cardiff university concert series 2014:15

Cardiff University School of MusicConcerts / Workshops / Lectures / Conferences

2014/15

Cardiff University School of Music Concerts / Workshops / Lectures / Conferences

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From the Heart - may it go to the Heart““

Ludwig van Beethoven

A warm welcome to this season’s School of Music concert series. The music, we hope, will speak for itself, but it also speaks for our research interests, whether historical performance styles, new music, or world music. Familiar repertoire shares the stage here with more unusual offerings; seasoned performers with our own aspiring professionals.

As ever, our purpose is to intrigue, to educate, to entertain and - if we succeed - to move.

Professor Kenneth Hamilton

concerts.cf.ac.uk

2014 / 15

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Cardiff University Lunchtime Concert Series NATIONAL MUSEUM WALES, REARDON SMITH LECTURE THEATRE To kick off Cardiff University’s new lunchtime concert series in the National Museum

Wales, concert pianist Kenneth Hamilton takes us on an entertaining exploration of the music of Chopin, his friends and contemporaries, along with some relaxed, illuminating and entertaining commentary on the pieces performed.

CHOPIN AND HIS CONTEMPORARIES: Lunchtime concerts with conversationKenneth Hamilton (piano)

Friday 6 February 1.10pm

Chopin: Nocturne in E flat, op.9 no.2

John Field: Nocturne in A major

Franz Liszt: The Bells of Geneva (Nocturne)

Chopin: Ballade No.1 in G minor


Chopin: Polonaise-Fantasy

Beethoven: Fantasy, op.77

Mendelssohn: Fantasy on “The Last Rose of Summer”


Chopin: Études

Schumann: Fantasy, op.17

AUGUST GUAN (HARPSICHORD)

Friday 13 March 1.10pm

Handel: Sonata in G major, HWV 579

Geminiani: Pieces I-III in D major from Pièces de Clavecin

William Croft: Suite III in C minor

Blow, Purcell and Clarke: Selected Theatre Music William Babell

Selected movements from Suite IV, in G major

JENNI COOK (SOPRANO), AMY LIKAR (FLUTE)


Michael Head: A Piper David Diamond: The Mad Maid’s Song

Henry Bishop: Lo! Here the gentle lark John Corigliano: Three Irish Folksong Settings (1988)

Henry Cowell: I heard in the night (1956) Camille Saint-Saëns: Une flûte invisible

Wilhelmine von Bayreuth: ‘Savvien ch’il destino rio’ from the opera ArgenoreMieczyslaw Kolinski: Six French Folksongs

Tickets: £5 per concert. Book all five concerts and get one free (£20 instead of £25).

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Back to BachJohann Sebastian Bach, like Shakespeare, was certainly ‘not for an age, but for all time’—at least as far as we can tell without clairvoyance. It’s true that his music was sometimes considered tediously old-fashioned for a few decades following his death, but Bach appreciation soon accelerated with a vengeance to full-blown idolisation. Yet the bewigged, Baroque musical Lutheranism of Bach’s own 18th-century Leipzig produced performances very different from the Romantic approach to Bach in the 19th-century, and different again from 20th-century “switched-on Bach”, or jazz incarnations of the 21st. It may also have been somewhat different from our own cherished “historically-informed” Bach performances—because we’ll never be entirely sure what Bach’s music sounded like in his day without a trip in the Tardis. And even if we could reproduce a historical performance perfect in every detail, it would now be listened to by a distinctly unhistorical audience.

This concert series originated partly from a personal love of Bach’s music, and partly from a fascination with its ability not just to survive, but even to flourish under a plethora of performance-styles from electronically synthesised Bach to Hammer-Horror organist, phantom-of-the-opera Bach; from historically informed Bach to defiantly uninformed Bach-Busoni. We’ll encounter here familiar pieces played as near as possible to the manner in which we think they may have been performed in Bach’s day, and pieces in more unusual guises: tributes, transcriptions and transformations undertaken over the last two hundred years.

The series starts with my own concert of Romantic Bach: virtuoso piano arrangements by Busoni, Liszt and Rachmaninoff along with the launch

of a new CD with a similar programme. Daniel-Ben Pienaar, well known for his admired recordings of Bach and Mozart, offers us the rare chance to experience live a complete performance of the first book of the 48 Preludes and Fugues; the talented young Italian pianist Chiara Bertoglio performs Busoni’s magnificent modernisation of the Goldberg Variations; and Cardiff’s own internationally acclaimed choral conductor John Hugh Thomas will conduct the Cardiff University Chamber Choir in a kaleidoscope of music by the wider Bach family, including works by Johann, Johann Christoph, Johann Ludwig and Johann Michael. David Ponsford at the harpsichord is joined by renowned exponent of the art of the Baroque violin, Jacqueline Ross, in a Bach and Son concert celebrating the 300th anniversary of CPE Bach’s birth, and Huw Warren brings The Art of Improvisation to the stage in an intriguing fusion of Bach with music from Brazil and South Africa and more. It’s Bach, but not as we know it…

Series Curator: Kenneth Hamilton

SERIES DATES:

• October 7, 14 and 21• November 9• January 27• April 21• May 1

www.cardiff.ac.uk/music/hamilton.html

From La Belle Époque and Les Années Folles to the aftermath of World War II, Paris was a melting pot for new music and new artistic ideas. Leading artists, writers and dancers of the age were drawn to the City of Light collaborating with some of the world’s best-loved composers to create sumptuous music celebrating sheer luxuriance of sound.

A collaboration with the Philharmonia Orchestra, this major festival explores the rich diversity of music in France from 1900 to 1950 through a series of orchestral and chamber concerts in both London and Cardiff. The Philharmonia’s world-renowned Principal Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen leads the season, bringing a programme of Ravel and Stravinsky to Cardiff in February with internationally acclaimed pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard.

