GUILDFORD
HILHARMONIC
1996 /1997 SEASON
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GUILDFORD PHILHARMONIC
The Guildford Philharmonic, a professional orchestra of
75 players, is at the heart of music-making in the south east,
with a huge repertoire extending from the 17th century to the
present day. Its main concert season runs from September to
May in two venues: the Civic Hall, Guildford, and Guildford
Cathedral; and as well as this it gives concerts throughout
London and the south of England in a number of venues
which include Kenwood Park, Royal Festival Hall,
King's College Cambridge, St George’s Chapel Windsor, and
the cathedrals of Winchester, Chichester, and Canterbury.
As well as the more mainstream orchestral concerts, the
orchestra is involved in a wide range of educational projects,
both in schools and concert halls, involving young composers,
instrumentalists and singers.
The young Chinese conductor En Shao was appointed Principal
Conductor in 1995, following in the illustrious footsteps of
Crossley Clitheroe (who founded the orchestra in 1944),
Vernon Handley, Sir Charles Groves and Sir Alexander Gibson.
With En Shao, the orchestra continues its work of attracting
new audiences for all types of classical music, and of blending
the traditional and familiar with the new and challenging.
The orchestra is funded and promoted by Guildford Borough,
with assistance from the South East Arts Board,
South East Music Trust, the Musicians’ Union, and the
Friends of the Philharmonic. It is grateful to corporate
sponsors, both local and national, and looks forward to many
more such mutually beneficial relationships in the future.
GUILDFORD CATHEDRAL
SATURDAY 8 MARCH 1997 at 7.30pm
Principal Conductor: EN SHAO
Associate Leaders: Hugh Bean, John Ludlow
THE
RUSSIAN
TRADITION
Rachmaninov
The Bells
INTERVAL
(5minutes)
Rimsky-Korsakov
Suite from The Golden Cockerel
Tchaikovsky
Overture Solennelle 71812
ELENA VOZNESENSKAYA (soprano)
ROWLAND SIDWELL (tenor)
ANATOLI SAFIULIN (bass)
GUILDFORD PHILHARMONIC CHOIR
EN SHAO (conductor)
P
This concert is sponsored by BORAXE
and forms part of the Guildford International Music Festival
All concerts in the current season are funded by
Guildford Borough
The orchestra is grateful to the following for financial assistance:
South East Arts Board
The Friends of Guildford Philharmonic
South East Music Trust
B
Musicians’ Union
-
BORAXE®
Borax is a wholly-owned subsidiary of RTZ-CRA. It mines and refines boron-containing
minerals in California and Argentina, and sells them all over the world. There are also
production facilities in northern France, and in Spain. Principal end-use applications for
refined borates are glass, fibre glass, ceramics, enamels, detergents, and agriculture. Borates
are also used as fire retardants/smoke suppressants, wood preservatives and insecticides.
At its UK headquarters in Guildford, Borax Europe Limited, in conjunction with its sister
company in California, engages in mineral research, process technology development and
product innovation, operating the world’s leading borate laboratories. Borax Europe is also
responsible, with its American partner, for marketing borates worldwide.
While Borax’s mining operations have inevitably been based on the geographical location of
borate deposits, the company has been British since its foundation nearly one hundred years
ago, in 1899.
The company moved from its London headquarters to its present site on the Surrey Research
Park in November 1994, simultaneously re-locating its research and development laboratories
from Chessington, so that all the operations are now on one site in a purpose-built office and
laboratory facility.
Borax Europe is delighted to be associated with Guildford’s Philharmonic Orchestra and
Choir, and the International Music Festival.
Liverpool Philharmonic, the Hallé and the
Royal Scottish National Orchestra. He made his
London debut with the London Symphony
in 1992, and with the Royal
Orchestra
Philharmonic Orchestra in 1994.
En Shao has completed four major tours with
the ABC orchestras in Australia. He has worked
with the Toronto Symphony, the Colorado
Symphony, and the Vancouver Symphony; and
with the National Symphony Orchestra in
Johannesburg. Future engagements include
visits
to
Australia,
the
United
States,
Scandinavia and the Far East.
His
next
concert
with
the
Guildford
Philharmonic is at the Civic Hall on Saturday 5
April at 7.30pm in a programme of music
entitled The Spanish Connection, which
En Shao was born in Tianjin, China, in 1954. He
includes Rodrigo’s Guitar Concerto and de
Falla’s Dances from The Three-Cornered Hat.
started to play the piano at the age of four,
and the violin at five. In 1966 he was forced to
En
stop his music studies for four years because of
including
the Cultural Revolution. Gradually, however,
Shao
has
a
wide
Chinese
range
cooking,
of
interests
contemporary
interior design and architecture, ballet and
He takes a particular interest in
he was able to return to these studies, and by
jazz.
the age of 18 was working as a composer,
environmental issues.
pianist and percussionist with a local orchestra.
After graduating from the Beijing Centre Music
Conservatory,
Conductor
he
of
became second Principal
the Chinese Broadcasting
Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Guest Conductor of the Central Philharmonic Orchestra
of China and the National Youth Orchestra.
He came to England in
1988, having been
awarded the Lord Rhodes Fellowship at the
Royal Northern College of Music. In 1989 he
won
the Sixth Hungarian Television International Conductors’ Competition, resulting in
engagements
with the Hungarian Radio
Orchestra and State Symphony Orchestra. In
January 1990 he became Associate Conductor
of the
BBC
specially for
Philharmonic,
him.
From
a
post created
1992-1995
he was
Principal Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra,
with whom he made his Proms debut in
August
1995.
