MUSIC IN THE ROUND IS ENORMOUSLY GRATEFUL TO ALL ITS FUNDERS, SPONSORS, SUPPORTERS AND FRIENDS, WITHOUT WHOM THESE CONCERTS WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE. Funders Arts Council England Mayfield Valley Arts Trust The Lindsay Foundation The Andrew McEwan Fund With additional funding from a legacy payment by Miss D R Kurzman, awarded by Arts Council England
For information on our Friends scheme and further opportunities to support us or volunteer, please visit the Support Us section of our website at www.musicintheround.co.uk, pick up a leaflet at any concert, call us on 0114 281 4660 or email info@musicintheround.co.uk
Lifelong Patrons
Where not specified, musician photography by Nick Eagle.
John Cowling Kate Dugdale James & Angela Kellie David Megginson & Vivien Whitaker Prudence Scott Maurice & Sheila Millward Alan & Ellen Reid
Music in the Round, 4th Floor, Sheffield Central Library, Surrey Street, Sheffield S1 1XZ 0114 281 4660 info@musicintheround.co.uk
Registered Charity No. 326811 Registered company number; 1880734. VAT number; 391 1875 33.
All details are correct at time of going to press. Music in the Round reserves the right to make alterations to the programme or artists if necessary.
Festival of Classical Chamber Music May 2017, Sheffield
Get Closer to the Music
EXPERIENCE THRILLING LIVE MUSIC BY SOME OF RUSSIA’S GREATEST COMPOSERS PERFORMED UP CLOSE WITH MUSIC IN THE ROUND Join us for our annual celebration of live classical music in the heart of Sheffield. Most concerts are presented in the Crucible Studio, where the musicians are so close you could almost touch them. From time to time, we’ll be spilling out into the Winter Garden, the Cathedral and Tudor Square. Informal talks and introductions mean you don’t need to know anything about the music in advance. And there’s never a dress code, just an open invitation for everyone, of all ages and all musical tastes, to come and join us.
musicintheround.co.uk 02
I have a wonderful job. As well as getting to hear lots of fantastic live concerts, I have a great excuse to listen to a whole range of amazing pieces while putting together the jigsaw for our annual May festival in partnership with resident musicians Ensemble 360.
Pop-up Music
For some, a celebration of Russian music will evoke expectations of intense passion and electrifying music that will pin you to the back of your seats. But I have also encountered much more in my preparation: sophisticated innovation, supreme lyricism and an abundance of humour and wit.
MASSED BRASS Saturday 6 May, 11.45am - 12.30pm Tudor Square
Pop-up Music
Lunchtime Concert
Pre-concert Talk
Angus Smith Artistic Director
Public Performance
Scan here or visit musicintheround.co.uk to listen to our festival highlights playlist.
Afternoon Concert
Pre-concert Talk
MARINA FROLOVA-WALKER Friday 5 May, 6 - 6.45pm Crucible Studio Theatre
Music & Drama Performance Evening Concert
p.08
THE FATAL KNOCK AT THE DOOR Saturday 6 May, 7.15 - 9.20pm Crucible Studio Theatre
CURTAIN UP Friday 5 May, 7.15 - 9.05pm Crucible Studio Theatre
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Photo: Benjamin Ealovega
p.11
04
p.14
MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA Sunday 7 May, 3.30 - 5pm University of Sheffield
Evening Concert
p.15
Lunchtime Concert
p.10
p.11
p.17
STEVEN OSBORNE Monday 8 May, 7.15 - 9.15 Crucible Studio Theatre Lunchtime Concert
p.13
p.16
Evening Concert
MY BELOVED Tuesday 9 May, 12.45 - 1.30pm Crucible Studio Theatre Evening Concert
p.22
SOUVENIRS OF ITALY Wednesday 10 May, 7.15 - 8.45pm Crucible Studio Theatre p.23
MUSIC BOX FOR BABIES Thursday 11 May, 10.15 - 11.10am & 11.30 -12.25pm Crucible Theatre Concourse p.23
MUSIC BOX FOR AGES 2-4 Thursday 11 May, 10.30 - 11.25am & 11.45am - 12.40pm Adelphi Room Lunchtime Concert
Pre-concert Talk & Come & Try
p.24
p.19
Evening Concert
p.20
HICCUP Wednesday 10 May, 12.45 -1.40pm Crucible Studio Theatre
Lunchtime Concert CAPRICE Friday 12 May, 12.45 - 1.35pm Crucible Studio Theatre
p.28
MUSICAL TALES FROM RUSSIA Saturday 13 May, 2 - 3pm Crucible Studio Theatre p.29
BALLET CLASSICS 2 Saturday 13 May, 4.30 - 5.25pm Crucible Studio Theatre Evening Concert
p.30
ONE FOR THE ROAD Saturday 13 May, 7.15 - 8.55pm Crucible Studio Theatre p.31
INTRODUCING THE MUSIC OF RUSSIA Monday 8 May, 10.45 - 11.50am Crucible Studio Theatre
p.25
OUT OF TIME, OUT OF PLACE Thursday 11 May, 7.15 - 8.50pm Crucible Studio Theatre
p.12 Lunchtime Concert
Afternoon Family Concert
Schools’ Concert p.24
THE STORY OF THE THEREMIN Thursday 11 May, 5.45 - 6.30pm Crucible Studio Theatre
FRIENDSHIP Tuesday 9 May, 7.15 - 9pm Crucible Studio Theatre
p.27
EAST & WEST Friday 12 May, 7.15 - 8.55pm Crucible Studio Theatre
POETRY Thursday 11 May 12.45 - 1.40pm Crucible Studio Theatre p.18
p.26
Evening Concert
Afternoon Concert
IN THE BEGINNING Monday 8 May, 12.45 - 1.40pm Crucible Studio Theatre Evening Concert
Come & Try
SING WITH THE SHEFFIELD SINGERS Friday 12 May, 2 - 2.40pm Crucible Studio Theatre
Mini Concerts
MIRRORS Sunday 7 May, 7 - 8.05pm Sheffield Cathedral
p.21
PICTURES Wednesday 10 May, 5.45 - 6.20pm Crucible Studio Theatre
Children’s Workshops
PROFESSOR MARINA FROLOVA-WALKER Saturday 6 May, 6 - 6.45pm Adelphi Room
p.08
Silent Film with Live Music
Evening Concert
BALLET CLASSICS 1 Saturday 6 May, 4 - 4.55pm Crucible Studio Theatre
PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION Friday 5 - Saturday 13 May 8am - 8pm (6pm on Sunday) Winter Garden Pre-concert Talk
p.09
PICTURES Saturday 6 May, 3 - 3.35pm Winter Garden
p.10
p.14
p.09
PETER HILL Saturday 6 May, 2 - 2.30pm Adelphi Room
MAY FESTIVAL AT A GLANCE
Public Performance SHEFFIELD YOUNG SINGERS Sunday 7 May, 2 - 2.30pm Winter Garden
TRADITION Saturday 6 May, 12.45 - 1.40pm Crucible Studio Theatre
We look forward to welcoming you to a festival full of surprise and delight.
