Professor Peter Aston Memorial Concert

On the evening of Friday 14th March 2014 I attended the UEA Symphony Orchestra and Choir's Professor Peter Aston Memorial Concert at St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich. This concert was dedicated in memory of Professor Peter Aston and also marked Sharon Andrea Choa's last concert as UEA Director of Music and UEA Symphony Orchestra Conductor.

The programme consisted of Nimrod - Elgar, O Sing unto the Lord a New Song, If ye Love Me, O be Joyful in the Lord, The True Glory - Peter Aston and Symphony No.9 - Beethoven. The Orchestra was conducted by Sharon Andrea Choa and the Choir was conducted by Tom Primrose. Soloists on the evening were Lisa Cassidy, Eleanor White, Iain Milne and Andrew Weeks.

This was an emotional night at St. Andrew's Hall which included sacred choral music by Peter Aston. Elgar's Nimrod and Beethoven's Symphony No.9 were both performed brilliantly with Sharon Andrea Choa conducting the UEA Symphony Orchestra for the last time before taking up her appointment at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

UEA Symphony Orchestra's English Connection Concert

On the evening of Friday 15th November 2013 I attended the UEA Symphony Orchestra's The English Connection Concert at St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich. This was a Sir Colin Davis Memorial Concert. The orchestra were conducted by Sharon Andrea Choa and featured soloist Paul Silverthorne (viola).

The programme consisted of Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85 (transcribed for viola) - Elgar and Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88 - Dvorak.

Elgar's Cello Concerto is the last of four expressively linked works together with the Violin Sonata, String Quartet and Piano Quintet he wrote in 1918 and 1919. The chamber works have a wistful and eerie enchantment, to which the concerto adds an unmistakably tragic tone. Viola player Lionel Tertis worked tirelessly to establish the viola as a solo instrument in its own right and made a transcription of Elgar's concerto in 1929.

Dvorak wrote the Eighth Symphony in 1889 and was published by the London firm of Novello and Co in 1892. The Eighth is thought of as the sunniest and most relaxed of Dvorak's symphonies, but there is considerable emotional darkness in the slow movement, as well as light and tranquillity.

This was a wonderful evening at St. Andrew's Hall as the UEA Symphony Orchestra performed splendid pieces by Elgar and Dvorak. This was a fitting memorial concert in memory of Sir Colin Davis.

Mendelssohn and Britten at St. Andrew's Hall

On the evening of Thursday 21st February 2013 I attended the UEA Symphony Orchestra and Choir concert at St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich which featured Sharon Andrea Choa - Conductor, Simon Ireson - Piano, Lisa Cassidy - Soprano, Diana Moore - Alto and Andrew O'Brien - Tenor. The programme consisted of Piano Concerto No.1 in G minor - Mendelssohn and Spring Symphony - Britten. The Broadland Youth Choir performed on Britten's Spring Symphony.

The first of Mendelssohn's two numbered piano concertos was composed at the beginning of October 1831. Mendelssohn himself was the soloist at the first performance and his admission that it had been written in haste seem to be borne out by the fact that the piano part is left blank in the autograph full score.

Britten's Spring Symphony was composed between 1948 and 1949. It was commissioned by the Kusevitsky Foundation and dedicated to Serge Kusevitsky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. This was Britten's most ambitious choral work to date which he described its subject as the progress of Winter to Spring and the re-awakening of the earth and life which that means.

This was a wonderful evening of Classical Music at St. Andrew's Hall with Simon Ireson beginning the night in style as the soloist on Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No.1. Everyone put a lot of work and effort into Britten's Spring Symphony and we were rewarded with a wonderful and uplifting performance from the Orchestra and Choirs including the Broadland Youth Choir.

UEA Symphony Orchestra celebrate Britten

 
On Friday 23rd November 2012 I attended the UEA Symphony Orchestra's Britten Centenary Celebration Concert at St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich with two unfinished masterpieces being performed. The orchestra were conducted by Sharon Andrea Choa. Soloists were Simon Smith - violin and Paul Silverthorne - viola. The programme consisted of Double Concerto for Violin, Viola and Orchestra in B minor - Britten and Symphony No.3 - Elgar/Payne.

Britten wrote the Double Concerto at the age of 18 but never realised the orchestral parts, nor sought to have it performed. The work only received its premiere in 1997, after completion by Colin Matthews. Anthony Payne (UEA’s Composer in Residence) had a great deal less material to work with – no score, but 130 pages of sketches – when he set out to complete Elgar’s unfinished 3rd Symphony, which also received its first performance in 1997, to great acclaim, at the BBC Proms.

This was a wonderful evening at St. Andrew's Hall to celebrate the centenary of Benjamin Britten which included a brilliant performance of his Double Concerto for Violin, Viola and Orchestra. Anthony Payne was in attendance with Elgar's Symphony No.3 being performed. This piece finishes on a fade out ending, with a ghostly echo of the symphony's opening in the very last bars. Payne took this cue from The Waggons Passes, from Elgar's 1930 Nursery Suite.

UEA Symphony Orchestra at Norwich Cathedral

On Saturday 24th March 2012 I attended the UEA Symphony Orchestra and Choir Spring Concert at Norwich Cathedral. This concert was dedicated to Dorothea and Rowan Hare. Conductors on the evening were Sharon Andrea Choa and Tom Primrose.

