. . . bringing together lovers of fine music and musicians in a friendly and convivial atmosphere
UK Registered Charity No. 1005346
founded 1947
2019-20 Season
Tuesday - 8 OCTOBER 2019 - 7.30pm
Saxophone and Harp Duo
Huw Wiggin – saxophone and
Oliver Wass – harp
. . . were brought together by a shared love of music for saxophone and harp. They will present a highly enjoyable programme of music for this unusual pairing of instruments.
Programme
Girl with the Flaxen Hair
from the opera La Vida Breve,
arr. Grandjany
on the Carnival of Venice
Review of the Concert
Huw Wiggin (Saxaphone)
and
Oliver Wass (Harp )
8th October 2019
A Rare Delight
A saxophone and harp might seem an unlikely combination of instruments but Huw Wiggin, one of the most popular saxophonists of his generation, and award winning harpist Oliver Wass showed at the October concert of the Chipping Sodbury Music Society that the results could be quite magical.
An Arabesque and Prelude by Debussy evoked the sultriness of a hot summer’s day. A Bach Sonata seemed newly minted. A selection entitled Around the Clock showed that in the right hands the harp can play jazz as well as any guitar.
Ravel’s haunting Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte proved a heartrending piece and was played with great sensitivity. A selection of children’s songs revealed the immense range of the saxophone. Avo Part’s Spiegel im Spiegel, a typical minimalist composition, proved strangely evocative.
Chant du Menestrel by Glazunov was full of plaintive nostalgia. By contrast De Falla’s Spanish Dance gave the harpist ample opportunity to show off his amazing dexterity. Two Songs by Gershwin were achingly beautiful in a special instrumental arrangement. The concert ended with variations on the well-known theme from Carnival of Venice. The artists had great fun with their homespun interpretations.
Comments by members of the audience as they left were uniformly of praise for a wonderful concert given by artists at the very top of their game.
Gerry Philp
Huw Wiggin (left) and Oliver Wass
in Chipping Sodbury Town Hall
October 8 2019
Tuesday - 12 NOVEMBER 2019 - 7.30pm
Giacomo Susani
Solo Guitar
Supported by the Countess of Munster Musical Trust this Italian classical guitarist and composer continually enthralls his audiences all over Europe with the quality of his interpretations and performances. A wonderful night is promised.
Unfortunately, due to personal circumstances, Giacomo was unable to perform. We were delighted to welcome Michael Butten, who stood in at a day's notice, with the help of The Countess of Munster Musical Trust.
Review of the concert
Michael Butten ~ Guitar
November 12th 2019
At the November concert of the Chipping Sodbury Music Society guitarist Michael Butten proved a highly successful short notice replacement for fellow musician Giacomo Susani, who had been struck down by illness.
The help of The Countess of Munster Musical Trust in this rearrangement was invaluable.
Five pieces by English renaissance composer John Dowland quickly demonstrated the artist’s concentration and sensitive approach to this graceful music.
By contrast modernist Roberto Gerhard’s Fantasia required a contemporary approach. An arrangement of Bach’s Violin Sonata no 3 showed this music in a new light.
The soulful adagio was followed by probably the longest fugue ever written. The soloist obviously enjoyed the challenge.
A Fantasia by the little-known composer Luigi Legnani proved to be a very attractive composition, written in an operatic style, and was both tuneful and humorous.
Benjamin Britten’s Nocturnal after John Dowland gave the soloist opportunity to show off the huge range of expression achievable on the guitar.
An enthusiastic audience had enjoyed a highly satisfying evening.
Gerry Philp
The Countess of Munster Musical Trust
The Review of the Concert
Roaring Fork Wind Quintet
December 3rd 2019
Festive Winds
The December concert of the Chipping Sodbury Music Society welcomed back the Roaring Fork Wind Quintet: Estelle Greely – Flute, Jennifer Mears – Oboe, Claire King – Clarinet, Eleanor Whitfield - Bassoon and Stephen Macallister - French Horn. They were joined on the platform by two of the evening’s composers Peter Nickol and Paul Carr.
The first movement of Mozart’s Serenade in C minor got the concert off to a fine start. This harmonious work was given a sensitive treatment with an ideal tempo. Peter Nickol’s Serensina is a good-natured piece of many different moods well captured by the players. A quintet by the little-known female composer, Claude Arrieu, proved a delightful composition with plenty of humour and a decidedly French flavour.
The Argentine Carlos Gardel was known as the king of tango and his Por Una Cabeza was a nostalgic and relaxed interpretation of this idiom. Scott Joplin wrote a concert waltz Bethena which proved as enjoyable as his better-known rags. Eric Ewazen’s Reverie is a pastoral dreamlike composition with an energetic middle section.
Paul Carr’s Occasional Postcards, a substantial work, was full of wit and charm reflecting visits across Europe from breezy Brighton to sultry Florence. An arrangement of Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm brought out the pathos so often lacking. An enthusiastic audience was rewarded by an encore, Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride, a festive end to a successful concert.
