CLoSer FAQs

Did you miss our first CLoSer series at Village Underground? Don't worry, because we're back for a second series, starting next month. If you're new to CLoSer and want to find out more, then here is everything you need to know...

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What is CLoSer?
CLoSer is our popular informal concert series, which takes place at Village Underground in Shoreditch. This series there are three concerts on 19 September, 13 February and 10 April and all are designed for both the complete beginner and the classical music enthusiast.

What happens at a CLoSer gig?
The clue’s in the name – these concerts give you a chance to get closer to the music and the musicians. CLoSer concerts are short, informal and intimate. Village Underground is far removed from the traditional concert halls and churches you usually find classical music in. There are no rows of seating and no stage. Instead we scatter the floor with cushions so that you can relax, get comfy and closer to the music.

Cushions

What kind of music is performed at CLoSer concerts?
We perform a wide variety of music from Bach to Stravinsky, from jazz to tango and have a diverse range of Guest Artists at each concert. There are ‘talking' programme notes throughout the performance, so you don't need to know anything about the composers, music or performers beforehand.

Is it going to be really formal?
This concert series is designed to appeal to those who like their live music experiences to be intimate and informal and enjoy a glass of wine while listening! There is no traditional concert seating so you can sit on beanbags or stand and there's no dress code so you can wear whatever you like.

Trumpets

Can I take a drink into the concert?
Yes, of course. The bar opens at 6.45pm and remains open throughout the performance.

How long does the concert last?
Each concert lasts 75 minutes, with no interval.

How much are the tickets?
Tickets for each CLoSer concert are just £15 which includes a free drink from the bar! If you are aged 16-25 years old, whether you are a student or not, you are eligible to sign up for our FIVER scheme which entitles you to tickets for just FIVE POUNDS. We also do Early Bird tickets for just £1. Early Birds are now sold out for September’s concert – you have to get in there fast!

Ruth

In partnership with Spitalfields Music and Village Underground.

Ahead of our new CLoSer series starting next month, this week City of London Sinfonia will be taking over the Spitalfields blog. Check back daily for more CLoSer news.

Images: James Berry and Clare Parker

Fullbrook's Five Favourites

Ever wondered what our players get up to in their spare time? Whether they prefer Beethoven or Britten? Which instruments they admire? What tantalises their tastebuds?!

Find out more about our percussionist Charles Fullbrook, in our quick fire round...

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Composer
It has to be Mozart, for his sheer genius.

Opera

In view of my previous answer, it had better be Cosi fan tutte or else Don Giovanni.

Instrument (other than your own!)

The human voice, if that's allowed!

Concert venue

Musikverein, Vienna
(or any similar 'shoebox' shapes)


Cake

Tarte au citron. Strictly speaking that's not a cake, so it had better be lemon cake!

Five fast Falstaff facts!

Windsor

1.    Falstaff is adapted from Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor and scenes from Henry IV. Verdi wrote two other operas based on Shakespeare plays – Macbeth and Otello.

2.    Falstaff was the last opera written by Verdi when he was 80 years old.

3.    Out of Verdi’s 26 operas – only 2, including Falstaff, were comedies.

4.    Another operatic version of Falstaff was written before Verdi’s opera, by the Viennese classical composer Antonio Salieri (1750-1825).

5.    Elgar composed an orchestral work titled Falstaff – Symphonic Study based on the character of Falstaff.

Retrospect - July in Pictures

Another month has flown by at City of London Sinfonia. During July we had many more performances at Opera Holland Park, as well as two family day concerts in Newmarket and Whitechapel, a performance with Michael Collins at Petworth Festival and a chamber lunchtime concert at St Thomas' Hospital.


The highlight of our month was undoubtedly welcoming the Olympic Torch to Holland Park with our friends from Opera Holland Park. We look forward to August when we’ll be taking part in the Paralympic Flame Celebrations in Suffolk.

Here's a few pictures from the past month...

