friends of cheltenham symphony...
TRANSCRIPT
Friends of Cheltenham Symphony Orchestra
Newsletter September 2015
Notes from the ChairThe orchestra has had another fabulous season, starting with three concerts in the Pittville Pump Room based on the theme “Northern Lights” featuring Scandinavian composers – Sibelius, Grieg and Nielsen. As this year is the 150th Anniversary year of Sibelius' birth, his works, including three of his Symphonies and his Violin Concerto with Tamsin Waley-Cohen as soloist, were performed. The orchestra also performed with the Charlton Kings Choral Society and concluded the summer season in the UK with the light-hearted Bredon summer concert, this year called 'The Bard at Bredon'.
The orchestra has just returned from a well- received 'tournée' to Göttingen and Mönchengladbach in Germany. Göttingen is twinned with Cheltenham and as part of the 'twinning' events they gave two orchestral concerts and a string ensemble performed in the “Altes Rathaus” at the welcome meeting with the “Bürgermeister” and other dignitaries from both twin towns. The orchestral music performed included a selection from this year's programmes: Sibelius’ 2nd Symphony and Finlandia, Dvořák’s New World Symphony and Elgar's Cello Concerto with Rachel Howgego as soloist. All were very well received with good audiences. The orchestra then moved on to Mönchengladbach to give a third concert.
The tour involved considerable planning and organisation led by Paul and Caroline Broekman and Ben Lewis. Paul and Caroline also drove the van carrying all of the instruments, cleverly avoiding Dover and Calais. A report of the tour is included in this Newsletter.
We hope that many of the 'Friends' will come to the next big concert at the Town Hall on November 28th with the pianist Peter Donohoe playing Brahms Piano Concerto No 2. Please pass the word round!Monica Ellis
Retirement of CSO Chairman and Secretary
Earlier this year, Christopher Sturdy and Andrew Chapman decided to hand over their responsibilities that they had so diligently and effectively carried out for the past 10 years or so. In recognition of their contributions to the development of the orchestra, they were made “Fellows of the Cheltenham Symphony Orchestra”. Presentations were made at the Pump Room concert on 9th May.
Presentation by David Banks, the new Chairman of the CSO, to Andrew Chapman and Christopher Sturdy with
David Curtis and Caroline Broekman
Andrew ChapmanTo mark the occasion of his retirement as Secretary of
the CSO, Andrew Chapman agreed to be interviewed by Michael St. John
Tell me about your early musical careerMy mother was very musical – a piano teacher – and I started on the piano but disliked it. At the age of about 14 I heard The Planets (I loved “Venus”) and decided that I would like to play the cello. I had an excellent teacher for the remaining few years at school and carried on playing in orchestras as much as possible during my time as a medical student at the Middlesex Hospital and since.
How did you come to join the Cheltenham Symphony OrchestraMy wife Jill attended the Royal Ballet School for 2 years. Being taller than most of the graduates, she decided to become a physiotherapist rather than a ballerina. In Cheltenham General Hospital she treated a chap with tennis elbow – Jamie Adams – and as soon as she discovered he played the violin, introduced us. I was then training in anaesthetics. I went along to Douglas Smith’s house and played with the group that was to become the orchestra. We moved away to Winchester for a couple of years, but no sooner had I moved back into the area (Tewkesbury) to take up my post as a GP, than Douglas was on the phone. That was in 1972 and the orchestra was now being conducted regularly by Mark Foster. I have never looked back!
When did you become Secretary of the CSO?It was in 2002 when Robert McConnell resigned. No-one else came forward and Christopher Sturdy was very encouraging.
What have been the ups and downs as Secretary?There have been a few tricky issues with personnel but the successes have been very satisfying – culminating in the large audience of 400 in the Town Hall in December 2014. I was also immensely pleased that the orchestra
performed my compositions, especially the cello concerto played by Emma Denton in 2005. I was also happy that I was able to support the performances of memorable works such as Britten’s War Requiem and Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde. My violin concerto will be another highlight, perhaps…………..!
