Yetholm Online

CONCERTS AND EVENTS 2009

7.30 pm SATURDAY JANUARY 31st in KELSO OLD PARISH CHURCH
Wendy GOODSON soprano
Mendelssohn : Ruy Blas overture Wagner : Wesendonck Lieder
Handel : Let The Bright Seraphim
Martinu : Memorial to Lidice Dvorak : Symphonic Variations
We start with Mendelssohn's good old pot-boiler, written for a Victor Hugo play, and then continue with Wagner's heartfelt tribute to the wife of one of his patrons (who may also have been his lover). After the interval our soloist sings the famous aria with obligato trumpet which featured at that Royal Wedding in 1981, before we dramatically darken the mood with Martinu's moving lament for the Czech village destroyed by the Nazis in 1942 along with most of its inhabitants. The programme ends with Dvorak's exciting and life-affirming set of 28 variations on what seems at first a very brief and unpromising theme.

Weekend MOZART on TWEED Festival
7.30 pm SATURDAY MARCH 28th in KELSO OLD PARISH CHURCH
Gary MATTHEWMAN piano
Divertimento for 2 flutes, 5 trumpets and timpani K188
Piano Concerto in A, K488 Masonic Funeral Music, K477
The Marriage of Figaro overture “Paris” symphony, no. 31 in D, K297
Some rarities here as well as old favourites. This strange divertimento was written for a cavalry band (we were sorely tempted, but you can take authenticity too far). K477 is deeply felt and strangely moving, and includes parts for basset horns, also in K361 - see tomorrow. The slow movement of the elegant A major piano concerto is the only thing that Mozart ever wrote in the key of F# minor.

3.00 pm SUNDAY MARCH 29th in KELSO OLD PARISH CHURCH
Gary MATTHEWMAN piano
Jean Francaix : Hommage a l'ami Papageno
Mozart : Serenade in B flat, K 361 (Gran Partita)

Francaixs witty piece for piano and winds incorporates themes from Mozart's Magic Flute, and is sure to make you smile. And then we play the great wind serenade in B flat again, for the third year in succession, and make no absolutely apology for the fact. What a piece ! In the 1984 film Amadeus Mozart's bitter rival Salieri describes through gritted teeth the opening of the Adagio as “like hearing the voice of God”. How true.

7.30 pm SATURDAY MAY 16th in St ANDREW'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Catherine FISH soprano The TWEED FAIRIES CHORUS
Mozart : The Magic Flute overture Haydn : Symphony no. 93 in D
Walton : Siesta
Mendelssohn : A Midsummer Night's Dream incidental music

Full of Masonic symbolism, this noble overture to Mozart's last opera is one of his finest, whilst Haydn's 93rd symphony famously shows off his sense of humour and quotes from Don Giovanni for good measure. Then for a change, Walton reveals himself in extremely laid back mood. We will play nearly all of Mendelssohn's tribute to Shakespeare; what a rich collection of pieces this is, some well known, like the Wedding March, others very rarely heard. And a chorus of fairies will grace our evening !

7.30 pm SATURDAY JULY 4th in KELSO OLD PARISH CHURCH
Barbara WHITE piano
Mendelssohn : Fingal's Cave overture
Beethoven : Piano Concerto no. 3 in C minor
Ansell : Plymouth Hoe overture Moeran : Sinfonietta
Poor old Fingal's Cave, so often played so very boringly; we hope to put a bit of oomph back into it. Beethoven tried hard to be very serious in the third concerto and doesn't keep it up the whole time, but just in case of need we ve put lots of smiles in the second half. John Ansell's nautical overture of 1914 isn't a great work, but it's quite irresistible, and used to be very popular. Moeran isn't a name you see very often in concert programmes nowadays, which is a great pity. This Sinfonietta was written in 1944, and is beautifully written and constructed. We promise that its tunes will stay with you and continue to entertain you long after our concert ends.

7.30 pm SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 5th in KELSO OLD PARISH CHURCH
Alison STEPHEN'S mandolin
Mendelssohn : Son & Stranger overture Haydn : Symphony no. 100 in G
Hummel : Mandolin Concerto Milhaud : Le boeuf sur le toit
We thought you'd like a few rarely heard Mendelssohn overtures this year, and we know you'll enjoy this one. Haydn's “Military” symphony will give some local worthies the chance to shine in a new light, and when was the last time you saw a mandolin, let alone heard one play a concerto ? Milhauds' irresistibly saucy piece is influenced by jazz (as well as Latin American rhythms) but fortunately that doesnt ruin everything.

7.30 pm SATURDAY OCTOBER 10th in St ANDREW'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Edward CROSS violin
Nicolai : The Merry Wives of Windsor overture
Glazunov : Violin Concerto Schumann : “Rhenish” symphony
Nicolai's splendid overture to his Shakespeare-based opera used to be heard a lot, but seems lately to have fallen out of fashion. But not with YetSniff ! Glazunov was an early C20th Russian composer whose music is full of wonderful harmonies and splendid tunes. His ballet “The Seasons” is quite well-known, and his violin concerto is a lot better than many others we could mention. Come along and see what you think. Schumann's third symphony is probably his most exuberant, and is much enjoyed by horn players amongst others. Unusually, it has five movements, one of which depicts the enthronement of an Archbishop in Cologne Cathedral.

7.30 pm SATURDAY DECEMBER 5th in KELSO OLD PARISH CHURCH
Hindemith : Tuttifantchen suite Humperdinck : Dream Pantomime
Mendelssohn : Calm Sea & Prosperous Voyage overture
Hely-Hutchinson : A Carol Symphony
Yes, it is quite early for a Christmassy concert, but the music is all well worth crawling through snowdrifts for. The name Hindemith may well fill you with dread, but if so, you've never heard this charming suite, written for a Christmas puppet play. He wrote to the publisher Schott in 1920, referring to it as “Foxtrots, Bostons, Rags and other kitsch”. Humperdinck's opera Hansel & Gretel has universal appeal, and the Dream Pantomime is the best-known orchestral extract, and includes the touching Evening Prayer. Yet another Mendelssohn overture, one of his grandest, colourfully illustrates a rather brief Goethe poem and leads to our final 2009 offering, a minor masterpiece. Victor Hely-Hutchinson was born in South Africa, and eventually became the BBC's Head of Music. His deft symphonic handling of well-known carols is both convincing and brilliant.

Ticketing
You can become a Friend of the Orchestra, or buy a Golden Ticket by contacting :

Geoffrey Emerson
7 Bowmont Terrace, Yetholm,
Roxburghshire
Tel: 01573 420279

or e-mail :

gwemerson@orpheusmail.co.uk