He
is
now
Principal
Guest
Conductor of the Euskadi Orchestra in Spain.
This is his second season as Principal Conductor
of the Guildford Philharmonic.
In the UK, En Shao has worked with the
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the BBC
Orchestras, The Northern Sinfonia, the Royal
Elena Voznesenskaya was born in Russia in
1964. She graduated from the Musical
Academy of the Urals in Ekaterinburg in 1995
where she had attended the class of Professor
N. Golychev, a People’s Artist of the USSR.
In 1993 she won First Prize in the Russian Song
and Romance Competition at Nizhny Novgorod
and was a laureate of the first Open Competition
for young Russian Opera Singers at Tiumen.
Elena Voznesenskaya was twice finalist in the
Toulouse competition (1994 and 1996) and
since 1995 she had been principal soprano of
the Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet in
Ekaterinburg.
Her repertoire includes Tatiana (Eugene
Onegin), Violetta Michaela (Carmen), Adina
(LElisir d’Amore), Marfa (The Tsar’s Bride),
Marguerite (Faust), Leonora (// Trovatore) and
Mimi.
Tonight is her British debut.
year at the National Opera Studio. His first
major role was Dimitri in Boris Godunov. The
following season his roles included Pinkerton
in Madam Butterfly, Tamino in The Magic
Flute and Florestan in Fidelio.
For Glyndebourne he sang Florestan in their
revival of Fidelio with the touring company.
His roles at ENO included Erik (Flying
Dutchman), Andrei (Mazeppa), Florestan,
Alfredo (Die Fledermaus) and Canio (/
Pagliacci).
On the concert platform he has sung with the
Hallé Orchestra and the Scottish National
Orchestra, and in London he sang The Bells
and Gerontius with the BBC Symphony
Orchestra in broadcasts for BBC Radio 3. He
has sung Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle with
the Holst Singers and Fauré’s Requiem with
the Holst Chamber Choir. He has worked with
such distinguished conductors as Sir Colin
Davis, Bernard Haitink, James Loughran, Mark
Elder and James Lockhart.
Rowland Sidwell has recorded the role of
Riccardo in Verdi’s Oberto for the BBC, and he
has sung with Simon Estes in a recording of
operatic arias. He has recently sung Canio for
Castleward Opera in Northern Ireland, and
Mozart's Requiem in Paris and Rouen.
He researched various singing techniques with
maestri in Italy and the U.K. and now teaches
singing here in Guildford.
ANATOLI SAFIULIN
Anatoli Safiulin was born in Russia and trained
at the Gnessin Institute in Moscow. He is
acclaimed as a champion of Russian music,
particularly that of Mussorgsky, Prokofiey,
Rachmaninoy,
Rimsky-Korsakov
and
Shostakovich, and has given the premieres of
works by many leading Russian composers
including Denisov, Gubaidulina and Schnittke.
Rowland Sidwell started training for a professional career in his late thirties after he had sung
for Barry Rose for many years in both Guildford
Cathedral and St Paul’s Cathedral choirs.
He was appointed Principal Tenor with English
National Opera in the 1982/83 season after a
He is regularly invited to international music
festivals including the Edinburgh Festival, the
Prague Spring Festival and the White Nights of
St Petersburg. He has worked with such
distinguished conductors as Mariss Jansons,
Lazarev,
Rozhdestvensky,
Masur
and
Penderecki.
and Patrick Hadley’s The Trees So High with
the Philharmonia Orchestra, both recordings
conducted by Vernon Handley.
The choir has worked with many eminent
conductors, and as well as giving concerts in
Guildford, it visits other British cities. Guildford
is twinned with Freiburg, and in 1990 the choir
joined forces with the Freiburger Bachchor in
Freiburg Munster, and then in November 1993
gave an outstanding performance of Britten'’s
War Requiem with them under Neville Creed.
The
choir's Chorus
Director
is Jeremy
Backhouse, who was appointed to the post in
January 1995 and who is also conductor of the
Vasari Singers with whom he has made several
notable recordings. The choir’s new President
is Sir
David Willcocks, this country’s
distinguished choral conductor.
most
The
choir's next major concert with the
Guildford Philharmonic is on Saturday 3 May
1997 in Guildford Cathedral in performances
Anatoli
Safiulin’'s
included
performances
of Beethoven’s
UK appearances
with
the
Scottish
National Orchestra and the City of London
Sinfonia. In February 1995, he performed the
Choral Fantasy and Ninth
Symphony (Choral). If you would like more
details about singing in the choir, please
telephone: 01932 221918.
Knight's Monologue from The Miserly Knight
by
Rachmaninov
with
the
Novosibirsk
Orchestra in Leeds, Northampton and at the
Royal Festival Hall. With the pianist Nikolai
Demidenko, he performed the complete
Mussorgsky
song-cycles
in
St John's
Smith
Square and at the 1995 Verbier International
Festival.
He
returned to the
Royal
Festival
Hall
in
February
last year for a performance of
Rachmaninov’s Spring Cantata with the
Philharmonia Orchestra, and this work and
The Bells were recorded for Carlton Classics.
GUILDFORD PHILHARMONIC CHOIR
The tiered choral staging in use tonight has
been purchased by the Association of Surrey
The Guildford Philharmonic Choir was formed
Choir
Choirs, of which the Guildford Philharmonic
by Guildford Borough in order to perform the
major choral repertoire with the Guildford
Philharmonic Orchestra. As well as performing
well-known choral works, the choir specialises
in 20th-century, particularly British, music. It
has recorded Gerald Finzi's Intimations of
Immortality with the Guildford Philharmonic
is a Founder Member, with the
generous help of the Foundation for Sport
and the Arts, PO Box 20, Liverpool L13 1HB.
