2019
BRISTOL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
HEARTBEAT ST GEORGE’S BRISTOL
SATURDAY 23 NOVEMBER HARRIET RILEY | PERCUSSION
WILLIAM GOODCHILD | CONDUCTOR MARIAN GIVENS | GUEST LEADER
PROGRAMME
£2
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W E L C O M E Dear All A very warm welcome and a big thank you for coming to this evening’s very special concert - special in a variety of ways. Since the Orchestra’s first public appearance in 2016, raising money for charity has been a priority, and in that short time we have raised over £16,500 for a variety of charities. Tonight, in honour of the evening’s world premiere of Heartbeat, we hope you will want to give generously to the retiring collection for the British Heart Foundation, which largely funds the work of the Bristol Heart Institute, celebrating its 10th anniversary this month (see page 11). This is the last of the fourteen Bristol Symphony concerts under the baton of Will Goodchild. It was always his wish that the Orchestra should be outstanding, and he has achieved that by creating programmes of works both within and outside the standard repertoire, by insisting on high rehearsal and concert standards. Consequently many of the region’s best professional, semi-professional and amateur players have wished to play with the Orchestra. These high standards were apparent from the very first concert, which included the world premiere of his unusual and haunting Kora Concerto, commissioned by the then High Sheriff, Helen Wilde and her husband Peter Wilde, and continued with cross-over concerts such as the Jazz Meets Bristol Symphony series, opening up symphonic music to different audiences from around the City. Thank you, Will, for all the soul and passion for music-making you have given to the Orchestra. And thank you too, Rachel Goodchild, for bringing Bristol Symphony to the City’s attention by your outstanding design and marketing - we only have to look at the website - and that’s just the tip of the iceberg of your work. And behind the Orchestra there is a dedicated management team of people and fixers – thank you one and all. Helen and Peter Wilde have continued to support the Orchestra in many different ways, for which we are most grateful. Our appreciation also to Stephen Pain for his contribution. This evening, our particular thanks to Smith & Williamson and VWV for supporting this concert by taking advertising in the programme. Enjoy the concert! Jane Krish Chair, Bristol Symphony Management Committee
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PROGRAMME Opening words Professor Robert Tulloh
Mrs N Morris and Calum Professor Gianni Angelini will talk about the cardiac programme at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, the Bristol Heart Institute and the role of the British Heart Foundation.
Jean Hasse (b 1958) Lub-dub
for hazel sticks and voices
Sir Karl Jenkins (b 1944) Palladio
I. Allegretto Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) Symphony No 4 in Bb-major, op. 60 II. Adagio
William Goodchild (b 1964) Heartbeat
for Solo Percussion and Orchestra Soloist: Harriet Riley
INTERVAL Sergei Rachmaninov (1873 – 1943) Symphony No 2 in E minor, op. 27
Please remember to switch off all digital devices during the concert. Thank you
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S O L O I S T released from their forthcoming album. Harriet also works in a number of dance and theatre projects playing solo percussion, most recently for children’s theatre company, Can’t Sit Still. Their show, Plink & Boo, toured the UK in Autumn 2018 and Spring 2019 as well as performing at Circus City 2019.
HARRIET RILEY PERCUSSION ______________ Originally from Devon, Harriet studied orchestral percussion at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. She has experience in a range of genres, from jazz-funk band Tezeta to orchestral playing with BBC NOW, studying gamelan in Bali to contemporary opera with Operasonic.
In addition, she regularly performs with the Paraorchestra + Friends on their Richard Feynman-inspired dance collaboration called The Nature of Why, as well as their new show Minimalism changed my life: Tones, Drones and Arpeggios. Harriet has toured extensively with the Paraorchestra, both nationally and internationally, in prestigious venues such as Queen Elizabeth Hall, London to the Heath Ledger Theatre in Perth, Australia. She is currently working as a composer and performer for Thimble Theatre and has been working freelance in Bristol since she graduated in 2014.
She performs regularly with Spindle Ensemble, a neo-impressionist contemporary group whose debut album, Bea, was pressed to vinyl and released in November 2017, with two singles and music videos recently
www.harrietrileymusic.com 5
P R O G R A M M E
N O T E S
JEAN HASSE
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
“Lub-dub” is a medical phrase to describe the (valve closure) sounds of our heartbeats. In this short opening piece, individual heartbeat patterns (played on hazel sticks) gradually merge as one.
II. Adagio Beethoven composed his Symphony No. 4 in the second half of 1806, while staying at the country estate of his patron, Prince Lichnowsky. Beethoven had already begun composing his Fifth Symphony, however he set this aside to work in a concerted way on the Fourth.
