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Pianist Sofia Sacco gave a concert that was a wonderful end to the 75^th Season of the Boston Concert Club. Sofia has an engaging personality and she mingled with us before the concert, at the interval and afterwards and this was appreciated by an enthusiastic audience.

Sofia began the concert with three of Shostakovich’s Preludes and Fugues op. 87, well-chosen to reflect the scope and breadth of these pieces written in 1951 and premiered by Tatiana Nikolayeva. Sofia showed her great technical ability and also her feeling for the music. Sofia has just recorded the whole set and her CD will be released later this year.

Sofia then played pieces by the twentieth century Italian composer, Respighi, better known for his orchestral Roman trilogy, and the baroque composer Clementi. Respighi’s Nocturne was one of the few pieces he wrote for piano – on the evidence of this one, what a pity there are so few – then Sofia played an exquisite Sonata by Clementi.

During the interval there was a buzz of pleasure as the audience enthused about Sofia’s playing.

After the interval we heard Couperin’s Les Barricades Mystérieuses and followed by the delightful Le Coucou by Daquin, I loved this piece, it felt very springlike. Sofia then played for us Rameau’s Les Cyclops and followed with the magnificent Toccata in E minor by J.S. Bach, before three more of Shostakovich’s Preludes and Fugues.

As one of our members said “it isn’t often we get the audience on their feet” and he felt that this concert was the highlight of the season. Sofia gave an encore of Bach’s transcription of Marcello’s Adagio and again this brought some of the audience to their feet.

There were lots of positive comments afterwards, the most common being “what an amazing talent!”

This was a fine end to what has been a wonderful series of concerts and our thanks must go to Steve Boycott, our Chairman and Concert Secretary, for his imaginative programming. Hope to see you all next season.

CM

This was the fifth concert of the season given at the Boston Grammar School. Eira told us that the title of her programme is “Mosaics” and that the title means a pattern of small pieces of music and the mortar is her journey as a musician. Together Eira and the audience went on that journey – and what a great journey it was.

Eira is a very talented and accomplished harpist and this evening she had brought two harps a pedal harp and a Clarsach. All of the music was new to me and our journey began with “Au Jardin – Venise-Ping Pong” from “Pour les Enfants by Alexandre Tansman. This was followed by Debussy’s “La fille aux cheveux de lin”. Then followed “Lindsey Dances” by Martin Ellerby and this piece really resonated with the audience. It is in five parts and these are Steep Hill; Bolingbroke; Gibralter Point; Tattershall; The Stump and I am sure that everyone saw in their mind’s eye (as I did) each part of our County. There then followed the Interlude from Britten’s “A Ceremony of Carols”.

Then Eira played Esther Swift’s “Time Spinner”. This was commissioned by Eira in memory of one her students, Helen MacLeod.

After the interval Eira changed to the Clarsach harp for the traditional Scottish tune “Glenlivet” and continued with Mary Ann Kennedy’s “Cruit Gun Chéis, Ceall Gun Aba”, this translates as “A harp without a tuning key, a Church without an Abbot” and I think refers to Iona. Mary Ann Kennedy was Eira’s first student at the Royal Northern College of Music.

We were then fortunate to hear the World Premier of Martin Ellerby’s Epitaph XVIII “Aberfan”. The audience for the most part, was of an age to remember the Aberfan disaster and so it had great meaning for us all, I think.

Next, on the concert harp we heard a piece written for the harpist, Sidonie Goossens – “Twilight” from William Alwyn’s “Crépuscle”, this was followed by Anna Appleby’s “Knocking” and yes, we heard knocking!

Reverting to the Clarsach, Eira then played Catriona McKay’s “Swan LK243”. This was a beautiful piece and was, my favourite of the evening. The composer wrote this on a Scottish fishing boat that took part in the Cutty Sark’s Tall Ships’ Race in 1999. LK243 is the fishing boat’s number (Lewis 243), the boat was built in 1900 and Catriona was aboard her as she sailed from Shetland to join the Tall Ships’ Race..

Our journey with Eira ended with Pearl Chertock’s “Harpicide at Midnight” from her “Around the Clock” suite and this was played on the pedal harp. This is a jazzy piece of music with a strong beat and who knew that a harp could sound like this? The dance began and the rhythm grew more and more insistent until the melody was lost and finally all we could hear was the dancing feet.

Judging by the warm comments afterwards this was a concert that was really enjoyed and it is hoped that Eira will come and play for us again.

CM

The Heartwood String Quartet appeared by the kind permission of The Royal Northern College of Music and consists of Audrey Doyle, violin, Bruno Robalo, violin, Michaela Jones, viola and Jasmine Blackshaw-Britton, cello.. The name ‘Heartwood’ comes from the spruce tree from which string instrument sound board tops are crafted.