For information about the availability of the
staging
to other Cathedral users, please
contact the Administrator, Bill Evershed, at
Guildford Cathedral Offices, Stag Hill,
Guildford GU2 5UR tel: 01483 565287.
Just
before
the
1917
Revolution,
Rachmaninov left Russia, never to return.
Having severed his links with his past, he
SERGEI RACHMANINOV
(1873-1943)
During the 1890s Rachmaninov became a
celebrated figure in Russian musical life. His
first opera, Aleko, was staged at the Bolshoi
Theatre when he was just twenty years old,
and
other
early
compositions
triumph.
Symphony
no.
built
upon
this
his
However,
in
1897
suffered
a
disastrous
1
failure at its first performance, with the
result
that
he
suffered
breakdown
which
impossible,
until
made
his
a
nervous
creative
work
self-confidence
was
restored some three years later thanks to
the efforts of the hypnotherapist Dr Nikolai
Dahl.
In
gratitude
Rachmaninov dedicated
the
hugely successful Piano Concerto no. 2 to
Dr Dahl, for his career had been rebuilt and
his
creative
powers
restored.
The
had no choice but to embark on a new
career, and he therefore gave priority to his
new life as a concert pianist. He built a
remarkable
little
a
developing
role
during
America,
these years
the
in
Europe
compositions
and
he
did
complete, such as the Rhapsody on a
Theme of Paganini and the Symphonic
Dances,
indicate
no
decline
in
his
powers. These later works serve also to
confirm
spirit,
his
for
essentially
he
was
Russian
the
romantic
true
heir
of
Tchaikovsky.
first
THE BELLS
Choral Symphony, opus 35
ing — which included the directorship of the
— and
persists to
Although Rachmaninov composed relatively
composing took place alongside conduct-
virtuoso pianist.
which
true nature of his achievement is often
misunderstood.
decade of the century proved busy indeed:
Bolshoi
reputation
this day: to the extent, indeed, that the
as
a
1. The Silver Sleigh-Bells: Allegro ma non
tanto
2. The Golden Wedding Bells: Lento
3. The Copper Alarum Bells: Presto
4. The Mournful Iron Bells: Lento lugubre
Rachmaninov based
his choral symphony
on Constantin Balmont's free translation of
Edgar Allan Poe's The Bells. In common
with other romantic composers he was
preoccupied with the workings of Fate, and
therefore these poems held a special
fascination for him. They concern the four
aspects of
human
life — birth,
marriage
(love), terror and death — as symbolised by
four kinds of bells: silver, gold, brass and
iron.
Rachmaninov
admitted
a
certain
preference for taking creative inspiration
from
external
factors:
‘In
my
own
composition | am greatly helped if | have in
mind a book which | have recently read, a
beautiful picture or a poem. | try to make
my music speak simply and directly that
which
is
in
my heart at the time
|
am
composing. If there is love there, or
bitterness, or sadness, or religion, these
moods become part of my music.'
The imageries evoked by the four sets of
bells proved to be a potent source of
inspiration, since their collective symbolism
provided
that
contrasts
which
large
is
scale
integration
implied
by
the
forces
with resourceful imagination in
order to characterise the natures of the
bells, believing that the symbolism was
highly significant: 'The sound of church
bells dominated all the cities of Russia that
knew:
Novgorod,
Kiev,
Moscow.
They
accompanied every Russian from childhood
to the grave, and no composer could escape
their influence.'
In addition to three soloists and chorus, The
Bells calls for a large orchestra, including six
horns
as
well,
instruments
significantly,
which
as
have
in line with the poem's priority of
deploy longer and more
lyrical phrases.
of
title
symphony. Rachmaninov uses his assembled
I
bars,
peacefulness,
The Mellow Wedding Bells are evoked in
the lyrical slow movement, at tempo Lento.
Here the scoring is for soprano solo,
chorus and orchestra, and the mood is one
of an idealised happiness, with music
which is sensuous rather than festive.
The orchestral textures are more delicate
than those found elsewhere in the work,
while
the
main
theme
is
a
subtle
transformation of what might be termed
Rachmaninov's motto, the medieval Dies
Irae plainchant.
The
Loud
Alarum
Bells
of
various
movement
require
chorus
bell-like
and
alone: no solo voice is used. The music is
distinctive and colourful, while the complex
connotations: glockenspiel, triangle, gong,
celesta, harp and pianino (upright piano).
Much of the composition was done in Rome
textures
and
contribute
so
the
rhythmic
changes,
much
the
to
third
orchestra
which
drama
during
and
excitement, are extremely challenging for
the year after his daughter's illness had
forced Rachmaninov to return to Russia. He
the performers. Sir Henry Wood, who in
1921
conducted the first British performance, described this movement as
the spring of 1913, though the
orchestration was only completed later in
noted how, once he had begun the project,
inspiration
had
flowed
rapidly:
'Nothing
‘certainly the most difficult vocal score |
ever seen'. The choral writing,
have
helps me so much as solitude. In my opinion
however,
it is only possible to compose when one is
alone
and
there
are
no
external
disturbances to hinder the calm flow of
is
elaborate,
but
ideas.
These
conditions
were
Rachmaninov
dedicated
Mengelberg
The
and
his
Bells
to
Concert-
gebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam', but they
encountered delays in preparing it, and the
first
performance
was
directed
by
the
composer himself, in St Petersburg on 30th
November 1913.
