Tamesis Issue 245 September 2014

Editorial

This is rather a unusual Tamesis as nobody has sent me any reviews. I know someone offered to review the Peter Syrus workshop on Schein. If it was you, do send it to me for the November issue. Luckily there are plenty of short news items and additions to the concerts and events lists. This month there are forms for the baroque day and for our December workshop and lunch which this year is on Christmas in Rome with David Allinson. Both forms come to me so please note that though you�re welcome to send them in one envelope you need to write two separate cheques.

I�m asked to tell you that the Monteverdi Influence workshop with Robert Hollingworth is full with waiting list places only.

Most of you who knew Selene Mills will have heard the sad news from her husband Nick Webb that she finally lost her battle with cancer on August 10th. She was the administrator and inspiration behind the Cambridge early music courses and a member of the EEMF committee for many years. You�ll find on page 4 a box with a short extract from her final email. Nick wrote that he will let us know in due course his plans for a fitting memorial and celebratory event for Selene, and also, he very much hopes, a scheme by which her life and work can be fittingly memorialised in the long term.

Victoria Helby

Chairman�s Chat

I was very sorry to hear of Selene�s death as I have happy memories of making music with her going back to the days when she and Michael Proctor were running Benslow.

In March I mentioned that BBC Radio 3's Best of British playlist did not feature many renaissance composers � see www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03lzxnx/live for the current list. I'd say the situation is even worse after 8 months, as out of 241 pieces only the following baroque and renaissance composers figure: Thomas Arne (3), John Blow, William Byrd (3), Jeremiah Clarke, Robert Carver (2), John Dowland, John Dunstable (2), Robert Fayrfax, Orlando Gibbons (5), William Lawes, Robert Parsons, Peter Philips (my contribution), Henry Purcell (8), John Sheppard, Thomas Tallis (2), John Taverner, Thomas Tomkins, Henry VIII to which we can add 4 by Handel totalling 41* i.e. about a sixth. Time for some of you to suggest your favourites � Jenkins anyone?

I've just returned from Hawkwood College where James Weeks directed a very enjoyable weekend of music from Monteverdi's third book of madrigals. There were several TVEMF members amongst the seventeen participants and I signed up a couple more at the end. The pieces were very approachable and James was pleased with our achievements, as indeed were we.

There's plenty of TVEMF events to look forward to in the coming months as we resume after our summer break but don't forget to write a report on those summer schools.

nd David Fletcher* plus a piece by Christophe Tye on the 2 September I�m happy to say

Greenwich Exhibition

TVEMF will have a stand at the Greenwich exhibition as usual and I hope plenty of you will volunteer to look after it for a few hours during the three days of the exhibition. The period you spend there can of course be arranged around any concerts you want to attend (see page 6 for list), but this year the Early Music Shop have a new rule which is that THEY HAVE TO HAVE VOLUNTEERS� NAMES BY SEPTEMBER 26th. They will then issue free passes to stand helpers. If you offer your help after that date you will of course be most welcome but you will have to buy your own ticket to come in.

I�m busy on two of the three days this year so David Butler has kindly stepped in to organise the stand. If you can help, please contact him at d.e.butlerntlworld.com as soon as possible, and certainly before 26th September if you want a free pass.

Bach cantatas at choral evensong in Oxford

St Michael at the Northgate in Oxford has Bach cantatas with baroque orchestra in the context of choral evensong every Sunday at 4pm. Details can be found on the church web site www.smng.org.uk. This is the first time I�ve heard about this so I wonder if any of our TVEMF members take part and have forgotten to mention it.

There is no more precious gift than making music together, and I have based my life�s work on this principle. It doesn�t have to be great performances, or performances at all: some of the best moments have been playing tucked away in someone�s living room with no one else listening, but those moments are no less valid or important than the times in sold-out concert halls.

Selene Mills

Opportunities to make music

    Join the Camden Choir as they prepare for a performance of Handel's Athalia at St
    John's Smith Square on Saturday 15th November at 7.30pm. This rarely performed
    Oratorio, based on a play "Athalie" by Racine and an Old Testament story about
    Jezebel's daughter avenging her mother's death, was first performed in 1733 with
    great success. It contains some of Handel's finest music and is an essential bridge
    between his operas and his oratorios.

    Rehearsals take place Monday evenings near Chalk Farm London NW3 from 8th
    September. Singers are expected to be good sight readers and entry to the Choir is
    subject to a short voice test. Please e-mail camden_choir

yahoo.com if you'd like to
take part.

* * *
Isleworth Baroque is staging a double bill of Purcell's 'Dido and Aeneas' and Eccles'
'Judgement of Paris' in Richmond (west London) this November. They would like a
few extra string players (at A=440). Enquiries to Chris Hobson at
chris.hobson1tiscali.co.uk or 0208 948 0791.

