Friday 30th September
Badke Quartet
Lana Trotovsek, Emma Parker violins, Jon Thorne viola Jonathan Byers cello
The Badke Quartet came to prominence following their first prize at the highly prestigious 5th Melbourne International Chamber Music competition in 2007.
This year they have changed their lead violinist, who is now the Slovenian Lana Trotovsek, described by Ruggiero Ricci, her teacher, as ‘one of the most gifted violinists I have heard’. The Badke have played in many of the most important chamber music venues in the UK, and in festivals at home and abroad including Aldeburgh and Verbier.
Haydn Quartet in B minor Op.33 no.1
Shostakovich Quartet No.10 in A flat major Op 118
Thomas Tomkins A Sad Paven for these Distracted Times a 4
Peter Maxwell Davies A Sad Paven for these Distracted Times
Beethoven Quartet in G major Op.18 No.2.
Bartók
www.badkequartet.co.uk
Friday October 21st
Amy Dickson saxophone and Martin Cousin piano
Amy Dickson is a sensational young saxophonist, born in Sydney and performing in Australia, before moving to London to study at the Royal College under Kyle Horch and in the Conservatorium van Amsterdam under Otto Bornkamp.
A player with remarkable and distinctive tone and exceptional musicality, she was the first saxophonist to win major competitions including the Gold Medal at the Royal Overseas League Competition, the Symphony Australia Young Performer of the Year competition and the Prince’s Prize.
Amy is deeply committed to the development of new repertoire for the saxophone. She has made a substantial contribution to the orchestral, chamber and solo repertoire, commissioning works from composers such as Graham Fitkin, Steve Martland, Huw Watkins, Martin Butler, Michael Casanyi-Wills, Celia McDowell and Timothy Salter.
She is an exclusive recording artist for Sony Music with two critically acclaimed CDs, Smile and Glass, Taverner, Nyman.
Erwin Shulhoff Hot Sonate
Vaughan Williams Six studies in English folksong
Paul Creston Sonata Op.19
Darius Milhaud Scaramouche
Mark Anthony Turnage Two Elegies Framing a Shout
Graham Fitkin Gate
Amy Dickson - Philip Glass - Violin Concerto No 1. (2nd movement)
www.amydickson.com
Friday November 4th
Elias String Quartet
Sarah Bitloch, Donald Grant violins, Martin Saving viola , Marie Bitloch cello.
To any regular listener to Radio 3 the Elias Quartet will need no introduction. As BBC New Generation Artists at the moment they are receiving a great deal of exposure on the airwaves.
Although based in the UK they come from Scotland, France and Sweden and have a very full and international programme.
They have performed in many countries in the world from Europe to Australia and the USA , and played alongside many very fine musicians such as Andrew Marriner, Ralph Kirschbaum, Joan Rogers, Roger Vignoles, Mark Padmore ,Robin Ireland and Michael Collins.
Their recent Britten CD was one of the ‘Pick of the Year 2010’ CDs in the BBC’s annual critics’ round up.
Sally Beamish String Quartet No.3 'Reed Stanzas' (Proms commission 2011)
J.Haydn String Quartet No.25 in C major Op.20.No.2
Beethoven String Quartet in B flat Op.130 with Grosse Fugue Op.133
Bath Music Festival
www.eliasstringquartet.com
Sunday 29th January 2.30pm
Elysnan Horn Trio
Timothy Jackson horn, Ian Buckle piano, Thelma Handy violin
The three players all have a close association with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Tim as principal horn, Thelma Handy is the co-leader and Ian appears regularly as pianist with them.
Tim Jackson came two years ago with the Marais Ensemble and organised a wonderful workshop at Broomlands School. He has been guest principal horn with many leading orchestras, and he has been soloist with BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Manchester, London Mozart Players and the Philharmonia. As a period instrument specialist he was soloist on Trevor Pinnock’s award winning CD of the Bach Brandenburg No1.
Thelma Handy has been co-leader of the RLPO since 1997 and has appeared with the orchestra on numerous occasions as soloist and as director.
She studied in London with Jaroslav Vanáček at the Royal College of Music, where she won several prizes and subsequent scholarships, which enabled her to study with Franco Gulli in Indiana. She became a member of the English Chamber Orchestra in 1987 and for the next eight years toured extensively with them. During that time she also played with all the major London orchestras and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
Ian Buckle has given recitals at the Wigmore Hall and at numerous British festivals. He accompanies clarinettist Mark Simpson , ex BBC Young Musician of the Year with whom he is producing a CD, and with other chamber groups. He has appeared as soloist alongside conductors such as Carl Davis, Elgar Howarth, Gerald Schwarz, Jan Pascal Tortelier and John Wilson.
Lennox Berkeley Horn Trio
Timothy Jackson Etude ‘Don’t Make it Bad’ for horn solo
Two miniatures for piano
Delius Violin Sonata No.2
Brahms Horn Trio Op.40
Friday March 2nd
Joanna MacGregor piano
One of the great musical communicators through her commitment to innovative and original musical programmes which include repertoire from the classical to the contemporary and jazz, Joanna MacGregor has been musical director the Bath International Music Festival since 2006, was curator of the 2010 multi-arts Deloite Ignite Festival at Covent Garden and has been appointed head of keyboard at the Royal Academy of Music.
She has made 30 solo recordings from Bach, Scarlatti, Ravel and Debussy to jazz and contemporary music and a 4 CD set of Messiaen. Her performance of Messiaen’s Vingt Regards at Brinkburn Priory in Northumberland a few years ago was an occasion no-one present would be likely to forget.
