An Evening of Classical Music by Bristol Symphony Orchestra

A Charity Concert in Support of Age UK Bristol

An Evening of Classical Music with

Simon Callaghan and

Bristol Symphony Orchestra William Goodchild Conductor Imogen Armstrong Guest Leader

22nd April 2017 St Mary Redcliffe

Our Next Concert

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Welcome From Bristol Symphony Welcome to this our second concert of 2017. It has been a delight working with and supporting Age UK Bristol. Thanks so much for coming to enjoy this ‘Evening of Classical Music’. We hope you have a wonderful evening. Bristol Symphony has just passed its first year: an extraordinary and enjoyable one. Forming in January 2016, we started with a handful of players and quickly grew to the symphonic size you see performing this evening. The Orchestra has attracted some of the region’s best professional, semi-professional and amateur players. Our ethos is to communicate the joy we all have in making music together, and to perform to as wide an audience as we possibly can. The Orchestra has an exciting year ahead. We have just been nominated as a New Business finalist in the Bristol Life Awards, and there are five concerts planned throughout the year. We would like to thank Helen Wilde (High Sheriff of Bristol 2016-17) and her husband Peter for their warmth, enthusiasm and continuing support of Bristol Symphony. William Goodchild, Conductor

From Age UK Bristol Thank you so much for coming tonight to this concert organised jointly with the Bristol Symphony Orchestra in this lovely setting of St Mary Redcliffe. I would especially like to thank the Orchestra for this great concert particularly Pamela Bell, William and Rachel Goodchild, and Simon Callaghan, our soloist tonight. In addition, the Age UK Bristol team have worked hard for tonight - including Shelley Hankins and Jen DeKalb-Poyer. We couldn’t support all our older clients without our many partners and donors and, I would particularly like to acknowledge all the hard work and commitment of our many wonderful volunteers and staff who give us and our clients such a lot. So once again, thank you for coming tonight to support us and the work we do for older people in Bristol. Alan Carpenter, Chair

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Programme Notes Please remember to switch off all digital devices during the concert this evening. Thank you

Programme Beethoven Egmont Overture Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1, op.11, E minor Interval

Strauss Serenade, op.7, E-flat major Mozart Symphony No. 38, K.504, D major (Prague) Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) Egmont Overture Beethoven’s life was spent trying to maintain the freedom to compose what he wanted, in spite of the dictates of demanding patrons. Being an admirer of the writer Goethe, Beethoven jumped at the chance to take the commission in 1809 to provide the music for the first Viennese performance of Goethe’s play Egmont – a play with freedom at its heart, depicting the Spanish persecution of the Netherlands during the Inquisition of 1567-68. A certain Count Egmont, a member of one of the oldest and noblest families in Flanders, led resistance to the Inquisition and persecution of Protestants. His arrest and execution led to a public outcry and the eventual independence of the Netherlands from Spain. The Overture begins in a sombre and serious mood. The dark music of the opening conveys profound oppression of the spirit, and the opening motif clearly represents the ominous tyrant of the play. Soon the tempo picks up, becoming a vigorous Allegro featuring the cellos, and we hear the hero’s confidence and heroic defiance. The tyrant’s motif from the introduction evolves throughout the overture, becoming increasingly rhythmic and dark. The whole orchestra in unison on a single note is the sentence of death. A forte fall of a fourth in first and second violins is the executioner’s sword coming down. Immediately the mood of the work turns triumphant and celebratory, featuring the strings in the highest register and the shimmering sound of the piccolo. The music embodies Count Egmont’s conviction that death is not an end, but hope thrives and ideals remain intact. As in so much of Beethoven’s work, darkness has given way to light, freedom has triumphed over oppression.

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Programme Notes Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849) Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor, op.11 1: Allegro Maestoso

2: Romanze / Rondo

3: Vivace

Written in 1830, the E minor concerto was the second that Chopin wrote, because the F minor concerto (that was written the previous year) was published after the E minor. The concerto opens with a grand, sweeping orchestral introduction, which features all the principal thematic material of the movement. The commanding vigour of the strings’ opening theme is neatly countered with a second melody, this one more lyrical in nature. When the piano enters, it restates both melodies, which are then elaborated with dazzling displays of technical virtuosity. Of the intimate second movement, Chopin wrote, “It is not meant to create a powerful effect; it is rather a Romance, calm and melancholy, giving the impression of someone looking gently towards a spot which calls to mind a thousand happy memories. It is a kind of reverie in the moonlight on a beautiful spring evening.” The piano traces graceful arabesques of sound, supported by minimal orchestral accompaniment. The third movement, Rondo, celebrates Chopin’s Polish heritage with a lively rhythmic theme that recalls the ‘Krakowiak’, a popular dance from the city of Krakow. The solo piano begins the rondo and returns several times in a dialogue with a sparkling, animated orchestra. Chopin was largely self-taught on the piano, but nevertheless established himself as a legendary virtuoso after fewer than two dozen public performances. However, he chose to retire from most public performance after his last concert in 1835. For the remainder of his life he spent most of his time writing the exquisite solo piano music for which he is best known today.