This fourth concert of the season began with Mozart’s String Quartet No 15; according to Keith Osborne’s splendid programme notes, when this piece was composed by Mozart in one room, his wife, Constanze was giving birth to their first child, Raimund, in another. The second movement, it is said, reflects the sound of Constanze going through the pains of labour. Hmm! This was followed by Jessie Montgomery’s “Strum”, written in 2006. This composer is unknown to me but Strum is a very tuneful piece of music and is, I think, the best modern piece that we have heard this season. I never thought that I would say this – I preferred it to the Mozart!

After the interval the Quartet played Beethoven’s String Quartet Op 59 No 1. What a treat to listen to, composed by the Master. It is technically demanding but the Heartwood rose to the challenge and played it wonderfully well, it sounded ravishing, the Quartet has a clear, transparent sound. It was sheer bliss for the rapt audience.

The concert ended with the Danish String Quartet’s composition “Halling”. This music is based on a rhythmic traditional Norwegian dance, halling, and this is very athletic, the dancer circles around a hat held high on a stick with the aim of kicking it down. (From Keith’s programme notes). The music has a very Scandinavian sound and was quite different from the other pieces of music we heard this evening.

All in all, this was a splendid concert and was very much enjoyed by the audience.

CM

CONCERT HELD AT THE GRAMMAR SCHOOL, BOSTON ON 17^th DECEMBER 2024

The Christmas concert this year was given by the Laiton Trumpet Quartet who have recently graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music. The Quartet is formed of Grace Harman, Erin McLellan, Charlotte Nuta and Isabel Thompson. However this evening Isabel was unable to come and Seb Williman of the Rosamund Brass Ensemble came in her place.

What an amazing concert this was. All of the players are supremely talented and they gave us a most joyful evening. There was a tremendous beginning to the concert with the playing of James Stephenson’s Fanfare for an Angel. Then they played for us Amazing Grace, lovely ensemble playing, with Seb taking the lead in this.

I very much enjoyed Edrich Siebert’s The Lazy Trumpeter with Seb on Trumpet and Charlotte on piano; this was followed by Someday my Prince will come, Intrada and Away in a Manger with Charlotte on Trumpet and Grace on piano. I particularly enjoyed Bach’s Chorale and Fugue, this is usually played on the organ but translated very well to the trumpets.

Before the interval we had Whitacre’s lovely The Seal Lullaby and I could imagine the seals rocking on the ocean.

Then we had the interval and as it was the Christmas concert we enjoyed wine and mincepies very kindly donated by our members.

The second half began with Rockin’ Robin followed seamlessly by Georgia on my mind and Eleanor Rigby. These were followed by Someone to Watch over me (Gershwin) with Charlotte on trumpet and Erin on piano. This was followed by Basin Street Blues (Armstrong arranged by Grace); this was amazing, with Grace playing the piano and the trumpet simultaneously! I was in awe of her virtuosity.

We then had Grace’s arrangement of Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Caprice by Bernard Fitzgerald and the concert ended with James Lord Pierpoint’s Jingle Bells.

The concert was throughly enjoyed by the enthusiastic audience and will, I think, be long remembered.

CM

This was a concert that was given in memory of the late Chairman of Boston Concert Club, Rev. Jenny Dumat, who died on 23^rd December 2023.

This was the third concert given by Emma Johnson for the Concert Club, the first was on 16^th December 1986 and the second on 21^st March 1989; one of our members and her daughter were at both concerts and at each of them obtained an autograph from Emma on their programme. Both autographed programmes were brought to this concert and shown to Emma.

The concert began with a set of variations from Mozart’s clarinet concerto, a lovely piece of music and one of my personal favourites and a wonderful beginning. The concert continued with Schumann’s Fantasiestucke Op. 73 and was followed by Rebecca Clarke’s Impetuoso and then Poulenc’s Clarinet Sonata.

After the interval Emma played for us her own composition, ‘Three Perspectives’ – Echoes, Solace and Senegal Spirit, and she explained that each movement reflected a different character of the clarinet.

We then heard the wonderful larghetto from Mozart’s Clarinet concerto followed by the Arthur Bliss piece, ‘Pastoral’, which she played as a dedication in Jenny’s memory Next, we heard Sidney Bechet’s ‘Petite Fleur’ and then a medley of Duke Ellington’s music, including a lovely performance of ‘The Single Petal of a Rose’ from The Queen’s Suite, part of an album he prepared specially in honour of Queen Elizabeth II in 1959. The concert ended with an amazing rendition of the ‘Flight of the Bumble Bee’.

Emma was ably supported by her very talented accompanist Gregory Drott on piano and his playing greatly enhanced the whole experience. This was a concert that Jenny Dumat would have enjoyed enormously; she herself, was an accomplished clarinettist. We were delighted that members of Jenny’s family were able to attend this very special concert.

CM

Thanks to Judith Warnes for this great picture of Emma Johnson and Gregory Drott