Exhibition
p.09
HORN CALLS Saturday 6 May, 10.30am City Centre
p.26
YOUR ADVENTURE STARTS HERE… 05
LET THE MUSIC BEGIN… Ensemble 360, Sheffield’s world-class chamber group, comprises eleven of the country’s finest musicians and is the beating heart of our annual May Festival.
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CLAUDIA AJMONEMARSAN Violin
NAOMI ATHERTON French Horn
JULIETTE BAUSOR Flute
LAURÈNE DURANTEL Double Bass
RUTH GIBSON Viola
These supremely talented individuals come together each year to perform a nine-day marathon of live music. See them at their best in the welcoming atmosphere of one our concerts.
Passionate gestures and infectious stage presence make Claudia an incredibly compelling performer. She’s really looking forward to her 8th Festival and with the focus on Russian music this year, this violinist’s performances are likely to be some of her most colourful yet.
Naomi is a horn player in demand! She also plays with Manchester Camerata and the Northern Chamber Orchestra. Experience her beautifully controlled playing on the Festival’s opening night when she performs two gorgeous pieces showcasing the horn’s mellow tones.
Juliette is enjoying her new principal role with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, which she now holds alongside her position in Ensemble 360. With her captivating and expressive playing, she’s bound to shine in Prokofiev’s Flute Sonata on the Tuesday evening.
Vivacious Laurène brings passion, heart and soul to every one of her Ensemble 360 performances. She also plays piano and sings and will be showcasing her talents at a unique film screening on the Sunday of the Festival.
Bold, fresh and vivid performances perfectly reflect Ruth’s energetic, warm and creative nature. This will be Ruth’s second May Festival and she is looking forward to playing Roslavets’ Viola Sonata No.1 on the Thursday lunchtime.
AMY HARMAN Bassoon
TIM HORTON Piano
MATTHEW HUNT Clarinet
BENJAMIN NABARRO Violin
GEMMA ROSEFIELD Cello
ADRIAN WILSON Oboe
Championing what is perhaps a lesser-known instrument, Amy has been described as ‘a bassoonist in a million’. Join her on Wednesday lunchtime for two trios that provide a great canvas for her to paint the bassoon’s unique sound.
Tim will showcase exactly why Russian music is special when he plays one of the greatest Russian piano pieces ever. In fact, we’re expecting his performance of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition to be so popular that he’s actually playing it twice!
Matt ended an exciting 2016 on tour in Japan and is looking forward to being back in Sheffield for his 11th Festival. Discover the joy and playfulness he brings to his performances in his rendition of Stravinsky’s ragtime-influenced Three Pieces for clarinet.
When he’s not with Ensemble 360, Ben’s making waves as a soloist and with the Nash Ensemble. His technique has been described as ‘unsurpassed perfection’ and will be crucial for numerous demanding violin parts this Festival, such as Khachaturian’s ‘Sabre Dance’.
Armed with a cello that doubles as a piece of history (crafted in 1704, it once belonged to King George IV), Gemma plays with “disarming character and freshness” according to Gramophone magazine; see for yourself when she performs Britten’s Cello Suite No.3.
Hailed as a highlight of 2016’s Last Night of the Proms with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Adrian also keeps busy playing Principal Oboe for the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. This year’s Festival holds many delights for Adrian, including his first theremin encounter! 07
Evening Concert
Pop-up Music
Lunchtime Concert
CURTAIN UP
HORN CALLS
TRADITION
HORN PLAYERS FROM THE ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC
ENSEMBLE 360
ENSEMBLE 360 GLAZUNOV Quintet in A Op.39 GLAZUNOV Rêverie in D flat for horn and piano GLAZUNOV Idyll for horn and string quartet TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Trio in A minor Op.50 We launch our feast of wonderful Russian music with an unashamedly romantic programme. Glazunov’s music owes something to numerous traditions: Balakirev’s nationalism, Borodin’s epic grandeur, Rimsky-Korsakov’s virtuosity and the lyrical mastery of Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky’s monumental and magisterial Piano Trio was conceived on a scale not far removed from his symphonies; it is the work of a composer at the very peak of his creative powers. Friday 5 May 7.15 - 9.05pm Crucible Studio Theatre £19 £13 Disabled & Unemployed £5 Students & Under 35s
Pre-Concert Talk Professor Marina Frolova-Walker from the University of Cambridge sets the scene for our festival, highlighting just some of the musical gems that lie in store.
