This is an edited version of the Havant Orchestras newsletter which is provided in printed form (or e-mailed in PDF format, if requested) to players and Friends of the Orchestras.

We congratulate Peter Craddock, founder of the Havant Orchestras, on being awarded the British Empire Medal in the New Year Honours!

From the Chairman …

We hugely enjoyed the first main Havant Symphony Orchestra concert of the new season at Oaklands in December, with our new principal conductor Jonathan Butcher, student conductor Ignatius Wang and brilliant pianist Viv McLean.

We were also very pleased to have continued to maintain high standards after last year’s HSO policy changes meant we were unable to retain a few of our most experienced players.  The HSO orchestral manager, Tony Gutteridge, has been working his usual miracles in finding and trying out new players, and we hope we are moving rapidly towards completing our new regular line-up.

The joyful melodies of Borodin, Rachmaninov and Rimsky-Korsakov were still running around in my head weeks later when we heard the excellent news that Peter Craddock had been awarded the British Empire Medal for services to music in the New Year Honours, in particular for his work as founder and musical director of the Havant Orchestras.  I believe we should thank two former chairmen of the society, Tony Gutteridge and Steve Bartholomew, for putting together Peter’s nomination, and many others including our President, David Willetts MP, for supporting it.  Peter will be presented with the medal by the Lord- Lieutenant of Hampshire later this year and will also be invited to attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace.

We are now looking forward to a delightful Havant Chamber Orchestra concert with the much-anticipated highlight of Cordelia Williams playing Beethoven’s fourth piano concerto.  This is the third time we have arranged for Cordelia to play with us; the first time her obligations elsewhere (as 2006 winner of the piano section of the BBC Young Musician competition) had to take precedence, and the second attempt in 2010 was defeated by snow.  We are definitely hoping for third time lucky!

Jonathan Scott
chairman.havantorchestras@gmail.com
Tel: 023 8026 1372

Saturday 7th February’s Programme

at Ferneham Hall, Fareham

Pre-concert Talk

6:30pm in the auditorium

Peter Rhodes will be giving a talk on "Beethoven and the Concerto". 

Pre-Concert Interlude

7:00pm in the main hall

The pre-concert music will be provided by a string trio, pupils of Havant Orchestras players Barbara and Robert Martin. 

Notes from the conductor…

Happy New Year, everyone!  I realise it's a little late for that but, as I write, it’s still the opening month of 2015.  Havant Chamber Orchestra and I are looking forward to welcoming you to some more fabulous concerts throughout this year.  We're still planning the next season, of course, but we’ve some great music lined up for February and May.

Our first concert opens with Mozart’s little overture to one of his lesser-known Operas, Die Schauspieldirektor – otherwise known as the Impresario.  Written in the same year as the more famous Marriage of Figaro, Mozart wrote this for a kind of competition of its day.  It's a typically brilliant, light and witty overture.  Hearing Mozart cannot fail to cheer you up – I hope this overture is no exception.

Three of the most famous items from Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream continue the first half, including the quicksilver and utterly breathtaking Scherzo. This is also amongst the trickier items in the orchestral repertoire – but of course you won't think that when we play it!

I'm hugely looking forward to working with our soloist for the Beethoven 4th concerto, Cordelia Williams.  I heard her at the Wigmore last year, playing Schumann, and again at the unveiling of the new Turner Sims (where I know she’s just been making a recording, too, earlier this month).  Having chatted with her, I know she loves the 4th concerto more than any other – something I agree with.  No matter how fabulous the 3rd or mighty Emperor may be, it’s always the 4th which I love the most.  Perhaps you agree?  Or perhaps not... Either way, I’d love to hear your views – send me a message via my website, I’m genuinely fascinated.  What is YOUR favourite piano concerto?

Haydn 99 ends our lovely mid-winter programme.  Not only is this in the VERY best of all keys – E♭ major – but it must also rank as one of the greatest symphonies in that key, too.  If you think about it, this is a strong list, containing some incredible works: Beethoven’s Eroica, Bruckner 4, Sibelius 5, and Mahler 8 spring to mind.  But Haydn 99 is right up there, too – such a brilliantly-conceived, pithy masterpiece.  I sincerely hope you enjoy all the music this year, and this concert in particular.  As I wrote above, I warmly invite you to send me some feedback – I’d be delighted to hear from you. 

Robin Browning
www.robinbrowning.com

Cordelia’s CDs

CD recordings by Cordelia Williams will be available for sale during the interval.

CDs for this concert

Sourced by Gordon Egerton (Clarinet)

Mozart - The Impresario overture, K.486
Staatskapelle Dresden, Sir Colin Davis
(c/w other Mozart overtures).
RCA 7452 1566982 £7.50.

Mendelssohn - A Midsummers Night's Dream
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra,
Riccardo Chailly
(c/w 'Ruy Blas' overture [first version] and the two Piano Concertos).
Decca 4810778 £11.50.

Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 4
Maria Joao Pires, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Harding
(c/w Piano Concerto no.3).
Onyx ONYX 4125, normally £11.50, £8.80 from Presto.