The first movement, The Silver Sleigh Bells,
is scored for tenor solo, chorus and
orchestra. The initial rhythmic idea is
strongly characterised, largely because it is
so
expertly
scored,
and
the
mood
thus
generated pervades the whole movement
save for the coda. The entry of the solo
tenor is especially memorable, a dramatic
stroke
in
the
itself
particularly
orchestration
could
hardly be more dramatic and the rhythmic
drive is frankly irresistible.
ideally
realised in my flat on the Piazza di Spagna.'
'‘Willem
not
which
surely
resulted
from
Rachmaninov's considerable experience as
a conductor in the opera house. The closing
The finale,
The Mournful Iron Bells, is a
dark Lento Ilugubre for bass solo, chorus
and orchestra. Heavy, syncopated rhythms
dominate
the
atmosphere,
as
do
instruments
playing
in
their
lowest
registers. The funeral atmosphere is set by
the extended melody of the cor anglais; the
movement's model would seem to be its
equivalent
in
Symphony.
The
turbulent
developments
Tchaikovsky's
music
Pathétique
moves
through
towards
a
peaceful, resigned conclusion, the imagery
concerned with an essentially private
lamentation: 'There is neither rest
respite, save the quiet of the tomb."
nor
Towards the end of his life, Rachmaninov
wrote of The Bells: 'l worked on this
composition with feverish ardour; and it
remains of all my works the one | love the
most.'
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
THE BELLS
On 10th February 1913 the explorer Robert
Falcon Scott and his two companions, who
were attempting to return to base after
having reached the South Pole, were found
Russian Poem by K. Balmont adapted from
the “The Bells” by E.A. Poe.
dead. In Britain the suffragette leader
Emmeline Pankhurst was jailed for three
years for inciting arson, while later in the
year women in Norway were granted equal
electoral rights. The Second Balkan War
ended with the signing of the treaty of
Bucharest, though politics throughout the
region remained volatile.
Tenor and Choir
Among the new works of literature were
Bernard Shaw's Androcles and the Lion,
Alain Fournier's Le grand Meaulnes and
D.H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers, while the
new
musical
compositions
included
Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, Elgar's Falstaff
and James Monaco's You made me love
you.
© Terry Barfoot
The Silver Sleigh-Bells
Listen. The sleighs are flying past in line.
The little bells are jingling,
with their light silvery sound they sweetly
torment our hearing.
Tenor
With their singing and their ringing they speak
of oblivion.
Tenor and Choir
Oh how clearly,
like the tuneful laughter of a child.
Tenor
in the clear night air
they are saying that after days of delusion
comes revival,
comes enchanting delight, the delight of a
tender dream.
Tenor and Choir
The sleighs are flying past in line,
the little bells are jingling.
The stars listen as the sleighs, flying away in
the distance, speak;
Tenor
and listening to them they sparkle,
and dreaming, and shining, they exhale
perfume into the heavens,
and with flickering radiance,
with silent charm,
together with the ringing, together with the
singing, they speak of oblivion.
The Golden Wedding Bells
Soprano and Choir
Listen to the holy summons to the wedding,
the golden summons.
Soprano
How much tender bliss there is in this youthful
song!
Choir
Listen to the summons to the wedding.
Soprano
Through the calm night air,
like some-one’s eyes watching and gleaming,
through waves of melodious ringing they gaze
at the moon.
From the inviting wondrous cells
full of fantastic gaiety
flashes of light fly out, rise and fall.
Now dimming, now glowing,
they drop their bright gaze to the future,
where slumbers the serenity of tender dreams
heralded by the harmony of the golden bells.
Choir
Our hearing acutely catches the waves in the
changing sounds,
now ebbs, now sobs, the brazen groaning surf.
The Mournful Iron Bells
Baritone and Choir
The funeral knell is heard,
a long toll.
Listen to the holy summons to the wedding,
The dream of a bitter life is ended.
The Copper Alarum Bells
The sounds of bitter sorrow are heard, the
the golden summons.
Choir
Listen! The alarm bell howls,
like the groaning of a brazen hell.
These sounds in wild torment repeat the tale
of horrors.
As if praying for help
they hurl the cry straight into the night,
straight into the ears of the dark night.
Every clang,
now longer, now shorter,
proclaims its fear.
And so great is their fear,
so terrible each cry,
the peals are torn asunder, unable to be heard.
They can only beat, writhe and shriek,
Baritone
dream of a bitter life is ended.
The iron sound proclaims the funeral grief.
And involuntarily we tremble,
from our pleasures we hasten away.
Baritone and Choir
And we sob, we remember that we too will
close our eyes.
Baritone
The unvarying monotone of this distant cry,
Baritone and Choir
the solemn funeral knell,
like a moan,
sorrowful, angry,
and mournful,
can only cry for mercy
swells into a long boom.
and towards the blazing pile
address their wails of grief.
Baritone
Meanwhile the raging fire,
both unheeding and tumultuous,
burns on.
Now out of the windows, now along the roof,
it leaps upward, higher and higher,
as though saying:
| wish
to soar, to blaze, to touch a moonbeam,
or die, or immediately right up to the moon |
will fly.
Oh, the alarm bell,
if you could only turn back
this horror, this flame, this spark, this sight,
this first sight of the fire
which you now proclaim with your crying,
with your wailing and your howling.
But now there is no salvation for us,
everywhere seething flames,
everywhere terror and confusion.
Your clanging,
a discord of wild sounds,
proclaims our danger.
Confused calamity now swells, now ebbs like
the tide.
It proclaims that a sufferer is sleeping the
eternal sleep.
In the bell-tower’s rusty cells
the knell, for the just and unjust,
menacingly repeats
that upon our hearts will lie a stone, that our
eyes will close in sleep.
