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Newsletter for July 2008

This is an edited version of the Havant Orchestras newsletter which is provided in printed form to players and Friends of the Orchestra.

From the Chairman....

Welcome to the last concert of the season.   As our Musical Director explains below it is a most attractive programme and what better way to finish than with Dvořák’s wonderful 5th Symphony (and no – it’s not just because of those splendid tunes for the cellos).  Afterwards you can come and chat in the bar and let us know what you think about things.  Nibbles have been organised to go with your drinks.

For the Orchestra and Friends the season is not quite over even then as we have the enjoyable task of choosing next year’s Bob Harding Bursary Holder on Friday 11 July.

It is a great pity as our MD again explains below that Christian is unable to participate in this concert nor in the Hayling concert (though for the best of reasons) but on the other hand we are fortunate that a previous holder of the Bursary, Jason Lai, has agreed to take over for the Hayling concert.  It will be exciting to welcome Jason back and guess what... he has selected more cello-friendly Dvořák for the programme.

The Society is approaching the end of the season in a healthy financial state but just to show that we can never be complacent some of our costs have suddenly risen by a 4-figure sum.  No cause for panic but more ingenuity required to reduce costs and increase income without sacrificing the music.  At times like this we are thankful for our loyal supporters.   Our favourite way of increasing income is by increasing the number of people listening to the music so thank you all for your support, book your season tickets and please spread the word.

I look forward to seeing you at and after the concert and hope you have an enjoyable summer.

See you again in September at Hayling and Ferneham Hall in October, but of course not forgetting the Annual General Meeting on Friday 5 September.

Tony Gutteridge

Ferneham Hall, Saturday 5 July

6.30 Pre-concert talk by David Goodall in the auditorium - all welcome
 
7.00

Interlude by Horns and Trumpets in the Octagon Lounge

Book and CD Sale in the Meon with Bargains galore!

 
7.30 The Concert
Façade Suite No 2 Walton
Violin Concerto Nielsen
Soloist: Sophie Wang
 
Interval - 20 minutes
 
Symphony No 5 in F Dvořák
 
9.30 approx end of concert

The Bar will be open and Nibbles will be served!

... then have a safe journey home

Study Days / Sessions...

The next session will be early next season in Havant on Sunday 21st September, 2.30 - 4.45, looking at two Violin Concertos - Mendelssohn for Hayling and Mozart 5 (plus the Adagio) for HCO in October.   Full details will be available on the table in the foyer on Saturday.

Best wishes

Pauline Buzzing

The VERY last chance to use your ‘Guest Ticket’ this Season!!!

Please don’t deprive someone of their chance to enjoy our music-making.  Make sure they have not attended a ‘Havant’ concert at Ferneham Hall before, then call Sandra immediately on 023 9248 3228 and collect their ticket on Saturday at Ferneham Hall.

Booking for Next Season

Margaret Packe will be at her usual spot in the Meon Area on Saturday - from 7.00pm and in the interval - to distribute the new Season Tickets or to receive your booking form, cheque and stamped, addressed envelope if you have not yet renewed.   Alternatively, please send the form, etc. to her as indicated on the booking form.

Most importantly, please don’t forget that the guarantee of your existing seats for next season expires officially on 28 JUNE!!

Hayling Island concert

Details of the Hayling Island Concert on 27 September are now available on this web site.

Tickets will be on sale at Ferneham Hall on Saturday

THE CD

Believe it or not, we have already sold 85 copies of the CD recorded at the March concert!

However, if you are still without a record(?) of that momentous occasion, there will be a supply of discs on sale at Ferneham Hall on Saturday - or by postal request if you are not able to come to the concert.

The cost of the disc is £7.00, and in addition to the Symphony by Maurice Blower, it contains Elgar’s Wand of Youth Suite No 2 and Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture.

(Postal requests to Sandra Craddock, 152 West Street, Havant, PO9 1LP with a cheque payable to HADOS for £8.00 to include post and packing please.)

UPBEAT

Hello Upbeaters!

I’ve been so busy with the Portsmouth Schools’ Music Festival - hope you were there! - that I haven’t told the Editor what I have lined up for you on Saturday.

As it’s the last meeting this season I have something really special organised for you, so do come along and find out!   (6.30pm in the Meon Area at Ferneham Hall and it’s included in the price of your ticket).

See you on Saturday

BH (Upbeat leader)

The Pre Concert Interlude

The HSO 1st horn player and 1st trumpet player are bringing along four horn players and two trumpet players to entertain you in the Octagon Lounge after the Pre-concert Talk.

More information about the players and details of the music will be available on Saturday.

Notes from the Conductor.....

I have somewhat disappointing news to relate regarding Christian Ludwig, our Bob Harding Bursary Holder.   Since accepting the Bursary last July Christian has become very much involved with the Cologne Chamber Orchestra, conducting the occasional concert and helping with administrative chores as Deputy Director.   Recently things have considerably hotted up for him owing to the illness of the Principal Conductor and Christian has had to take over more of the work.   Sadly, therefore, he will not be able to conduct the Dvořák Symphony on Saturday - nor, as announced in the May Newsletter, will he be masterminding the Hayling Island concert on 27 September.   Our sadness must be tempered with pleasure for Christian in having found at so early a stage in his career an important professional step up the ladder and we send him our best wishes with the strong feeling that he will make the most of his opportunities.   He has impressed us all with his rehearsal training and his assured conducting in the two previous HSO concerts and we shall chart his progress with considerable interest.