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Listen out for the sound of traditional Eastern European hunting calls echoing through the streets of Sheffield city centre, as horn players from RNCM herald the opening weekend of the Festival.
Saturday 6 May, 10.30am City Centre
BORODIN Piano Quintet in C minor SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Trio No.2 in E minor Op.67 A lunchtime concert featuring two wonderful contrasting pieces. Borodin’s Piano Quintet is an early work bearing the zestful influence of Chopin, Mendelssohn and, above all, Schumann, but there are plenty of hints of Russian idioms that were to become the hallmark of his work.
FREE
Pop-up Music
MASSED BRASS WITH BRASS BANDS FROM ACROSS SHEFFIELD Hundreds of musicians from brass bands across the city perform a lively selection of famous Russian tunes and brass band favourites. It’ll be even louder, bigger and brassier than last year! In association with Brass Bands England brassbandsengland.co.uk
Friday 5 May 6 - 6.45pm Crucible Studio Theatre
Saturday 6 May, 11.45am - 12.30pm Tudor Square
FREE to concert ticket holders
FREE
Shostakovich’s second Piano Trio is an extraordinarily powerful and dramatic work written following both national tragedy (the siege of Leningrad) and the loss of his closest friend, Ivan Sollertinsky. It most certainly deserves its place alongside the magisterial trios of Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov.
Saturday 6 May 12.45 - 1.40pm Crucible Studio Theatre £13 £8.50 Disabled & Unemployed £5 Students & Under 35s
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Exhibition
Afternoon Concert
PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION
BALLET CLASSICS 1 PETER HILL Piano BENJAMIN FRITH Piano
Mussorgsky’s great work Pictures at an Exhibition was inspired by an exhibition of art by Russian painter Viktor Hartmann. Ten movements represent ten artworks and are interspersed with ‘promenades’ which depict moving between the paintings.
Friday 5 - Saturday 13 May 8am - 8pm (6pm on Sunday) Winter Garden
For this year’s May Festival, we are recreating the feat but the other way round - Ignite Imaginations’ artists are working with 10 community groups from across the city to produce ten new artworks in response to Mussorgsky’s music.
FREE
In partnership with Ignite Imaginations.
See pages 34 - 36 for booking & venue information
Saturday 6 May 4 - 4.55pm Crucible Studio Theatre Public Performance
TIM HORTON PIANO
£13 £8.50 Disabled & Unemployed £5 Students & Under 35s
TCHAIKOVSKY Sleeping Beauty, arranged Rachmaninov (excerpts) TCHAIKOVSKY Swan Lake, arranged Debussy (excerpts) STRAVINSKY Petrushka If there is one corner of the classical repertoire in which Russian composers rule supreme then it is unquestionably music for ballet. We’re delighted to pay tribute in two Saturday afternoon concerts featuring masterpieces by Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky, played in versions for two pianists at a single piano. This format is not simply a revival of a formidable pianistic tradition but also, with the ferocious technical demands, an event with the excitement and tension of a highly competitive sporting contest. See page 29 for details of the Ballet Classics 2 concert.
MUSSORGSKY Pictures at an Exhibition
Saturday 6 May 3 - 3.35pm Winter Garden
Tim Horton gives a unique performance of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition against the backdrop of the new artworks from this special exhibition in the Winter Garden. Sorry, but there’s no seating for this performance and space is limited; early arrival recommended.
Pre-Concert Talk Peter Hill examines the work of Stravinsky and the Ballets Russes in the years leading up to the First World War.
FREE, no tickets required Tim gives a second performance on Wednesday 10 May at 5.45pm in the Crucible Studio Theatre. See page 21 for more details. 10
Find more information at igniteimaginations.org.uk
Saturday 6 May 2 - 2.30pm Adelphi Room, Crucible Theatre
Funded by Freshgate Foundation, Sheffield Town Trust & JG Graves Charitable Trust
FREE to concert ticket holders 11
Music & Drama Performance
THE FATAL KNOCK ON THE DOOR PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH SHEFFIELD THEATRES
ENSEMBLE 360 SARA KESTELMAN Actor With the voice of SIMON RUSSELL BEALE, actor, as the USSR All-Union Radio newsreader PROKOFIEV Overture on Hebrew Themes Op.34 WEINBERG ‘Aria’ Op.9 GLIÈRE Romances Op.35 MYASKOVSKY Cello Sonata No.2 in A Op.81, Finale TSINTSADZE ‘Spring’ from 12 Miniatures for string quartet on Georgian Folk Songs KHACHATURIAN Clarinet Trio SHOSTAKOVICH String Quartet No.7 in F sharp minor Op.108
See pages 34 - 36 for booking & venue information
Saturday 6 May 7.15 - 9.20pm Crucible Studio Theatre £19 £13 Disabled & Unemployed £5 Students & Under 35s 12
On 1st December 1934, a young man called Leonid Nikolaev walked into the Smolny in Leningrad and shot Sergey Kirov, the most important Communist in Russia after Joseph Stalin. As the Great Terror began, music was placed right in the firing line. In a state that sought to control every aspect of its citizens’ lives, any perceived offence could - and did - lead to arrest, deportation to Siberia or execution.