Richard Strauss (1864 – 1949) Serenade in E flat major for 13 Wind Instruments, op. 7 Richard Strauss had just turned seventeen when he composed his Serenade for 13 wind instruments in 1881. He himself stated that his musical trinity was Mozart (above all), Haydn, and Beethoven. The Serenade premiered in Dresden on November 27, 1882. The work is much more than simply a deft imitation of Mozart and Mendelssohn; it represents the young Strauss’ filtering and distillation of these influences into something remarkably original. It is a single movement work in expansive sonata form. Richard Strauss became the dominant figure in German musical life during the first half of the 20th century.

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Programme Notes Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791) Symphony No 38 in D major, K504 (The Prague) 1: Adagio – Allegro

2: Andante

3: Presto

Mozart went to Prague for the first time in early 1787 and was feted everywhere he went, having gained immense popularity over the preceding four years, following performances at the newly constructed National Theatre of his operas Die Entführung aus dem Serail and Le Nozze di Figaro in 1783 and 1786 respectively. On 19 January 1787 a concert was organised for his financial benefit, at which he conducted his new F major symphony for its first performance, hence its name ‘The Prague Symphony’. The great success of this visit generated a commission to write the opera Don Giovanni, which Mozart returned to Prague to conduct in October of the same year. The ‘Prague’ Symphony is one of only three Mozart symphonies that start with a slow introduction. The intense dramatic power of this introduction was no doubt in Mozart’s mind when he came to write the overture for Don Giovanni, the new opera he was soon to write for Prague. But the introduction of the ‘Prague’ soon diverges from all similar openings, with the harmonies becoming more and more chromatic, and the progression culminating in a great D minor chord that sets off a new chain of astonishing modulations. The parts for the wind instruments represent a landmark in symphonic writing, and was copied not only in Mozart’s last symphonies, but also in the symphonies of Beethoven and Schubert. Mozart always felt very welcomed in Prague and returned a number of times, his last visit being to conduct the first performance of his opera La Clemenza di Tito, two months before his death. The Prague audiences showed a special appreciation for his music, and while in Prague Mozart enjoyed frequenting the local pubs and coffee houses, playing billiards and generally feeling more appreciated than he did in his home city of Salzburg. The grief exhibited for Mozart in Prague after his death far exceeded that witnessed in any other European city. He was laid to rest in an unmarked grave in Vienna without any special performance of music and with very few mourners present, but the first memorial service given in his honour in Prague (14 December 1791) was attended by thousands and featured a lavish Requiem Mass performed by over a hundred musicians who accepted no pay for their efforts. Many more commemorations were organized in subsequent years and the citizens of Prague took it upon themselves to provide sustenance to Mozart’s widow and orphaned children.

Programme notes by

Michael Ray

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Age UK Bristol

At Age UK Bristol we help to make sure that everyone in Bristol can love later life. We do this by supporting and empowering older people, helping other organisations to work together, and championing the interests of older people in the city. Age UK Bristol is an independent local charity which evolved from the breakup of Avon in 1995. At first, we went by the name Age Concern Bristol changing to our present name in 2011. Over this time, we have grown into an organisation that delivers a wide range of support services to people over 55. While our priority is to support those most frail and/or disadvantaged, we champion the right of all older people to a rich and fulfilling later life. Our Information and Advice service includes advice on a wide range of issues, including benefits and allowances, housing, Council Tax, priority debts, social care services, care homes, Lasting Power of Attorney, wills, and help completing forms; Housing Support tailored to support older people to continue living independently in their own homes; New Beginnings day service, including specific days supporting people with dementia; PLUS telephone befriending, telephone shopping, IT learning courses (computers and tablets) and foot care. In recent years, we have developed our contribution to strategic leadership in the city. We lead Bristol Ageing Better, a £5.9 million Big Lottery funded programme with over 200 contributing partners. We also lead the annual Celebrating Age Festival. We very much appreciate the support of Bristol Symphony Orchestra, Simon Callaghan and all of you attending this concert. All money raised will go towards supporting our Information and Advice service which at present has an income deficit of £60,000. This service, which costs £90,000 to provide, last year helped bring in over £2.1 million of unclaimed benefits and entitlements into the pockets of older people in Bristol. We hope you all enjoy the concert. We also hope you go away understanding more about what we do. You can help us further by becoming a volunteer or supporter of Age UK Bristol or simply by telling those you come into contact with about what we do which might be of help to them. To find out more visit our website www.ageukbristol.org.uk