How did you find time to do so much on behalf of the orchestra?I retired from being a GP at age 52. I had developed a depressive illness that came out of the blue and which stopped me in my tracks. It was inexplicable to me, I loved my job, I had a happy marriage and a wonderful family, there seemed to be no explanation. I suffered for four years from the illness which was accompanied by incessant compulsive suicidal thinking. That was the worst aspect but thanks to an excellent psychiatrist and drugs, I recovered enough to return to life and to take up work for the CSO. Jill was hugely supportive, literally a life saver during this difficult period.
People often ask me whether I miss being a GP and the honest answer is no. I have always been a strong advocate for general practice which has been, I believe, undervalued in the past and is under serious attack in our reformed NHS. Yet strangely I do not miss it, something that I do not really understand. These are issues that are explored in my first novel 'Beyond the Silence'. The responses that I got to that book suggest to me that many people, doctors and patients, share my thoughts on this.
Do you have any favourite composers?Not really – I tend to have favourite pieces of music, widely spread across composers, though I do love Britten. Mahler too – I would love to play Mahler’s 9 th
Symphony. Perhaps my most favourite is the violin concerto of Alban Berg.
You have already published two books. How did you get into writing?In my last year at school, having passed A Levels in Biology, Physics and Chemistry, I stayed on for a further year to do A Level English and to study Music (which included some composition.) I had an inspirational English teacher who stimulated my interest in Shakespeare and other Eng. Lit., and who gave me confidence in writing. He memorably told me “You will write your first book before you are 50”. He was out by a few years – it was hard to write much while I was working full time except whilst on holiday – and that was never long enough to finish anything. My first book ‘Beyond the Silence’ was published in 2010 and the second “Ikon” in 2012. Another is under way and is set in a remote part of Scotland. Research in Scotland for this latest book has been a wonderful experience.
Have you been on any writing courses?Yes, two – in the South of France. Very convivial they were too!
What about your family?While studying in London I produced Oklahoma and a friend recommended someone to be choreographer. It was Jill! We have four children now aged between 38 and 46, and 9 grandchildren aged between 4 and 22. The family is spread between Newcastle, Somerset, London, Estonia and New Zealand!
Any other hobbies or interests?Walking! Jill and I did a marathon four-day hike – the Milford Track - when we were in New Zealand last year. It was a huge achievement for us especially as we were by far the oldest in the group.
As you hand over the reins of CSO Secretary to Simon Cox, how would you like to see the orchestra develop?I feel that the CSO has established itself as THE Cheltenham Symphony Orchestra and can only go from strength to strength, given the much greater involvement of so many talented and conscientious people on the committee, especially with Carole Wrightson and Dave Todd beavering away at publicity. We need to build a bigger, regular audience and I would love to see the Town Hall in December 2016 completely full – that would justify all the effort that has been put in by so many people.
Any final remarks?I must say that I am profoundly grateful for the privilege of being able to play for so many years with the orchestra and to serve it in one way or another. It has meant a great deal to me.
FarewellsSally Boyd (Double Bass) and Sue Adlard (Violin) both decided to hang up their instruments during the past year. They had played with the orchestra since its early days and presentations were made to them at this year’s AGM.
Sally: I joined the Cheltenham Sunday Players when I moved to Gloucestershire in 1986. Mark Foster put me between two very elderly gentlemen bass players, one of whom sold me his bass when he retired.
An early memory was the tour to Barcelona which was like being back in boarding school again with five of us sharing a room. The conductor, Denise Ham, inveigled herself into a single room and complained that we in the dorm disturbed her with our nighttime jollity.
Another recollection was arriving in Cheltenham just in time for the coach to take us all to a concert in Wales. I have often forgotten a bow, music stand, or music for rehearsals, but this time I actually managed to leave my bass at home in Cirencester!
Disaster was averted by an incredible coincidence: the father of a young girl who was to play bass with me drove her up to the coach but said that she wasn't well and would be unable to play. I let just a few moments elapse before asking if I could borrow her bass. He agreed and off I went with the borrowed instrument that saved the day.