The funeral torch flares,
from the bell-tower some-one shouts, someone speaks loudly,
Baritone and Choir
some-one dark is standing there.
And he laughs loudly, and he thunders,
and he drones,
he leans towards the bell-tower,
the echoing bell swings,
the echoing bell sobs,
it moans in the silent air.
Baritone
The echoing bell sobs,
it moans in the silent air,
and slowly proclaims the peace of the grave.
Translation: Sheila Davidson
NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV
(1844-1908)
Rimsky-Korsakov enjoyed two highly
successful careers. As an officer in the
Imperial Russian Navy he travelled the
world, visiting a host of exotic locations:
and
York
New
Mediterranean,
the
South America, and even Gravesend. But
his first love remained music, and during his
long voyages he constantly wrote down
musical ideas for later use. In his early
twenties he was given encouragement by
Mily Balakirev, and he became a close
friend of Mussorgsky. With César Cui and
composers
these
Borodin
Alexander
became known as The Five, a group who
raised the profile of the nationalist Russian
style.
At the age of twenty-seven Rimsky was
astonished to be offered the post of
Professor
Composition
of
and
Instrumentation at the St Petersburg
Conservatory. He accepted, although still
officially on the naval payroll. For the
remainder of his life music was the centre
of his life. As a creative artist and teacher
he became enormously influential and
gained an international reputation.
Rimsky, with his remarkable ear for
was
texture,
and
colour
orchestral
particularly adept at creating exotic
imageries in sound. The most celebrated of
suite
orchestral
the
is
works
his
Scheherazade, but his series of richly
colourful operas was certainly his most
substantial achievement.
Suite: THE GOLDEN COCKEREL
1. King Dodon in his Palace
2. King Dodon at the Battlefield
3. King Dodon with the Queen of
Shemakha
4. Marriage Feast and the Lamentable End
of King Dodon
Although he completed his final opera
before his death in 1908, Rimsky-Korsakov
did not live to see it in performance. The
premiere was delayed by problems with the
censor, for these were politically troubled
times in Russia, and any work of art which
lampooned authority was inevitably viewed
with suspicion.
Pushkin's original story was a fairy-tale
about 'the mighty Tsar Dadon, ruler of a
realm that shall be nameless', and although
Rimsky's librettist, Modest Bielsky, changed
the name to that of King Dodon, the
character remained the same: a pleasureseeking, incompetent aristocrat, quite
incapable of maintaining equable relations
with anyone.
objected.
No
wonder
the
censor
The magic fairy-tale world of the opera
inspired Rimsky to compose some of his
most colourful orchestral music, which ;.
-
¥
.
=g
The
second
movement
atmospheric,
taking
is
particularly
music
from
the
introduction to Act 2 of the opera. On a
cold winter's day Dodon leads his ragged
army
in
response
to
Cockerel's
warning.
But
the
of
spell
the
the
he
Golden
falls
beautiful
under
Queen
of
Shemakha, whose seductive dance enslaves
him. In the third movement the imagery
Dodon's grotesque attempts
also evokes
to
dance
himself,
made for his
as
preparations
are
return with the Queen
as
his bride.
The music of the wedding feast abounds in
brilliance
the
and
colourful
celebrations
are
splendour,
cut
short
but
by
the
Cockerel's
shattering
cry.
Now
the
Astrologer claims the Queen for himself,
as payment for his services rendered thus
far.
Dodon
Astrologer
refuses
outright,
killing
with
thrust
his
a
of
the
sword,
whereupon the Cockerel swoops upon the
King and kills him with a single peck of
his golden beak.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Following
the
aftermath
of
abortive
the
uprising
disastrous
in
the
Russo-
Japanese
war, Russia was in a state of
political crisis. Agrarian reforms had failed
to improve social conditions, and soon
translates
most
effectively
the
into
concert
suite form. While the movement titles give
a clear indication of the relationship to the
stage action, in truth it is not essential for
the
listener
to
link
this
richly
colourful
music to anything beyond itself.
The
important
heard
call
musical
immediately:
signifying
the
a
muted
Golden
are
trumpet
Cockerel's
oriental arabesque figure which rises and
falls over shifting harmonies, personifying
the Royal Astrologer. The latter pair of
ideas proves to be extremely flexible as the
proceeds,
original opera.
in
the
suite
as
in
the
in
forced
order
to
to
take
control
repressive
a
restive
The
Anglo-Russian convention on Persia
and Afghanistan aligned Russia with France
Britain,
matching
references
was
population.
and
warning, a sinuous theme on muted cellos
representing the Queen, and a quasi-
music
Tsar
measures
of
effectively
powers
which
creating
the
remained
in
position when war broke out seven years
later. Meanwhile, the collapse of the
Ottoman Empire continued, with Bulgaria
unilaterally
declaring
independence
Austria annexing Bosnia.
© Terry Barfoot.
and
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY
(1840-1893)
Graduating in 1865, Tchaikovsky joined the
staff of the new Moscow Conservatoire,
and his creative muse developed rapidly, as
did his romantic preoccupation with Fate,
'the power of destiny that forbids us to be
happy'.
The 1870s were years of remarkable
creative fertility, with such masterpieces as
the operas Vakula the Smith and Eugene
Onegin, the ballet Swan Lake, and the
Third and Fourth symphonies. But these
were also years of crisis. Against his better
judgement and in contradiction of his
homosexuality, = Tchaikovsky = married
Antonina Milyukova, and the resulting
tensions and separation were immensely
painful to him: he even attempted suicide
by walking up to his waist in the icy river
water.
assumed responsibility for the musical side
of proceedings, and he repeatedly pressed
his friend and colleague Tchaikovsky for a
contribution in the form of a new
composition.