GERRY PHILP
December 2019
Roaring Fork with the two composers Peter Nickol (far left) and Paul Carr (far right).
Tuesday – 3 DECEMBER 2019 - 7.30pm
Roaring Fork Wind Quintet
Now in their tenth year together, the Roaring Fork Wind Quintet are delighted to be returning to Chipping Sodbury with a selection of classics new and old, guaranteed to get your toes tapping! This is a group of musicians who so obviously love what they do.
Tuesday - 11 FEBRUARY 2020 - 7.30pm
Piatti Quartet
This is another return visit, by popular request. You can look forward to a superb evening with this distinguished, award winning quartet, known for their diverse programming and passionate interpretations.
.jpg?etag=%2245da8-5e57fe1f%22&sourceContentType=image%2Fjpeg&ignoreAspectRatio&resize=377%2B283&extract=0%2B0%2B337%2B283&quality=85)
The Review of the concert
The Piatti String Quartet
February 11th 2020
The February concert of the Chipping Sodbury Music Society welcomed the return of the Piatti string quartet. This internationally acclaimed chamber group provided a stimulating programme of music by English Russian and German composers.
Purcells Chacony in G minor dating from around 1680 was a piece which grew in intensity from a quiet beginning and which for its period gave the cello a distinctive role.
Borodin's string Quartet no.2 composed in 1881 as a wedding anniversary present to his wife is a deservedly popular work full of good tunes.The artists played with great concentration and avoided over sentimentality in the familiar slow movement. The chirruping scherzo and frenzied finale received an lmpassioned performance.
The final work Beethovens String Quartet opus 59 no.3 named and written in honour of Count Rasumovsky celebrated the 250th anniversary of the composers birth.A dramatic introduction was followed by a delightfully cheerful theme relished by the players. The second movement saw various themes tossed around among the players. An optimistic third movement gave way to a fast and furious finale enjoyed by the group and audience alike.
This had truly been an evening to remember with playing of great accomplishment by a quartet properly recognised as leading exponents in their field.
Gerry Philp
Tuesday -10 MARCH 2020 - 7.30pm
Passacaglia
Annabel Knight - flute and recorder
Robin Bigwood – harpsichord
. . . are baroque chamber musicians who first visited us in 2012. They delight in sharing their passion for the music of this lavish, intimate and extravagant musical period.
.jpg?etag=%2225f233-5e79f3ff%22&sourceContentType=image%2Fjpeg&ignoreAspectRatio&resize=375%2B281&extract=0%2B0%2B351%2B281&quality=85)
Review of the Concert
Passacaglia
Flute/Recorder and Harpsichord
Tuesday 10th March
Back to Baroque
The Passacaglia Duo, Annabel Knight - recorders and flutes and Robin Bigwood – harpsichord, were welcomed back for the March concert of the Chipping Sodbury Music Society. A programme, mainly from the renaissance and baroque periods, provided a temporary respite from today’s problems.
Two works by CPE Bach showed how progressive this composer was with works full of dramatic contrasts and pregnant pauses. A piece by Couperin originally for the clavichord had glowing textures’ and the little known Philidor’s Suite in five movements included a dance-based finale derived directly from the French Royal Court.
Josquin des Prez’s Plusieurs Regretz is a 15th century composition and its improvisatory structure reflects the playing style of that time. The real gem of the evening was a sonata by an obscure composer Michel Blavet. This unusually contained variations on a courtly minuet.
Telemann was a prolific and famous composer of the baroque era and his Sonate Methodique was typically lively and full of good tunes. Gordon Jacob’s Sonatina belonged unquestionably to the 20th century and this humorous work provided a suitable final item in a satisfying and well received concert.
GERRY PHILP
It was with great regret that this concert was cancelle, due to the restrictions imposed with coronovirus. The Bristol Chamber choir have given Chipping Sodbury Music Society many wonderful concerts in the past, and we look forward to re-booking them again as soon as possible.
Tuesday - 7 APRIL 2020 - 7.30pm
Bristol Chamber Choir
Looking forward very much to their return visit to CSMS, the choir, which regularly performs early music as well as 20th century works, will be singing Bach’s ‘Jesu Meine Freude’ followed by a mix of madrigals and part songs in lighter mood.
Tuesday - 5 MAY 2020 - 7:30
Shirley Smart Jazz Trio
Shirley Smart - Cello
John Crawford - piano
Demi Garcia Sabat - drums/percussion
"Long Story Short"
Shirley Smart is one of the UK's most versatile and creative cellists, at home in Classical, Jazz and Middle Eastern music. This will be an exciting evening of diverse music infused with dynamic improvisation.
It is with great regret that we have had to cancell this concert as well. Again, we look forward to welcoming The Shirley Smart Jazz Trio to Chipping Sodbury for a lively concert, as soon is it can be re-arranged.