I lived through ‘37, when night after night every person in Moscow feared his arrest. You can’t imagine what we went through, listening for the fatal knock on the door. David Oistrakh, Violinist
This Saturday night, the Studio Theatre will be dressed to resemble a concert hall in Moscow sometime in the 1940s. There are three alternating players in the drama that unfolds: the vicious diatribes of the totalitarian state taken from original Soviet broadcasts and editorials, the brave words of poet Anna Akhmatova and the powerful music of great composers.
Pre-Concert Talk
Even in this age of unprecedented artistic pressure, the musical sequence presents a varied emotional range: dignity and beauty in the reflective works of Weinberg and Tsintsadze, visceral power in the outpourings of Myaskovsky and Shostakovich, and a dash of humour in the music of Prokofiev.
Saturday 6 May 6 - 6.45pm Adelphi Room, Crucible Theatre
Professor Marina FrolovaWalker, from the University of Cambridge, presents a portrait of music in Stalin’s state and reflects on the story of the Stalin Prize.
FREE to concert ticket holders 13
Silent Film with Live Music
Evening Concert
MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA
MIRRORS ENSEMBLE 360 ELLA TAYLOR Soprano Bring and Sing Choir with ANGUS SMITH and the ABBEYDALE SINGERS
LAURÈNE DURANTEL Double bass, piano, voice Ranked 8th in Sight and Sound Critics Poll of the Top 10 Films of All Time!
PÄRT Spiegel im Spiegel RACHMANINOV Ave Maria (Bogoroditse) VASKS Silent Songs TAVENER Akhmatova Songs SVIRIDOV Holy God (Svyati Bozhe) TCHAIKOVSKY Cherubic Hymn (Kherumsviskaya) BOGOSLOVSKY ARR. MCEWAN ‘Dark is the Night’ for ensemble and choir
This groundbreaking documentary film from 1929, directed by Dziga Vertov, follows city life in the Soviet Union through the course of a single day, complete with thriving industries and crowded streets. But it’s also an engaging, often humorous, pioneering film about making a film that had a profound influence on the development of cinematic art. Sunday 7 May 3.30 - 5pm Students’ Union Auditorium University of Sheffield FREE Please book in advance at moviecamera.eventbrite.co.uk
Ensemble 360’s dynamic and creative double bass player, Laurène Durantel, presents a new soundtrack to this film that also draws on her additional skills as a pianist and vocalist. A joint event between Music in the Round and the University of Sheffield Festival of Arts and Humanities. For more details about other Arts and Humanities Festival events please see sheffield.ac.uk/festivalah
Sunday 7 May 7 - 8.05pm Sheffield Cathedral £13 £8.50 Disabled & Unemployed £5 Students & Under 35s
This sequence of beautiful choral music interspersed with serene, reflective instrumental music played by Ensemble 360, celebrates the long tradition of Russian church music and the popularity of choral singing in the Baltic States. The sonority of Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov is well known, but church music continued to survive even in the Soviet era, both in Russia itself and in countries such as Estonia and Latvia.
Public Performance
SHEFFIELD YOUNG SINGERS HELEN COWEN Conductor
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Sunday 7 May 2 - 2.30pm Winter Garden
Drop into the Winter Garden to hear the delightful sounds of Sheffield Young Singers performing music from Eastern Europe and beyond including Kodály’s Dancing Song and ‘Adonai roi’ from Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms.
FREE
sheffieldyoungsingers.org.uk
SINGERS: BE PART OF OUR SPECIAL OCCASION Experienced singers are warmly invited to perform in this moving programme. Music in the Round’s Artistic Director and eminent singer Angus Smith (the Orlando Consort) will lead a workshop in advance and an ‘on the day’ rehearsal from 3.30pm. To sign up and for more information please contact Kate on 0114 281 4660 or kate@musicintheround.co.uk £12. Cost includes the workshop, rehearsal, the concert and the sheet music.
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Lunchtime Concert
Evening Concert
IN THE BEGINNING
STEVEN OSBORNE
ENSEMBLE 360
PIANO
HAYDN String Quartet Op.33 No.1 JENNY JACKSON Focus Pull (Platform 4 commission for May Festival 2017) TANEYEV String Trio in E flat Op.31
Monday 8 May 12.45 - 1.40pm Crucible Studio Theatre £13 £8.50 Disabled & Unemployed £5 Students & Under 35s
See pages 34 - 36 for booking & venue information
Russian chamber music owes much to the salons of Vienna! Members of the aristocracy on their Grand Tours discovered a style of music that was simply unknown in St Petersburg and Moscow, inspiring men such as Count Rasumovsky and Tsar Alexander to become patrons of Beethoven. Haydn’s Opus 33 Quartets were dedicated to Grand Duke Paul and were premiered on Christmas Day, 1781. “He is the greatest master of counterpoint in Russia. I am not sure there is his equal in the West.” Tchaikovsky writing about Sergei Taneyev.
BRAHMS Three Intermezzi Op.117 RACHMANINOV Études-Tableaux Op.33 SCHUBERT Moment Musical No. 2 in A flat D780 RACHMANINOV Études-Tableaux Op.39 (selection)
PLATFORM 4 COMMISSIONS We have commissioned the members of Sheffield’s professional composers collective, Platform 4 to each write a new work for our 2017 Festival, inspired by famous Russian repertoire. You can hear the new pieces performed alongside the works that inspired them in each programme. Before and during the Festival, online and in person, the composers will be explaining and illustrating how they’re creating new music from great works. Find out more at musicintheround.co.uk 16
Monday 8 May 7.15 - 9.15pm Crucible Studio Theatre
On 19 March 1936 Sergei Rachmaninov presented a solo recital in Sheffield featuring his own Études-Tableaux alongside works by Brahms and Schubert. 81 years later, internationally acclaimed and multi awardwinning pianist Steven Osborne presents this concert of beautiful music that ranges from the early flowering of the Romantic era to its glorious late maturity.