BELSIZE BAROQUE and ADRIAN BUTTERFIELD
October 5th 2014, 7.30pm
St Stephen's Rosslyn Hill, London, NW2 2PP
18th-century works performed on period instruments
Mozart � Symphony No 25 in G minor
Mozart � Violin Concerto No 5 in A major �Turkish�
Haydn � Symphony No. 82 in C major �The Bear�
Tickets: �12 Concessions �10 Students �5
www.belsizebaroque.org.uk

For Sale

Robert Morley walnut spinet, 1967 model S5, on square tapered legs.

In good condition, one owner from new.
In Braintree but can deliver if necessary.
alan.reeder1yahoo.co.uk (07747 666972)

For sale

    Michael Johnson Flemish single manual harpsichord made in 2002. Based on a
    1637 Ruckers instrument. 2�8ft and buff. GG-d3, A392/415/440. Just
    professionally serviced and in excellent condition throughout. Padded cover
    included. �9,750. Contact Philip Moate (0118 989 0633 or 07799302707)
    philipmoate

yahoo.co.uk.

Harpsichord tuition
available from teacher with over 18 years experience.
Whether you are looking to pass exams, diplomas,
improve your continuo playing, or just want to learn for fun,
lessons are designed to suit individual needs.

Please call Katharine May (GRSM Hons, ARCM) on 01628 783272 or email

kmkatharinemay.co.uk (www.katharinemay.co.uk)

Greenwich Early Music Festival 13th-15th November 2014

THURSDAY 10:30 - 13:30 Masterclass by Sir John Eliot Gardiner for Trinity Laban�s senior vocal students 13:05 - 14:00 St Alfege Church. Ensemble Bergamasca, winners of the Trinity Laban Early Music Competition 2014, performs a lunchtime concert. Programme to include works by Frescobaldi, Marini, and Uccellini. 15:30 - 16:30 Lecture Recital. Trinity Laban professor Steven Devine discusses Bach�s Goldberg Variations in conversation with John Irving. 17:30 - 18:45 St Alfege Church. Emma Murphy - recorders, Ibrahim Aziz - viols, Steven Devine- harpsichord, David Gould - countertenor. A Hamburg Legacy - CPE Bach is featured alongside instrumental and vocal works by his Godfather, Telemann, as well as his father, J S Bach. 19:45 - 21:45 The Chapel, Old Royal Naval College. Trinity Laban Soloists & Baroque Orchestra with Adrian Butterfield Director/Baroque Violin. Includes a Concerto for Flute by CPE Bach, a Sonata for Violin by Leclair, and other works by CPE Bach, Locatelli and more.

FRIDAY 10:30 - 13:30 Pamela Thorby - recorder masterclass with conservatoire and university students. 13:05 - 14:00 St Alfege Church. Trinity Laban Chamber Ensemble concert (free) 14:30 - 15:30 The Chapel, Old Royal Naval College. Ensemble DeNOTE Beethoven Trio in E flat Op.38 17:30 - 18:45 St Alfege Church. Philomel (Philip Thorby, Emma Murphy, Sharon Lindo, Alison Kinder, David Hatcher) 'Tyme to Pass with Goodly Sport'. William Cornish, Henry VIII, Claudin de Sermisy, Pierre Attaingnant, Tielman Susato & others. 19:45 - 21:30 The Chapel, Old Royal Naval College I Fagiolini. The Monteverdi Influence - solos and ensemble pieces from the first half of the 17th century.

SATURDAY 13:00 - 14:00 The Chapel, Old Royal Naval College. Anne-Suse En�le, winner of the 2013 Moeck/Society of Recorder Players Recorder Competition, returns to Greenwich for her winner's recital 14:15 - 15:00 Peacock Room, King Charles Court. Junior Trinity. Young musicians from Trinity Laban�s Saturday School perform a selection of chamber repertoire from the Baroque era. 17:30 - 18:45 St Alfege Church. Fretwork J S Bach: Art of Fugue 19:45 - 21:45 The Chapel, Old Royal Naval College. Brecon Baroque directed by Rachel Podger. J S Bach: Suite No 2 in B minor for flute, strings and bc, Musical Offering, Brandenburg Concerto No 5

