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 CONTENTS

26 58 76

© RHYS FRAMPTON
© DAVID TIERNAN
© RAPHAËL NEAL

IN THIS ISSUE
JANUARY 2019 ISSUE 1052

5 WELCOME 47 EARLY MUSIC

© RICHARD CAVE

GUEST EDITOR:  News, previews and

GILLIAN MOORE 6 FEEDBACK/

HORNBLOWER’S DIARY
reviews
 The Eton Choirbook
54 WHO NEEDS
CLASSICAL MUSIC? 9 NEWS 74 STRINGS FOCUS:
THESE POLISH THINGS
58 THROWING OPEN 14 BARLINES Jennifer Pike on her latest
THE DOORS News in brief album
Access through
architecture 17 INSIDE VIEW 76 HARP OF GOLD
Catrin Finch shares her
62 FROM WHERE I SIT OPINION passion for the harp
Chris Denton on 19 We shouldn’t be too
audience behaviour surprised that folk 78 HIRING A HARP
are fighting in our CM0119_001_R_Cover_ok.indd 2 COVER FEATURE 18/12/2018 11:18:25

64 CLAIRE CHASE Q&A concert halls 30 OXFORD PHILHARMONIC 81 STRINGS NEWS

The art of curation Looking to the future
20 HIP is once again 82 LISTINGS
67 HOME AND AWAY entering fresh and 36 A NEW LIGHT
Composers working exciting waters Inside the renovated 98 Q&A: ANGELA DIXON
abroad Blackheath Halls
22 SPECIALISED TRAVEL 102 ARTIST OF THE MONTH
70 INTERVIEW: Keeping the show on 38 WHAT’S THE SCORE? Karin Hendrickson
MAXIME PASCAL the road Dorico notation software
Rediscovering reviewed 105 RECORDING
Stockhausen’s Licht 24 CONTINENTAL DRIFT
The rise of populism 40 ONCE UPON A TIME 109 CD REVIEWS
72 A CLASS ACT Poul Ruders’ The
Mark-Anthony 26 PREMIERES Handmaid’s Tale 112 BOOKS
Turnage discusses his  The Hermes
working-class roots Experiment 44 CULTURE AND VALUE 114 EXTENDED INTERVALS
 Richard Causton Camilla Seale explores the Michael White’s critic’s
 Laura Bowler relationship month
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 3
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 GUEST EDITOR’S LETTER

Welcome
MANAGING EDITORS
Ashutosh Khandekar
Owen Mortimer
CONSULTANT EDITOR
Keith Clarke

W
ASSOCIATE EDITOR (EARLY MUSIC)
Adrian Horsewood ho is music for, and how do we get
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Lucy Thraves
as many people as possible, from all
DESIGNER backgrounds, to get involved with
Daniela Di Padova
it? There are no easy answers to these questions and
PRODUCTION
Ashley Reid huge obstacles to overcome. For me, these questions
demand that we think a little differently and as
© SARAH HICKSON

TITLE MANAGER
Craig Dacey
HEAD OF SALES director of music at London’s Southbank Centre, I
Amy Driscoll
feel it’s my responsibility to do just that.
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Ashutosh Khandekar This issue celebrates composers, conductors and
PUBLISHING DIRECTOR
Owen Mortimer
curators who are taking a different tack, and looks at
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND some of the reasons why people may not feel that classical music is for them, and what we
DIGITAL STRATEGY
Luca Da Re can do to address this.
DIRECTOR OF SUBSCRIPTIONS AND This month, Southbank Centre will be taking a global view of contemporary music in
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Sally Boettcher a new festival, SoundState. Featured artist Claire Chase is a renowned flute player and
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Ben Allen
also an adventurous commissioner and curator. She takes time out to tell us more about
EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN what drives her work. Jessica Duchen discusses international music cross-pollination with
Mark Allen
three globe-trotting composers who have chosen to make their creative homes on foreign
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FEEDBACK AND DIARY
FEEDBACK
Andrew Green writing about #MeToo and
Andrew Mellor writing about the Woman’s
Hour power list of women in music… It
might have been a great moment for a couple
of women writers to write about these issues
or even to share the columns with the men!
Anonymous
London
My teenage daughter was hugely inspired by
the Woman’s Hour power list… The big names
caught her attention, and then she wanted
to know more about the names she didn’t
HORNBLOWER’S DIARY
Revelling in its natural habitat
Time to think outside the crate?
6 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
CONTACT US
EMAIL: letters@rhinegold.co.uk
WRITE TO: The Editor, Classical Music, Rhinegold Publishing Ltd,
20 Rugby Street, London, WC1N 3QZ
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK: Classical Music Magazine
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recognise. For her, it was a great point of access
for developing an interest in classical musicians.
L Perry
Bucks
Great to hear about the guidelines that
artist management offices are implementing
to safeguard against sexual harassment.
© TOP VECTOR STUDIO
It would be nice to see this rolled out for
orchestras as well. Too many cases are still
slipping through the net!
Helen Parkes
Cheltenham
He clearly didn’t get a Hollywood Handshake
© SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
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conducted by David Giménez

