THE GUILDFORD
-
PHILHARMONIC
The GUILDFORD PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY, for the Friends of the
Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra, is Guildford’s foremost musical appreciation
group. It was founded primarily to encourage both its own members and the public
at large to be aware of, and to enjoy, the Orchestra’s season of concerts in the Civic
Hall, the Hall originally built for Guildford’s own orchestra. Also it provides
opportunities to enjoy a wide variety of first class musical events at special
Members’ Evenings.
As the Society is a registered charity it welcomes payment of subscriptions by deed
of covenant. For the Member this of course means no increase for the four-year
period covered, and for the Society the additional income of the reclaimed tax, at
basic rate, on such payments. Funds are used to help with substantial publicity for
the Philharmonic concert season. Practical help is given at concerts.
In addition to Members’ Events, special evenings and receptions, Society members
receive a wealth of benefits which include: —
@ Priority booking for the series at the start of each concert season at discount rates.
e “THE GUILDFORD PHILHARMONIC”, the Society’s magazine.
@ Visits to other concert venues where the Orchestra is booked to perform
throughout the South East and beyond.
@ Cassettes, CDs and records at discount rates from Record Corner, Godalming.
@ Opportunities to attend Orchestra rehearsals (by arrangement through the
Philharmonic Office).
@ A special welcome for New Friends of the Orchestra, enjoying and helping to
ensure the continued success of the Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra in
its contribution to the quality of life in Guildford and the South East.
MEMBERSHIP RATES:
Annual Subscription (minimum)
Joint subscription (husband and wife)
£9.00
£15.00
Persons under the age of 18 (minimum)
£6.00
Retired pensioner (minimum)
£6.00
To join please write to the Administrator:Mrs Iris Bennett,
Applegarth, The Drive, Cranleigh, Surrey. GU6 7LY
with your name and address, and either a request for a Deed of Covenant form or
the appropriate subscription. Alternatively you may enrol at the Society’s stand in
the foyer of the Civic Hall at concerts.
THE GUILDFORD
PHILHARMONIC
The Newsletter of the Guildford Philharmonic Society
President - Lady Groves
Administrators:
Chairman:
Treasurer:
Iris and Peter Bennett
Mrs Jill Hurst
Bob Cowell
Applegarth, The Drive,
Brackens, Culmer Hill,
1 Penhurst, Shores Road,
Cranleigh. GU6 7LY
Wormley,Godalming.GU85SW
Woking. GU21 4HP
(Tel: 0483 276131)
(Tel: 0428 682622)
(Tel: 0483 770896)
Price - 50p, free to Members
September 1992 Issue
News Editor: John Carter: 42 Poltimore Road, Guildford, Surrey. GU2 5PN Tel: 0483 571762
LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN
Dear Members
We start this season with great sadness, knowing that we will not see the well-
loved figure of Sir Charles on the rostrum again.
We will be reminded of him in many ways when listening to our orchestra which
he loved so much.
I hope we will see this season as a glorious tribute to a great man.
We were delighted with the success of our sponsorship of Karen Downs and we
have decided to renew our sponsorship for a further season. Information about the
young player — Rachel Ives, is included elsewhere in this newsletter.
The committee and I look forward to seeing you at the concerts and members
receptions.
"Good listening,"
Uo
Hurt
Chairman
Sir Charles Groves, CBE
Sir Charles died on Saturday
June 20th aged 77. We were
all saddened to hear of his
death.
Many tributes have been
said and written about him
and in respectful memory and
appreciation for all he did, I
quote a few.
“'...he was as accomplished
a musician as any of his
generation in this country.
Indeed, it was his devotion to
the art of music and the
institutions that he served, at
the expense of a glamourous
career, that gave him his
irreplaceable role in so many
areas of British musical life.”
Gerald Larner, The Guardian.
“Charles Groves was one of the most dedicated, hardest working
.
generation.”
“....a musician who combined dignity, artistry and integrity.”
8
conductors of his
.
The Times
Fohn Ludlow
“The musical world has lost a great conductor and gentleman. Eschewing
superficiality and flamboyance almost to a fault, he interpreted the great classics
with depth and sincerity.”
Hugh Bean
“"... there was hardly any part of musical life that he did not touch... . he was
much loved .... he was a very modest man.”
oc
Fohn Drummond, BBC Proms Fuly
....not only a great musician, but a gentleman”
Sir Edward Downes at a Memorial Concert in Lichfield Cathedral.