Handel House

www.handelhouse.org/whats-on To book tickets please call the booking line on 020 7399 1953. September concerts were in the July Tamesis. Thursday 2 October, 6.30-7.30pm. Il Maestro e lo Scolare Duo Jordaan (Adam Jaffe and Anthony Abouhamad) will perform early classical compositions for four-hands on the harpsichord, including masterworks by Mozart and JC Bach, interspersed with solo selections from JS Bach�s Well-Tempered Clavier. Thursday 9 October, 6.30-7.30pm. Beethoven and Baroque on Bouzouki Transcriptions of baroque and classical music on the bouzouki, a musical instrument synonymous with Greece and dating from the Byzantine era. Chris Christodoulou (bouzouki) and Anne Marshall (harpsichord) Sunday 12 October, 2-3pm. Pluckers Re-United! Join Amanda Cook (guitar) and Claire Williams (harpsichord) for their return to the Handel House. They promise to bring another exciting programme, featuring an eclectic mix of music for both instruments. Tuesday 14 October, 6.30-7.30pm. BHS Recital: Vo� far Guerra Harpsichordist Kenneth Weiss comes to the Handel House for the first time with a programme including William Babell�s colourful transcription of �Vo far guerra� from Handel�s Rinaldo, and extracts from some of his recent recordings. Thursday 16 October, 6.30-7.30pm. Dances, Drums and Whistles! Flautotonic collaborate with percussive forces for an entertaining exploration of dance music. This is music to tap your toes to from Medieval rottas to Irish jigs and Restoration dances to French minuets. They are Lauren Brant, David Beaney (recorders), Rebecca McChrystal (percussion) and Claire Williams (hpschd). Thursday 23 October, 6.30-7.30pm. France Meets Italy German harpsichordist Medea Bindewald explores the interplay between the refined French and the more emotional Italian style, which became increasingly fashionable in France in the mid-18th century. Thursday 30 October, 6.30-7.30pm. Hardly Handel: Bach�s French Suites JS Bach�s so-called French Suites epitomise domestic music-making. Composed possibly as a wedding present for his second wife, Anna Magdalena, these delightful suites exude an intimacy that is ideally suited to Handel�s own music room. Performed by Julian Perkins (harpsichord). Thursday 6 November, 6.30-7.30pm. Musique pour Mazarin � Qui a le coeur a tout The fiery passion of Italian music and the languid sweetness of French music are brought to life in this programme of vocal and instrumental music from 17th century Paris. Le Jardin Secret perform and are Elizabeth Dobbin (soprano), Romiher Lischtea (viola da gamba) and David Blunden (harpsichord). Tuesday 11 November, 6.30-7.30pm. BHS Recital: Things Iberian Harpsichordist Linton Powell will explore the form and style of the Spanish and Portuguese sonata for harpsichord in the 18th century, including works by composers from England and France who were either connected to, or influenced by this style. Thursday 13 November, 6.30-7.30pm. Composer-in-Residence Series Concert. Sound Structures with Sarah Angliss Sunday 16 November, 2-4pm. Composer-in-Residence Series Concert. Haze Indigo with Jessica Hynes Thursday 20 November, 6.30-7.30pm. Composer-in-Residence Series Concert. Seeing Sound with Oren Marshall Sunday 23 November, 2-4pm. Composer-in-Residence Series Concert. The Fat Lady has Sung. Performers are Ziazan Horrocks-Hopayian (voice, harp) and Tessa Marchington (harpsichord). Thursday 27 November, 6.30-7.30pm. German Arias A selection of Handel�s German Arias with texts by Barthold Heinrich Brockes (1680- 1747). Chaing Yiling (soprano), George Clifford (baroque violin), Ibrahim Aziz (viola da gamba) and Sharona Joshua (harpsichord) Exhibitions She was Despis�d: Handel and Susannah Cibber. Until Sunday 28 September 2014 To celebrate the tercentenary of her birth, Handel House Museum presents an exhibition on the life and work of Susannah Cibber. Exhibition Talk: Saturday 27 September, 3pm A Year in the Life of Handel: 1738. Wednesday 1 October 2014 � Sunday 4 January 2015 Our series of exhibitions looking in depth at a single year in Handel�s life continues with 1738. It was a year of varying fortunes for Handel � the Italian opera was failing and he was turning increasingly to the new form of the English oratorio. But at the same time a magnificent statue of him was unveiled at Spring Gardens in Vauxhall, celebrating his pre-eminent position in London society. It was the year in which Handel helped create the Fund for Decay�d Musicians, the roots of the new Methodist ministry were established, and Fortnum and Mason invented the Scotch Egg. Once again a team of Handel House Volunteers will research and curate the exhibition, and the story of 1738 will be told through images and objects from the Handel House Collection, together with loans from other museums. Exhibition Talks at 3pm: Saturday 25 October, Saturday 29 November, Saturday 20 December. Lift Access From 1 November until late July 2015 there will be no lift access to the museum. If you have any questions, please contact the museum in advance of your visit.

Regular Events

The list hasn�t changed this year but I�d like to publish an updated version so please could you send me any information you would like included. I�m told that the link for the following doesn�t work. Does anybody know anything about it? Wednesday 19.00 London EC1 Plainsong & Polyphony (term time) www.stmichaelschorale.org.uk

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