£19 £13 Disabled & Unemployed £5 Students & Under 35s
“Osborne’s attack is ferocious and fearless, his tenderness beyond words…This is the best it gets.” The Observer Photo: Benjamin Ealovega
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Lunchtime Concert
Evening Concert
MY BELOVED
FRIENDSHIP ENSEMBLE 360 STEVEN OSBORNE Piano PROKOFIEV Flute Sonata in D Op.94 BRITTEN Cello Suite No.3 Op.87 TOM OWEN Paraphrases (Platform 4 commission for May Festival 2017) SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Quintet in G Op.57
ENSEMBLE 360 GLINKA Viola Sonata (transcribed for bassoon) CUI Cinque petits duos Op.56 BORODIN String Quartet No.2 in D
Tuesday 9 May 12.45 - 1.30pm Crucible Studio Theatre £13 £8.50 Disabled & Unemployed £5 Students & Under 35s 18
Composer, critic, soldier and engineer - an acknowledged expert on military fortifications! - César Cui is the least well-known of a group of Russian nationalist composers known as the ‘Mighty Five’ which also included Borodin, Balakirev, Rimsky-Korsakov and Mussorgsky. The duos played here are among the finest pieces in his prolific output and clearly demonstrate the influence of Chopin. The romantic nature of Borodin’s second String Quartet is displayed in the beautiful Notturno movement - one of many melodies by Borodin that was ‘borrowed’ years later for the Broadway hit musical Kismet.
Benjamin Britten’s profound third Cello Suite represents the musical pinnacle of the composer’s enduring friendship with the great Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. Britten’s contact with Rostropovich and Shostakovich was one of the few channels for artistic interaction that remained open between East and West through the most difficult years of the Cold War. Shostakovich’s wonderfully varied Piano Quintet displays very openly the influence of JS Bach. Official Soviet approval came in the form of the award of a Stalin Prize (1st Class).
Tuesday 9 May 7.15 - 9pm Crucible Studio Theatre £19 £13 Disabled& Unemployed £5 Students & Under 35s 19
Lunchtime Concert
Evening Concert
HICCUP
PICTURES
ENSEMBLE 360
TIM HORTON Piano
KHACHATURIAN ‘Sabre Dance’ from Gayane for violin and piano (arr Heifetz) CHRIS NOBLE Bear, Ascend! (Platform 4 commission for May Festival 2017) RACHMANINOV Trio Élégiaque No.1 in G minor GUBAIDULINA Quasi Hoquetus for viola, bassoon and piano GLINKA Trio Pathétique in D for clarinet, bassoon and piano
MUSSORGSKY Pictures at an Exhibition
A rollercoaster musical ride in under an hour! Ben Nabarro launches the concert with an explosive transcription of the famous Sabre Dance, while Rachmaninov’s and Glinka’s short trios are both supremely expressive works.
Ravel’s glorious orchestration of Pictures at an Exhibition is a magnificent and hugely popular symphonic feast. Yet this should not overshadow Mussorgsky’s original work for solo piano that, through the sheer scale of its imagination and invention, stands as one of the most remarkable instrumental creations of any age. In the words of the great Russian pianist Sviatoslav Richter, Pictures is “the best Russian work for piano, amen.”
See pages 34 - 36 for booking & venue information
In addition to Chris Noble’s new work, we are delighted to present Quasi Hoquetus by Sofia Gubaidulina. Born in Tatarstan but now living in Hamburg, Gubaidulina’s early work came under the scrutiny of the Soviet authorities who deemed it ‘irresponsible’ - the title translates as ‘like a hiccup’!
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Wednesday 10 May 12.45 - 1.40pm Crucible Studio Theatre
Wednesday 10 May 5.45 - 6.20pm Crucible Studio Theatre
£13 £8.50 Disabled & Unemployed £5 Students & Under 35s
£10 £7 Disabled & Unemployed £5 Students & Under 35s 21
Evening Concert
Mini-concerts
Children’s Workshops
SOUVENIRS OF ITALY
MUSIC BOX
MUSIC BOX
ENSEMBLE 360
FOR BABIES
FOR AGES 2-4
This relaxed concert for babies aged 0-2 and their grown-ups features a selection of Russian classical music, played by Ensemble 360’s Matt Hunt and Laurène Durantel together on one piano. Soft mats and toys will be provided and you’re welcome to move around as much as you like.
Together with professional musicians Naomi Atherton (French horn) and Jamie Manson (double bass), Polly Ives brings the music from Tchaikovsky’s timeless ballet The Nutcracker to life in this hands-on workshop. It’s great fun for the little ones and you’ll take away plenty of music-making ideas to do together at home.
GLINKA Grand Sextet in E flat STRAVINSKY Soldier’s Tale Suite TCHAIKOVSKY String Sextet in D minor Op.70 Souvenir de Florence Mikhail Glinka’s Grand Sextet, written in Milan and inspired by the operas of Bellini and Donizetti, sparkles and delights, while Tchaikovsky’s graceful String Sextet was composed following a visit to Florence and bears a glorious Italian/Russian hybrid character. In between, Stravinsky conjures a rich tapestry of music in his Russian parable of a soldier selling his soul - and his violin - for money. Maybe the Devil does get all the best tunes!
