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Newsletter |
December 2010
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Libor Novacek
Libor’s last performances before the end of the year took place in Bristol and Biggar,
Scotland. Both concerts were in danger of cancellation due to the wintry weather which
hit the UK.
Luckily, one of the very few open airports in the UK on the 1st December was Bristol,
where Libor landed the night before his recital at St Georges, Brandon Hill. This was
his second concert at this amazing venue, which together with the Wigmore Hall and
Potton Hall, Suffolk are Libor’s favourite concert halls in the UK. The audience in
Bristol gave Libor enthusiastic cheers and a standing ovation after his Haydn Sonata and
Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.
His second concert (a week later in Biggar, Scotland) was also nearly cancelled. Libor
was on the first train up to Edinburgh after several days of severe disruptions and
cancellations. Luckily the snow started melting the night before his trip and he made it
safe to a welcoming Biggar and its music club. Performing Haydn, Chopin, Janacek and
Liszt on a lovely 1898 Steinway was the perfect ending to his busy schedule which since
September took him twice to Ireland, twice to Germany and saw him perform several
concerts in Spain and the UK.
Libor is now safely home in Spain and is enjoying free time with his fiancée and Nessie
the dog and wishes you all a very merry Christmas and lots of wonderful musical moments
in 2011.
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Carducci Quartet
This autumn has seen the Carducci Quartet performing on five continents! They began by
making a return visit to Colombia, South America, where they played in some of the
country’s most prestigious chamber music venues, as well as a trip to the Amazon Jungle!
Then it was off to Australia, stopping off for a performance for Dubai Concerts
Committee en route. The quartet then toured the USA, performing mainly in the New York
area. Back in the UK in December the Carducci performed in Huddersfield, for Music in
the Round in Sheffield and at Wigmore Hall, a family concert sponsored by Cavatina
Chamber Music Trust. In January highlights include a Wigmore Hall Coffee Concert (16th)
and the start of 2 new residencies at Dean Close and Repton schools.
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Leslie Howard
Leslie Howard finishes 2010 with concerts and masterclasses in Italy, and returns home
to London to prepare for the busiest year of his professional life: in 2011 he will
celebrate Liszt’s 200th Anniversary with 80 concerts all over the world, beginning with
a recital at Wigmore Hall on 14th January which will include 2 world premiere
performances. He will appear on Radio 3’s In Tune programme on 13 January whilst at the
very beginning of the year he will appear on Radio 4’s Front Row Programme in a
discussion on Liszt with Barry Douglas.
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Galliard Ensemble
The Galliard Ensemble have just enjoyed one of their busiest periods - in more ways than
one! In November they completed a very successful and enjoyable for all concerned, tour
of Scotland. In 12 days they performed 27 different works in 12 concerts with seemingly
12 different types of weather!
"We always lucky to meet very nice people running music clubs but we were truly taken
aback by the overflowing warmth offered to us by the clubs in Scotland. We felt we made
great new friends" said clarinettist Katherine Spencer.
Helen Simons (bassoon) said "String quartets are often lucky enough to go on long tours
together whereas wind quintets tend to perform in short bursts. So it was great to have
so many concerts together and enjoy the opportunity to really grow musically together."
As soon as this tour had finished, they headed south to an exciting concert in the Bath
Mozart festival where they performed in front of packed Guildhall to a highly
appreciative audience. Very shortly afterwards Helen gave birth to an enormous baby
Ben, 9lbs 6oz!, and unfortunately Kathryn was hospitalised with ruptured appendix,
sepsis and peritonitis. However she is now well on the way to a full recovery. The
Galliard final concert of the year was a very successful one in Sidmouth and all members
of the Quintet are now looking forward to many more concerts and tours next year and
would all like to wish you a happy and healthy New Year.
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Hugo Ticciati
In November/December Hugo enjoyed an exciting (and action-packed) five-week tour in Asia
with pianist and early keyboard specialist Michael Tsalka. His first stop was Pingxiang,
South China, where he performed and gave a series of masterclasses (both broadcast on
the local television). Hugo then made two recordings for Hong Kong Radio 4 (one with
harpsichord and the other with piano). The next concerts were in Beijing (The Forbidden
City Concert Hall-one of the finest chamber music halls in China), Wuhan (The Qintai
Concert Hall) and the China Conservatory, where he also gave masterclasses. The
remaining concerts were in Taiwan. All bodes well for an eventful 2011.