The type of piece which was required
was clear from the outset, since the
Exhibition was timed to coincide with the
completion of the Cathedral of the
Redeemer, which had itself been built to
commemorate the 'Patriotic War' of 1812,
when the Napoleonic invasion of Russia
had been repelled. The Ceremonial
in
composed
was
'1812'
Overture
November 1880, shortly after the wellknown Serenade for Strings. Tchaikovsky
intended that the Overture should be
performed in the open air, and following
the tradition of other military celebrations
in music, such as Beethoven's Wellington's
Victory, he used a full orchestra with the
addition of much percussion, bells, cannon
and military band.
It was at this time also that Tchaikovsky
began his remarkable relationship with his
patroness, Nadezhda von Meck. Her
generosity allowed him to concentrate on
at her request, they
composition, but
communicated only in writing - some 1100
of their letters have survived. Tchaikovsky
was at the height of his powers, aged
fifty-three, when he died in the autumn of
1893. His Symphony no. 6, 'Pathétique’,
which he described as 'the best thing |
have ever done', had been triumphantly
received just a few days before his death, in
what can only be described as 'suspicious
circumstances', when he deliberately
drank unboiled water during a cholera
epidemic.
OVERTURE SOLENNELLE '1812',
opus 49 (choral version)
In order to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of
Tsar Nicholas | in 1882, an 'All-Russian Art
and Industrial Exhibition' was staged in
Moscow, the equivalent of Britain's 'Great
Exhibition' of 1851. Nikolai Rubinstein, the
Director
of
the
Moscow
Conservatory,
The Overture is admirably paced to achieve
maximum effect. The slow introduction
uses the Russian hymn 'God Preserve Thy
People', which gives way to the main body
of the work, based on the stirring imagery
of the Battle of Borodino. Here Tchaikovsky
the
mixes together the various ingredients with
European
remarkable
skill.
Alongside
his
original
material, there are Russian folksongs,
liturgical chants and the national anthem,
set against the French imagery of the
Marseillaise.
And as the excitement builds
to fever pitch, the theatrical
element is
added in the form of frequent bangs and
explosions which
climax,
a
make for a formidable
veritable
triumph
of
Russian
nationalism.
Alps.
In
retaliation
violence
in
for
anti-
a
British
Egypt,
fleet bombarded Alexandria, and at the
battle
of
Tel
el-Kebir
Sir
Garnet
Wolseley's
army
defeated
the
Egyptian
rebels.
On the evening of his arrival
Dublin,
the
Ireland,
Lord
new
secretary
Frederick
of
in
state
for
Cavendish,
was
assassinated in Phoenix Park.
The essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson and the
poet
Henry
Longfellow
died,
and
the
actress Lily Langtree made her debut in
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
New York City.
© Terry Barfoot.
The Icon of St. Sergius, patron saint of Russia
GUILDFORD PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
EN SHAO - Principal Conductor
First Violins
Violas
Flutes
Horns
Percussion
John Ludlow
Maurice Cavanagh
Sheila Beckensall
John Meek
John Graham
Anne Rycroft
Kate Hill
Alexa Turpin
Debbie Davies
Kevin Elliott
Alison Taylor
David Clack
Christopher Nall
Keith Bartlett
Julian Walton
Helen Allport
Peter Newman
Jean Burt
Paul Appleyard
Alex Suttie
Michael Newman
Avril Maclennan
Fiona McNaught*
Pat Humphries
Ellen Jackson
Phillip Augar
Rosemary Van Der Werff
Ginny Wray
Anthony Short
Cellos
Douglas Cummings
John Stilwell
Piccolo
Simon Hunt
Oboes
Vicky Walpole
Neil Black
Juliet Lewis
Claire Lintott
Martin Heppell
Peter Widgery
Harp
Helen Tunstall
Trumpets
Gareth Bimson
Piano
John Forster
John Young
Cornets
Julia Walker
Cor Anglais
Simon Ferguson
Second Violins
John Kirby
Janice Knight
Bill Stokes
Nicholas Maxted Jones
Duncan Moulton**
Rosemary Roberts
Nicholas Boothroyd
Clarinets
Trombones
Andrew Bernardi
Peter Hembrough
Rachel Hess
Christopher Horner
Timothy Wilford
Ruth Dawson
Catherine Belton
Ruth Knell
Bob Dent
Basses
Maurice Neal
Peter Hamilton Box
Kate Saxby
David Jones
John Gray
Nick Levy
* Friends’ Sponsored Player 96/97
** Friends’ Sponsored Player 95/96
Hale Hambleton
Victor Slaymark
Anton Weinberg
Bass Clarinet
Stephen Pierce
Celeste
Malcolm Hicks
John Edney
David Hissey
Bass Trombone
Martin Nicholls
General Manager
Nicola Goold
Tuba
Stephen Wick
Music
Administrator
Peter Holt
Anna Meadows
Timpani
Secretary
Peter Bennett
Roger Blair
Shirley Ewen
Bassoons
Michael Chapman
Contra Bassoon
Tim Mallett
Stage Assistant
Ken Davidson
If you would like further information about the work of the Guildford Philharmonic or if you are
interested in sponsorship opportunities please contact the Guildford Philharmonic office on 01483 444666.
JOHN HURSEY
It is with great regret that we announce the untimely death of John Hursey, who was one of our longserving members of the 'cello section.