Her interest in education is reflected in her celebrated ongoing series of books for young children, ‘Piano World’.
JS Bach Goldberg Variations
Bach - Prelude & Fugue No. 16 in G Minor
www.soundcircus.com
Friday March 23rd & Sunday March 25th
Schubertiade
Alasdair Beatson and friends
Two concerts over a weekend featuring some of Schubert’s finest works with an ensemble of brilliant young players.
Alasdair Beatson piano, Bartosz Woroch violin, Simone van der Giessen viola, Philip Higham cello, Graham Mitchell double bass.
Alasdair Beatson is a brilliant young Scottish pianist who has already made numerous solo and chamber appearances at the Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room, and plays with many leading performers all over the world.
A sought-after chamber musician, Alasdair was invited to tour with the International Musicians Seminar, Prussia Cove, in the UK, and Musicians from Steans Institute, Ravinia Festival, in the USA, after his participation in their masterclasses and concerts.
…[Beatson] shapes and weights every phrase with a caring devotion, liquid sonority and gentle cantabile ideal for Mendelssohn’s sound world. There are times here where one could scarcely credit a hammer mechanism is involved… highly sensitive playing of rare insight. Julian Haylock, Classic FM Magazine, July 2011
He is joined by Edinburgh born Philip Higham, an outstanding young cellist, past winner of a Tunnell prize, who won 2nd prize in the 2010 Grand Prix Emanuel Feuerman Competition in Berlin, in 2008 won first prize in the International Bach Competition in Leipzig, the first British prizewinner, and in 2009 First prize in the International Lutoslawski Competition in Warsaw – all highly prestigious awards.
'The soloist was a young Scottish cellist called Philip Higham.... Afterwards, Finzi Jr told him this was the best performance of the concerto he'd ever heard, and I could see what he meant: Higham's passionate connection with the piece, his total technical command of its virtuosic demands, were outstanding.'
The Guardian St John's Smith Square / Finzi Concerto, December 2009
Bartosz Woroch will replace Thomas Gould who is committed to the Britten Sifonia to whom he has recently been appointed as leader.
Bartosz is a brilliant young Polish violinist with whom Alistair Beatson has already made recordings for the BBC. Philip Higham is also very excited about playing with him as he recognises a strong musical affinity in his approach.
He was leader of the Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra and has had a prominent career as a soloist and in chamber music with concerts at the Wigmore Hall and Barbican. He has won awards at the Michael Hill, Pablo Parasate, and Takasaki International violin competitions.
'Bartosz Woroch is a mature, accomplished artist. His immaculate intonation, flawless bow technique and sound quality are all secondary to his sublime musicianship.'
Wieniawski Competition / Piotr Matwiejczuk, June 2006
Simone van der Giessen replaces Scott Dickinson in our original line-up for the Trout Quintet. She has visited Kelso before as viola player with the Navarra Quartet when they came here during their Tunnell Prize winning tour.
Graham Mitchell is based with the Philharmonia Orchestra and has been a professor of double bass at the Royal Academy since 1998.
In 2002 he was awarded an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music for outstanding achievement in the musical profession.
He has recorded the Trout for Hyperion with Paul Lewis and the Leopold Trio.
YouTubes
Bartosz playing with the Cappa Ensemble:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jReITNt1Tl8
Bartosz solo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViCYlhEgX8U
Philip Higham talking about Schumann:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vlp-MtHvZ2E
Websites
www.alasdairbeatson.com
Philip Higham and Bartosz Woroch: www.ycat.co.uk
Simone van der Giessen: www.navarra.co.uk
Graham Mitchell
Friday March 23rd 7.30pm
Schubert Fantasia in C, D.934 for violin and piano.
Sonata in A minor D.821 for cello and piano ‘Arpeggione
Piano Quintet in A major D.667 ‘The Trout.
Sunday March 25th 3.00pm
Schubert Fantasia in C Op.15 ‘Wanderer’ for piano solo
James MacMillan 14 Little Pieces for piano trio
Schubert Trio in B Flat D.898.
Tuesday May 22nd (in Kelso Old Parish Church)
Charity Concert – The Olympianist
Anthony Hewitt piano
Janacek Sonata 1X 1905 ‘From the Street’
James Francis Brown Cycle Studies 2012
R.Schumann Paganini Studies Op.3 (extracts)
Chopin Etudes Op.10 – No.8 in F majo No.10 in C minor ‘Revolutionary’
Barcarolle in F sharp Op.6
Two Polonaises Op.40
Interval
Schubert Impromptu Op.90 in E flat
Liszt Schubert transcriptions
Die Forelle; Standchen von Shakespeare;
Gretchen am Spinnrade; Erlkonig
Beethoven Sonata in A flat major Op.110
Anthony Hewitt is a celebrated pianist who has established a reputation as a pianist of formidable interpretative and technical ability and who has played with orchestras and in recital tours worldwide. He has given four solo recitals at the Wigmore Hall.
He is also an enthusiastic cyclist and will be cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats, giving a charity recital on each evening of his tour. Anthony will be followed by his own piano in the ‘Van Beethoven’.
Anthony is collecting money for his named charities - Amnesty International; Musequality (which takes music to some of the poorest children in the developing world); and Sistema Scotland – inspired by the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, giving children experience of playing in orchestras.
www.anthonyhewitt.co.uk