Thursday 11 May 10.15 - 11.10am & 11.30am - 12.25pm Crucible Theatre Concourse £6 Adults Babies FREE
Thursday 11 May 10.30 - 11.25am & 11.45am - 12.40pm Adelphi Room £6 Children Grown-ups FREE
“All music in Russia stems from Glinka.” Igor Stravinsky This concert is generously supported by Maurice and Sheila Millward
This concert will also be recorded for broadcast by BBC Radio 3. Wednesday 10 May 7.15 - 8.45pm Crucible Studio Theatre £19 £13 Disabled & Unemployed £5 Students & Under 35s 22
Photo: Andy Brown
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Lunchtime Concert
Evening Concert
POETRY
OUT OF TIME, OUT OF PLACE ENSEMBLE 360
ENSEMBLE 360 LYDIA KAVINA Theremin
DRANISHNIKOVA Poème for oboe and piano ROSLAVETS Viola Sonata No.1 RACHMANINOV Trio Élégiaque No.2 in D minor Op.9
Thursday 11 May 12.45 - 1.40pm Crucible Studio Theatre £13 £8.50 Disabled & Unemployed £5 Students & Under 35s
PROKOFIEV Quintet Op.39 for oboe, clarinet, violin, viola and double bass MARTINU Fantasia for theremin, oboe, string quartet and piano SHOSTAKOVICH String Quartet No.8 in C minor Op.110 EISLER Septet No.1 Variations on American Children’s Songs
Rachmaninov’s second piano trio, written in homage to his mentor, friend and inspiration, Tchaikovsky, is a work of immense passion and devotion. Nikolay Roslavets’ hauntingly beautiful viola sonata is just one example of the work that earned him great success in Russia after the October Revolution of 1917 - before disputes with authorities forced him to move to Uzbekistan. Marina Dranishnikova’s lyrical Poème for oboe and piano (1953) was, ironically, inspired by an unhappy love for an oboist.
These pieces all have a remarkable story. Prokofiev’s Quintet, written in France, was a complete ballet that never materialised and Martinu’s Fantasia was written in the USA during the composer’s wartime exile. Shostakovich’s deeply moving eighth Quartet was written in Dresden, and Hanns Eisler took refuge in East Berlin having been expelled from the USA in the McCarthy purges…despite the protests of Chaplin, Thomas Mann, Einstein, Picasso, Matisse, Copland and Cocteau!
Pre-concert Talk and Come & Try
STORY OF THE THEREMIN LYDIA KAVINA One of the world’s first electronic musical instruments, the innovative theremin spawned evocative music for countless 1950s sci-fi movies and opened up a new world of experimental classical music.
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Thursday 11 May 5.45 - 6.30pm Crucible Studio Theatre
Lydia Kavina is one of the world’s leading theremin players and was taught from the age of 9 by its Russian inventor, Léon Theremin also a scientist and spy! This introductory talk precedes her performance with Ensemble 360.
FREE to all evening concert ticket holders
Have a go at playing the instrument at the end of the talk.
This concert is an intriguing kaleidoscope of mid-20th century sounds. See pages 34 - 36 for booking & venue information
This concert will also be recorded for broadcast by BBC Radio 3. Thursday 11 May 7.15 - 8.50pm Crucible Studio Theatre £19 £13 Disabled & Unemployed £5 Students & Under 35s Photo: Benjamin Ealovega
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Lunchtime Concert
Evening Concert
CAPRICE
EAST AND WEST ENSEMBLE 360 SAINT-SAËNS Caprice on Danish and Russian Airs Op.79 for flute, oboe, clarinet and piano STRAVINSKY Three pieces for clarinet TOM JAMES Wind Quintet (Platform 4 commission for May Festival 2017) RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Quintet in B flat for piano and wind Saint-Saëns’ Caprice was written during the happiest and most creative period of his life; his Carnival of the Animals and famous ‘Organ’ Symphony were composed at the same time.
This concert will also be recorded for broadcast by BBC Radio 3.
Rimsky-Korsakov’s charming Quintet, composed for a competition organised by the Russian Musical Society, was almost lost to posterity:
Friday 12 May 12.45 - 1.35pm Crucible Studio Theatre
“The jury disregarded my Quintet entirely. It fell into the hands of Cross, a mediocre sight-reader who made such a mess of it that the work was not even heard to the end.”
£13 £8.50 Disabled & Unemployed £5 Students & Under 35s
ENSEMBLE 360 PROKOFIEV Romeo and Juliet Suite, Op.64 arranged for wind quintet SHOSTAKOVICH Viola Sonata Op.147 STRAVINSKY Suite Italienne (based on Pulcinella) for violin and piano KAPUSTIN Flute Sonata Op.125 KAPUSTIN Sweet Georgia Brown for clarinet, viola, double bass & piano
This concert is generously supported by a Friend of Music in the Round in celebration of a significant birthday.
Come & Try
SING WITH THE SHEFFIELD SINGERS Friday 12 May 2 - 2.40pm Crucible Studio Theatre FREE 26
Come and enjoy a light taster session with the Sheffield Singers - a community choir with a focus on enjoyment. All are welcome - no previous experience of music-making is required.
Friday 12 May 7.15 - 8.55pm Crucible Studio Theatre £19 £13 Disabled & Unemployed £5 Students & Under 35s
Ruth Gibson, Ensemble 360’s brilliant viola player, presents Shostakovich’s brooding Viola Sonata, the composer’s final work. There are sections full of zest and life, yet the nature of the final movement with quotations from so many of the composer’s earlier works suggest that Shostakovich knew his end was near. The final items in the concert could hardly be a greater contrast. The music of Nikolai Kapustin is a treat: this prolific composer trained in the great Russian piano tradition and now composes in the great American jazz tradition. Concert generously supported by James & Angela Kellie. Photo: Benjamin Ealovega
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Afternoon Family Concert
Afternoon Concert
MUSICAL TALES FROM RUSSIA
BALLET CLASSICS 2
See pages 34 - 36 for booking & venue information
VIV McLean Piano TIM HORTON Piano TCHAIKOVSKY The Nutcracker (excerpts) STRAVINSKY The Rite of Spring ENSEMBLE 360 POLLY IVES Narrator
There’s no more famous ballet premiere than that of The Rite of Spring in Paris in 1913; the story of the ensuing riot in the audience lives on.
