Spotlight on...John Adams

We compare and contrast the life of John Adams with that of Igor Stravinsky in our previous blog post, ahead of our concert on Thursday night at Cadogan Hall.

Name       
John Coolidge Adams

Age       
65

Nationality   
American   

Background   
His father taught him how to play the clarinet, and he was a clarinetist in community ensembles as a young boy. He began composing at the age of ten with his music first performed publically when he was 14 years old. Studied at Harvard University where he was awarded two degrees. He received the 2003 Pulitzer Prize in Music for his orchestral work, On the Transmigration of Souls, a memorial to the September 11 attacks.

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Image: Margaret Mitchell

Breakthrough Moment
Acknowledged for bringing contemporary history to the opera house with his post-modern operatic works Nixon in China (1987), The Death of Klinghoffer (1991) and Doctor Atomic (2005). A recent survey shows him to be the most frequently performed living American composer of orchestral music.

CLS performance
Gnarly Buttons
is his concerto for clarinet and small orchestra, written for and premiered by our Principal Conductor Michael Collins, and featuring the banjo, mandolin and guitar! Grand Pianola Music was inspired by a dream in which he found himself driving down Interstate 5, being approached by two of the world's longest Steinways! It unusually features two pianos and three female voices sing a wordless harmony.

Stravinsky & John Adams
Thursday 18 October, 7.30pm
Cadogan Hall, London

Stravinsky Octet
John Adams Gnarly Buttons
John Adams Grand Pianola Music

Tickets from £15
Box Office: 020 7730 4500/cadoganhall.com

 

 

Spotlight on...Igor Stravinsky

Ahead of our concert on Thursday night at Cadogan Hall, we take a quick look at the life of one of the twentieth century's most influential composers: Igor Stravinsky.

Name
Igor Feodorovich Stravinsky

Age    
130 (if still alive!)

Nationality   
Russian by birth, then became a Swiss resident, took French citizenship in 1934, before becoming a naturalised United States citizen in 1945.   

Background   
Third son of Feodor Stravinsky, one of the principal basses at the Maryinsky Theatre, St Petersburg. Studied law at university before concentrating on music fulltime.Studied informally with Russian composer and member of The Five, Nikolay Rimsky-Korsadov, for three years.  

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Breakthrough Moment
The Firebird, a ballet, premiered in Paris in 1910 that first brought him to international prominence. His third ballet The Rite of Spring is often seen as one of the major landmarks in classical music history, as it is often cited as the beginning of modernism and established Stravinsky as the most radical composer of his age.

City of London Sinfonia Performance
His Octet is widely seen as one of the most influential pieces of chamber music. It is scored unusually for woodwind and brass instruments and is regarded as marking the start of Stravinsky's neoclassicsm compositions. American composer Aaron Copland who attended the premiere, later commented “No one could possibly have foreseen . . . that the Octet was destined to influence composers all over the world.”

Stravinsky & John Adams
Thursday 18 October, 7.30pm
Cadogan Hall, London

Stravinsky       Octet
John Adams    Gnarly Buttons
John Adams    Grand Pianola Music

Michael Colllins conductor/clarinet

Tickets from £15
Box Office: 020 7730 4500/
cadoganhall.com

Retrospect - September in Pictures

September saw the start of our 2012/13 concert season with a return trip to the Wiltshire Music Centre in Bradford on Avon, and the start of the second series of  CLoSer on 19 September, with Guest Artists the Katona Twins at Village Underground.

Our Wellbeing through Music concert series returned to Great Ormond Street Hospital after a short summer break, with one of the children commenting that conducting our players was "the funniest thing ever!"

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Principal Conductor Michael Collins & the orchestra rehearse at Wiltshire Music Centre

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Our String Quartet at Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital

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Our new cushions make their Village Underground debut!

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The hugely talented Katona Twins perform at CLoSer

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The new series of CLoSer started on 19 September

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We love this audience snap of our strings performing at CLoSer!

Images by Becca Newman, James Berry & Andrea Zapata

CLoSer Returns

We asked our outgoing Marketing Intern Anna, to give us her review of the first CLoSer of series two

Last week City of London Sinfonia returned to Village Underground, the unique home of the informal CLoSer concert series, for a second year.