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Smetana Trio
In November the Trio played live for Czech TV in a prestigious cycle of Advent concerts.
They have just completed a very successful tour of France with the Orchestre Nationale
des Pays de la Loire, conducted by John Axelyod performing the Beethoven Triple Concerto.
They are looking forward to their visit to the UK at the end of January which will include
a concert at Abbotsholme School on 31st.
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James Barralet
James’s busy schedule has included guest principal cello roles at several of the UK’s
top orchestras as well as his solo activities. Concerts in January include his debut at
the Kendal Midday Concert Club on 19 January. The formation of a new chamber ensemble -
the Williamson Clarinet Trio - with Sarah Williamson and John Reid, as well as his
established group, the Bacchus Piano Trio, promises for an exciting future of chamber
music making.
The Bacchus Piano Trio
The Bacchus Piano Trio will begin a series of UK concerts at the Conway Hall in London
on the 30th January. Future plans include a possible tour of China and Australia.
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Katona Twins
Peter and Zoltan gave this year’s final concert in a packed St. Georges Hall on 14
December. The concert had been sold out a month previously, but there will be video
footage soon on the Katona Twins’ YouTube channel. The twins are looking forward to
their next UK concert in Hexham on 14 January and then an exciting concert with
percussionists O Duo on 16 January in Marlborough College.
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Jason Thornton
In December Jason is working with James Oxley in Finzi’s Dies Natalis and at New Year
with pianist Benjamin Grosvenor on Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.2. Future performances
include the Elgar Cello Concerto with Tim Hugh and Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto
with Peter Donohoe.
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James Mottram
International Piano Competition
The competition took place at the RNCM, finishing on 4 December. The winner was Kiryl
Keduk from Belarus performing the Chopin Concerto No 1. Kiryl was born in 1987 and began
lessons at the age of 7 with Natalia Latyszewa and is currently studying at the
Accademia Pianistica Inconti Col Maestro, Italy with Boris Petrshansky. He has won
numerous prizes and awards, including first prize in the Minsk National Piano Competition
and Antonin International Chopin competition for Young Pianists. He has performed in
New York, Milan, Poland and the Ukraine.
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Madeleine Mitchell
Madeleine Mitchell has been invited to be classical artist on board a 3 week cruise from
the UK to the Caribbean December/January, performing popular classics including Bruch,
Mendelssohn and Vivaldi violin concertos as well as sonatas and short pieces. Her recent
performance in Scotland’s SOUND festival was reviewed by the Scotsman who described it
as ’a superb recital’. In January she makes another recording for the ABRSM.
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Sarah Williamson
Sarah recently gave 2 performances of the Finzi concerto with Orchestra of the Swan in
Stratford and Birmingham. Both concerts played to highly appreciative, capacity audiences.
A wonderful opportunity to re-embrace this work after the successful release of their
recording in April.
Sarah has made 2 visits to Cork to perform with the Vanbrugh Quartet, which she
considered a real privilege. She loved Ireland and the concerts were based at Cork
University where there was a very friendly audience indeed. She also enjoyed taking the
workshops at the Cork School of Music - all the pupils were excellent and lovely to work
with.
On 9 December Sarah was delighted to be invited to take part in a concert for the Prince’s
Foundation for Children and the Arts and to see all the amazing work they do for children.
She was thrilled to meet Brian blessed and John Suchet and to share a real feeling of
comradeship as everyone was there for charity. The only downside was that it was the
night of the student protests so through every pianissimo was the sound of police siren -
hopefully this will all be edited out for the Classic FM 8pm broadcast on Christmas
Eve!
Sarah is looking forward to her next appearance on In Tune which will be on 11
January when she will play the Mozart Kegelstatt Trio K.498 for clarinet, viola and piano
as part of the huge Radio 3 celebration of the Genius of Mozart. She is then off to
Scunthorpe on 14 and Truro on 21st.
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The RTE Vanbrugh Quartet
The Beethoven cycle at Cadogan was a huge success this autumn, marking the quartet’s
25th anniversary. There is a wonderful video on their website of a TV programme charting
the progress of the quartet from its very beginning. http://www.vanbrughquartet.com/video.htm
They gave further Beethoven cycles in Ireland and will be returning to the UK in February
for a concert in Ipswich on 19 with Michael Collins and Lincoln on 20.
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