Our Season at a Glance
Saturday 2 October 2021 at 7.30 pm
| Sonata in C Minor Op. 13 "Pathetique" | Beethoven |
| Nocturne in E Flat Op. 9 No. 2 | Chopin |
| Polonaise in C Sharp Minor Op. 26 No. 1 | Chopin |
| Ballade No. 3 in A Flat Op. 47 | Chopin |
| Prelude in C Sharp Minor Op. 45 |
Chopin |
| Nocturne in C Sharp Minor Op. Post | Chopin |
| Ballade No. 1 in G Minor Op. 23 | Chopin |
| Promenade: Walking the Dog | Gershwin |
| The Man I Love | Gershwin |
| Rhapsody in Blue | Gershwin |
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Saturday 30th October at 7.30 pm
The Mithras Trio
Ionel Manciu - violin, Leo Popplewell - cello, Dominic Degavino - piano
| Trio in G major, Hob XV:41 | Haydn |
| Trio in D minor Op. 120 | Faure |
| Trio No.3 in F Op. 65 | Dvorak |
Formed in 2017 at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, they benefited from regular tuition with Matthew Jones, Carole Presland and Ursula Smith, and have also received coaching from András Keller, Caroline Palmer, Rolf Hind, David Dolan and the Endellion String Quartet. They have performed in masterclasses with Ralf Gothóni, Levon Chilingirian, the Takács, Danish and Emerson Quartets, and Alasdair Tait, and have undertaken residencies in Snape Maltings (Suffolk) and at the Schulich School of Music (Montréal) performing to professors including Isabel Charisius, Byørg Lewis, Kyoko Hashimoto and the St. Lawrence String Quartet.
They are currently members of the prestigious BBC New Generation Artists scheme, broadcasting regularly on BBC Radio 3, and won first prize at the 10th Trondheim International Chamber Music Competition, 67th Royal Over-Seas League Music Competition, Cavatina Intercollegiate Chamber Music Competition 2019 and the St. James Chamber Music Competition 2018, and in 2019 were recipients of the Royal Philharmonic Society Henderson Award. They have performed at many of London’s major venues, including Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and Milton Court Concert Hall, as well as making regular appearances in festivals in the UK and Europe. They were selected as Kirckman Concert Society Young Artists for the 2019/2020 season, and are currently on the Countess of Munster Trust Recital Scheme.
They are also passionate exponents of contemporary music, having worked extensively with Helen Grime and Julian Philips, and gave the world première of a new piece by Péter Tornyai at the Solti Hall in Budapest, who dedicated the work to the Mithras Trio after working with them.
Event supported by the Countess of Munster Musical Trust.
Saturday 27 November at 7.30pm
Alexei Watkins - French Horn, Harry Rylance - piano
A Celebration of the Centenary of the Birth Of Dennis Brain
| Horn Sonata in F Major, Op. 17 | Beethoven |
| Elegie (In Memory of Dennis Brain) | Poulenc |
| Firebird Suite: Berceuse and Finale (Solo Piano) | Stravinsky arr. Agosti |
| Appel Interstellaire (Solo Horn) | Messiaen |
| Alla Caccia | Abbott |
| Villanelle | Dukas |
| Nocturno, Op. 7 | F. Stauss |
| Parsifal Flowermaidens Scene (Solo Piano) | Wagner arr. Kocsis |
| Romance, Op. 36 | Saints-Saens |
| Hunter's Moon | Vinter |
Dennis Brain is undoubtedly one of the most famous French Horn players of all time and one of the key players to popularise the Horn as a virtuosic instrument. 2021 is the centenary of his birth and these two exciting young musicians have put together a Horn and Piano recital celebrating his life. The programme includes some of the pieces Brain is renowned for, such as Beethoven’s Horn Sonata, Dukas’ Villanelle and Poulenc’s Élégie, which was written in memory of Dennis Brain.
London-based French Horn player Alexei Watkins graduated from the Royal Academy of Music with a Bachelor of Music Degree (First-Class Honours). During his time at the Academy, amongst other accolades, he was awarded the Dennis Brain Prize. As a soloist, Alexei has performed recitals extensively across the UK at venues including St John’s Smith Square, the Buxton International Festival, the Lincolnshire International Chamber Music Festival, Blackheath Halls, Hampton Court Palace, Southwark Cathedral and Charlton House, Greenwich. Recently he has performed the Britten Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings both in the UK and abroad as well as Mozart’s 3rd and 4th Horn Concertos.
In 2019 Alexei won the University of London Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. He is a keen orchestral player and has guested as Principal Horn with Glyndebourne Touring Orchestra, English National Opera and RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra. He has also played with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Hallé, London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonia, Britten Sinfonia and was Principal Horn of the Britten Pears Orchestra (2015-2017).
Saturday 26 February 2022 at 7.30 pm
Vida Guitar Quartet
Please note the modified programme below:
| Waltz from Masquerade Suite | Khachaturian arr. by C.Stell |
| Prelude & Fugue No. 2 & 4 | F. Mendelssohn arr. by N.Cartledge |
| Innisfree | C. Stell |
| English Folk Song Suite | R. Vaughan Williams arr. by M.Ashford |
| Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 | J. S. Bach arr. by M.Eden |
| Bach Variation | H. Skempton |
| Bachianas No. 5 | H. Villa Lobos arr. by M.Eden |
| Uarekena | S. Assad |
Vida are a guitar quartet with the ability to “conjure up an orchestral palette of colour and effects” (Classic FM) combined with their “exquisite tonal and dynamic control” which has firmly established them as a passionate and masterful ensemble. Their effortless sense of ensemble and their broad range of timbres and dynamics evokes “listening to an entire orchestra and not merely to four guitars. Thereʼs only one word for it: magic” (Gramophone).
Since forming in 2007, Vida has performed to critical acclaim in major UK, USA and European venues. They are sought-after festival artists throughout the UK and Europe and in 2011 Vida made their US debuts in Los Angeles (LMU Guitar Festival) and New York (Baruch Performing Arts Centre). In 2012 Vida were artists in residence at CSU’s Summer Arts program in Monteray Bay California.
The Bachianas programme will feature the music of Bach as well as music inspired by Bach, including two new pieces especially commissioned for this project. Vida released a Bachianas CD in 2017.
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Saturday 26 March 2022 at 7.30 pm
Potpourri Europa - A programme of music for Wind Quintet
Flute~Katey Thomas, Oboe~Emma Feilding, Clarinet~Sarah Thurlow, Horn~Caroline O'Connell, Bassoon~Phillip Gibbon
London Serenata
| Overture to the Barber of Seville | Rossini |
| 5 Pieces en Trio | Ibert |
| Serenade in C minor K388 | Mozart |
| 6 Bagatelles | Ligeti |
| 3 pieces from Espana | Albeniz |
| Sea Shanties, Op4 | Arnold |
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