City of Light opens in Cardiff in December exploring the rich French piano duo repertoire and continues in February with performances on two pianos of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and Messiaen’s Visions de L’Amen. Following rare airings of the Poulenc Violin Sonata and Piano Trios of Debussy and Ravel, the chamber series climaxes with Messiaen’s gargantuan song-cycle of love and death, Harawi.

Other highlights of Cardiff City of Light include a Debussy world premiere and a Jolivet UK premiere by the Cardiff University Orchestra under Mark Eager.

Jewels of French choral repertoire are celebrated by the University Chamber Choir together with organ works by Vierne and Widor.

More than music, the Philharmonia’s City of Light website features documentary films shot in France, essays exploring French culture and art, an interactive map and timeline of the period. Additional events include Explore Days, pre-concert talks and an international conference at the Institut français.

We hope you will join us in a delight of discovery exploring City of Light in Cardiff.

The City of Light festival is conceived and supported by Vincent Meyer, President of the Philharmonia Orchestra.

For more information see: www.philharmonia.co.uk

Series Curator: Caroline Rae

SERIES DATES:

• December 3 and 9 • February 17 • March 3, 24, 25 and 27

www.cardiff.ac.uk/music/rae.html

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2014 / 15

City of Light: Paris 1900 - 1950

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This year’s series of Contemporary Voices highlights the fascinating sound of like-for-like ensembles: violin duo, female vocal trio, and string quartet. Agile sinewy lines, interwoven melodies, and the drama and intimacy of chamber music will characterize the performances of Retorica violin duo, Juice Vocal Ensemble, and the Carducci String Quartet.

In addition, with the return of the renowned ensemble Lontano as well as the dynamic Carducci Quartet, the series will feature American composers and chamber music supplemented by electronics and film.

Lontano will perform an all-American programme with the Welsh premiere of Arlene Sierra’s work for ensemble with silent film, Meditation on Violence conducted by the venerable Cuban composer-conductor Odaline de la Martinez.

The Carducci programme will feature Steve Reich’s profound and inimitable Different Trains for quartet and electronics, as well as works by Glass and others.

Finally, to demonstrate the School of Music’s growing international connections to the East as well as the West, visiting students from Singapore’s Raffles Academy will present an evening of eclectic chamber music featuring contemporary Singaporean composers.

Series Curator: Arlene Sierra

SERIES DATES:

• November 11, 18 and 25

• March 10 and 17

www.cardiff.ac.uk/music/sierra.html

2, 3 and 4 of a Kind, and Stateside +

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As African musicians move around the globe, they create innovative forms and build new legacies. Afro Beats Abroad honours four such musicians: Dele Sosimi from Nigeria, Adriano and Carolina Adewale from Brazil, and Idrissa Camara from Guinea.

Dele Sosimi started his career in Lagos playing with Nigeria’s iconic Fela Kuti, famous for inventing the politically potent afrobeat genre. Following his stint in Fela’s legendary Egypt 80 and later with Femi Kuti’s Positive Force (Fela’s son), Dele relocated to the UK in 1995. Two decades of collaboration with London’s top-line jazz musicians has created a unique afrobeat sound, earning Dele multiple awards and the reputation of the UK’s Afrobeat Ambassador.

Adriano Adewale and Carolina Adewale hail from São Paulo in Brazil. Since 2000 Adriano has used London as his base to earn an MA in Music (SOAS), study in Africa, tour the world with a range of jazz and folkloric outfits, and develop his own sound. Adriano has forged a reputation leading the eclectic Adriano Adewale Group, which performed in the School of Music in 2013. Carolina is a dancer and choreographer steeped in Afro-Brazilian traditions and trained in a range of techniques. The Adewale’s new project, Nuance, forges into new territory by fusing Afro-Brazilian beats, instruments and movement with ballet and contemporary dance.

Idrissa Camara, from Conakry in Guinea, has taken up residence in Cardiff. He is the founder and artistic director of Ballet Nimba, a large ensemble of elite UK-based West African musicians. Alongside this “parent” ensemble, Idrissa has also created the School of Music’s first African ensemble, Lanyi. To close the Afro Beats Abroad series, School of Music students will collaborate with selected master musicians from Ballet Nimba to bring West Africa’s heartbeat to the Cardiff community on the Glanfa Stage at the Wales Millennium Centre.

Series Curator: Amanda Villepastour

SERIES DATES:

• November 21

• March 14

www.cardiff.ac.uk/music/villepastour.html

2014 / 15

Afro Beats Abroad


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BACK TO BACH 1: KENNETH HAMILTON (piano)

2014 Eric Hodges Lecture Recital

Tuesday 7 October 7pm

Cardiff University Concert Hall

Liszt: Fantasy and Fugue on BACHJohann Sebastian Bach: French Suite in G majorHandel/Liszt: Sarabande and Chaconne from the opera AlmiraBach/Rachmaninoff: Partita in EBach-Busoni: Chorale Prelude “Ich ruf zu Dir, Herr Jesu Christ”Liszt: Variations on Bach’s ‘Weinen, klagen’

For the latest in his popular series of recitals at the University, Kenneth Hamilton (“An outstanding virtuoso”, Moscow Kommersant) turns ‘Back to Bach’ in a stunningly varied programme of Bach’s original music, tributes by Franz Liszt to Bach and Handel, and transcriptions of Bach’s works by Rachmaninoff and Busoni. This is not only the Baroque as seen through the lens of the next two centuries, but also some of the most moving music ever written for the keyboard. The concert additionally marks the launch of Kenneth’s new CD of the same music.