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The sunny view from our roof terrace at Piano House, Brixton

 

Pre-falstaff

July saw performances at Opera Holland Park 2012 - here is the audience and orchestra waiting for Falstaff to begin

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The Onegin set during the interval at Opera Holland Park 

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The office team rehearse for their handbell rendition of Land of Hope and Glory to celebrate the start of the Olympics

  

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The Olympic Torch passed by our office in Brixton on Thursday 26 July...

  

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...whilst our players were warming up for the arrival of the torch in Holland Park

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The moment the torch arrived and passed through the Opera Holland Park choir

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Our principal oboe, Dan Bates, introducing the quintet at St Thomas' Hospital at our lunchtime chamber concert on 30 July

 

Images: Anna Jessiman, Alex Marshall and Gillian Hunter

Olympic Torch in Holland Park

On Thursday 26 July, the Olympic torch passed through the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and stopped briefly in Holland Park. We were delighted to perform, along with the Opera Holland Park Chorus and Investec Choir, for this very special occasion. Here's some photos from this special day.

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Conductor Stuart Stratford with the City of London Sinfonia violins

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Orchestra leader Matthew Scrivener with Stuart Stratford

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The Opera Holland Park Chorus and Investec Choir

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A 'minute maestro' participant

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Stuart Stratford and more 'minute maestro' conductors

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Julia Riley and Anna Leese singing The Flower Duet from Lakmé

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City of London Sinfonia violins

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Peter Auty performing Nessun Dorma

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12-year-old Tabitha-Skye Mcduffus from Chelsea Academy carried the torch through Holland Park

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Tabitha carrying the torch through the choir

Images: Anna Jessiman

Lullaby Photo Album

Last month our education manager Gillian Hunter and workshop leader Claire Bloor, along with a team of our musicians, were busy with a series of Lullaby education concerts. Here's a lovely selection of photos from one of the concerts on 7 June at Lincoln Drill Hall. Next month we'll be interviewing Gillian to find out more about the Lullaby concerts and future education projects.

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Images: John Thomson

In partnership with Orchestras Live and Lincolnshire Music Service

Tales of Tchaikovsky

The penultimate in our series of opera trivia looks at Tchaikovsky's opera Eugene Onegin.

Russia

1.    The idea of basing an opera on Pushkin’s novel Eugene Onegin was not one of Tchaikovsky’s, but a suggestion from a friend, the Russian mezzo-soprano Yelizaveta Andreyevna Lavrovskaya.

2.    In 1892, the first performance in Hamburg of Onegin was conducted by Gustav Mahler.

3.    Whilst working on Onegin, Tchaikovsky was also composing his Fourth Symphony.

4.    The sketches of Eugene Onegin were never found, however we know from Tchaikovsky’s letters that he had sent a draft to his close friend Nadezhda von Meck.

5.    Tchaikovsky worried that Eugene Onegin would "never become established as a staple of the opera repertoire in major theatres”. How wrong he was! According to operabase.com, Eugene Onegin is the 18th most performed opera in the world.

 

Remaining performances of Eugene Onegin at Opera Holland Park are on July 19, 21, 23, 25, 31, August 2, 4 at 7.30pm

Zany for Zanetto

As the Gianni Schicchi/Zanetto double bill at Opera Holland Park comes to an end this week, we focus on Mascagni's lesser known one act opera Zanetto.

Florence

1.    Mascagni had so many devoted fans during his lifetime that 'mascagnano' was recognised as a common noun in the Italian dictionary.

2.    The premiere of Zanetto in 1896 featured as part of the annual celebrations for Rossini’s birthday.

3.    A private performance of Zanetto was held in London shortly after the Italian premiere, with Italian sisters Sofia and Giulia Ravogli.

4.    Five years ago in June 2007, Zanetto was performed in New York for the first time since its US premiere in October 1902.

5.    Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti, the librettist for Zanetto (along with Guido Menasci), was a lifelong friend of Mascagni’s, born in the same year and city.

 

The remaining performances of the Gianni Schicchi/Zanetto double bill are on July 12 & 14 at 7.30pm, as well as The Christine Collins Young Artists' performance on July 14 at 2pm.