CLScapades http://cls.posterous.com City of London Sinfonia blog posterous.com Thu, 05 Jul 2012 03:40:00 -0700 Retrospect - June in pictures http://cls.posterous.com/retrospect-june-2012 http://cls.posterous.com/retrospect-june-2012

June was a busy month for us with the start of our ninth season at Opera Holland Park, a UK premiere of Gluck's Il trionfo di Clelia at the Royal Opera House and several education projects inbetween. We started the month in good spirits celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in style with our friends at Piano House and finished by humming along to Donizetti, Mozart and Puccini.

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

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Gillian and Alex raise their cups for the Diamond Jubilee

 

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Watching Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor which opened this year's Opera Holland Park 2012 season

 

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Gillian, our Education Manager, received a new instrument to add to her collection

 

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A few of our players performing at Great Ormond Street Hospital

 

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Preparing the set for Clelia at the Linbury Studio Theatre, downstairs at the Royal Opera House

 

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Rehearsing for Il Trionfo di Clelia

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Wed, 21 Mar 2012 03:40:22 -0700 Working with Giants http://cls.posterous.com/working-with-giants http://cls.posterous.com/working-with-giants

Our Education Manager Gillian, explains how music educators help students to tackle Mozart.

Many of you will have heard of the ‘Mozart effect’ – the popular belief that ‘listening to Mozart makes you smarter’. Indeed, there has been academic research which indicates as much, and this coupled with vast amounts of anecdotal evidence, has parents and teachers switching over to Classic FM in an effort to increase children’s brain power. All this can only be good news for those of us tasked with teaching classical music to children.Young children are innately curious about where music comes from and are fascinated by meeting live musicians and seeing orchestral instruments being played up close. In the orchestral outreach sector, we teach from a starting point that all children should have the opportunity to see and hear live professional musicians and we are passionate about exposing children to ‘real’ orchestral repertoire.

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The breadth of Mozart’s work makes it incredibly straightforward to expose children to his music, live. Musicians who visit schools often, without prompting choose to play a Mozart excerpt to illustrate their instruments. From his horn concertos to the violin sonatas, Mozart was a master of writing for a specific instrument. His melodies let the instrument they were written for really sing and illustrate brilliantly what makes a flute’s sound different from that of an oboe.

When learning about classical music, there is often a dichotomy between the enjoyable act of listening to the music and the often perceived ‘dry’ nature of studying and analysing its style and form. As with understanding Shakespeare, we must ensure that the experience of the opera (or play, or symphony) is intertwined with the understanding of its form and meaning. Additionally, we can deepen this understanding by further integrating the study of the composer – or playwright himself. Mozart’s playful ‘Presto’ movements, for example in his chamber works and symphonies, are so easy to engage with when we imagine the playful nature of Mozart’s character. Understanding Mozart’s relationship with his father makes the plot of his opera Don Giovanni all the more gripping. In short, integrating the ways in which we teach and learn Mozart (and indeed Shakespeare), not separating the musical from the historical, the listening from the analysing, the drama from the form, is a positive way forward to making the topic exciting and relevant.

To read the full article visit the Teaching Shakespeare website

 

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Mon, 28 Nov 2011 07:40:52 -0800 The Big Give Christmas Challenge http://cls.posterous.com/the-big-give-christmas-challenge-13180 http://cls.posterous.com/the-big-give-christmas-challenge-13180

Earlier this month, pupils from three primary schools in Tower Hamlets took part in a very magical project with our musicians and workshop leader Claire Bloor. October and November were full of magic for the Education team with our Lullaby series followed by our sell-out Crash Bang Wallop! concert at Cadogan Hall and we were so pleased that alongside these projects, we were able to develop a bespoke project for 150 Year 1 and 2 pupils from across Tower Hamlets; the starting point of a new and exciting programme of work in the Borough.

In the spring we met with THAMES, the Tower Hamlets Arts and Music Education Service to explore possibilities of developing work together. THAMES works with schools across Tower Hamlets, providing instrumental music teachers and running ensembles but also have a very strong history of exciting, effective partnerships. They work with a wide range of professional partners and we are proud to be one of them!

The concert was wonderful, something the children would never have been able to experience without you.
Teacher, Thomas Buxton Primary School

Our first project in October saw a special schools performance of our Magic themed show which included arrangements of works such as Dukas Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Mozart’s Overture to The Magic Flute. Around this, we ran a series of workshops with four classes, introducing children to the repertoire and instruments of the Orchestra. Alongside workshop leader, Claire Bloor, the children also wrote their own lyrics to a song about a magical owl which was performed with the Orchestra at the concert. 