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At a glance the basement venue is an odd choice for a classical music concert, but when colourful cushions, vibrant musicians and an excited audience are added, the venue comes alive! Its prime location in the up and coming Shoreditch area is great for attracting creative locals, but is also an appealing spot to visit for those who live further afield. Our CLoSer audiences consist of a wide range of people, young and old, with mixed levels of musical knowledge and varied experiences of classical music, but who all wish to share their love of music in the informal and relaxed environment that CLoSer provides.

 The programme for this first concert had a distinctly American feel to it and Michael Collins, City of London Sinfonia’s Principal Conductor, delved straight into the Stravinsky Concerto in D with a high level of excited energy. The City of London Sinfonia strings played with a commitment to this energetic and rhythmic concerto, evidenced by the sight of a loose bow hair flying around in the violins. The second movement was beautifully melodic and reminiscent of a romantic ballet, rather than the sacrificial dance that Stravinsky is known for. This came to an abrupt end in the third movement which presented a pulsating rhythm and a mischievous melody in the violins, creating a tense mood and putting me on the edge of my cushion!

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We then welcomed Guest Artists the Katona Twins to the stage to perform Piazzolla’s Hommage à Liège. The Hungarian guitar duo were joined by a dissonant string accompaniment which filled the brick underground with a wonderful resonant sound. The music was intricate and detailed and the pair played with style and apparent ease. At one point the cellos, double bass and guitar duo used their instruments as drums to create a powerful rhythm which built up to an explosive finale which caused excitement to ripple through the room.

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The Twins took centre stage for two further pieces from De Falla’s El Amor Brujo suite - The Magic Circle and Ritual Fire Dance . These were full of emotion and with the help of the relaxed atmosphere and the close proximity to the guitar duo, the audience were able to connect to the musicians from their own cushioned corner. In quieter moments the music was played with grace and intimacy, and the louder moments were confident and passionate.

As an encore, the twins played Piazzolla’s Autumn in Buenos Aires, joined by a tango dancing couple who highlighted the sensual and smooth character of De Falla’s music with their movement.

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Michael Collins returned for the final piece of the night, to much delight of the audience. The opening of Copland’s Clarinet Concerto was magical, calming and soothing. Michael did a sterling job as both clarinettist and conductor, seamlessly transforming from one role to the other throughout. As always, his playing was flawless and animated and the string players were exceptionally engaging.

The post-concert atmosphere was fantastic with many audience members staying to chat with the musicians, bursting with their thoughts on the evening. The only disappointment is that we’ll have to wait until February for the next one!

Tickets are now on sale for the next two CLoSer concerts on Wednesday 13 February and Wednesday 10 April 2013.

Tickets: £15 (includes one free drink)

CLS FIVER (16-25 year olds): £5 (pre-register with marketing@cls.co.uk)

Box Office: 020 7377 1362/spitalfieldsmusic.org

 

Images: James Berry

The Score - Jo, Bassoon

Ever wondered what our players listen to in their spare time? Whether they prefer Bach or Berlioz? Which instruments they admire? What makes their mouth water?!

Find out more about our basoonist Joanna Graham, in our quick fire round...

Joanna_graham

Composer

It is impossible to have a favourite composer because music affects one differently according to ones mood or circumstancance. However, having said that, there is one composer I would find difficult to live without and that is Bach. I play something of his  on the piano nearly every morning

Opera

My favourite opera this year is Ravel's double bill of L'Heure Espagnol and L'Enfant et les Sortileges

Instrument (other than your own!)

The didgeridoo

Concert venue

In this country, Cadogan Hall

Cake

My carrot cake

Composer Focus: Piazzolla

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Ahead of our American flavoured CLoSer on 19 September, we profile Argentine composer Ástor Pantaleón Piazzolla, best known for inventing Tango Nuevo, a unique compositional style distinct from the traditional tango. Piazzolla was a legendary composer and bandoneonista, who died 20 years ago in 1992. Also known as El Tigre del Bandoneón (The tiger of the Bandoneón), he revived the tango genre in the 1970s by blending classical music with jazz.

He was born March 1921 in Mar del Plata, a small village on the coast just South of Buenos Aires in Argentina. He lived in New York City with his family from 1924 to 1937. When he was eight years old, his father bought him the gift of a bandoneón (the Argentine version of the concertina, related to the accordion).