Lub-dub
SIR KARL JENKINS
arr: William Goodchild Palladio Concerto Grosso for String Orchestra I. Allegretto Jenkins found inspiration for this three movement work in the buildings and teachings of Andrea Palladio, the Italian Renaissance architect, who was active in the Venetian Republic, and whose work was considered the epitome of High Renaissance calm and harmony. A sense of balance is echoed in the opening allegretto in which a strong cello and bass heartbeat-like pulse forms the foundation for an active melody in the upper strings. Jenkins references the Baroque concerto grosso in his title for the work. Characteristic of this genre is the way in which solo elements compete and contrast with the larger instrumental group. In the spirit of the Baroque, where there was often flexibility with regard to instrumentation, I have added some additional parts for wind and brass for tonight’s performance.
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Symphony No. 4 in Bb major
This beguiling work is full of lightness and enchantment, complementing and contrasting, as it does, with the more dramatic and heroic qualities of the Third and Fifth Symphonies. This work, perhaps more than the other two betrays, in its restraint and conciseness, the strong influence of Beethoven’s teacher, Franz Josef Haydn. The Adagio second movement, performed on its own this evening, is perhaps one of Beethoven’s most singular creations: it opens with a softly stated, but persistent, rhythmic motif in the second violins that is redolent of a heartbeat. The pulse and rhythmic character it sets in these opening bars recurs frequently and is developed throughout the movement dynamically, dramatically and in its orchestration. Beethoven marks the two principal themes of the movement, cantabile - in a singing style. In this way, with a distinctive pulse and with lyrical tunes at the heart of this movement, a musical
P R O G R A M M E narrative of extraordinary emotional range unfolds. Beethoven led the first public performance of the Fourth Symphony on April 13, 1808, in Vienna’s Burgtheater. The work is scored for flute, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings.
WILLIAM GOODCHILD Heartbeat for Solo Percussion and Orchestra
Commissioned by Robert Tulloh, Professor in Congenital Cardiology at the Bristol Heart Institute and musician, this work is a musical reflection on, and response to, the life of the human heart: from its gradual emergence in the womb to the birth of a child, the heart’s strong presence throughout life, and finally its physical end. I. Moderato – Maestoso The heart is the focus of life. From the first moments of an embryo’s existence in the mysterious other-worldliness of the mother’s womb, the faint beating is a sign of a life to be. The beating grows stronger as the weeks pass, securing a place in the family, and in the growing child. II. Vivo feroce e agitato The pace quickens as the embryo grows. We experience a rhythmic counterpoint between the mother’s strong heart and the developing heart of the embryo, until the heart bursts
N O T E S
into the outside world, pounding strongly but fast, three times faster than an adult heartbeat, a pace that will gradually slow throughout its entire life. Not all hearts are strong and healthy: some malfunction. Those with unusual structure or rhythm are not destined for adulthood, despite the care of the medical profession. Most, however, continue through illnesses, exercises and the stresses of life, to flourish and nurture the growing child. III. Romanza Now the heart beats strongly and firmly with the strength of adolescence and adulthood coping with every demand of activity it must support. Its rhythm is regular and the harmonics and complexity of adulthood are demonstrated within the cultures and travels associated with jobs and family life. This movement explores the lyricism of the heart and the power of love. IV. Allegro grazioso As the heart ages, its rhythm may become irregular, missing beats, developing extra beats and showing signs of weakening. It continues to slow, reminiscent of times past, of childhood and young adulthood, hopeful of a long future but knowing that, as the pace slows and weakens, it is no longer the force it once was. Other medical issues may arise from high blood pressure,
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P R O G R A M M E putting strain on the heart; furred up arteries to the heart risk sudden catastrophic events. William Goodchild note: “I came across an English folksong called Death and the Lady. A beautiful young woman, visited by Death, attempts to persuade him to leave her and to come back later, but it is no use: her time has come. What attracted me to this traditional song is its lightness and cheerfulness in the face of demise – such a strange juxtaposition”. V. Moderato – Allegro ben ritmico At the end of life, the heart is at peace, once again recalling former times, as thoughts fly to an enduring future, a time without end, a chance to be beautiful and strong again. We revisit that other-world without pulse: a mysterious and timeless place… and then, joy, energy and vitality emerge. We are left with hope and a recognition of the resilience and strength of all life. “I would like to thank Professor Robert Tulloh for devising this project and commissioning the work, and my musical assistant, Jean Hasse, for her expertise, collaboration and support”. William Goodchild
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N O T E S
SERGEI RACHMANINOV
Symphony No. 2 in E minor I. Largo - Allegro moderato II. Allegro molto III. Adagio IV. Allegro vivace