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Image: Paul Coghlin

This pilot project has exceeded our expectations and we now plan to visit eight more primary schools in Tower Hamlets, with a series of bespoke schools concerts and workshops, introducing a further 300 children and their teachers to the Orchestra.  In order to make this important work happen we are taking part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge (5-9 December), through which we need to raise £25,000 in order to enable this transformational work to happen. 

Visit our Big Give page to find out more and how to get involved.

Big Give Christmas Challenge
5 - 9 Dec 2011     

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Fri, 29 Jul 2011 08:26:22 -0700 Flashback - First Prom 1973 http://cls.posterous.com/flashback-first-prom-1973 http://cls.posterous.com/flashback-first-prom-1973

For this instalment of Flashback, we’re heading back to our first ever BBC Promenade concert at the Royal Albert Hall on Wednesday 1 August 1973, when CLS was still known as the Richard Hickox Orchestra. The Orchestra performed Handel’s Messiah with the Richard Hickox Singers (also founded in 1971) alongside a host of incredibly talented soloists, many of whom were budding young stars and have since gone on to great things!

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Back then we were joined by Stephen Cleobury on the organ, now better known for being Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral and Director of Music of the world-renowned Choir of King’s College, Cambridge. Alastair Ross who is still a member of CLS, performed as a soloist on the harpsichord too.

Our vocal soloists on the night included the late Philip Langridge, a tenor who became famous for performing the works of Benjamin Britten and was regarded as the true successor of Peter Pears, baritone Raimund Herincx who has since appeared with the Welsh National Opera and at the Royal Opera House, and James Bowman who has become arguably the most acclaimed countertenor of his generation.

This year we’re returning to the Proms on Sunday 21 August to perform a new work by Colin Matthews, No Man’s Land, which was commissioned by the late Richard Hickox, alongside Britten’s Variations on a theme of Bridge, and Mozart’s Requiem, recently voted the Nation’s Favourite Mozart piece by BBC Radio 3 listeners.

For a flavour of our upcoming Prom, listen to our Spotify playlist.

 

Sunday 21 August
Royal Albert Hall
Tickets: £7.50 - £36

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Mon, 16 May 2011 04:50:00 -0700 What's on my iPod: Karen Geoghegan http://cls.posterous.com/whats-on-my-ipod-karen-geoghegan http://cls.posterous.com/whats-on-my-ipod-karen-geoghegan

Having first made her mark in the finals of BBC’s Classical Star competition in 2008, Karen’s warm personality and sense of style and musicianship have made her one of the most highly acclaimed and sought after young soloists in the UK. We’re delighted she’ll be performing with us again on Sunday at Central Theatre, Chatham.

We caught up with her to find out what the four most played tracks are on her iPod and why she just can’t stop listening to them...

E lucevan le stelle from Puccini's Tosca
I fell in love with this aria when I saw Tosca live at the Royal Albert Hall a few years ago. This is probably the best-known aria from the opera, and is sung by Tosca's lover whilst he awaits his execution. It is a final reminiscing of what used to be – there is a real sense of heartache and desperation.  I love the clarinet obligato, which plays a huge role in this aria. This is an absolute must to listen to - it really is heart-wrenching stuff; tissues at the ready!

The Swan of Tuonela – Sibelius
This tone poem by Sibelius is not one of his better-known works but is my absolute favourite piece of classical music. The cor anglais takes the main role in the work, representing the swan, who swims around Tuonela - the island of the dead. The cor anglais is one of the most beautiful instruments in the orchestra - always getting the solos, and for good reason!

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Piano Concerto No. 2 - Second Movement - Shostakovich
I first heard this work in a theory and musicianship class when I was around 16, and I remember my teacher absolutely raving about it, and going on about this heart-wrenching chord where the piano enters after a beautiful string introduction- and then we heard it and we all knew why! I could listen to it again and again! Shostakovich is one of my favourite composers. His symphonic writing is great for the bassoon!   

The Stolen Child and Non Aurumque from the album Light and Gold – Eric Whitacre
The harmonies and suspensions Eric Whitacre uses are really quite spectacular. This music evokes so many different emotions - I can't just have it on in the background as I get so carried away every time I listen!

Sunday 5 June, 7.30pm
Central Theatre, Chatham

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