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Newsletter for July 2011

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.

From the Chairman …

We finish the season in style with the Brahms symphony.  When I have been looking for extra players to fill gaps caused by illness etc I had only to mention this symphony and they were hooked.  In addition we have the treat of a fine but less well known Delius work with the splendid Leland Chen as soloist, and two extremely colourful works to start with.  Sam Draper, our Bob Harding Bursary holder will conduct the Balakirev at his final Ferneham Hall concert but don’t forget he will conduct the whole of the Hayling Island concert on September 24.  The audition to select his successor takes place on 8 July and I hope to see many Friends of the Orchestras there to enjoy the competition (and Beryl’s wonderful food).

Last Sunday the Friends organised another delightful Garden Party at Margaret and Geoff Prout’s beautiful home.  This raised nearly £400 for the Orchestras and we are extremely grateful to Margaret and Geoff, to Geoff Porter the Friends’ Secretary, to Stuart Reed (HSO 2nd violin) and his Cool Classics Quintet who added so much to the atmosphere of the afternoon and to everyone else who made it such a success.

You will have seen next season’s programme by now and I hope you agree there is plenty of music in it worthy of our 50th season.  David Willetts, MP for Havant has agreed to become the Society’s President for the season and we shall soon have news of others who will help us to celebrate our anniversary.

Meanwhile, Margaret Packe, our Tickets Secretary, tells me that Season Ticket numbers are coming along well.  This really is one of the best ways to support us and if you can’t attend a concert you are encouraged to pass your ticket to someone else – which could well result in another Season Ticket Holder!

My 1000 miles walking for the Havant Orchestras has nearly reached 600 miles and over £400.  You can still add your name to the list if you wish at the Friends’ table on Saturday.

I hope you all enjoy the concert, have a good summer and come back eager for more music in the autumn.

Tony Gutteridge
(023 9247 4681 or acg@waitrose.com)

Saturday 2 July – Music and Events

6.30 Pre-concert talk in the Auditorium by David Goodall – on DELIUS’ Violin Concerto
and Upbeat Club for younger listeners.
7.00 No Interlude (apologies) but time to meet The Friends and peruse Books, Music, CDs, Jewellery, all in the Meon Room
7.30 The Concert
Joyeuse Marche  Chabrier 
In Bohemia  Balakirev 
Violin Concerto 
Soloist:  Leland Chen 
Delius 
Interval – 20 minutes
Symphony No 2  Brahms 
9.35 approx   end of the concert
and
Please join us in the Bar to Celebrate the end of this season – AND the anticipation of the next!

Bon voyage & see you again soon!

Notes from the Conductor …

First a note on our performance of Brahms’ 2nd Symphony ….

Part of the Classical Period tradition was that it repeated the first section of the opening movement (the Exposition – wherein all the main themes were initially exposed).  Hearing these themes twice meant that the listener could follow their tortuous progress throughout the next section (the Development) more readily.  When the third and final section (the Recapitulation) was reached, the themes were brought back, usually in their pristine form but occasionally changed in the light of Development.

Brahms, being the Romantic-Classic that he was, followed the tradition in his first three symphonies, but not in the fourth.  However, it could be argued that his themes are so distinctive and usually symphonically evolving that the Exposition repeat is not really needed and the form and flow of the movement is more coherent without this artificial back-tracking.  It is for this reason that I decided NOT to adhere to regular Brahms’ performance tradition which usually plays this repeat in Symphony No 2, but to omit those five extra minutes and move on directly to the Development section – which Brahms engineered so beautifully.  Additionally here, when the composer brings back his material in the Recapitulation it is oddly more or less identical with its first hearing – save for some key adjustments.  Had we had the Exposition repeat, then we would have heard the same material thrice, and unchanged.

Now, rather than shortfall the length of your listening, I decided to add a brief extra work at the beginning of the concert to make up for it.  This is the high-spirited ‘Marche francaise’ or ‘Joyeuse marche’ of Chabrier which engages all the participants used elsewhere in the concert.  When this fizzy, pot-boiler was first performed in 1888 it was linked with a companion piece – the Prélude pastoral – which seems to have disappeared totally off the map.  We shall thus get the concert off with a smiling launch – much better than starting from ‘cold’ with the down-to-earth and more serious folk tones of the Balakirev which Sam Draper will conduct.

Maybe the Chabrier will help settle the tuning, ensemble and balance ready for Sam in the Balakirev, as well as jollying us all up!

The lovely Delius Violin Concerto which follows the Balakirev is an equally tough assignment but in a different way.  The solo part which dominates the whole length of the work with scant relief is extremely flexible bar-by-bar and the level of concentration from the accompanying forces will need to be extremely high.  The prospect of performing this work with such a wonderfully toned and expressive violinist of the calibre of Leland Chen is mouth-watering!  Such beautiful sounds.