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 Congratulations
to
Santiago Cañón Valencia
2018 “I am beyond excited to be the

Janos Starker Foundation recipient of the Starker Foundation

Award 2018. I have always been

Award Winner hugely inspired by Mr. Starker,

The Janos Starker Foundation Award
is given to a cellist, age 30 or younger,
who has already begun a significant
career in music.
not just by his incredible way of
playing, but also by his very honest
approach to music. It is such an
honor to be the recipient of an
award that acarries his name and is
truly related to him and his family.”

Next Award Contest will be in 2020.

HAUTE ÉCOLE DE MUSIQUE

DE GENÈVE

Applications for 2019-2020

are now available!
Application deadline: 1st March 2019

WWW.HEMGE.CH

Esa-Pekka Salonen moves to San Francisco Symphony
© BENJAMIN SUOMELA
‘Buzzing with possibilities’: Esa-Pekka Salonen
E sa-Pekka Salonen has been named the
12th music director of the San Francisco
Symphony (SFS). He will succeed Michael
Tilson Thomas, who has been in the role for
25 years.
Mr Salonen will take up the position in
Ilan Volkov reappointed as BBC Scottish Symphony
Orchestra principal guest conductor
T he BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
(BBCSSO) has announced that Ilan
Volkov’s position as principal guest conductor
will be extended for a further three years, until
the end of the 2020/21 season.
Mr Volkov was first appointed principal
conductor of the orchestra in 2003,
subsequently becoming principal guest
conductor in 2009.
He has worked with the orchestra to
champion works by new and under-served
composers, as well as world-class performances
of core repertoire.
In 2013, Mr Volkov and the orchestra
ROLAND KLUTTIG NAMED PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR OF GRAZ PHILHARMONIC AND OPERA
Roland Kluttig has been named principal
conductor of the Graz Philharmonic
Orchestra and Graz Opera, beginning in
the 2020/21 season.
He has been given a contract for three
seasons, parallel to the contract held by
director Nora Schmid.
Kluttig conducted the production of
September 2020, initially for a five-year
contract. Until then, he will lead the orchestra
in a number of concerts as music director
designate. He will conclude his tenure as
principal conductor of London’s Philharmonia
Orchestra in 2021.
Mr Salonen described the orchestra as
‘buzzing with possibilities … Here is a top
symphony orchestra in the place in America
where things start; where the way things have
always been done are interrogated, and where
problems are first identified and then solved.
‘In San Francisco itself and in the San
Francisco Symphony, I see both the big ideas
being thought and the actual work being done,
and that, to me, is irresistible.’
As part of the appointment, the orchestra is
looking to introduce a new leadership model
anchored by a group of eight collaborative
partners from a variety of cultural disciplines.
This group of artists, which includes film
launched Tectonics Glasgow – a series of
concerts of contemporary classical music
combined with improvisation, electronics
and rock. Since then, Tectonics has
become a flagship concert series in the
BBCSSO’s season.
Describing the orchestra as his ‘second
family’, Mr Volkov said: ‘I am so proud of
the rich variety of music-making we achieve
together. I feel the quality and versatility of
this orchestra in every rehearsal and concert.’
BBCSSO director Dominic Parker said:
‘Ilan Volkov continues to bring a unique
mix of music-making to the BBCSSO, and
Dukas’ Ariane et Barbe-Bleu in Graz
in March 2018, a collaboration he
described as ‘exhilarating and successful
in every regard.’
He continued: ‘During this time, I
came to greatly value the work with
the Graz Philharmonic, the choir, the
soloists and the music department of
NEWS
composer Nicholas Britell, composer Nico
Muhly, entrepreneur and roboticist Carol
Reiley, and composer and member of rock
band the National, Bryce Dessner, will
collaborate on new ideas surrounding the
concert experience.
‘I am incredibly excited to be a part of this
artistic coalition,’ said Nicholas Britell. ‘Music
is such a central element of our lives, yet the
ways in which we interact with it are constantly
shifting. Esa-Pekka’s vision – to explore all the
possibilities for the SFS as both an orchestra
and as a doorway to the arts more generally – is
something I am truly passionate about.
‘With trends in science and technology
increasing at an ever faster rate, it is crucial
to have a dialogue about the profound
importance of music and the arts in our lives,
in our communities, and in our society.’
www.sfsymphony.org
his long-standing relationship with the
orchestra is a mark of the high esteem in
which he is held.
‘With equal skill, he can bring to life
the core classical repertoire alongside the
experimental and contemporary music for
which he is internationally renowned.
‘The annual Tectonics festival, which Ilan
masterminds, showcases his fascination and
expertise in this area, which in itself reflects
the diversity of repertoire that the BBC SSO
expertly handles.’