“I got very happy because I thought it was the roller skates I had asked for so many times. It was a letdown because instead of a pair of skates, I found an artifact I had never seen before in my life. Dad sat down, set it on my legs, and told me, 'Astor, this is the instrument of tango. I want you to learn it.'”

At first Piazzolla was not very impressed, but his neighbour Bela Wilda, a student of Rachmaninov, taught him how to play this peculiar instrument. Piazzolla was particularly inspired by the music of Bach.

Aged 17, Piazzolla moved to Buenos Aires where he joined a tango orchestra and began his career as a bandoneónist. He went on to study in Paris with the legendary composition teacher Nadia Boulanger, before returning to Argentina to perform, compose and direct numerous ensembles. Later in life he performed around the world in Greece, Amsterdam, London and New York.

Piazzolla’s life came to a sad end when he suffered a stroke in Paris in 1990, leaving him in a coma. He died in Buenos Aires just two years later, never regaining consciousness.

Piazzolla

Spotlight on...Katona Twins

Our opening concert for the second CLoSer series features Guest Artists the Katona Twins. But who are the men involved in this unique duo? Here’s a quick snapshot:

Katonatwins_042_web

Name
Peter and Zoltán Katona

Age
44

Nationality
Identical twins Peter and Zoltán were born in Hungary. They are German citizens, but now live in Liverpool in the UK.

Background
Labelled as “the classical world’s best known guitar duo” by the Daily Telegraph, the Katona Twins studied in Budapest, Frankfurt and at the Royal Academy of Music in London. They have given recitals in major concert venues all over the world including Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Suntory Hall in Tokyo and the Philharmonie in Cologne. The duo perform a wide range of repertoire from classical Bach and Mozart, Spanish and Tango, to more popular music genres including their own arrangements of pop classics!

Breakthrough moment
In 2009, they performed live to half a million people in arenas across Europe as the soloists for Night of the Proms. Inspired by the British Last Night of the Proms, these concerts have become one of the most visited and most attractive musical events in Belgium and in Europe, combining both classical and pop music.

CLoSer performance

Piazzolla - Hommage à Liège

The master of Tango, Astor Piazzolla wrote this lyrical double concerto for guitar, bandoneón and strings. Piazzolla’s compositional style incorporated elements from both jazz and classical music to create nuevo tango, distinct from the traditional tango style.

Falla - El amor brujo

Manuel de Falla was one of Spain’s most important musicians in the early 20th century. Falla rarely composed for the guitar, however he took much inspiration from early Spanish guitar music. El amor brujo was originally composed as a chamber piece and eventually transformed into a ballet. The Katona Twins will be performing their own arrangement of this piece for guitar duo and percussion.

Visit the Katona Twins youtube channel to find out more


CLoSer

Wed 19 September, 7.30pm

Village Underground, Shoreditch

Tickets: £15 (includes a free drink)
Box Office: 020 7377 1362/spitalfieldsmusic.org.uk

Retrospect - August in Pictures

As August draws to an end, we look back on another month and wonder where the summer went. With Autumn fast approaching, we are now looking forward to our new concert season, and are particularly excited about the return of CLoSer on 19 Sep.

Here are some snaps from the past few weeks, including our Sea and Sky Family Day at the Idea Store Whitechapel, our Jewish Care Home chamber concerts, and our brass quintet at the Paralympic Torch Celebration in Needham Market, Suffolk.

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A young boy is shown how to play the cello at the Idea Store in Whitechapel

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The Bumblebee ears were out for the Sea and Sky Family Day

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Trumpets at the ready!

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Our string quartet performing at a Jewish Care Home in Stanmore

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The City of London Sinfonia brass boys performing at the Paralympic Torch Celebration in Suffolk

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Our presenter Claire Bloor getting everyone in the celebratory mood

 

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Our fantastic audience in Needham Market

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The Paralympic Procession begins


Images by James Berry, Gillian Hunter and Paul Nixon

New Online Brochure

Our new London concerts brochure which lists all City of London Sinfonia concerts from September 2012 to February 2013 is now ready.

Highlights for the next sixth months include a return to Village Underground in Shoreditch for a second CLoSer series, a programme of Stravinsky and John Adams with our Principal Conductor Michael Collins taking centre stage at Cadogan Hall, and a reunion with Polyphony for a performance of Mozart’s Requiem at St John’s Smith Square, conducted by our Artistic Director Stephen Layton.

We look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming concerts!