“Music must come from the heart and go to the heart.” Sergei Rachmaninov Rachmaninov completed his Second Symphony in 1907. The work has four movements and is scored for three flutes and piccolo, three oboes and cor anglais, two clarinets and bass clarinet, two bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones and tuba, timpani, percussion (glockenspiel, cymbals, bass drum, and snare drum) and strings. Rachmaninov conducted the Symphony’s premiere in St Petersburg on January 26, 1908. It is remarkable that Rachmaninov ever wrote a second symphony. He was so shattered by the disastrous, ill-received premiere of his First Symphony in 1897, that, for the next three years, he suffered from chronic malaise and self doubt, and was simply unable to compose. Finally, in 1900, at his friends’ insistence, Rachmaninov went to see Dr Nikolai Dahl, a psychiatrist noted for his successful use of hypnosis. After four months of
P R O G R A M M E treatment, Rachmaninov made a recovery and began to compose again. He soon finished the score to, perhaps, his most popular and enduring work: the Second Piano Concerto, dedicating it to Dahl. The premiere of the Concerto in 1901, with Rachmaninov as soloist, was well received and highly praised. After the success of the concerto, and alongside his regular concert appearances as pianist and conductor, Rachmaninov returned confidently to composition. He now wrote steadily, scoring piano works, songs, a cello sonata, and two operas. In the autumn of 1906, Rachmaninov moved, with his wife and infant daughter, to Dresden. It was here that he began to sketch his second symphony. Finally, in April 1907, the work was completed. Rachmaninov conducted its premiere at Saint Petersburg in January 1908 to huge acclaim. The symphony won the Glinka Prize and it wasn’t long before the work was receiving international performances. The symphony is a huge, abstract Romantic work, characterised by three kinds of writing: music of despair, sweeping, passionate melodies, and violent passages that build and erupt. There is a pervading confrontation between bleak, fatalistic writing and
N O T E S
something much more positive and hopeful. The work is beautifully crafted in all aspects of its composition and orchestration, and is deeply heartfelt. The first movement presents, at its portentous outset, the essential themes and material to be developed throughout the whole work. Movements two and four are essentially dance movements, the latter based on an Italian tarantella.
Programme Notes Hasse - Lub-ub by Jean Hasse Jenkins - Palladio by William Goodchild Beethoven - Symphony No 4 by William Goodchild Goodchild - Heartbeat by Robert Tulloh & William Goodchild Rachmaninov - Symphony No 2 by William Goodchild
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H A P P Y
1 0 T H
B I R T H D A Y
BRISTOL HEART INSTITUTE Built in 2009, the Bristol Heart Institute aims to improve clinical care and bring myriad aspects of heart health together via cardiology, cardiac surgery and research. It forms the life-giving link between the University of Bristol’s Medical School and the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. Covering the whole of the South West from Cornwall to Gloucestershire, from Wiltshire to South Wales, cardiovascular sciences are now one of Bristol University’s key science research institutes. It is the coming together of basic science and clinical medicine to ensure best possible care and communications for patients, staff and the wider public. Recent success includes attracting a great deal of funding from the British Heart Foundation for a large PhD student programme, in addition to achieving recognition as one of the country’s top Biomedical Research Centres for Cardiovascular Science, tackling a wide range of cardiac diseases, from those children born with heart disease (congenital heart disease) to cardiac diseases seen in older age. Robert Tulloh Professor in Congenital Cardiology, Bristol Heart Institute
C O N D U C T O R Wildscreen Festival for Jago - A Life Underwater.
WILLIAM GOODCHILD ____________________________ William Goodchild is a professional composer and conductor. He composes music for film, television, concert performance and commercial installation. Many of the 80 plus films he’s composed for the major broadcasters have won international awards. In 2017 William won Best Score at the Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival for his score to Living Spirit Pictures’ Seeing Him. He has also had, in the last three years, three nominations for Best Composer at the RTS West of England Awards and, in 2016, was nominated for the Music Award at the
On stage and in the recording studio, William has collaborated with a wide variety of international soloists including guitarist John Williams, singer Tom Jones, saxophonist Andy Sheppard and jazz quartet Get The Blessing. William’s passion for working across styles led to a live and recorded collaboration with Mercury Prize-Winner, Roni Size & Reprazent, and their album, Live at Colston Hall, was released in November 2015. Also at the Colston Hall, with Sir David Attenborough presenting, William orchestrated and conducted the BBC’s Nature’s Great Events Live to a sell-out audience. The BBC’s Wild China series, orchestrated and conducted by William, won an Emmy for sound and music. Many recordings conducted by William are available to buy on Sony Classical, Universal Classical and Jazz, and CBS Records. He has worked regularly with a number of professional orchestras including the BBC Concert Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Bristol Ensemble. In the summer he conducted City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra with soloist Laurence Perkins (bassoon) for a Hyperion Records double album recording entitled, Voyage of a Seagod, due for release in 2020.