Tickets: £10, £8, £3

BACK TO BACH 2: DANIEL-BEN PIENAAR (piano)



Johann Sebastian Bach: The Well-tempered Clavier Book I BWV 846-869

A rich source of inspiration for performers and composers alike, The Well-tempered Clavier Book I is a cornerstone of the musical repertoire. Daniel Ben-Pienaar, Curzon Lecturer in Performance Studies at the Royal Academy of Music, will perform it completely from cover to cover.

The Well-Tempered Clavier, or

Preludes and Fugues through all the tones and semitones

both as regards the tertia major or Ut Re Mi and as concerns the tertia minor or Re Mi Fa.

For the Use and Profit of the Musical Youth Desirous of Learning as well as for the Pastime of those Already Skilled in this Study

drawn up and written by Johann Sebastian Bach. p.t. Capellmeister to His Serene Highness

the Prince of Anhalt-Cöthen, etc. and Director of

His Chamber Music. Anno 1722.

Daniel has won praise for his recordings of both books of Bach’s collection of preludes and fugues: “....dizzying virtuosity.... a heartfelt response to the music’s underlying spirituality. These are, in short, fresh, spontaneous, original readings that shed new light on the keyboard player’s Bible.” BBC Music Magazine

Tickets: £10, £8, £3

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2014 / 15

BACK TO BACH 3: BACH AND SON

Jacqueline Ross (baroque violin) David Ponsford (harpsichord)



Johann Sebastian Bach: Sonata in G major BWV1021J S Bach: Violin Sonata no. 1 in G minor BWV1001Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: Sonata in B flat majorJ S Bach: Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue for Harpsichord

in D minor BWV903C P E Bach: Sonata in D minorJ S Bach: Sonata in E major BWV1016

Roger Norrington has said of C P E Bach that, “…there is little doubt that Emanuel is the best of the Bach sons. More tongue-in-cheek and heart-on-sleeve than his father, there’s a wonderful feeling of openness to his music…” Come and find out whether you agree.

Jacqueline Ross and David Ponsford have given many celebrated performances together over the past twenty years and won admiration for their recordings from many sources - “There is a directness about their playing which reaches the heart of the music...” Nicholas Anderson, BBC Music Magazine

Tickets: £10, £8, £3


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MUSIC FROM WALES AND FRANCE

Cardiff University Chamber Choir: John Hugh Thomas (director)

Cardiff University Symphony Orchestra: Mark Eager (conductor)

Saturday 8 November 7.30pm

Llandaff Cathedral

Pierre Villette: MotetsAndré Caplet: Mass for three voices Morfydd Owen: Threnody for StringsAndré Caplet: Suite Persane for WindsWilliam Mathias: Sinfonietta

Cardiff University’s Chamber Choir and Symphony Orchestra present a programme of sacred and secular music by composers from Wales and France. The pieces to be performed tonight were all written in the 20th-century but draw on influences from Gregorian chant to jazz and blues providing us with a rich sound world to explore.

Tickets: £8, £5, £3

CARDIFF UNIVERSITY CHAMBER ORCHESTRA PLAYS BAROQUE

David Ponsford (director/harpsichord)

Sorcha Rudgley (flute)

Jacqueline Ross (baroque violin)

Simone Laghi (baroque viola)

Sunday 9 November 3pm


Handel: Concerto Grosso in B flat op. 3 no. 2J S Bach: Air from Suite no. 3 in D minor BWV1086Bach: Violin Concerto in A minor BWV1041Telemann: Viola Concerto Bach: Brandenburg Concerto no. 5 in D major BWV1050

The big names of the Baroque feature in this programme. Exquisite melodies, dances, melancholy airs, music to influence princes and a concerto composed by Georg Telemann, one of J S Bach’s close friends and godfather to his son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.

Tickets: £5, £3. Free entry for students and under 18s

2014 / 15

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2, 3 AND 4 OF A KIND, AND STATESIDE + 1: JUICE

Anna Snow (soprano), Sarah Dacey (soprano) Kerry Andrew (alto)

Tuesday 11 November 7pm


Peter Moran: Five Juice Songs Tarik O’Regan: Tell Me Gabriel Jackson: Zero Point Reflection Sarah Dacey: Cruel Mother Robert Fokkens: WordsRobert Fokkens: New work Piers Hellawell: PhilautiaSally Whitwell: Going SomewhereLuke Styles: PragmaAnna Snow: The Seven Star GirlsKerry Andrew: Ojoplus juice arrangements of love songs by Guns N’ Roses, Mariah Carey, Erasure & Dawn Penn

Juice (‘The 21st century’s answer to the Swingles or the King’s Singers’ The Times) are at the forefront of the UK’s experimental/classical scene, performing new vocal music which draws on classical, world music, jazz, folk, pop, improvisation and theatre.

Tickets: £10, £8, £3

2, 3 AND 4 OF A KIND, AND STATESIDE + 2: LONTANO

Odaline de la Martinez (director)



Barbara Jazwinski: World premièreBernard Rands: Scherzi no. 2 (2008) Derek Bermel: Tied Shifts UK premièreArmando Bayolo: Overture World premièreRands: Memo 4 (1997)Arlene Sierra: Meditation on Violence Cardiff première

Lontano’s impact on the perception of new music has been profound and enduring. Since its inception nearly thirty years ago by conductor/composer Odaline de la Martinez and flautist Ingrid Culliford, Lontano has established an international reputation as one of the most exciting and versatile exponents of 20th- and 21st-century music.

