Tag: SRMS

Next (and last!) meeting

Secret Sibelius is the title of the last meeting of the 2021/22 season

TONIGHT!

We are delighted to welcome back Simon Coombs who is going to speak on the

subject of Sibelius and he will be focusing on the lesser known works by this famous composer. Like many composers, people are often familiar with the great works but there is often a hinterland of lesser known works which are worth listening to.

This is the last meeting of the current season so we look forward to meeting you at 7:30 as usual. Work is well advanced with the 2022/23 season and we will be producing a leaflet as usual in the summer.

Advertisement

Jan Dismas Zelenka

The second meeting of the Society using a combination of Zoom and YouTube took place on 19 October 2020 and concerned the Czech composer Zelenka presented by Peter Horwood. There are many who may not have heard of this composer, born in the town of Lounovice near Prague in 1679. His problem – if it can be described thus – was to be around at roughly the same time as Bach and Handel and so his fame was eclipsed after his death.

We listened and watched his Missa Votiva in E minor performed by Collegium 1704 under the energetic baton of Václav Luks. The playing and singing was of a very high standard and the conductor kept to a brisk tempo. The YouTube video was not of a high quality and may also have been compressed so that the full range of sound was not fully available. The recording took place in a large church yet there were no dynamic problems one usually experiences in these large spaces.

Although the music was harmonically rich, it did lack much in the way of memorable melody which might explain his low profile after his death. He was nevertheless a composer of great talent and does deserve to be heard more. As we have said before, one of the roles of the Society is to bring to the fore some of these lesser lights who sometimes get swept aside by musical titans of Bach, Mozart or Beethoven etc.

For those who want to know more there is a Website which tells you more and also lists recordings available on CD or for download.

Peter Curbishley

Members’ evening

The next meeting is tomorrow, Monday 29th of April and is a members’ evening.  If you haven’t already done so, please let Tony know of your selection which must be 10 minutes or less including any introduction.  You can ask someone to do that bit of it for you if you are not keen to stand up!  You can come with your piece if you wish and be fitted in on the night.

Usual place, 7:30 start and free parking outside.  See you there.

PC

Next meeting

The next meeting takes place tonight, 28 November when Peter Curbishley will be presenting ‘Mozart’s last year’.  Mozart died in December 1791 and the last year of his life was full of incident and great music.  Some masterpieces including the Requiem and the Magic Flute were composed as well as La clemenza da Tito.

Many people have been influenced by the Peter Shaffer play, Amadeus which, although entertaining, was full of nonsense.  The presentation will try and give some of the facts surrounding his last year and of course, play some of the music …

Mozart
Two evenings devoted to this composer