PROKOFIEV Peter & the Wolf Plus, music from MUSSORGSKY’s Pictures at an Exhibition STRAVINSKY’s Soldier’s Tale and TCHAIKOVSKY’s The Nutcracker
Saturday 13 May 2 - 3pm Crucible Studio Theatre £9 Adults £6 Children 28
Polly and the musicians from Ensemble 360 are your guides to a magical world of Russian fairytales and Slavic folklore.
Saturday 13 May 4.30 - 5.25pm Crucible Studio Theatre
With opportunities to join in, storytelling and plenty to discover about the music, this is a great introductory classical concert for children and grown-ups alike. Perfect for ages 5 to 105!
£13 £8.50 Disabled & Unemployed £5 Students & Under 35s
It is now generally accepted that the ‘problem’ was Nijinsky’s choreography, not Stravinsky’s music. Just a year later, the concert version was hailed as a triumph and the work became enshrined in orchestral repertoire and in the landmark Disney film, Fantasia. This transcription for one piano, four hands, was made by the composer himself and captures all the energy and vitality of the original. “My music is best understood by children and animals.” Igor Stravinsky 29
Evening Concert
ONE FOR THE ROAD ENSEMBLE 360 TCHAIKOVSKY String Quartet No.3 in E flat minor Op.30 BALAKIREV Octet Op.3 DEBUSSY Prélude à l'après midi d’un faune (chamber ensemble arrangement) SHOSTAKOVICH Excerpts from Jazz Suite No.1 and the Suite for Variety Orchestra
FESTIVAL EVENTS FOR SCHOOLS
Presented by musicians from Ensemble 360 and Tom McKinney (BBC Radio 3) , this inspiring introduction to classical music features examples of some of Russia’s greatest chamber repertoire. We’ll also provide curriculum-based classroom resources for use before and after the concert.
The evening opens with Tchaikovsky’s majestic third String Quartet. The melancholy slow movement apparently moved audience members to tears at its first performance, yet the piece finishes in a determinedly upbeat manner.
To book, please contact Kate on 0114 281 4660 or kate@musicintheround.co.uk
The second half sees Ensemble 360 occupy every inch of the Studio’s stage for Debussy’s dreamy Prélude à l'après midi d’un faune - another work made famous by Nijinsky’s scandalous choreography - and a vibrant selection of Shostakovich’s ‘jazz’ music, arranged especially for this occasion by Iain Farrington.
Monday 8 May 10.45 - 11.40am Crucible Studio Theatre £3 per pupil Staff FREE
Concert generously supported by Kate Dugdale
FREE CONCERT TICKETS
This concert will also be recorded for broadcast by BBC Radio 3.
£19 £13 Disabled & Unemployed £5 Students & Under 35s 30
INTRODUCING THE MUSIC OF RUSSIA Designed for Key Stage 2 pupils and staff
Ensemble 360 hosts a festival finale in the grandest style!
Saturday 13 May 7.15 - 8.55pm Crucible Studio Theatre
Schools’ Concert
To explore options, please call 0114 281 4660 or contact kate@musicintheround.co.uk
Did you know that we offer FREE tickets to educational groups for many of our concerts? We can put together a package of programme notes and activities, tickets and meet-themusician opportunities in response to your particular interests.
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Summer Concert
Charity Event
RODERICK WILLIAMS
OPEN GARDEN FUNDRAISER
WITH ENSEMBLE 360
Visit the delightful English country garden at Park Hall for an Open Garden event in aid of Music in the Round’s Bridge scheme supporting young string quartets.
SCHUBERT Piano Quintet in A D667 Trout World Premiere HOWARD SKEMPTON Man and Bat (a setting of a poem by DH Lawrence)
Includes short musical performances and refreshments throughout the afternoon. 25% of the proceeds go to the Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice
A selection of English songs
Music in the Round is a registered charity:326811 Bluebell Wood is a registered charity:1076958
Man and Bat is commissioned, and this concert is generously supported, by Maurice and Sheila Millward.
Park Hall, Chesterfield Sunday 25 June 2 - 5.30pm £5 Children 12 and under FREE
Thursday 20 July 7.15 - 8.45pm Upper Chapel
Tickets available on the door, and also in advance from the office, please contact info@musicintheround.co.uk or call 0114 281 4600 or or for details.
£5 - £19 Tickets go on general sale from 27 January (priority tickets for Friends from 20 January) from Sheffield Theatres box office. See page 35 for details.
LOOKING FOR A UNIQUE WAY TO CELEBRATE YOUR NEXT SIGNIFICANT BIRTHDAY? CELEBRATE WITH US & SUPPORT MUSIC IN THE ROUND!
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Invite your guests to a concert of your choice, enjoy a post-concert party with drinks and light refreshments and ask guests to donate to our Future Festivals Fund as their gift to you. For more details about how you could celebrate a birthday, anniversary or any other significant event with us, please get in touch with deborah@musicintheround.co.uk or call the office on 0114 281 4660. 33
OUR VENUES Crucible Studio Theatre & Adelphi Room, 55 Norfolk Street, Sheffield, S1 1DA
Supertram stops in close proximity to the theatres: Castle Square and Cathedral (both 400m).
Seating Areas: All seats in the Studio are unreserved, but please specify which area you wish to sit in when booking, i.e. stage level, tier one or tier two.