(Ed. Sally hopes to continue her association with some of the CSO members through playing chamber music. Schubert’s Trout and Beethoven’s Septet have already been played since her retirement).
Sue: It is 15 years since, with justified trepidation, I slipped into the back desk of the second violins in the hope that with a change of conductor this could happen virtually unnoticed. Having only started playing at the age of 40, I had not applied myself to achieving the normally required credential of Grade 8. However, with the encouragement of my husband Philip (librarian at the time), Pam Jarrett-Kerr and Gill Tomlinson I decided take the plunge. My enjoyment both through the music and friendships over the years has been great and I have so many to thank; in particular the tolerance of others in my section, David's apparent ability to overlook my difficulty in overcoming the many technical challenges in the repertoire, and also of course the encouragement of all other orchestra members.
For the first few years I hope I was able to be of value to the orchestra as 'assistant' to Philip, as librarian. He was really conscientious (maybe too conscientious?) with the preparation of markings for the strings bowing, and many hours were spent around our dining room table with rubbers and pencils before getting the parts along to the first rehearsal. Also some years earlier, in the late 80s, he had attempted to join the (now famous!) viola section which had been rather over-subscribed so he had been playing in the seconds. However we both felt that the CSO couldn't really tolerate two Adlards in one section so to his great pleasure he was allowed to switch over!
I now need to accept that because of increasing arthritis and limited stamina, playing in concerts is not a realistic option. However I shall continue to enjoy chamber music and singing and I hope to continue to support the CSO as a member of the Friends. I continue to treasure the beautiful orchid given to me on leaving as a playing member - thanks to you all for this and so much else!
CSO Tour July 2015
“There’s nothing worth the wear of winning like laughter and the love of friends.” When he wrote those lines, Hilaire Belloc had in mind fresh-faced students starting out in the world. But the words seem just as apt for the
group of 53 CSO musicians, aged 18 to ageless, who took off to Germany this summer for what would prove a week of great music, merriment and friendship.
Our tour began in Cheltenham’s twin town of Göttingen, noted for its top-notch university and cluster of medieval buildings that recall the city’s history as a member of the wealthy Hanseatic league.
The orchestra’s main party of players and travelling companions had arrived by early morning flight from Birmingham to Hanover, then onwards 90 minutes south to Göttingen by coach. This short hop would supply the eventual winner of “quote of the week”, when cellist Hilary Vallance, sitting upfront with her clipboard, sleepily observed how strange it was to find the Germans driving on the same side of the road as us. When a fellow player told her the British didn’t drive on the right, Hilary replied: “Well, I do!”
It wasn’t long before the instrument van, driven from Cheltenham via Harwich by our first-class tour organisers Paul and Caroline Broekman — and always on the correct carriageway — rolled in to the hotel car park. Like Mary Poppins’ handbag, this modest-sized transit gave up its seemingly impossible cargo of timps, double basses, cellos, bassoons, and other large instruments, plus a podium, an electronic keyboard, bi-lingual concert programmes, music stands and more.
Unloading the van at Göttingen
Cheltenham’s twinning with Göttingen is as old as the current Bürgermeister, Rolf-Georg Köhler, himself: both turn 64 this year. But if anyone questioned, “will you still need me, will you still feed me”, all doubt was erased by the enthusiastic welcome — and excellent buffet — provided at a packed reception in the Rathaus. The mayor’s words on the enduring importance of international friendship were echoed by his Cheltenham counterpart, Duncan Smith, who reflected on “how we could so easily have gone our own separate ways in 1945”, before praising the amity and unity twinning had brought.
An ensemble of nine CSO string players performed extracts from suites by Grieg and Cheltenham’s own Holst at this event before the orchestra boarded a bus for the nearby town of Dransfeld, venue for our first full concert. The performance drew
rapturous applause from the audience and an appreciative review in the local press.