“There are concerts that make you realise what you’ve been missing... The first half of Thursday’s Lontano concert at St John’s, Smith Square, provided the answer.” The Independent

Tickets: £10, £8, £3

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AFRO BEATS ABROAD 1: DELE SOSIMI AND HIS AFROBEAT ORCHESTRA

Friday 21 November 7pm


Dele Sosimi and his Afrobeat Orchestra are bringing Nigeria’s iconic popular music to Cardiff. Afrobeat emerged as a hard-hitting music of resistance and social commentary. Pigin English vocals soar over contemporary R&B grooves, Dele’s soulful keyboards interlocking with funk guitar, and a barrage of percussion and horn arrangements. Beyond its political message, Dele’s brand of afrobeat is irresistible dance music that will sound familiar to first-time audiences and sublime to die-hard fans.

Tickets: £10, £8, £3

2, 3 AND 4 OF A KIND, AND STATESIDE + 3: RAFFLES ACADEMY (MUSIC)



Join the Raffles Academy (Music) students from Raffles Institution and Raffles Girls’ School (Singapore) as they present an evening of eclectic chamber music featuring Singaporean composers. The programme includes the world premiere of HOH Chung Shih’s Frissons III and the UK premieres of GOH Toh Chai’s Two Hainanese Songs and Erica Ngiam’s A Concerto? and Stockhausen’s Refrain.

FREE Entry. All welcome!

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2014 / 15

CARDIFF UNIVERSITY SYMPHONY CHORUS AND ORCHESTRA

Beethoven: Symphony no. 9, op. 125

Mark Eager (conductor)

Dominic Neville (chorus master)

Sunday 30 November 3pm

St David’s Hall, Cardiff

Audiences have always responded to the emotive power of Beethoven’s music, and the composer himself frequently referred to his music as ‘tone-painting’. The personal anguish of Beethoven’s life fed itself into his music, encouraging its heroism, idealism and, in later years, its contemplative solitude. Beethoven’s last symphony is full of remembrances of past concerns and ideals. But it refuses to be tied down by them. Ten years after the end of the Napoleonic wars and at the age of fifty-three, Beethoven is not seeking to remind his listeners of former times, but to present them with a struggle and, ultimately, a vision that is timeless. The fourth movement, Beethoven’s setting of Schiller’s ‘To Joy’ is well-known and well-loved the world over.

Tickets: £10 (concessions are available from the box office)

Pre-concert talk

Professor Kenneth Hamilton

2pm, Level 5, St David’s Hall

Freude, schöner Götterfunken,

Tochter aus Elysium!“

“

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WELSH VOICES 1: CARDIFF UNIVERSITY CONTEMPORARY MUSIC GROUP

Robert Fokkens (director)

Tuesday 2 December 7pm


CMG begins a two-year project exploring the work of Welsh composers. In this first concert, we present music by established figures including John Metcalf, Lynne Plowman, Peter Reynolds, Mervyn Burtch and Geraint Lewis.

Tickets: £5, £3

SACRED VOICES

Cardiff University Chamber Choir

John Hugh Thomas (conductor)

Wednesday 3 December 7pm

Venue TBC

Pierre Villette: MotetsAndré Caplet: Mass for three voices Duruflé: Requiem

In its early days, the Duruflé Requiem was perceived as a response to the Second World War. The first performance was given on All Souls Day 1947 followed by performances on Armistice Day 1948 and 1949, but Duruflé dedicated the work to his father who had died in February 1945. Duruflé had been a choirboy at Rouen Cathedral. It was there he fell in love with plainsong and the timeless world of the medieval modes, which shape each of the nine movements of his Requiem. ‘Truly,’ said his wife, ‘he had a Gregorian soul.’

Tickets: £5, £3. Free entry for students and under 18s

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CITY OF LIGHT: PARIS 1900 - 1950

Caroline Rae, Iwan Llewelyn-Jones (pianos)

Tuesday 9 December 7pm


Debussy: En blanc et noirRavel: Tombeau de CouperinPoulenc: Sonata for Piano DuetDutilleux: Figures de résonancesJolivet: Mana Hopi Snake Dance

City of Light opens in Cardiff with an exploration of the beguiling and innovative sounds of French piano music. Music by Debussy, Ravel and Poulenc from World War I is juxtaposed with the radical primitivism of works by Jolivet while Dutilleux’s investigations of expressive resonance reveal the French fascination for the magic of timbre.

Tickets: £10, £8, £3

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BACK TO BACH 4: CHIARA BERTOGLIO (piano)

Tuesday 27 January 7pm


J S Bach: Concerto no. 3 in D minor BWV 974 (based on an oboe concerto by Alessandro Marcello)J S Bach (attributed): Italian Concerto BWV 971J S Bach/Brahms: Chaconne from the Violin Partita no. 2, BWV

1004, transcribed for the left hand J S Bach/Busoni: Goldberg Variations BWV 988

Chiara Bertoglio, concert pianist and musicologist, studied at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the University of Venice and the University of Birmingham. In this programme of J S Bach’s music, Chiara includes transcriptions by Brahms and Busoni who both revered his work. Brahms wrote of the Chaconne BWV1004, “On one stave, for a small instrument, the man writes a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings.” Busoni’s version of the ‘Goldberg’ Variations is a fine example of his admiration for Bach and also captures his capacity to modernise the work, making full use of the piano, while keeping the original feel of the ‘baroque’.

‘…a pleasure from the first to the last note!’ Die Krone

Tickets: £10, £8, £3

2014 / 15

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STUDENT PERFORMANCE SHOWCASE

Tuesday 10 February 7pm


Teaching and research are cornerstones of the work of the School of Music, both of which have been rated as internationally excellent and world-leading. All students who study with us are encouraged to continue to develop their performance skills, which means that tonight you are in for a feast of instrumental and vocal, solos, duos trios and more.

Free entry. All welcome!


