Drumbeat April 2009
As a very busy season nears its close, after staging nine events we’re feeling ready for a summer break; like you, no doubt, we hear the call of the water and the woods getting stronger by the day! But first we must thank all who have attended our varied presentations and shown such enthusiasm for the performers we’ve been able to bring to the village. And we’d like to express special thanks to those who signed up as FLEAs (for the uninitiated, Friends of Lympstone Entertainments AHOY!) and who’ve helped us in so many ways. But of course we can always use more support, particularly from strong younger men. An emailed offer to join the team is all it takes.
Harland, John W and John ET
BUT FIRST, MORE ABOUT THAT CONCERT FOR ALL THE FAMILY – WHERE UNDER 16s GET IN FREE OF CHARGE!
The Clarion Clarinet Quartet play music in a wide range of styles from Jazz to the Classics. Their May concert for Lympstone will be designed for an all age audience and include Leopold Mozart’s delightful ‘Toy Symphony’ (listen for the first Cuckoo of your summer). Other music will include jazz and light classics and a very entertaining version of ‘The Three Billy Goats Gruff’ for Clarinet Quartet and Voice. Pupils from St Peter’s School will be joining the Quartet for part of the concert.
Most music for clarinet quartet is arranged from other combinations of instruments but the quartet actively seeks music specifically written for the clarinet family of instruments. At a typical Clarion concert you are likely to hear up to six different sorts of clarinet, from the high pitched E flat clarinet down to the bass clarinet which is so large that it has a bell that rests on the floor. (In the concert, Little Billy Goat Gruff will be represented by the tiny E flat Clarinet while the Troll is appropriately matched by the deep notes of the Bass Clarinet).
Richard de la Rue (far right) and John Walthew (second from right) are founding members of the Quartet, joined more recently by Barry Parsons (at left) and John Welton (seated). Richard started playing the clarinet at 16 in the Rifle Brigade. He later played solo clarinet in the Welsh Guards and then became a member of the Sandhurst band. Since demob in 1985 Richard has taught the clarinet, led the clarinet section in local orchestras and as a freelance musician. John Walthew’s father and grandfather were both eminent musicians. John was a clarinettist with the Life Guards and then had a career teaching art and then the clarinet. John plays in local orchestras, chamber music groups and as a freelance musician. Barry Parsons studied the clarinet at the London College of Music, taught the clarinet at Highgate School before coming to live in Devon. John Welton started to learn the clarinet at school when he was 11 and now plays bass clarinet in the quartet (he was recently overheard to say that he picked up some tips on providing the rhythmic drive from Shirley, the Kosmos cellist); he also plays in various chamber music groups and orchestras.
The Clarion Clarinet Quartet’s Concert for the Family will be held in the Parish Church, by kind permission of the Rector, at 7.30pm on Friday 8th May. Tickets are now on sale at the Post Office price £5 with FREE ENTRY FOR UNDER 16s, or ring our ticket hotline NOW on 01395 263928.
KOSMOS STRING TRIO - FROM BARTOK TO HIP-HOP!
a review by Barbara Neason
I quote - “Kosmos is an innovative ensemble that composes original music in which there is space for improvisation. Kosmos offers a unique sound free from borders or labels. It aims to explore the boundaries of western classical music with Eastern European, Gypsy, Balkan, Klezmer and Tango with contemporary influences.”
A tall order you may think but their recent Lympstone audience were not disappointed. We were taken on a journey from Russia, where they enchanted us with their unique brand of Russian Jewish wedding music known as Klezmer, to Spain where we longed to dance to their toe-tapping tango. En route they proved they were exciting and worthy contributors to the World Music scene moving effortlessly from classical music through folk to pop with sparkling panache and effectively blurring established boundaries. They employed a full spectrum of string techniques from rapid trills, glissandos, broken chords to pizzicato with great effect.
It is interesting to note that all three instrumentalists are graduates of British Schools of Music and trained in the classical tradition. Harriet, first violin, gained a first class honours degree at the Royal Academy of Music and has subsequently travelled widely performing with the Concertgebouwe in Amsterdam, at the Marble Hall, Budapest and the Expo-Dome in Japan. She has been invited to play with the Florestan Trio in the Steven Isserlis Saint-Saens Festival at the Wigmore Hall. Meg, who switches to viola when playing with Kosmos, trained as a violinist at Trinity College of Music and won a Millennium Award from the Jewish Institute which funded her study of Klezmer music as it was played by Jewish professional musicians in the nineteenth century. She enjoys playing music from Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey and Romania but also performs with London classical orchestras. Shirley, cellist, recently returned from 10 years in the Middle East and, like Harriet, graduated from the Royal Academy. She is a new recruit and is obviously contributing her own infectious brand of expertise.
All three were great performers and natural communicators. They looked good and were obviously enjoying themselves. Improvisational skills being reinforced during their, I swear, genuinely unrehearsed and distinctly jazzy encore!
I am sure we will be hearing more of this talented trio. Thank you to Lympstone Entertainments!
The KOSMOS concert was another in the series of events provided for us by Villages in Action. As Harland explained last time, each year the LympEnts team, along with ‘promoters’ from other participating Devon villages, attend an evening when the ViA Director, Roger Werner, takes us through the new season’s menu of acts for which we can bid. On 30th April Harland and I will be at this year’s gathering and keeping our eyes open for the best acts to bring to Lympstone in the 2009/10 season.
In fact, we have already filled two early slots: on Friday 11th September we shall be presenting, in the Parish Church, our contribution to the 600th Anniversary Celebrations of its tower. Members of the Dartmoor-based Daughters of Elvin are coming to perform their infectious medieval music, played on authentic instruments that may include: crumhorn, dulcimer and hurdy-gurdy; Border bagpipes, recorders, harps and whistles. They will come with a great reputation as instrumentalists, singers and theatrical performers and should enrich the church celebrations in a unique way.
The following month, on Saturday 10th October, we shall welcome back The Bridge String Quartet of London. It was quite clear as their concert last September came to its rousing conclusion that the audience wanted to see and hear more of them; and so do we! They will again be playing in the Parish Church and we advise you not to let the grass grow under your feet when the tickets go on sale in the autumn.
ANYTHING TO CONTRIBUTE?
Contributions from readers of Drumbeat, such as comments on our presentations, ideas for future events, offers to review performances, photos or letters to the editor (me) will be welcome and may even be published. E-mail material to jet@eaton-terry.co.uk
John Eaton-Terry