He had a distinguished career playing for many years in the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra plus
a short period with the BBC Symphony Orchestra before embarking on the arduous side of playing in
the pit for several well-known London shows culminating in seven years with Miss Saigon.
His first love, however, was always the piano as he studied this noble instrument for five years at the
Royal Academy of Music before going to Bournemouth. When a concert included a piano concerto,
one often felt him playing the solo part as well as the ’cello line.
He was also an excellent artist, especially drawing birds, butterflies or some favourite spot in his
beloved Dorset, and many of us were fortunate in receiving a personal Christmas card featuring one or
other of these subjects.
He could be the life and soul of many a gathering and his laughter was infectious. He was indeed a
lovely colleague to have in the section.
His favourite composer was always Mozart and he used to say that his happiest year was when the
registration of new cars was ‘K’ and therefore he was able to put his intellect and memory in gear and
sing the opening tutti of the appropriate number.
He will be sorely missed.
John Stilwell
GUILDFORD PHILHARMONIC CHOIR
Sopranos
Dawn Smith
Celia Embleton
Jorien van Gulik
Norman Carpenter
Jacqueline Alderton
Judy Smith
Mandy Freeman
June Windle
Walter Chattaway
Kathleen Aldridge
Kathy Stickland
Rebecca Greenwood
Maralyn Wong
Joanna Andrews
Carol Terry
Liz Hamilton
Noreen Ayton
Enid Weston
Ingrid Hardiman
Tenors
Penny Baxter
Tessa Wilkinson
Jo Harman
Adrian Buxton
Sally Bayton
Christine Wilks
Pamela Harman
Peter Chantler
Mary Broughton
Elisabeth Willis
Carol Hobbs
Colin Cook
Viv Chamberlin-Kidd
Lucinda Wilson
Sheila Hodson
Douglas Cook
Elaine Chapman
Frances Worpe
Joy Hunter
Bob Cowell
Helen Lavin
Leslie Harfield
Charles Martin
Sandra Docker
Neil Clayton
Rodney Cuff
Angela Hand
Altos
Kay McManus
Susan Hinton
Marion Arbuckle
Christine Medlow
Roy Rashbrook
Barbara Lack
Mary Anne Barber
Mary Moon
Andrew Reid
Judith Lewy
Sally Bailey
Brenda Moore
Chris Robinson
Margaret Mackie
Iris Ball
Jean Munro
John Trigg
Jacqueline Norman
Evelyn Beastall
Sue Oldroyd
John Turner
Philip Davies
Michael Dawe
Simon Doran
Michael Dudley
Terence Ellis
Geoffrey Forster
Michael Golden
Nick Gough
Peter Herbert
Laurie James
Michael Jeffery
Stephen Jepson
Neil Martin
Susan Norton
Iris Bennett
Nikki Paige
Maggie van Koetsveld
Robin Onslow
Tamsin Bennetts
Anne Philps
Jeni Young
Margaret Parry
Jane Brooks
Lesley Scordellis
Jessica Pires
Jean Brown
Catherine Shacklady
Basses
Roger Penny
Rosalind Plowright
Barbara Buck
Gillian Sharpe
Peter Allen
Nigel Pollock
Susan Ranft
Juliet Butler
Prue Smith
Peter Andrews
David Ross
Gillian Rix
Amanda Clayton
Rosemary Smith
Roger Barrett
Philip Stanford
Joan Robinson
Mary Clayton
Jana Stepankova
John Britten
Keith Torbet
Maureen Shortland
Valerie Edwards
Hilary Trigg
John Burrows-Watson
Ralph Whitehouse
Maxwell New
Barry Norman
FRIENDS OF
GUILDFORD PHILHARMONIC
Join the Friends of Guildford Philharmonic
and help to support young orchestral players at the
outset of their careers.
Each year, for the past six years, the Friends have sponsored a new string
player
in
the
orchestra
for a
whole season,
giving
him
opportunity to gain valuable experience working with
a
or
her the
professional
orchestra. The Friends would be delighted to hear from anyone who
would like to contribute towards the scholarship, and to find out more
about this, and other aspects of the work of the Friends, please contact:
Norman Carpenter, Chairman,
Friends of Guildford Philharmonic
01483 714634
FORTHCOMING CONCERT by the
GUILDFORD PHILHARMONIC in the GUILDFORD INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL
Sunday 23 March at 3.00pm
in the Civic Hall, Guildford
The French Tradition
Overture Benvenuto Cellini Berlioz
Piano Concerto No.2 Saint-Saens
Prélude a I'aprés-midi d’un faune Debussy
Second Suite: Daphnis & Chloé Ravel
Jorge Luis Prats Piano
Emil Tabakov Conductor
Tickets from £7.00 available from the Civic Hall Box Office (01483 444555)
A
A DATE FOR YOUR DIARY
i
Saturday 26 April 1997 at 7.30pm
DORKING HALLS
THE KINGDOM
Edward Elgar
Ashtead Choral Society
Guildford Philharmonic
Helen Pritchard
Kate Woolveridge
Jeffrey Stewart
Anthony Stuart Lloyd
Conductor Arthur Diamond
Tickets: £7.50 - £12.50
’phone 01372 274870
3
L \3OCIET -<t"c
\
é‘
2
it )
”