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G U E S T
L E A D E R Marian was involved in a case of mistaken identity – namely being taken for a Spanish boy with the same name – and ended up working in the opera house in Valencia, Palau de les arts, for six months under the direction of Lorin Maazel and Zubin Mehta. This was invaluable orchestral experience and affirmed her desire to play to a higher level – so on her return to the UK, feeling battered and bruised from the laser stare of Mehta, she embarked on further study with concert violinist and Academy Professor Remus Azoitei.
MARIAN GIVENS _________________ Marian Givens read music at Royal Holloway University of London, whilst studying privately with Diana Cummings. She went on to finish her studies at The Royal Academy of Music, gaining the LRAM (teaching) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Performance. After a few years of teaching and freelance work Marian travelled to Sweden and Spain to participate in master classes with renowned violinist Igor Ozim and a rather perceptive Romanian called Bogdan Zvoristeanu. It was after this that
Marian now enjoys a varied career mixing orchestral, chamber, session and West End work, including Top Hat on Stage and the Royal Shakespeare Company, among others. She is a regular member of the Bristol Ensemble and the Heritage Orchestra, and has recently toured with musical legends Giorgio Moroder and Beverley Knight, as well as Sophie Ellis Bextor and Marc Almond. Marian is the Co-Director of the Westminster Chamber Orchestra and has appeared as soloist on numerous occasions in concerti by Mozart, Beethoven, Chausson, Bruch, and Mendelssohn.
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B RISTOL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA “It’s been such a joy working with Bristol Symphony Orchestra over the past four years. The Orchestra has achieved brilliant things, with an outstanding warmth of spirit and passion at its heart. Together we have performed in many major Bristol venues, collaborating with notable instrumental soloists as well as opera singers, jazz ensembles, choirs and world musicians. We have used novel ways of presenting our music, and programmes have ranged from Purcell to twenty-first century premieres, from Kora Concerto to Karl Jenkins, as well as including many wonderful pieces from the standard repertoire. I wish the Orchestra and all the individual players all the very best for the future.”
William Goodchild
BRISTOL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA FIRST VIOLIN Marian Givens Guest Leader
Monique Ayres Giorgina Baxter Pamela Bell Aimée Cottam Josh English Rosanna Holding Florence Martin Victoria Medland Efi Psomopoulou Robert Tulloh SECOND VIOLIN Eloise Wyke Kate Fox Naomi Hill Minkee Kim Amritpal Kaur Matharu Henna Mattu Gemma Nelson Jo Phillips Kenneth Price VIOLA Heather Ashford Rebecca Atkinson-Coyle Hermione Drew Alexia Granatt Tim Grice Oliver Kohll Jonathan Nichols
CELLO Will Marriage Vivien Arthur Alex Biggs Aurora Marriage Jayne Taylor Kathryn Thomas Sarah Vesty Cathy Warner Rhiannon Wilkinson BASS Alex Pearson Clare Daley Eleanor Sanville FLUTE Pippa Craggs Jane Lings Sarah Minns OBOE COR ANGLAIS* Olivia Diskin Tor Cooper *Chris Burt CLARINET BASS CLARINET* Sophie Wilsdon Catherine Zollman *James Stallwood
BASSOON CONTRABASSOON* Daisy Woods Sarah Quin *David Adams FRENCH HORN Dave Ransom Sophie Brown Kaitlyn Hamilton Maria Vitale TRUMPET Richard Bowman Simon Bowles Michiel Kopmels TROMBONE Andy Derrick Lyn Harradine Steve Jenkins TUBA Paul Sidney TIMPANI Joe Hillyer PERCUSSION Harriet Riley Jean Hasse Jonathan Scott HARP Emily Mullins
SOCIAL MEDIA @BristolSymphony Programme Editor: Jane Krish Programme Design & Layout: Rachel Goodchild
www.bristolsymphonyorchestra.com 15
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