“ce
....amellifluous conductor”
G.P.S. Member
We intend to hold our own Memorial Concert for Sir Charles on Friday 23rd
October, 1992 at 8pm in Guildford Cathedral.
The programme will include Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto with John Lill as
soloist and the Mozart Requiem with the Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra and
the Guildford Philharmonic Choir.
The soloists will be =Fiona Firth-Spiller
Soprano
Pauline Birchall
Mezzo-Soprano
Martyn Harrison
‘Tenor
Graham Titus
Bass
The Conductor will be En Shao
Tickets are priced at £7.50 (Concessions and Subscribers £5.00) and are available
from the Civic Hall Box Office (0483 444555)
or the G.P.O. Office (0483 444666).
The Funeral of Sir Charles Groves, CBE
On Friday 26th June 1992 I was in the Crypt of St. Paul’s Cathedral attending the
funeral of Sir Charles Groves, and with many others, famous and not so famous, to
give thanks for his life. St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the choir, which we were
reminded Sir Charles had led as a boy were very dear to him and his family and it
was very fitting that the service should be held there.
Lady Groves and the Very Reverend Alan Webster who conducted the service
and gave the address, arranged the most moving service with the choir of St.
Paul’s giving of their best with inspired singing. There was music by William
Croft, John Goss, Walford Davies and Gabriel Faure with the choir’s final
offering being ‘In Paradisum’ from his Requiem. Sir Charles’ son Jonathon read
the wonderful poem ‘Dedication’ by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and in his
address the Rev. Webster spoke warmly and with humour of Sir Charles and his
commitment, kindness and consideration - all of which qualities we have
experienced in good measure here in Guildford.
It truly was a fond farewell we bade Sir Charles that day and I was proud to be a
part of it to honour the memory of someone we held in high esteem and affection
and who will be greatly missed by us all.
RITA HORTON
Sadly, we report the death this Summer of Mrs. Winifred Richards.
Many of the older members will recall that Mrs. Richards was active in
the early years of the Guildford Philharmonic Society and in particular
getting the Subscription Series off of the ground.
We extend our condolences and sympathy to the members of her family.
Members Events 1992/93
[
23rd September
Pre-Season Wine and Cheese party
Burchatts Farm Barn, Stoke Park - 7.30pm
Pre-Season concert review by Terry Barfoot
£5.00 (£4.00 for subscribers and Society members)
Tickets from GPO Office (0483 444666)
Open to Members and Non-members
27th September
New Members Reception. (Free to Members, £2 for guests)
Civic Hall Restaurant
21st October
29th November
Members Evening at Methodist Hall at 8pm
Peter Clack
Principal Horn, GPO
Margaret Clack
Piano
Reception for Members
Cost: £2 per person.
Tickets on application to Mrs Elizabeth Hodge.
10th February
Recital by Young Musicians
from The Royal Grammar School, Guildford.
Concert in Big School at 8pm
7th April
Annual General Meeting at Methodist Hall.
Recital by Sponsored Young Player.
8th May
End of Season Reception for members and orchestra.
£2 for members and guests. Tickets on application
to Elizabeth Hodge.
Tickets obtainable from Mrs Elizabeth Hodge,
Chairman Social sub-committee, 27 Harvey Road, Guildford. (0483 579026).
Please enclose a stamped addressed envelope when applying for tickets.
Members evenings charges are: Members £1 - Guests £3.
|
Programme for Members Evening — 21st October, 1992
i
"From Hosepipe to Tibetan Horn"
(Peter will be bringing various unusual instruments to demonstrate).
Music will Include:
Rondo
eeeceee
Nocturne ...
Sonata in Eb
Rondo .......
Peter Clack
Peter Clack began playing the trumpet at the
age of 15. He joined the army where he
became a horn player winning The Cousins
Memorial prize at Kneller Hall.
He played regularly with the L.P.O. and
London Mozart Players before joining the
Music staff at Charterhouse. He has been
principal
horn
with
The
Guildford
Philharmonic Orchestra for many years.
Margaret Clack
Margaret Clack began
playing the piano at
the
age
studied
5.
She
with
of
Eric
Harrison at The Royal
College
of
Music
where she won The
Hubert Sharpe and
McEwen prizes. She
has taught the piano
}
n
at Charterhouse for
many years.