Secielly
GROWERS SINCE 1908
Secretts of Milford are delighted to donate the floral
bouquets to this seasons soloists
Secretts Flower Shop for stunningly orchestrated flower arrangements
Weddings * Decoration of Homes, Churches and Marquees
Bouquets * Gift Baskets * Floral Tributes * Accessories
Secretts — on the Milford to Godalming Road just outside Milford
Telephone: 01483 427971
Secielty
Full of lovely Surprises
Serving Surrey Music Lovers for over 130 years
T. ANDREWS & (0. LTD.
(Established in Guildford in 1857)
R ECO R D
CO R N E R
(TOM BRIGGS)
POUND LANE, GODALMING
Tel: 01483 - 422006
CD’s, Cassettes, Videos
CLASSICAL SPECIALIST
(Gramophone Blue Riband Dealer)
Rock, Pop, Jazz, Blues, Spoken Word
Sheet Music inc. Associated Board
Musical accessories, Storage Systems
Agents for leading makers
Second Hand LPs, Tapes, CD’s
Pianos for sale, hire and concert use
Trade-in Service available
62 MEADROW, GODALMING
Mail Order (Access, Visa, Mastercard)
Telephone: 01463 422459
Mon—Fri 9.15-5.15, Sat 9-5.30
DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC
University of Surrey
r—%;\ @47
Promoting Excellence in Education and Research
The Department promotes regular concerts,
celebrity recitals, masterclasses and workshops,
all of which are open to the public.
Major diary dates for the 1996-97 academic year:
IN THE ARTS
( & HUMANITIES
3 October, 19 January, 11 July (with Jack Brymer)
Medici String Quartet
can now be pursued at
24 October, 4 May
university level through
Nikolai Demidenko, piano
the University of Surrey’s
24 November, 15 February (Guildford Cathedral)
open-access, part-time and
occasional courses
University Symphony Orchestra & Choir
13 December (Holy Trinity Church)
University Chamber Orchestra
Wednesday Lunchtime Recitals
weekly student performances during semesters,
starting at 1.15 pm (admission free).
Please call the Department for further details
or if you would like to be placed on our mailing list:
For details please ring the
. ‘fi}
Centre for Continuing Education
K ”p 7 &
s
,/[.
:
&
01483-259752
“Ustry v
Promoting excellence in teaching and research
01483 259317
e
BURCHATTS
-~ farm barn
AWARD WINNING RESTORED
GEORGIAN BARN
AT STOKE PARK, GUILDFORD,
SURREY
mail ordering service.
= 1000 musical instruments in
bl
stock woodwind, brass,
THE IDEAL VENUE FOR:
strings, percussion,
FUNCTIONS
digital pianos.
=
CONFERENCES
|nstrument
RECEPTIONS
rental scheme
and cash sales
at best price.
= 1000 accessories,
musical gifts.
= 300 different types of
reeds and strings.
= Instrument repair service.
= Teachers register.
For full details on Burchatts Farm Barn contact
Miss] Boothroyde
Guildford Borough Council, Millmead House, Millmead,
Guildford, Surrey GU2 5BB. Telephone 01483 — 444701
Tel: 01932 351165 (24 Hrs) / 351614
G
Mail Order Music: 3 Claremont Road, West Byfleet, Surrey KT14 6DY
Sl
and 136 George Lane, South Woodford, London E18 1AY Tel: 0181 530 6432
Tel: 01932 354898 (24 Hrs)
CUILDFORD
8
O
R
O
UG
H
Borax opera
Borax works
Borax is a natural form of the element boron (B).
Borax and other borates are virtuoso performers in
glassmaking and detergency; they deliver an essential
composition to agriculture; and they harmonise creatively in
concert with metals, textiles, plastics, organic compounds,
and many other materials - to enhance or modify their
properties.
Members of the RTZ-CRA Group, Borax Europe Limited in
Guildford and U.S. Borax Inc. in California, conduct the
world’s leading programme for the production and supply of
boron compounds - for manufacturing, farming,
environmental protection, and the arts.
Borax Europe, which has recently transposed its operations
to the Surrey Research Park, is delighted to support the
Guildford Philharmonic.
AN
BoRAX’II\\
Pl
170 Priestley Road
Guildford, GU2 SRQ
solicitors
Hart Brown are proud
to support The Professional Orchestra
of the South East
2 &4 Jenner Road
-
01483 887766
1 South Street
01483 887766
7&
8 Guildford Road
01483 887766
FARNHAM
Sovereign House 17 South Street
01252 737303
COBHAM
33 High Street
01932 864433
CRANLEIGH
2 Bank Buildings 147 High Street
01483 273088
68 Woodbridge Road
101483 887766
\ GUILDFORD
.
218
GUILDFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL
CONCERTS 1996/97
SATURDAY 8 MARCH 1997 at 7.30 p.m.
Please note:
Admission by this programme ONLY
Front Nave
£12.00
PROGRAMME
THE BELLS
Rachmaninov
LE COQ d’OR (excerpts)
Rimsky Korsakov
1812 OVERTURE
Tchaikovsky
EN SHAO
Conductor
This concert forms part of the Guildford International Music
Festival and is sponsored by Borax Europe Limited.
GUILDFORD CATHEDRAL
CAR PARKING
Car Parking at the Cathedral is limited to 300 cars. When this
number is accommodated, drivers will be directed by Stewards
to other areas around the Cathedral where cars may be parked.
On no account can the limit of 300 be exceeded.
Since car parking space at the Cathedral may prove inadequate
for all those attending the performance, patrons are kindly
requested to share cars with as many others as possible, to park
away from the Cathedral unless absolutely necessary and, in any
event, to time arrival so as to be able to take seats by 7.15 p.m.
THANK YOU
Information about the
Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra
and Philharmonic Choir
can be obtained from the
Orchestra’s office at:
MILLMEAD HOUSE
MILLMEAD
GUILDFORD
SURREY
GU2 5BB
Telephone: T@ (01483) 444666
7/96 LSGPOO3A.PM6