Peter Hill, Benjamin Frith (pianos)



Messiaen: La Fauvette passerinetteStravinsky: Le Sacre du printempsMessiaen: Visions de l’Amen

The City of Light festival continues with the Welsh premiere of Messiaen’s recently discovered bird-song piece and two of the greatest virtuoso works of the 20th-century two-piano repertoire: Stravinsky’s arrangement of his revolutionary ballet Le Sacre du printemps, and Messiaen’s supremely expressive celebration of faith in Visions de l’Amen. Join us for a feast of discovery with the UK’s leading piano duo.

Tickets: £10, £8, £3

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Philharmonia Orchestra

Esa-Pekka Salonen (conductor)

Pierre-Laurent Aimard (piano)


St David’s Hall

Ravel: Suite, Ma mère l’oyeRavel: Piano Concerto in G for the Left HandStravinsky: The Firebird

Story-telling, legends and make-believe lie at the heart of the fairy tale world of Ravel’s exquisite musical nursery tales and in the colourful barbaric splendour of Stravinsky’s Firebird. One of the world’s leading conductors and the Philharmonia’s principal conductor, Esa-Pekka Salonen is unmatched in the glittering orchestral virtuosity of these works. One of today’s wizards of the piano, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, joins him in Ravel’s sparkling Piano Concerto with its Mozartian slow movement.

The City of Light: Paris 1900 - 1950 series is supported by The Meyer Foundation.

For details please visit www.philharmonia.co.uk

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2014 / 15

CARDIFF UNIVERSITY CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

David Ponsford (conductor)

Philip Martin (piano)

Sunday 22 February 3pm


Mozart: Symphony no. 35 in D major ‘Haffner’Beethoven: Piano Concerto no. 5 in E flat ‘Emperor’

Composed to celebrate the ennoblement of a childhood friend, Sigmund Haffner, from Salzburg, Mozart promptly forgot the piece which would become his Symphony no. 35. On rediscovering the work he exclaimed: “The new Haffner symphony has quite astonished me, for I did not remember a note of it. It must have been very effective!” Concerto no.5 ‘The Emperor’ is, curiously, rarely referred to as such outside English speaking territories, and it is highly unlikely given Beethoven’s disgust at Bonaparte having declared himself ‘Emperor of France’ five years previously that he would have sanctioned such a title himself, although there is a heroic quality to the music.

Tickets: £5, £3

CROSSING THE BORDER 2: CONCERT

Cardiff University Contemporary Music Group

Robert Fokkens (conductor)



The Contemporary Music Group performs music by composers who have combined aspects of various jazz and popular styles with contemporary aesthetic and technical approaches. The music of Dutch composer Louis Andriessen – a key figure in this world – is performed alongside British composers who have in some way followed his lead and explored this in various ways, including Joe Cutler, Errollyn Wallen and Steve Martland.

Tickets: £5, £3


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Gould Piano Trio

Lucy Gould (violin)

Alice Neary (cello)

Benjamin Frith (piano)

Tuesday 3 March 7pm


Debussy: Trio Ravel: Duo for violin and celloPoulenc: Sonata for violin and pianoRavel: Trio

City of Light celebrates French chamber music further in a rarely heard pairing of the richly sumptuous Piano Trios by Debussy and Ravel. These jewels of the repertoire frame explorations of Ravel’s Sonata for Violin and Cello dedicated to Debussy’s memory, and a near forgotten treasure inspired by the tragedy of war, Poulenc’s Sonata for Violin and Piano.

Tickets: £10, £8, £3

2, 3 AND 4 OF A KIND, AND STATESIDE + 4: RETORICA

Harriet Mackenzie, Philippa Mo (violins)

Tuesday 10 March 7pm


Robert Fokkens: ‘Orange’ Robert Fokkens: world premiereSergei Prokofiev: Sonata for Two Violins, op. 56.David Matthews: Eight DuosGabriel Prokofiev: Sonata

“Retorica are two superb young violinists whose work as a duo reveals just how rich the repertoire for two violins is. They are immensely communicative, both in spoken introductions and in their unfailingly musical playing, and their repertoire covers a huge range of styles. If people ever think music for two violins might be a bit dull, Retorica will totally change their minds!” John McCabe (composer)

Tickets: £10, £8, £3

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2014 / 15

AFRO BEATS ABROAD 2: NUANCES

Adriano and Carolina Adewale

Saturday 14 March 7pm


Nuances is a performance exploring sounds translated into movements, rhythms expressed through the body and musical pieces based on themes from traditional Brazilian music. Brazilian musical instruments such as the pandeiro frame drum and berimbau musical bow accompanying samba, ballet and contemporary dance will form the vocabulary of this work. Together Adriano and Carolina tell a story which emanates the sound world and body language of Brazilian cultural identity.

Tickets: £10, £8, £3

2, 3 AND 4 OF A KIND, AND STATESIDE + 5: CARDUCCI QUARTET



Philip Glass: String Quartet no 3 ‘Mishima’Arlene Sierra: ‘Insects in amber’Steve Reich: ‘Different Trains’

The award-winning Carducci Quartet brings America to Cardiff. Three string quartets, three very different inspirations, one intention – to communicate. Recordings of the human voice, glass rods which create insect-like sonorities, writing intimate and universal, for all time but of our time.

Tickets: £10, £8, £3

LANYI

Friday 20 March, 5pm

Glanfa Stage, Wales Millennium Centre

Lanyi, the School of Music’s student African music and dance ensemble, is led by Guinean musician and choreographer Idrissa Camara. Comprising a bolon harp, bala xylophone and a range of drums and hand percussion, Lanyi’s performance will include guests from Idrissa’s critically acclaimed ensemble, Ballet Nimba. The song, instrumental and dance repertoire draws from diverse traditions in the Mande world, a cultural cluster that spans several countries in West Africa. Lanyi’s dynamic performance shifts gear between poignant vocal renditions, virtuosic instrumental sequences and revs up with Idrissa’s spectacular dance displays.