www.bbc.co.uk/bbcsso
this house and maintained a very good
and inspiring interchange with Nora
Schmid and the management team at
Graz Opera throughout.
‘It will be a great challenge and joy for
me to be able to intensify this work soon.’
www.oper-graz.com
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 9
 NEWS
British Composer Awards 2018
winners revealed
© MARK ALLAN
Halfway to Heaven? Emily Peasgood celebrates
T he winners of the British Composer
Awards 2018 were revealed on 4
December at a ceremony hosted by Radio
3 presenters Andrew McGregor and Sara
Mohr-Pietsch.
The category winners are:
Amateur or Young Performers
XXMicroscopic Dances by Oliver Searle – a piece
which uses digital technologies to provide
the opportunity for disabled and non-
disabled musicians to play together in an
integrated ensemble.
Chamber Ensemble
XXLibro di fiammelle e ombre by James Weeks
– a work inspired by the early modern
period.
Choral
XXIn the Land of Uz by Judith Weir – a
dramatisation of the Book of Job.
Community or Educational Project
XXThe Umbrella by Liam Taylor-West
– a composition for disabled and non-
disabled young musicians, using a unique
combination of electronic and acoustic
instruments.
Jazz Composition for Large Ensemble
XXAfronaut by Cassie Kinoshi – a piece
inspired by Samuel R Delaney’s science-
fiction writing.
Jazz Composition for Small Ensemble
XXClose to Ecstasy by Simon Lasky – a work that
combines improvisation and detailed scoring.
Orchestral
XXDeep Time by Sir Harrison Birtwistle – the
composer’s eighth British Composer Award,
a piece which examines the concept of time.
10 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
Small Chamber
XXUnbreathed by Rebecca Saunders – a piece
which uses sonic manipulation of string
techniques and musical form, with poetic
inscriptions on the score.
Solo or Duo
XXThe Harmonic Canon by Dominic Murcott
– a part-musical instrument, part-public
work of art, specially composed for a
computer-designed double bell.
Sonic Art
XXHalfway to Heaven by Emily Peasgood – an
interactive sound installation created to
celebrate the rediscovery of a lost Baptist
burial ground in Folkestone.
Stage Works
XXShorelines by Oliver Coates – a music-
theatre composition for string and pre-
recorded sound inspired by the North Sea
flood of 1953.
Wind Band or Brass Band
XXThe Turing Test by Simon Dobson – a piece
that explores Alan Turing’s theories around
artificial intelligence.
Two composers were presented with Gift
of Basca Awards in recognition of their
contributions to new music throughout
their careers to date:
XXSally Beamish was presented with the
British Composer Award for Inspiration in
recognition of her long career as a composer,
violist and pianist
XXTrevor Wishart was presented with the
British Composer Award for Innovation for
his work as a pioneer of sonic art
XX‘The passion, creativity and dedication to
music demonstrated by this year’s winners
is deeply inspiring and humbling,’ said
Crispin Hunt, chair of Basca.
‘A record year for submissions, the
new music landscape in Britain proves
itself time and again to be more vibrant,
dynamic and vivacious than ever,
engaging with a diverse range of ideas and
audiences.
‘This is a hugely exciting time to be a
creator or appreciator of new music.’
For more information visit
www.britishcomposerawards.com
or follow @ComposerAwards
PRESTO MUSIC BRANCHES
OUT TO JAZZ AND
DOWNLOADS
BY PHILLIP SOMMERICH
Presto Music, one of the most
successful of the UK’s dwindling band
of music retailers, is to add jazz CDs
and digital downloads to its empire.
It is the latest step by the company
which expanded from a bricks and
mortar store in Leamington Spa into
a groundbreaking e-tailing website
in 2001.
Graham Southern, chief operating
officer of the company, said that Presto
Music is on target for a record £5.5m
annual sales, split into 60% CDs, 20%
digital downloads and 20% sheet
music and books. Presto Music was
recently created as the umbrella title
for classical, books, sheet music and
now jazz departments.
Plans include an Instruments
department, broadening the sheet
music offering to institutional accounts
and a music streaming service. Mr
Southern said it was important to find
a streaming model that enables artists
and in copyright composers to earn a
fair and viable income for their music.
More than a million products on
offer through its various websites
include 84,000 CDs and DVDs,
135,000 album downloads – 10%
of the latter in high resolution – plus
850,000 sheet music items. The
books division is soon to offer more
than 70,000 English-language music-
related titles.
The company ships to more
than 200 countries and sells in 15
currencies, about to be expanded to
18. Only 30% of its customer base is
in the UK, 25% in North America, 15%
in Asia, 10% each in Australia and
mainland Europe and 10% in the rest
of the world.
All but six of its 38 staff work on the
website, which features reviews and
artist interviews, and digital services.
The company has also begun pressing
CDs of deleted titles, most of which are
owned by major labels.
www.prestomusic.com/classical
NEWS