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Simon Callaghan Soloist

Steinway Artist Simon Callaghan performs internationally as a soloist and chamber musician. His recent tours have taken him to Asia, Europe and North America and to the UK’s major concert halls including Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall and St David’s Hall Cardiff. His interest in rarely-performed works has led to invitations to perform concerti by Françaix, Tippett and the first UK performance since 1946 of Medtner’s 3rd Concerto. His rapidly-expanding discography includes solo works by Sterndale Bennett, Parry, Sacheverell Coke and two volumes of Delius with Parnassius Duo partner, Hiro Takenouchi, on the SOMM label. This year, he releases his debut concerto recording for Hyperion’s Romantic Piano Concerto series: the first recordings of Sacheverell Coke’s Concerti with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Martyn Brabbins. Festival invitations have included Highgate (London), Whittington (Shropshire) and Cervo Chamber Music (Italian Riviera). Callaghan also regularly performs on luxury cruise liners and on BBC radio and television. In chamber music he has collaborated with Jack Liebeck, Giovanni Guzzo, Tim Hugh, Thomas Gould, Raphael Wallfisch and the actors Timothy West, Prunella Scales and Samuel West. His extensive repertoire includes complete cycles of Beethoven and Brahms chamber works, and a residency at St John’s Smith Square, London, exploring the piano quartet medium. Contemporary music performances have included works by Joseph Phibbs, Julian Anderson and Kenneth Hesketh, and he was recently invited by the Royal College of Music to play Boulez’ Dérive II as part of their Variable Geometry series. His world premiere recording of Paul Patterson’s Allusions for two violins and piano (with Midori Komachi and Sophie Rosa) will be released in 2017. Simon greatly values teaching and this season he will give master-classes, lead a course at Benslow Music (Hitchen) and continue his work as Head of Piano at the Ingenium Academy (Winchester). He is also Director of Music at Conway Hall (London) where he oversees the longest-running chamber music series in Europe.

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William Goodchild Conductor

William Goodchild is a professional composer, orchestrator and conductor. He composes music for film, television, concert performance and commercial installation. Specialising in wildlife and history documentary, he has scored well over 70 films, including many that have won international awards. He has been nominated for three major music awards in the past twelve months including the Royal Television Society and Wildscreen Festival. The BBC’s Wild China series, composed by Barnaby Taylor, orchestrated by Will, won an Emmy. Series Producer Phil Chapman said: ‘I am full of admiration for William’s talent, his professionalism – he’s a total joy to work with.’ On stage and in the recording studio, Will has collaborated with a wide variety of international soloists, including guitarist John Williams and saxophonist Andy Sheppard. His passion for working across styles led to a live and recorded collaboration with Mercury Prize-Winner, Roni Size & Reprazent: their album, Live at Colston Hall, was released in 2015. Also at the Colston Hall, with Sir David Attenborough presenting, Will orchestrated and conducted the BBC’s Nature’s Great Events Live to a full house. Many recordings conducted by Will are available to buy on Sony Classical, Universal Classical and Jazz, and CBS Records. He has worked with a number of professional orchestras including the BBC Concert Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Bristol Ensemble. Will very much enjoys working with amateur musicians and enabling them to reach standards they never realised they could achieve. Studying familiar and unfamiliar orchestral works also helps him to continue developing his own musical knowledge and compositional language.

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The Orchestra First Violin Guest Leader Imogen Armstrong Monique Ayres Pamela Bell Lauren Bose Erica Burnell Victoria Medland Gemma Nelson Robert Tulloh Eloise Wyke Second Violin AimĂŠe Cottam Nasser Ahmari Lorella Donmart Harriet Garfield Richard Hunt Minkee Kim Jo Phillips Lizzie Porteous Josie Rampley Jeremy Zwiegelaar

Viola Anita Urgyan Heather Ashford Oliver Kohll Cello Emma Butterworth Sophie Barford Jane Francis Will Marriage Jayne Taylor Kathryn Thomas Sarah Vesty Rhiannon Wilkinson Double Bass Ben Groenevelt Clare Edmunds Rob Lillis Alex Pearson Flute & Piccolo Pippa Craggs Jane Lings

Oboe Victoria Cooper Anna Kuchel Clarinet Sophie Wilsdon Sarah Edgeworth Bassoon Daisy Woods Lara Goodhand French Horn Dave Ransom Luke Norland Kaitlyn Hamilton Alison Wilmhurst Trumpet Simon Bowles Chris Rowe Trombone Will Whiting Timpani & Percussion Harriet Riley

Behind the Scenes Management Team Pamela Bell Erica Burnell AimĂŠe Cottam William Goodchild Rachel Goodchild Jane Krish Deb Marriage Michael Ray Rob Tulloh Eloise Wyke

Charity Team Mark Baker Shelley Hankins Jen DeKalb-Poyer Alan Carpenter Mina Malpass Silvia Jimenez Cruz

Concert Programme Design: Rachel Goodchild Notes: Michael Ray

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