue. There was a Child was a challenging piece for the Norwich Philharmonic to play but they proved they were up to the challenge. In the second half of the concert they brought us Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky which was a great way to bring the 2011/12 season to a close.

The New York Philharmonic at The Barbican

On Saturday 18th February 2012 I made the journey to London to attend the New York Philharmonic Orchestra's concert at The Barbican which was part of their residency as one of the Barbican's International Associate ensembles. The New York Philharmonic are one of the oldest symphony orchestra in the USA. Their Music Director is the dynamic Alan Gilbert, the first native New Yorker to hold the post.

The programme consisted of Feria - Magnus Lindberg, Piano Concerto No.2 - Bartok and Symphony No.5 - Prokofiev. With Alan Gilbert conducting and Lang Lang the soloist on Bartok's Piano Concerto No.2 this was always going to be a thrilling night and it proved to be.

The concert opened with Feria from the Orchestra's Composer in Residence Magnus Lindberg. The word feria is Spanish for an outdoor festival or fair which is portrayed in this piece of music. A wonderful celebration to began this special night.

Lang Lang is a global superstar and it was brilliant for me to see him live. He has inspired 40 million classical piano students in China and has made it his mission to broaden the reach of classical music around the world. Bartok's Piano Concerto No.2 was completed in 1931 as a companion piece to No.1 which audiences found difficult. No.2 was similar in style but lighter for audiences to enjoy. After a stunning performance of this piece from Lang Lang we were treated to an encore of Paganini/Liszt La Campanella.

After the interval there was a dramatic performance of Prokofiev's Symphony No.5 from Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic which was full of live. A symphony of the grandeur of the human spirit as Prokofiev would say. This piece was composed in 1944 and was greatly enjoyed by the large audience. There was an encore of Bernstein's Candide overture which was a splendid finish to the evening as New York made it's mark on the City of London.

Romeo and Juliet at Norwich Theatre Royal

I made my way to Norwich Theatre Royal on Wednesday 1st February 2012 to attend the Moscow City Ballet performance of Romeo and Juliet. The Company was formed in 1988 by Victor Smirnov-Golovanov who enjoys bringing his heritage of classical ballet in the Moscow style to audiences all over the world.

Sergei Prokofiev's classic ballet was brought to Norwich Theatre in style with Liliya Orekhova as Juliet and Daniil Orlov as Romeo. The music was played by the Moscow City Ballet Orchestra conducted by Igor Savruk.

The ballet begins with a struggle between The Lords Montague and Capulet. Wearing a disguise, Romeo Montague crashes a party at the Capulet house, where he meets Juliet Capulet and falls in love. Hoping to finally put an end to the family feud, Friar Laurence secretly marries the couple. But the feuding continues. Tybalt kills Romeo's friend Mercutio and after Romeo avenges Mercutio's death by killing Tybalt he is sent into exile.

Friar Laurence devises a plan to help Juliet. She is to drink a sleeping potion to make her appear dead. After her family bury her Romeo will rescue her from her tomb and take her away. They will then live happily ever after. Romeo returns home on hearing the news of Juliet desperately grieving. He never received the message from Friar Laurence and believing that Juliet is really dead he drinks poison. Juliet awakes and sees that Romeo is dead and stabs herself.

This was a powerful performance from the Moscow City Ballet full of beauty with Liliya Orekhova as Juliet being the star of the night. Everyone in attendance at Norwich Theatre Royal must have been enchanted by her and thrilled by Sergei Prokofiev's magical ballet. The music from the Moscow City Ballet Orchestra was splendid and uplifting and truly made this a night to remember.

Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony full of colour and life

On Thursday 24th November 2011 I made the journey to the City of London for the London Symphony Orchestra's concert at The Barbican. The concert was part of the complete cycle of Tchaikovsky symphonies that the orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev commenced last season.

The programme for the evening consisted of Symphony No.1 (Classical) - Prokofiev, Fachwerk - Gubaidulina and Symphony No.5 - Tchaikovsky. The orchestra were conducted by their principal conductor Valery Gergiev with Geir Draugsvoll as soloist on the bayan for Sofia Gubaidulina's Fachwerk.

Prokofiev's Classical Symphony from 1917 was written in the style of Haydn and Mozart. This was a delightful way to start the concert at a sold out Barbican Hall. Sofia Gubaidulina's Fachwerk is a concerto for bayan, percussion and strings composed in 2009. The bayan is a Russian form of the piano accordion played brilliantly by soloist Geir Draugsvoll who gave us a large range of sounds from this adventurous piece.

After the interval it was time for the next part of the London Symphony Orchestra's Tchaikovsky cycle with his Symphony No. 5 from 1888. The orchestra and Valery Gergiev took us on an extraordinary journey full of colour and life. This is Tchaikovsky's idea of fate holding the possibility of happiness. At the finale there is all the fury of Cossack dancing that had us all tapping our feet at The Barbican.

This was a wonderful evening that I enjoyed greatly and by the reaction from the audience at the end by many others as well. This was the London Symphony Orchestra on top form making the finest music available and showing why they are rated as one of the top orchestras in the world.

Xenia Horne's musical journey

After the Adie Oboe and Harp Duo cancelled it was harpist Xenia Horne who stepped in to make sure that the show went on for the latest in the Eaton Concert Series at St. Andrew's Church, Eaton, Norwich on Sunday 6th November 2011. With a varied programme she delighted the large audience with help from flautist Lucy Marks.

With music from Vivaldi, Prokofiev and Debussy to Irish harpist Turlough O'Carolan on to modern work from Stewart Green this was truly a very varied programme that thrilled us all. Flautist Lucy Marks joined Xenia for Fantasia on a Theme of Greensleeves, My Love is Like a Red Red Rose and Scarborough Fair.

From The Burning of the Piper's Hut to Gershwin's Summertime Xenia Horne took us on a fantastic journey through several centuries of music. The Eaton Concert Series is always full of wonderful surprises and a delightful place to spend a Sunday afternoon.