Tickets: Free entry. All welcome!


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Jane Manning and Caroline Rae with Natalie Raybould (soprano) and Dominic Saunders (piano)



Performing Messiaen’s Harawi

City of Light continues with an evening of discovery focused on Messiaen’s gargantuan song-cycle exploring themes of love and death composed during the dark years of the German Occupation of Paris. Jane Manning and Caroline Rae explore Messiaen’s inspirational ideas before a complete performance by Natalie Raybould and Dominic Saunders.

Tickets: £10, £8, £3

CITY OF LIGHT: PARIS 1900 - 1950 EXPLORE DAY

25 March 11am – 4.30pm


Dr Caroline Rae and Dr Caroline Potter, series advisors to the Philharmonia Orchestra’s City of Light Festival, lead this day of discovery and exploration of French music from 1900 to 1950. This day of illustrated talks and discussion features a voice masterclass by renowned soprano and Messiaen specialist, Jane Manning, while investigating Paris as a melting pot of music and artistic ideas from La Belle Époque and Les Années Folles to the aftermath of World War II. Join us on an adventure of discovery.


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CARDIFF UNIVERSITY SYMPHONY CHORUS

Rachmaninov: All-night Vigil ‘Vespers’

Dominic Neville (conductor)

Thursday 26 March 7pm

National Museum Wales, Cardiff

In the Orthodox Church it is said that the mind should enter the heart. There can be no better illustration of the meaning of this phrase than Rachmaninov’s sublime setting of the Russian Orthodox All-night Vigil, more often referred to as Rachmaninov’s Vespers. In an era of radical music development, as epitomised by Schoenberg and Webern, Rachmaninov’s work can be considered both conservative and quintessentially Russian. Composed during just two weeks in February 1915, this work is believed by some to be Rachmaninov’s response to the brutal violence and injustice of war throughout Europe.

Rachmaninov’s work is a choral symphony in fifteen movements of which the ninth, the story of the Resurrection, is the central dramatic point, it is the znamenny chant from this anthem which he later used in the Symphonic Dances.

Tickets: £10, £8, £3


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City of Light: Paris 1900 - 1950

Cardiff University Symphony Chorus and Orchestra

Mark Eager (conductor)

Jeremy Huw Williams (baritone)

Stephen Walsh (narrator)



Debussy: Nocturnes Jolivet: Poèmes intimes - UK premiereDebussy: L’Histoire de Tristan – Prélude (completed Robert Orledge) World premiereDebussy: No-Ja-Li ou le Palais du silence (completed Robert Orledge) World premiereRavel: La Valse

City of Light in Cardiff climaxes with a programme of new French discoveries – world premieres of two works by Debussy, and the UK premiere of Jolivet’s beguiling song-cycle of love and longing. Introduced by Caroline Rae and Robert Orledge, these exciting explorations are juxtaposed with Debussy’s atmospheric Nocturnes and Ravel’s thrilling apotheosis of the dance, La Valse.

Tickets: £10 (concessions are available, contact St David’s Hall box office)

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Back to Bach 7: Huw Warren (piano)

The Art of Improvisation

Tuesday 21 April 7pm


Welsh pianist and composer Huw Warren has achieved an international reputation for innovative projects and collaborations over a twenty five year career. Equally at home crossing the worlds of Jazz, Classical and World music, he has a beautiful delicate touch and a deeply lyrical musicality. The Art of Improvisation is a solo concert with a difference. Warren fuses improvisations based on Dowland, Bach and Chopin and folk music with music from Brazil and South Africa, original compositions, and the Great American Songbook. What makes The Art of Improvisation particularly unique is the ease with which Warren draws the audience into his various musical worlds with an informative but informal, entertaining presentation.

Tickets: £10, £8, £3

Student Showcase

Cardiff University Contemporary Music Group

Robert Fokkens (director)

Tuesday 28 April 7pm


The final concert in the Contemporary Music Group’s annual mini-series presents some of the best music written by Cardiff University student composers this year. Selected from an open call to 3rd-years and postgraduate composers, the range of musical voices and ensembles is broad and exciting, and committed performances by fellow students ensure an energetic and enjoyable atmosphere of celebration.


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SACRED VOICES - THE BACH FAMILY

Cardiff University Chamber Choir

John Hugh Thomas (conductor)

Friday 1 May 7.30pm

Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff

Johann Bach: Unser Leben ist ein Schatten Johann Lorenz Bach: composition for organJohann Michael Bach: Das Blut Jesu Christ J M Bach: Ich weis das mein Erlöser lebt Johann Ludwig Bach: Unsere Trübsal Das ist meine FreudeJohann Bernhard Bach: composition for organ Johann Christoph Bach: Es ist nun ausJohann Sebastian Bach: Capriccio in E (organ) BWV993J C Bach: Unsers Herzens Freude J S Bach: Ich lasse dich nicht BWV157J S Bach: Trio (sonata movement) J C Bach: LamentJ S Bach: Aus der Tiefe BWV131

Cousins, fathers-in-law, sons, brothers and uncles, members of the Bach family were active musicians and composers spanning a period of 200 years. The town in which they were most active continued to call musicians ‘Bachs’ for a number of years after there were any native Bachs active in the area.

Tickets: £8, £5, students and under 18s free entry

CARDIFF UNIVERSITY CHAMBER CHOIR AND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

John Hugh Thomas and Mark Eager (conductors)

Saturday 2 May 7.30pm

St David’s Cathedral, Pembrokeshire

Bach Family MotetsBeethoven: Symphony no.9 op.125 ‘Choral’

The Chamber Choir presents a selection of motets composed by members of perhaps the most famous musical dynasty in history. Sublime melodies, Venetian-style two choir works and deeply moving music. The Symphony Orchestra will join forces with the Chamber Choir and members of local choirs in a performance of Beethoven’s magnificent Ninth Symphony. Few can fail to be roused by Beethoven’s setting of Schiller’s ‘To Joy’ and in the perfect of setting of one of Wales’s most beautiful cathedrals, prepare to be inspired.