Choir News
|
[
By the time that this gets into print the 1991/2 season will be over and the choir
should be enjoying a well earned rest. As promised in the last Newsletter we ended
our season on a high note -(actually it was a low one and very quiet at that!) On
2nd May in the Civic Hall our rendition of Vaughan William’s Sea Symphony was
very well received in a concert conducted by Tod Handley who was standing in for
Sir Charles. What a thrilling experience that was for all who were there. Equally
exhilarating but in an entirely different way was our last concert on 10th July in
Holy Trinity Church when, under Neville Creed, we sang Haydn’s Little Organ
Mass and Faure’s Cantique de Jean Racine and Requiem.
We now look forward to next season. Our contribution to the Philharmonic
Subscription Series will consist of three concerts. In November we shall be joined
by the Freiburg Bach Choir to present Brahms’ German Requiem. This will be
followed in 1993 with a performance of Belshazzers’s Feast. We shall round the
season off with Haydn’s Die Paukenmesse. In addition to it is planned to make a
return visit to Freiburg and sing Handel’s Israel in Egypt with our German friends
in their magnificent cathedral. We are also hoping to take part in the 1993
Guildford Festival.
This promises to be a full and exciting year for the choir. If you would like to be
part of it, do please contact us and we shall be pleased to let you have more details.
Either ring Kathy on 0483 444666 or come along at 7.30 on a Monday evening
when our rehearsals begin again in September to the Methodist Hall in
Woodbridge Road. We shall be delighted
MICHAEL DAWE
STOP PRESS .... CHOIR NEWS ... . It seems likely now that the return visit to Freiburg
will now not take place in February 1993 but in October. As yet no final decisions have been
made but it seems probable that instead of putting on Israel in Egypt once at Freiburg, we
shall instead perform Britten’s War Requiem twice - once in the City Hall in Freiburg and
again the following day in the superb Cathedral in Colmar.
This change of plan will make an already interesting programme even more attractive and
challenging. So if you are contemplating joining us, don’t delay - apply today before all the
vacancies are taken.
.
MICHAEL DAWE.
n
Sponsored Chair
|
As you will have read in the Chairman’s letter, The Guildford Philharmonic
Society is again sponsoring a ‘chair’ in the violin section of the Orchestra this year.
(Rachel Ives)
The cost to the Society is over £600, so it is even more important for you to pay
your subscription for this year on time. If you pay by covenant, the Society is able
to reclaim money from the Income Tax Authorities - please consider this method
of payment if you have not already paid your subscription for this year. As a
member you also benefit because it ensures that your subscription cannot be raised
for the ensuing three years, despite any increase that may take place.
Any donations towards the cost of the sponsorship will be gratefully received
and should be sent to Iris or Peter Bennett marked “Sponsorship Chair”.
Peter tells me that the first 100 applications for renewal/new membership this
year gave an income of about £680 and donations of £144.
Rachel Ives
Rachel was born in July 1970, into a
family of professional musicians. She
started to play the violin at the relatively
late age of 12, and obtained a place in
the National Youth Orchestra of Great
Britain aged 14. Rachel continued her
musical studies at the Royal College of
Music in 1988 where she learnt first with
Hugh Bean and subsequently with
Rodney Friend. During this time she coled the Young Musicians Symphony
Orchestra, led two of the College’s
Orchestras
and _
participated
in
masterclasses with Dorothy Delay and
Igor Oistrakh. She graduated this July
and was awarded the Woltman and the
Hilda Anderson Dean prizes for violin
playing.
e
n
Karen Downs
l
|
==
At the request of several members I reproduce the notes of the talk given by Karen Downs
(our Sponsored Chair for 1991/92) after her recital on 8th April, 1992.
“Ladies and Gentlemen - thank you for inviting me to play to you here today. I
would also like to take the opportunity of thanking you all for setting up this
sponsorship scheme, which has proved a great opportunity for me.
As some of you may already know. I was a pupil of Hugh Bean and John Ludlow at
the Royal College of Music and I graduated with an Honours degree, having led
the Sinfonietta in my final year.
I left college to embark on a freelance career which at first was very difficult, as
work for many young players is hard to come-by without experience. But how does
one obtain any experience without first being given a chance?
This is why I believe this sponsorship scheme is so important to young players
such as myself. It has given me an opening into the professional world, developing
contact with other players, who, by the way, took an active interest in this.