The programme consisted of Academic Festival Overture Op 80 - Brahms, Piano Concerto in A minor Op 54 - Schumann and Requiem K626 - Mozart. Denise Wijayaratne played piano on the Schumann Piano Concerto while the soloists on the Mozart Requiem were Billie Robson - Soprano, Rosie Middleton - Mezzo-Soprano, Nathan Vale - Tenor and Dhilan Gnanadurai - Bass.

There was a wonderful atmosphere at Norwich Cathedral with a capacity crowd in attendance on the night. The Mozart Requiem is a special piece of music and is always brilliant to experience live and with the UEA Symphony Orchestra and Choir on top form, this was a night to remember.

Brahms Festival Overture Op 80 was written as a thank you to Breslau University after he was given an honorary doctorate in 1879. This piece of music is by the side of Brahms who loved gypsy music and described the work as a merry potpourri of student songs a la Suppe.

In 1841 Schumann composed a fantasy for piano and orchestra that he had trouble getting published. His wife Clara asked him to turn the work into a conventional concerto. It was four years later that Schumann composed two additional movements. Clara performed the solo part at its premiere in Leipzig on New Year's Day 1846.

Count Franz Walsegg visited Mozart in 1791 to commission the Requiem to honour his wife who had died earlier that year. Work on the Requiem was delayed by the completion of Mozart's last two operas, La clemenza di Tito and The Magic Flute, and the concerto for his clarinettist friend Anton Stadler. He got down to serious work in October and was only ill enough to take to his bed towards the end of November. He died in December leaving only the Introit complete.

Mozart's widow Constanze was anxious to have the Requiem completed and turned first to Joseph Eybler who did some work on the orchestration and then turned to Mozart's assistant Franz Xaver Sussmayr. Let eternal light shine on them, Lord, as with Your Saints in eternity, because You are merciful.

The UEA Symphony Orchestra bring us Christmas Joy

On Friday 9th December 2011 I made my way to St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich for the UEA Symphony Orchestra and Choir Christmas Concert. This was their first concert since it was announced that the UEA School of Music would close. During the evening Sharon Andrea Choa reassured us that these concerts would continue in the future with support from the UEA.

The programme consisted of Violin Concerto in F minor, Winter - Vivaldi, Gloria RV 589 - Vivaldi, God is With Us - Tavener, What Sweeter Music - Rutter, Sir Christemas from 'Ave Rex' - Mathias and Fantasia on Christmas Carols - Williams.

The conductors for this festive celebration were Sharon Andrea Choa and Tom Primrose. Soloists were Simon Smith - violin, Dhilan Gnadadurai - baritone, Billie Robson and Verity Ransom - soprano, Matthew O'Keeffe - countertenor and Kris Tomsett - organist.

Vivaldi's Winter evokes the cold icy wind while sitting next to the fireside before venturing outside to walk on the ice. After some slips and falls the ice cracks and breaks up and back indoors we hear all the winds battling it out. Simon Smith brought us all the joys of Winter with his fine violin playing.

Oh the glory of Vivaldi's glory, yes Antonio Vivaldi again this time bringing us Gloria in excelsis. This was a glorious performance from the Orchestra and Choir that lifted the spirits of everyone in attendance at St. Andrew's Hall. Glory to God in the highest and on Earth peace to men of goodwill.

After the interval we were treated with Sir John Tavener's God is With Us which is a work commissioned in 1987 for the Choir of Winchester Cathedral. This was followed by John Rutter's What Sweeter Music which sets words adapted from a poem by Robert Herrick.

Next to be performed was Sir Christemas from Ave Rex composed by William Mathias. Ave Rex is a setting of four medieval carol texts composed in 1969. In this piece the choir shout a final Nowell. The concert finished with Ralph Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on Christmas Carols written in 1912. This was a wonderful way to finish this splendid and heart warming concert. I'm sure everyone in attendance were put into the Christmas spirit and left St. Andrew's Hall with smile on their faces.

UEA Symphony Orchestra and all that Jazz!

On Friday 11th November 2011 I attended the UEA Symphony Orchestra's From The New World To Jazz David Potter Memorial Concert at St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich which also featured the UEA Duke Ellington Orchestra.

The programme for the evening was La Revue de Cuisine - Martinu, Piano Concerto in F - Gershwin, The Early Years - Duke Ellington and Symphony No.9 in E minor, Op 95, From the New World - Dvorak. Conductor for the evening was Sharon Andrea Choa while Alison Lincoln was soloist on Gershwin's Piano Concerto.

David Potter was an artist who loved to paint pictures of the Orchestra who passed away earlier this year. The programme was chosen from music that he enjoyed. The Save UEA Music campaign were handing out leaflets and asking the audience to sign their petition.

The concert opened with the fun of Martinu's La Revue de Cuisine complete with chef and saucepan headwear. The Kitchen Revue is strongly influenced by Jazz and is based on a tale of love and jealousy among a group of kitchen utensils.

George Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F was a triumph for the Orchestra and Alison Lincoln on piano as we were given a taste of the Twenties full of Broadway influences. The sound of New York that will remain timeless forever.

After the interval Vic Hobson led the UEA Duke Ellington Orchestra in a wonderful set of early works from Duke Ellington. We were treated to Black and Tan Fantasy, Rockin' in Rhythm and Mood Indigo that are all transcriptions of Ellington recordings made for the Lincoln Center by David Berger.

The evening ended on a high with Dvorak's Symphony No.9, Op 95 New World. The music reflects his experiences of America and was first performed in 1893. A mix of sounds that always thrills from the Czech composer.  The night was a great example of the UEA School of Music providing music for the community in Norwich.