Now, this does mean that instead of sitting out front for the symphony as an aural spectator, I shall be on stage directing the performance.   If I’m honest, I must admit it was a bit of a wrench offering one of my favourite Dvořák symphonies to Christian in the first place but I thought he deserved the opportunity to conduct a major large-scale piece and the work he has done so far in rehearsal will have been extremely helpful - especially to the strings.

When you read Terry Barfoot’s note on the symphony (Programme page 43) you cannot help but sense the exuberance and excitement this fine work generates.   As with all of Dvořák’s symphonic music there is a combination of dance and drama - the latter often in heroic proportions and the thread of the musical continuity is so carefully plotted and balanced that it carries the listener forward in the surge, alert at every stage, with no sleepy doze-zones.   There is one feature in our performance to which I must draw your attention and that relates directly to musical continuity.   Instead of separating the slow movement (Andante) from the ultra-contrasting third movement Scherzo, Dvořák links them by using some Andante material (including a variant of the big cello tune) as a brief, teasing introduction, adding in the score the direction ‘dopo una piccola pausa si continua’ - after a brief pause carry on.   Thus no time for coughing, shuffling or rustling between these two movements!

Continuity of structure is also an important feature of Nielsen’s magnificent Violin Concerto with, effectively, four movements fused into two.   Movement 1 begins with a striking cadenza for the soloist using a style of virtuosity not dissimilar to that of Bach’s solo violin partitas/sonatas.   This gradually subsides into a calm, gentle folk-like tune which later develops its own turbulence before sinking gently down once more and leading directly into the main allegro - a proud haughty march.  In Movement 2 homage is again paid to Bach in the use of the notational BACH motif (B flat, A, C, B natural) in the slow introduction.   The final section - a jovial bouncing Rondo - has the same sort of dance character as the finale of Beethoven’s violin concerto.   There are many moments of great beauty in this work as well as impassioned virtuoso writing for the violin and we eagerly await the arrival of our distinguished Chinese soloist, Sophie Wang for the afternoon rehearsal when many of the orchestra will be hearing the solo part for the very first time!

Before the heady Nielsen concerto we have a rather more light-hearted and quite frizzante cocktail in the form of Walton’s 2nd Façade Suite whose dance-orientated metres will excite the pulses and set the feet a-tapping (molto pianissimo).

I would like to thank all our concert-goers for their warm support during the season.   Happily we have resolved some of our recent acoustic problems by tieing the curtains right back.   The greater area of reflective surface on-stage will give a truer sound-picture of our efforts in imparting balance and warmth to the music.

Have a most enjoyable concert!

Peter Craddock

Formal Notice

The 40th Annual General Meeting of

Havant and District Orchestral Society

will take place on Friday, 5 September, 2008 at 7.00pm

at St. Faith’s Church Hall, The Pallant, Havant.

Agendas and Annual Financial Reports are available in advance from the Chairman or at the hall immediately prior to the meeting.

All Members of the Orchestral Society, Playing and Non-playing, which includes season ticket holders, are eligible and welcome to attend.

Refreshments will be served and the evening will conclude with a rehearsal to which Non-playing members are invited.

Nominations for election to the Committee may be sent to the Chairman in advance (with the names of candidate, proposer and seconder) or submitted at the meeting.   Places are available on the Committee.   If you would like to join us and feel that you could fill a useful role, please let Tony Gutteridge know so that you can be nominated.

A HUGE Thank You...

...to BH, Friends Secretary, for all the effort and thought she puts into the organisation known at The Friends.   She has been Secretary since The Friends was (were?) established in about 1987 and has raised thousands of pounds to support the Orchestras.

If you would like to join this helpful group, please pick up a donation form on Saturday.   You can be a Friend whether you are a player, season ticket holder or an occasional attender at concerts.   Gifts can be gift-aided to enhance your donation but, in line with the Charities Act, there are no monetary benefits for tickets, etc.   However, one special advantage of joining The Friends is that, with the Musical Director's agreement, you may attend the final rehearsal (Saturday afternoon, 2.00pm) for each concert when the complete orchestra meets with the soloist for the very first time.

CDs for next Season

Gade  Symphony No 4
Danish National Radio SO / Hogwood
CHAN 9957   Full Price

Lalo  Cello Concerto
Sophie Rolland / BBC PO Varga
ASV CD DCA 867   Full Price

Glazunov  Symphony No 6
Bamberg SO / Jarvi
Orfeo C 157201A   Full Price

Sibelius  Scènes Historiques
RSNO / Gibson
CHAN 6591  Full Price

Berwald  Sinfonie Singulière
Danish National Radio SO / Dausgaard
CHAN 9921  Full Price

AND STILL More! CDs FOR SALE

plus

BOOKS ON MUSIC, SHEET MUSIC and MINIATURE SCORES

Browse before the concert, during the interval and afterwards as well!

enormous selection at BARGAIN prices

10% of Sale Price to Orchestra Funds

And finally ....

a really big Thank You to all the Players for their wonderful music-making this season and to all our listeners for supporting the players.

Have a wonderful summer and .... see you all again NEXT SEASON!


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