Haydn - Symphony No. 99
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra,
Sir Colin Davis
(c/w Symphonies Nos. 93, 94, 97, 100, and 101).
Decca Duo 442 6142 £11.50.

Peter Craddock awarded BEM

We were all thrilled to hear that our founder and Musical Director for the first 50 years of the Havant Orchestras, Peter Craddock, was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to music in the 2015 New Year Honours List.

He has since been inundated with letters of congratulation from bodies such as the Arts Council and the Incorporated Society of Musicians and was delighted to be invited to afternoon tea with the Mayor of Havant, Marjorie Smallcorn, on Friday 23^rd January.

Also invited were the two former Chairmen of HADOS who had proposed Peter for the Honour, Steve Bartholomew and Tony Gutteridge; David Willetts MP and former Mayor of Havant Gerry Shimbart, who had both given their wholehearted support to the application, and Jonathan and Stella Scott, representing the current Committee.  Tony and Jonathan were unfortunately unable to attend, but the others were treated to a delicious tea with sandwiches and cake and made very welcome by the Mayor and her staff.

David Willetts and Gerry Shimbart both congratulated Peter and praised the substantial contribution he has made to cultural life in Havant. It was particularly noted that he had remained loyal to the Borough, keeping ‘Havant’ in the names of both orchestras even when they needed to move to Fareham in search of a suitable concert venue.

Peter recalled how he had been given the job of Head of Music at the new Havant Grammar School without even an interview and how this had led to him being asked to start an evening class in orchestral playing.  Of course if he hadn’t also been teaching at Barton Peveril School in Eastleigh he would not have met Sandra…

And the rest, as they say, is history!

Congratulations, Peter, from everyone still benefitting from all your hard work.  We hope that from the firm foundations you and Sandra built, we will be able to continue for at least another 50 years!

Stella Scott
havantorchestras@gmail.com
Tel: 023 8026 1372

Guide Awards

The Portsmouth News is a great supporter of local live entertainment and their ‘Guide’ Awards, which are now 10 years old, include an award for Best Classical Act, voted for by readers of the paper.  This year the ten nominations included Havant Chamber Orchestra and three individuals who are closely associated with the Orchestras: Rob Blanken, Karen Kingsley and Colin Jagger.

Colin Jagger and the Havant Chamber Orchestra reached the final shortlist of six who were invited to attend the presentation evening at the Kings Theatre in Southsea.  Our congratulations go to the runners up, Portsmouth Baroque Choir, and winners, The Renaissance Choir!

Stella Scott
havantorchestras@gmail.com
Tel: 023 8026 1372

Alexander Sitkovetsky award

Speaking of awards – one of our favourite soloists, violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky, has just been announced as the winner of a Special Achievement Award by the International Classical Music Awards for his part in a recent recording of the complete works of Andrzej Panufnik.  This is fantastic news for Sasha and we send him our hearty congratulations.  The downside to this, from our point of view, is that the award will be presented to him on 28th March – the very date on which he was to have played the Sibelius concerto with Havant Symphony Orchestra!  Sasha is very sorry to have to miss playing with us at Oaklands and promises to find us a replacement very soon.  We will let you know who it is as soon as we can!

Stella Scott
havantorchestras@gmail.com
Tel: 023 8026 1372

Saturday 28th March 2015

Havant Symphony Orchestra

at Oaklands School, Waterlooville

Conductors: Jonathan Butcher, Ignatius Wang*

Leader: Cathy Mathews

Other Musical Events

Thursday 12 February 7.30 pm
at Portsmouth Guildhall
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Prokofiev ‘Lieutenant Kije Suite’,
Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto (soloist: Tasmin Little) &
Tchaikovsky Symphony No.1 “Winter Daydreams”
conducted by Daniele Rustioni.

Monday 16 February 7.30 pm
at The Harlequin Room,
Portsmouth Guildhall
Trio Martinu (Violin, Cello & Piano)
Suk, Dvorak & Schubert.

Saturday 28 February 7.30 pm
in St. Faith’s Church, Havant
The Solent Male Voice Choir
A Welcome Concert for Havant’s New Rector. Retiring Collection.

Thursday 5 March 7.30 pm
at Portsmouth Guildhall
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 24 K.491 (soloist: Gerhard Oppitz) &
Mahler Symphony No. 9
conducted by Karl-Heinz Steffens.

Saturday 7 March 7.30 pm
at Portsmouth Anglican Cathedral
Portsmouth Choral Union
Faure Requiem,
Finzi ‘Lo, The Full, Final Sacrifice’,
Elgar ‘Great is the Lord’ & ‘Give Unto the Lord’.

Thursday 19 March 7.30 pm
Stansted House
Los Ladrones
Sullivan without Gilbert
or The Operas that Got Away
Extracts from Sullivan’s operas and a complete concert performance of “The Zoo”.
Tickets £10 from 02392 412265.

Friday 20 March 7.30 pm
at Portsmouth Guildhall
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
‘A Night at the Ballet’ Delibes, Herold, Khachaturian, Chopin, Prokofiev & Tchaikovsky conducted by Martin Andre.

Society contact information can be found on the Contacts page within this web site.