Having burbled on at length about the programme, there isn’t enough room to acknowledge by name those extra players and more regular guests who complete our orchestra on Saturday.  We extend our grateful thanks to all of them and hope they will enjoy their evening.

May we look forward to seeing you all again next season - the 50th Anniversary of HSO.

Lots of fun and festivities in store …

Peter Craddock

UPBEAT CLUB!  at 6.30

Hello all Young (and young-at-heart) Concert Attenders!

I am looking forward to seeing you all at Upbeat Club’s Surprise Meeting on Saturday in the Meon Room.  All will be revealed at 6.30pm.

Do NOT be late!

Best wishes,

Becky Hill

CD ideas for this concert

Sourced by GE and Peter Craddock*

*Chabrier  Joyeuse marche
Vienna Phil/ John Eliot Gardiner
c/w Suite pastorale, Habanera, España, Prélude pastoral, Larghetto for horn/orch, Fete polonaise, etc.
Deutsche Grammophon 447 751-2 Full price

Balakirev  In Bohemia
USSR SO / Svetlanov
c/w Symphonies 1 & 2, Islamey, Tamara and 3 overtures
Melodiya  74321 49608 ?Mid-price

Brahms  Symphony No 2
LPO / Jurowski
c/w Symphony No 1
LPO 0043  2 Mid-priced discs

CDs for Sale (1)

We still have a few copies of Viv McLean’s debut CD for sale (£10 each).  They will be on the Table in the Foyer on Saturday.

The live recording was made at the Wigmore Hall and the programme is:

Brahms – Two Rhapsodies, Op 79
Liszt – Six Consolations, S172
Schubert – Sonata in B flat, D960 and
Grieg – Arietta from the Lyric Pieces.

CDs for Sale (2)

Following the successful performances of two new works by Maurice Blower at the Concerto Evening, copies of HSO’s recording of his Symphony in C will be on sale on Saturday in the Foyer.

The CD includes Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture and Elgar’s Wand of Youth Suite No 2 and retails at £7.00.

CDs for Sale (3)

Hundreds of NEW CDs plus SHEET MUSIC, BOOKS, MINIATURE SCORES and JEWELLERY. 

Browse in the Meon Room before the concert, at the interval and afterwards!

10% to Orchestra Funds

Brochures for 2011-12

We have a large stock of brochures waiting for homes.  Please offer to distribute some so that next season can be enjoyed by very many more music-lovers – who don’t already know about our exciting PROGRAMMES, wonderful SOLOISTS and amazing ORCHESTRAS!

There will be copies at Ferneham Hall on Saturday – or leave your name and we’ll arrange delivery.

Many Thanks

Formal Notice of AGM

The 43rd Annual General Meeting of Havant and District Orchestral Society will take place on Friday 9 September 2011 at 7.00pm at St Faith’s Church Hall, The Pallant, Havant

Agendas & Annual Financial Reports are available from the Secretary or at the hall on the night.  All Orchestral Society Members, Playing and Non-playing, including Season Ticket Holders, are eligible and welcome to attend.

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

Places are available on the Committee and nominations for election may be sent to the Chairman in advance (with the names of candidate, proposer and seconder) or submitted at the meeting.

(Our AGMs usually last about 1 hour so there is plenty of time for the music!)

Saturday 24 September at 7.30pm

Hayling Island Community Centre

Havant Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Samuel Draper

Overture Euryanthe  Weber
Violin Concerto  to be confirmed
Soloist  Horia Vacarescu
Symphony No 8  Dvorak

Tickets:  £9.00; 
Students – £3.00 
Seniors & Orch Soc Members – £7.00
on sale at:  Ferneham Hall – 2 July; St Faith’s - 8 July and 9 September; in person from HICC; and HI Bookshop, Mengham and by post from Margaret Packe, 1 Beacon Square, Emsworth, PO10 7HU (+sae) from mid July.  Cheques payable to HADOS, please

Many thanks also …

… to all the Musicians who have delighted the Listeners during the Season.

All good wishes for the Summer Break and come back rejuvenated for another Super Season in September!

Other Musical Events

Saturday 25 June, 7.30pm
United Reformed Church, Hayling Island
Cantemus 25th Anniversary Concert

Vivaldi - Gloria
Haydn - Little Organ Mass
Handel - Zadok
Purcell - Rejoice in the Lord

Tickets £8 at the door..


Thursdays at 1.00pm until September
St Mary’s Church, PORTCHESTER CASTLE,
Lunchtime Recitals  Food available.  Retiring collection.


Sunday 24 July, 7.30pm
Church of the Resurrection, Drayton
Portsmouth Phiharmonia, Emma Moraich, flute

Overture Marriage of Figaro  Mozart
Flute Concerto in G  Mozart
Symphony No 2  Borodin

Tickets £5; conc £4; child £1 at the door.

Society Contact Details are at the back of the current Programme Book.

Contact information can also be found on the Contacts page within this web site.


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