Tickets: £8, £5, students and under 18s free entry

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BACK TO BACH 1: KENNETH HAMILTON (PIANO)Tuesday 7 October, 7pmCardiff University Concert Hall

BACK TO BACH 2: DANIEL-BEN PIENAAR (PIANO)Tuesday 14 October, 7pmCardiff University Concert Hall

BACK TO BACH 3: BACH AND SONTuesday 21 October, 7pmCardiff University Concert Hall

MUSIC FROM FRANCE AND WALESSaturday 8 November, 7.30pmLlandaff Cathedral, Cardiff

CARDIFF UNIVERSITY CHAMBER ORCHESTRA PLAYS BAROQUESunday 9 November, 3pmCardiff University Concert Hall

2, 3 AND 4 OF A KIND, AND STATESIDE+1: JUICETuesday 11 November, 7pmCardiff University Concert Hall

2, 3 AND 4 OF A KIND, AND STATESIDE+2: LONTANOTuesday 18 November, 7pmCardiff University Concert Hall

AFRO BEATS ABROAD 1: DELE SOSIMI AND HIS AFROBEAT ORCHESTRAFriday 21 November, 7pmCardiff University Concert Hall

2, 3 AND 4 OF A KIND, AND STATESIDE+3: RAFFLES ACADEMYTuesday 25 November, 7pmCardiff University Concert Hall

CARDIFF UNIVERSITY SYMPHONY CHORUS AND ORCHESTRASunday 30 November, 3pmSt David’s Hall, Cardiff

WELSH VOICES 1: CARDIFF UNIVERSITY CONTEMPORARY MUSIC GROUPTuesday 2 December, 7pmCardiff University Concert Hall

SACRED VOICES 1: CARDIFF UNIVERSITY CHAMBER CHOIRWednesday 3 December, 7pmVenue TBC

CITY OF LIGHT: CAROLINE RAE, IWAN LLEWELYN-JONES (PIANO)Tuesday 9 December, 7pmCardiff University Concert Hall

BACK TO BACH 4: CHIARA BERTOGLIO (PIANO)Tuesday 27 January, 7pmCardiff University Concert Hall

STUDENT PERFORMANCE SHOWCASETuesday 10 February, 7pmCardiff University Concert Hall

CITY OF LIGHT: PETER HILL, BENJAMIN FRITH (PIANOS)Tuesday 17 February, 7pmCardiff University Concert Hall

CITY OF LIGHT: PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRATuesday 20 February, 7pmSt David’s Hall

CARDIFF UNIVERSITY CHAMBER ORCHESTRASunday 22 February, 7pmCardiff University Concert Hall

CROSSING THE BORDER 2: CARDIFF UNIVERSITY CONTEMPORARY MUSIC GROUPTuesday 24 February, 7pmCardiff University Concert Hall

CITY OF LIGHT: GOULD PIANO TRIOTuesday 3 March, 7pmCardiff University Concert Hall

2, 3 AND 4 OF A KIND, AND STATESIDE+4: RETORICATuesday 10 March, 7pmCardiff University Concert Hall

AFRO BEATS ABROAD 2: NUANCESSaturday 14 March, 7pmCardiff University Concert Hall

2, 3 AND 4 OF A KIND, AND STATESIDE+5: CARDUCCI QUARTET

Tuesday 16 March, 7pm


LANYI

Friday 20 March, 5pm

Glanfa Stage, Wales Millennium Centre

CITY OF LIGHT: PERFORMING HARAWI (1945)

Tuesday 24 March, 7pm


CITY OF LIGHT: EXPLORE DAY

Wednesday 25 March, 11am - 4.30pm


CARDIFF UNIVERSITY SYMPHONY CHORUS

Thursday 26 March, 7pm

National Museum Wales, Cardiff

CITY OF LIGHT: CARDIFF UNIVERSITY SYMPHONY CHORUS AND ORCHESTRA

Friday 27 March, 7.30pm


BACK TO BACH: HUW WARREN (PIANO)

Tuesday 21 April, 7pm


STUDENT SHOWCASE

Tuesday 28 April, 7pm


SACRED VOICES – THE BACH FAMILY

CARDIFF UNIVERSITY CHAMBER CHOIR

Friday 1 May, 7.30pm

Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff

CARDIFF UNIVERSITY CHAMBER CHOIR AND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Saturday 2 May, 7.30pm

St David’s Cathedral, Pembrokeshire

Event Listing


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ESTA STRING DAY

European String Teachers Assocation in collaboration with Cardiff University School of Music

2 November 2014, 10am – 5pm

Cardiff University School of Music, Corbett Road, Cardiff CF10 3EB

Philip Aird, David Le Page, Chas Dickie, Kathy and David Blackwell will lead a day-long series of events covering many aspects of string playing. The day will include open class sessions on technique, leading an ensemble, ongoing professional development amongst teachers and students, a lecture on the workings of the performer’s mind, a lunchtime recital by David Le Page ‘Paganini Revisited’ and will be rounded-off with an improvised performance by all those who will have participated in the day. Cardiff Violins will be on site to offer a ‘drop-in’ instrument MOT.

Lunchtime recital 1.30pm ‘Paganini Revisited’David Le Page’s set of 24 Caprices entitled Vertigo are companion works to those by Paganini. David says they walk that interesting line between art and entertainment while resurrecting the idea of the performer/instrumentalist/composer, which in the world of “classical” music during the 20th and 21st centuries seems to have fallen out of fashion.

