150th Celebrations: Concert Series 2009

5th September , 2009 4pm

Recital by Various Artists

Aria from Suite Antique – John Rutter: Louise Bunce (Flute), Guy Bunce (Piano)
Originally scored for flute, String Orchestra and Harpsichord, the Suite Antique was written by John Rutter for the Cookham Festival of 1979.  The suite consists of six movements in mock-Baroque styles with everything from Jazz to Latin influences. The Aria is the third movement in a Bach-like style.

Entr’acte from Carmen – George Bizet: Louise Bunce (Flute), Guy Bunce (Piano)

Gnossienne No.1  –  Eric Satie: Roxana Galasean
Satie's coining of the word gnossienne was one of the rare occasions when a composer used a new term to indicate a new type of composition. Satie had and would use many novel names for his compositions.  Ogive, for example, had been the name of an architectural element until Satie used it as the name for a composition, the Ogives. Gnossienne, however, was a word that did not exist before Satie used it as a title for a composition. The word appears to be derived from gnosis; Satie was involved in gnostic sects and movements at the time that he began to compose the Gnossiennes. However, some published versions claim that the word derives from Cretan "knossos" or "gnossus" and link the Gnossiennes to Theseus, Ariadne and the Minotaur myth.  Of the six Gnossiennes Satie composed, the first three Gnossiennes (two of which are heard today) were composed in 1890.

O Rest In The Lord – Felix Mendelssohn: Susie Harben (Soprano), Guy Bunce (Piano)
O Rest In The Lord is from Mendelssohn’s celebrated oratorio Elijah which was written for the Birmingham Festival in 1846.  The oratorio depicts various events in the life of the prophet Elijah.  This piece was composed in the spirit of Mendelssohn's Baroque predecessors Bach and Handel, whose music he loved.   Whilst being modeled on the oratorios of these two Baroque masters Mendelssohn’s style clearly reflects, in its lyricism and use of orchestral and choral colour, Mendelssohn's own genius as an early Romantic composer.

Wiegenlied – Johannes Brahms: Susie Harben (Soprano), Guy Bunce (Piano)
Brahms's Lullaby is the common name for a number of children's lullabies with similar lyrics and the same melody, the original of which was Wiegenlied: Guten Abend, gute Nacht, Op. 49, No. 4. (Published in 1868).

Melodie D’Amore - Englemann: David Iggulden (Violin), Guy Bunce (Piano)

Liebesfreud – Fritz Kreisler: David Iggulden (Violin), Guy Bunce (Piano)
Kreisler was born in Vienna to a Jewish father and a Roman Catholic mother.  He studied at the Vienna Conservatory and in Paris, where his teachers included Anton Bruckner and Léo Delibes.  In 1910, Kreisler gave the premiere of Elgar’s Violin Concerto which he commissioned.   He served briefly in the Austrian Army in during the first World War before being honourably discharged after he was wounded. He spent the remaining years of the war in America before returning to Europe in 1924.  He returned later to the US becoming a naturalized citizen in 1943. Kreisler gave his last public concert in 1947 before his career was brought to an end after being struck by a motor car in 1941.  Kreisler wrote a number of pieces for the violin, including solos for encores, such as "Liebesleid" and "Liebesfreud". Some of Kreisler's compositions were pastiches in an ostensible style of other composers, originally ascribed to earlier composers such as Pugnani, Tartini, and Vivaldi.  When Kreisler revealed in 1935 that they were actually by him and critics complained, Kreisler answered that critics had already deemed the compositions worthy: "The name changes, the value remains" he said.

An American in Paris – George Gershwin: Guy Bunce (Piano)
Gershwin composed the symphonic poem An American in Paris in 1928 following spending time in the French capital.  The piece describes the sight and energy of Paris, and the original performance by the New York Philharmonic even included car horns that Gershwin brought back from there.  Gershwin said of his piece: "My purpose here is to portray the impression of an American visitor in Paris as he strolls about the city and listens to various street noises and absorbs the French atmosphere."

Interval

Die Lotosblume – Robert Schumann: Susie Harben (Soprano), Guy Bunce (Piano)
Die Lotosblume, or The Lotos-Flower is a poem written by Heinrich Heine which was set to music by Robert Schumann in 1840. This Lied (song) is part of Schumann's Myrthen collection. The piece speaks of the blooming of the Lotos flower and how it is at night that it comes to life.

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes – Music Jerome Kern, Words Otoo Harbach: Susie Harben (Soprano), Guy Bunce (Piano)
Composed in 1933 for the operetta Roberta, it was performed by Irene Dunne for the 1935 film version co-starring Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and Rondolph Scott.

Distant Lands: Prelude for LH – Guy Bunce: Guy Bunce (Piano)
Distant Lands is for the left hand alone and was based on an improvisation made in May 2007. The piece is very free in nature and scored without bar lines or time signatures. Also, changes in pedal are few and far between in order to create a bell-like sound. The music is based around a single motif of a minor third (F#, A), first rising then falling (A, F#).

Sicilienne from Pelléas et Melisande – Gabriel Fauré: Louise Bunce (Flute), Guy Bunce (Piano)

Allegro for Flute Duet – Beethoven: Wilson Wang, Louise Bunce (Flutes)

Gnossienne No.2  –  Eric Satie: Alex Norton

Theme from The Pink Panther – Henry Mancini: Alex Norton (Saxophone), Guy Bunce (Piano)
The Pink Panther Theme is an instrumental composition by Henry Mancini written as the theme for the 1963 film The Pink Panther and subsequently nominated for the 1964 Academy Award for Original Music Score.

Country Garden – English Folk Dance: David Iggulden (Violin), Guy Bunce (Piano)

Hungarian Dance No. 5 – Johannes Brahms: David Iggulden (Violin), Guy Bunce (Piano)
The 21 Hungarian Dances by Brahms are a lively set of dance tunes based mostly on Hungarian themes. Only numbers 11, 14 and 16 are entirely original compositions. In fact, number 5 was based on the csárdás by Kéler Béla titled "Bartfai emlek" which Brahms mistakenly thought was a traditional folksong.  They are among Brahms's most popular works, and were certainly the most profitable for him. Brahms originally wrote the pieces for piano duet and later made arrangements for solo piano and orchestra.  The most famous Hungarian Dance is No. 5 in F# minor (G minor in the orchestral version and the version performed today).