Sheffield Cathedral Church Street, Sheffield S1 1HA
Talks and Q&As: All pre-concert talks are free to concert ticket holders but please request a separate ticket for talks at the box office. A separate ticket is not required for post-concert Q&As. Access: These venues offer easy access for wheelchair users although spaces are limited in the auditoriums; please inform the box office at the time of booking if you require a wheelchair space. Latecomers: The auditorium will open 30 minutes before the advertised start time. Please note that latecomers will not be admitted until a suitable break in the performance. Parking: There is a 24-hour Q-Park on Charles Street, which offers discounted parking for concertgoers. Present your concert ticket to the Sheffield Theatres box office to obtain a car park voucher. For blue badge holders, spaces are available in the Q-Park, NCP car park, and outside the theatre on Surrey Street and Norfolk Street.
Seating Areas: Please note that seating is unreserved, however there may be some restricted views due to pillars. Access: Sheffield Cathedral is wheelchair-accessible through the level entrance on the south side of the building. If you require a wheelchair space please notify the box office at time of booking. Latecomers: The auditorium will open 30 minutes before the advertised start time. Please note that latecomers will not be admitted until a suitable break in the performance. Parking: NCP car parks are located at either end of Campo Lane and there is metered on-street parking nearby. Public Transport: Sheffield Cathedral tram stop (at which all trams stop) is situated in front of the Cathedral and just a few minutes’ walk from most major bus services.
Students’ Union Auditorium, Sheffield University Western Bank, S10 2TG Seating Areas: Please note that seating is unreserved.
THRILLING MUSIC AT FANTASTIC PRICES Booking Your Tickets
Access: The Auditorium is accessible via the East entrance on Glossop Road, or from the main entrance by taking the lift down to level 2. There is a viewing area at the top of the venue with spaces for wheelchair users. Latecomers: The auditorium will open 30 minutes before the advertised start time. Please note that latecomers will not be admitted until a suitable break in the performance. Parking: There is a Q Park multi-storey car park on Durham Rd, opposite the Students’ Union. Public Transport: A number of regular bus services stop at or near the Students’ Union including the 51, 52, 95 and 120. The nearest tram stops are West Street and the University.
sheffieldtheatres.co.uk 0114 249 6000 In person at Sheffield Theatres box office. Opening Hours: Monday - Saturday, 10am - 8pm / on non-performance days the box office closes at 6pm. Please book for Man with a Movie Camera on Sunday 7 May separately. See page 14 for details. Booking Dates Advance booking for Friends opens on FRIDAY 20 JANUARY at 10am in person or by phone. Tickets at this time are limited to two per Friend per event / four per event for Joint Friends. General booking opens on FRIDAY 27 JANUARY at 10am in person, by phone or online. Concessions Concessions are available for people with disabilities, those registered unemployed, students and under 35s. Prices are indicated on each concert page.
Public Transport: The nearest bus stops are on Arundel Gate (50m) and High Street (300m). There are two 34
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Re-Sales
Under 35?
If the event is sold out Sheffield Theatres will endeavour to re-sell your tickets on your behalf at a charge of £2.00 per ticket.
If you’re under 35, then you can see many of our concerts for only £5. Just show some form of ID at the Sheffield Theatres box office when booking your tickets. We also offer an Under 35 card for free, which enables us to keep in touch with you about forthcoming concerts, special offers and news. For more details, visit musicintheround.co.uk/U35
No More Booking Fees! We’re delighted that there is no longer a booking fee for tickets purchased from Sheffield Theatres box office - this applies to all tickets bought in person, online or by telephone. Coming to 5 or More Concerts? If you’re considering attending 5 or more concerts* in our May Festival, then it’s actually cheaper to buy a subscription. The following special discounts and season subscriptions offer big savings: Full Festival Subscription Save 20% (over £55 full price) when you buy a subscription for the whole May Festival*. 10 Concerts Subscription Save 15% when you buy tickets for any 10 concerts* in the May Festival at the same time. 5 Concerts Subscription Save 10% when you buy tickets for any 5 concerts* in the May Festival at the same time.
Coming as a Family? Family groups of four (to include at least two under- 18s) can save 10% on tickets for most concerts*; this offer is only available in advance and does not include family concerts and workshops which have their own special prices.
MAKE FRIENDS WITH MUSIC IN THE ROUND Friends make an enormous contribution to the success of Music in the Round and without their commitment, loyalty and support we could not achieve our aims, develop as an organisation or present such a wide range of high quality concerts. Become a Friend by donating a regular amount per year, we suggest £60 for individual givers or £75 for joint givers (two givers at the same address) to receive newsletters, priority booking and invitations to special events. Or help us by becoming an Online Friend, donating a suggested £25 per year to receive just the newsletter and priority booking. For more information visit the Support Us section of musicintheround.co.uk, pick up a leaflet at a concert, contact us on info@musicintheround.co.uk or call 0114 281 4660
* PLEASE NOTE that these offers and subscriptions are strictly limited to Music in the Round concerts between 5 and 13 May 2017 and do not include any workshops or family events. Tickets for these must be purchased additionally at the stated prices. All tickets within a 5 ticket, 10 ticket or full festival subscription must be purchased in one transaction and you must state which concerts you wish to attend. Subscriptions cannot include more than one ticket for each concert.
New to Music in the Round? If you’re completely new to our concerts, then our first-time deal offers you your first pair of tickets for just £5* each. Please make yourself known at the Sheffield Theatres box office, in person or on the phone. (Offer not available online. A maximum of two tickets can be purchased per household.) 36
Concert Duration Please be aware that all concert end times are supplied as approximate timings only and may be subject to change.
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