“Anyone who heard this account from violinist David Le Page will have come away exhilarated and gratified, as though having experienced the work for the first time. Le Page’s take on the piece was fresh, imaginative, daringly improvisatory. This was the most refreshing account I have ever heard.” The Birmingham Post

Places can be reserved through the ESTA website,http://www.estastrings.org.uk/news-events/regional-events.php

ESTA Member: £35 ESTA Student Member: £15 Non Member: £45 Student Non Member: £25 Under 18s: £5 Free admission to music students at Cardiff University and RWCMD

VIOLARAMA 2014

Hosted by Absolute Zero Viola Quartet

Sunday 16 November 10am – 9pm


With violists from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Welsh National Opera Orchestras.

CALLING ALL VIOLISTSCome and join Absolute Zero Viola Quartet for a full day of viola fun, celebrating all aspects of our wonderful instrument. ALL ABILITIES AND AGES WELCOME. There will be lots for everyone to participate in and enjoy: Massed violas, masterclass, chamber ensemble, workshops, performance, and more. And all for just £10 adult, £5 children and concessions. To reserve your place, book now:

Phone: 02920 307294 or email: [email protected]

2014 / 15

THE TRIUMPH OF TIME? RESPONSES TO BIRTWISTLE AT 80

Saturday 15 November 10am – 3pm


The Contemporary Music Group will present a celebration and exploration of the work of Sir Harrison Birtwistle. The project will involve a workshop and concert based around new pieces composed by School of Music students and staff in response to the music of Birtwistle in the composer’s eightieth year.

CROSSING THE BORDER 1:

Workshop day, Saturday 7 February 10am – 8pm


The second CMG workshop and performance day of 2014-15 introduces the music of Dutch composer Louis Andriessen and British composers who have been influenced by his energetic mix of hard-edged jazz and pop ensembles with contemporary aesthetic and technical approaches. His work is rehearsed and performed alongside Cardiff University students’ works written in response to it.

CROSSING THE BORDER 2:

Tuesday 24 February Please see listings (page 19) and webpages for further information.


Explore Day, Wednesday 25 March 2015, 10.30am – 4.30pm, University Concert Hall

Caroline Rae and Caroline Potter, series advisors to the Philharmonia Orchestra’s City of Light Festival, lead an exploration of French music from 1900 to 1950. This day of illustrated talks and discussion features a voice masterclass by renowned soprano and Messiaen specialist, Jane Manning, while investigating Paris as a melting pot of new music and new artistic ideas from La Belle Époque and Les Années Folles to the aftermath of World War II. Join us on an adventure of discovery.

All workshop and explore days are free to attend and everyone is welcome – booking is recommended, please go to www.ticketsource.co.uk/cardiffmusic to reserve your place.

Workshops and Explore Day

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Booking Information

Book any of this season’s mini-series – Back to Bach, Afro Beats Abroad, Contemporary Voices, City of Light: Paris 1900 - 1950* – and they can be yours for a 15% discount when you book all the concerts in that series.

IN PERSON

Subject to availability, tickets can be obtained at all venues immediately prior to each concert.

BOX OFFICE OPENING HOURS

At the University Concert Hall, Llandaff Cathedral, St David’s Cathedral (Pembs) and National Museum Wales (Cardiff), the box office will open 45 minutes before each concert.

St David’s Hall, Cardiff - please check box office opening hours with the venue.

BY PHONE

For concerts at Cardiff University Concert Hall, Llandaff Cathedral, St David’s Cathedral (Pembs) and National Museum Wales (Cardiff), tickets are available from the Ticketsource box office on 0333 666 3366 available Mondays to Fridays, 9am to 7pm (excluding bank holidays) and Saturdays 9am to 5pm (£1.50 telephone service fee will be charged).

For St David’s Hall events tickets are available from the St David’s Hall box office on 029 2087 8444.

ONLINE

For concerts at Cardiff University Concert Hall, Llandaff Cathedral, St David’s Cathedral (Pembs) or National Museum Wales (Cardiff), our secure online booking service is available at www.ticketsource.co.uk/cardiffmusic A booking fee is charged by the service provider.

For St David’s Hall events visit; www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk

• Concessions are available for senior citizens, registered disabled and a companion

• Dress code? There isn’t one

• Come as you are jeans, ball gowns, trainers, Manolos – it doesn’t matter to us, we are always pleased to see you

• Sit where you like, don’t stand on ceremony

• Relax in good company

*Does not include Philharmonia concert at St David’s Hall, 20 February 2015

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How to find us

The School of Music is located on Corbett Road.

There is free on street parking available in the area from 6pm on weekday and Saturday evenings.

Our courses are designed to fit in with your busy lifestyle, and run in the evening, day-time and weekends. You don’t need lots of qualifications, everyone is welcome!

Mae’n cyrsiau’n cael eu cynlunio i gyd-fynd â’ch ffordd brysur chi o fyw, gan redeg gyda’r nos, yn ystod y dydd ac ar y penwythnos. Does dim angen llawer o gymwysterau arnoch, ac mae croeso I bawb!

Book on a course now! Or request a copy of Choices.

Archebwch le ar gwrs nawr! Neu gofynnwch am eich copi chi o Choices.

T. 029 2087 0000

[email protected]/learn

[email protected]/dysgu

Cardiff University School of Music, 31 Corbett Road, Cardiff. CF10 3EB

Tel: 029 2087 5939

www.cardiff.ac.uk/musicconcerts.cf.ac.uk

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cardiff university concert series 2014:15

Documents

music of chopin

new music

bachs music

world music

lunchtime concerts

pm chopin

century switchedon bach

bach appreciation