The following day, during an intense rehearsal of Sibelius’s second symphony in Göttingen’s lofty Johanniskirche, conductor David Curtis was mystified by the silence from the bassoon section where there should have been a bassoon solo. An investigation by Peter Kerr revealed the squeaky “silence” to be caused by a cleaning brush stuck down one of the instruments, earning second bassoon Katie McClure the nickname, “Basil”. Boom! Boom!
There were no such problems for Rachel Howgego who gave the first of two captivating performances of Elgar’s Cello Concerto. “The maestro” was clearly delighted, describing it afterwards as “beautifully moving and poetic with some outstanding supportive playing from the orchestra”.
Down time was spent sightseeing, cycling, walking and swimming. But a social highlight of the trip was a party thrown for the Cheltenham contingent at a nearby lake – Kiessee. In a terrific display of versatility John Stillman, Chris O’Riordan and Phil Cowley produced a cracking jazz set. Rachel, guesting on vocals, was utterly transformed from seraph to siren as she stood in her sauciest heels to deliver numbers such as Black Coffee and the Girl from Ipanema.
In the true spirit of reciprocity, the CSO jazz combo was followed by Rathausrocker, an unlikely band of civil servants from the town hall who filled the dance-floor with irresistible covers of the Rolling Stones, the Who and Pink Floyd — the latter revealing chairman David Banks to be the man with all the best moves.
From Göttingen, CSO headed for Mönchengladbach, pausing for lunch en route at Kassel’s famous monument to Hercules, which stands above a dramatic mile-long waterfall. The gods, clearly displeased with the mere 92,000 gallons of water unleashed for this display, turned on the rain taps too. So we all steamed somewhat in the coach after our excursion, on to the tour’s final destination.
Ben Lewis (violin), whose maternal family hail from Mönchengladbach, had gone out on a limb in proposing this part of the tour but he had arranged the perfect finale. Stephan Dedring, pastor of the wonderful Evangelische Hauptkirche, could not have been a more welcoming host, explaining how “communion” sat at the heart of the design for his Jugendstil church. This feeling transposed into the concert, with the critic from Rheinische Post calling it an “astonishing performance” and praising Rachel’s “sovereign virtuosity.”
In fact, Rachel announced at the after-party that this had been the last time she would play the Elgar. It added poignancy to the privilege of accompanying her for this concerto and we were glad not to have known of her decision in advance.
The concert and tour ended with Sibelius’ Second Symphony, which for our conductor was a “musical highlight of the tour.” David said: “It was great
playing but more important than that we made music. To quote Miro: ‘The spirit is everything’. This performance really captured the spirit of the music and your passion clearly reached and touched those listening. It was a privilege to be part of this performance with you, sharing such great music with the orchestra and our audience.”
Final concert – in the magnificent church at MönchengladbachOur only regret was that some regular CSO
members had not been with us on this tour but we forged new friendships among local audiences, and especially with guest musicians, including the three German brass players, arranged by Dave Todd, who travelled many hours each concert day just to rehearse and perform with us.
At last Andy Murton counted us safely on to the plane at Düsseldorf. Perhaps it was the music-making, perhaps it was the camaraderie, or maybe some fairy-dust left behind by the Brothers Grimm (both professors in Göttingen) had attached itself to our excursion, but more than once we heard the tour summed up in a single word: “magical”.
Lis Ribbans (cello) and Michael St John (viola)
Forthcoming concertsSaturday October 17th Pershore Abbey at 7.30p.m.
Concert in support of FOAG (www.foag.org)Smetana: Overture: The Bartered Bride
Mozart: Clarinet concerto in A K622 (Soloist: Sally Harrop)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 Op. 67
Saturday November 28th 7.30p.m. Town Hall, Cheltenham
Verdi: Overture: The Force of DestinyBrahms: Piano concerto No. 2 in B flat (Soloist: Peter
Donohoe)Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D minor Op. 47
For more information and details of future concerts, see our website: www.cheltenhamsymphonyorchestra.info
www.facebook.com/cheltenhamsymphonyorchestra
If you enjoy our concerts, why not persuade your friends to become Friends?
Editor of Newsletter and Secretary of Friends: Michael St. John Tel: 01285 651463 Email: