Saturday 14 May 2011

THIRD DRAPERS' CONCERT: 4 MAY

The conclusion of 17th Concert Season and the 51st concert in the Hall was on Tuesday evening.  It was a great end to the season and featured musicians from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

The programme, performed before a packed Livery Hall, began and ended with excellent performances by the Carter Wind Quartet - comprising Emily Heathcoate, clarinet, Holly Rearden, bassoon, Emma Whitney, horn, Mary Noden, oboe and Jessica Lowe, flute. Jason Anderson, a premising young composer was on piano. The Quartet started with a performance of Mozart and concluded with a most interesting composition by Poulenc.

The remainder of the programme was a number of pieces played by Grace Yeo on piano.  These were Schubert Impromptu D935,  Schumann Sonata No2 in G Minor Op 22, Ravel Ondine from Gaspard de la Nuit and concluded with three pieces by Liszt: Sonetto de Petraca 104, Concert etude Gnomenreigen and Concert Paraphrase on Verdi's Rigoletto. Grace gave very impressive performances that fully explored the emotional aspects of the compositions.  She held the audience spell-bound. 

Principal Barry Ife and Professor Joan Harvill of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama were present.  They have been great supporters of the Company's concert programme in the past and their enthusiasm for for what we do is much appreciated.

In my summary at the end of the performances I gave particular thanks to Sir Nicholas Jackson Bt who started the programme off in 1995 and with careful planning and imaginative choices of programme has seen it go from strength to strength.

I further noted that Sir Nicholas, in his capacity of Director of the Concertante of London, was giving a baroque recital at the Banqueting House, Whitehall on Monday 4 July with a programme including Vivaldi, Bach, Handel concluding with a full performance of the latter composer's Ode to Queen Anne's Birthday (1713).

We now look forward to the 18th season next spring.

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