Playing for the GPO means working with top London leaders, world class
conductors and international soloists. The atmosphere is a very friendly and
encouraging one.
I feel my orchestral skills have developed giving much greater confidence.
Through this scheme my name has become better known amongst musicians
generating offers of more freelance work.
I very much hope that this society is able to continue this scheme as it will be of
lasting benefit to future generations of young players, providing a stepping stone
into the profession.
In conclusion, I would like to thank you once more for sponsoring me and being
so friendly and supportive. I would also like to thank my pianist Ian Munro, who
has spared his time from a busy solo career to come and play.
Thank you everyone.
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GUILDFORD PHILHARMONIC CHOIR
Chorus Master - Neville Creed
Rehearsals on Mondays 7.30pm to 9.30pm
at the Methodist Hall, Guildford
For information about membership apply to:-
Kathleen Atkins, Guildford Philharmonic Office, Guildford Borough Council,
The Lodge, Allen House Grounds, Chertsey Street, Guildford, Surrey. GU14 4HL
Tel: Guildford (0483) 444666
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GUILDFORD PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
1992/93 SUBSCRIPTION SERIES CONCERTS
Slavonic Dances Op.46 Nos. 1,2&5
Piano Concerto in A minor
Symphony No. 5 in Eb
Dvorak
Schumann
Sibelius
Overture: Semiramide
Cello Concerto in B minor
Symphonic Dances
Dvorak
Rachmaninov
JOHN LILL
JACEK KASPSZYK
piano
conductor
STEVEN ISSERLIS
JOHN FORSTER
cello
conductor
Overture: Die Meistersinger
Violin Concerto No. 3 [K216]
Capriccio Espagnol
Suite: Firebird
Wagner
Mozart
Rimsky Korsakov
Stravinsky
Pulcinella
3 Gymnopedies
Symphony No. 9 (The Great) in C
Stravinsky
Satie
Schubert
JACEK KASPSZYK
conductor
MAYUMI FUJIKAWA
EN SHAO
violin
conductor
(Guildford International Music Festival 1993)
CIVIC CONCERT
Ein Deutsches Requiem
Brahms
ANNETTE ROBBERT
OLIVER WIDMER
GUILDFORD PHILHARMONIC CHOIR
FREIBURGER BACHCHOR
HANS MICHAEL BEURLE
soprano
baritone
conductor
Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique) inB minor
Belshazzar’s Feast
Tchaikovsky
Walton
WILLARD WHITE
GUILDFORD PHILHARMONIC CHOIR
BRIAN WRIGHT
bass/baritone
La Carnaval Romain
Rhapsody ona theme of Paganini
Symphony No. 1 in Ab
Berlioz
Rachmaninov
Elgar
FREDERICK KEMPF
(BBC Young Musician of the Year 1992)
BRIAN WRIGHT
piano
Ave Verum Corpus
Symphony No. 41 (Jupiter) in C
Mozart
Mozart
EILEEN HULSE
WENDY VERCO
PHILIP SHEFFIELD
WILLIAM DAZELEY
GUILDFORD PHILHARMONIC CHOIR
NEVILLE CREED
soprano
alto
tenor
bass
conductor
In the presence of a Civic delegation from Freiburg
A Night on the Bare Mountain
Violin Concerto in D
Symphony No. 3 (Eroica) in Eb
Mussorgsky
Tchaikovsky
Beethoven
SERGIU SCHWARTZ
MEIR MINSKY
violin
conductor
Introduction and Allegro Op.47
Trombone Concerto
[world premiere orchestral version]
Elgar
Bourgeois
Paukenmesse
Winter Legends
Bax
performed with financial support from the Arnold Bax Trust.
CHRISTIAN LINDBERG
MARGARET FINGERHUT
VERNON HANDLEY
trombone
piano
conductor
conductor
Haydn
conductor
Pre-concert talk at 2.00pm in the Civic Hall with Vernon Handley
Op. 46 No. 7
Violin Concerto in D
Symphony No. 1 inC
Dvorak
Beethoven
Balakirev
PETER CROPPER
JAMES LOUGHRAN
violin
conductor
Slavonic Dances Op. 72 No. 7 and
Op. 46 Nos. 3&8
L’Arlesienne Suite
Ritual Dances from
Midsummer Marriage
Suite No. 2: Daphnis & Chloe
VERNON HANDLEY
Dvorak
Bizet
Tippett
Ravel
conductor