RNCM annual appeal targets health and wellbeing

T he Royal Northern College of Music
(RNCM) has pledged to increase
its support for students by dedicating
its 2018/19 annual appeal to health
and wellbeing.
The pledge comes in response to greater
numbers of students reporting mental
health concerns across higher education.
Kathy Hart, RCNM Students’ Union
president, said: ‘When I talk to friends, I
see that the work needed to build such a
difficult career can come at a price, both
physically and psychologically. Like athletes,
we must keep in peak condition to make the
most of the opportunities we have fought so
hard for.
‘The more work we put in, the higher the
stakes become – and the more devastating
the impact if we are held back by injury or
mental health struggles.’
The annual appeal was launched on
26 November.
It will provide extra counselling sessions
when performance pressures are at their
greatest; train all staff in mental health and
expand the provision of mental health first-
aiders; and promote wellbeing activities and
community outreach.
www.rncm.ac.uk/annualappeal

Felix Mildenberger wins 15th Donatella Flick

Conducting Competition
T he 28-year-old German conductor Felix

© S YAMAMOTO
Mildenberger is to become assistant
conductor of the London Symphony
Orchestra.
He was one of three finalists in the
Donatella Flick Conducting Competition’s
final round, held at the Barbican Centre.
The runners up were 27-year-old Harry Ogg
(UK) and 29-year-old Alexander Colding
Smith (Denmark).
Each conducted the Prelude to Wagner’s
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, followed
by a movement each of Prokofiev’s Violin
Concerto No 2 with soloist Vadim Repin, First place: Felix Mildenberger
and a section each of Kodály’s Dances
of Galánta.
The jury was Sian Edwards, Tadaaki For the first time this year the competition’s and help the winner establish an international
Otaka, François-Xavier Roth and Yan Pascal final round was live-streamed on medici.tv. conducting career. The competition is open to
Tortelier, the violinist Vadim Repin, Gareth Founded by philantropist Donatella Flick in candidates under 30 from the EU, including
Davies (LSO principal flute), Christine 1990 under the patronage of HRH The Prince Norway, Iceland, Lichtenstein and Switzerland.
Pendrill, (LSO principal cor anglais), and of Wales, the biennial conducting competition
Lennox Mackenzie former LSO sub-leader. aims to advance the careers of young conductors www.donatellaflickconductingcompetition.com

LESLEY-ANN THOMSON APPOINTED DIRECTOR OF ROYAL JUNIOR ACADEMY OF MUSIC

The Royal Academy of Music has
announced that education specialist
Lesley-Ann Thomson will be the new
director of the Junior Academy.
Thomson is currently head of junior
music courses at the Guildhall School,
and has worked extensively in music
education across the UK as both a
community musician and peripatetic
teacher. She has been deputy chief
executive and head of education
at Kent Music, and managed the
successful Music Education Matters
conference.
A graduate of the Royal Conservatoire
of Scotland, she has lived and worked in
Glasgow as a freelance double bassist,
performing with the BBC Scottish
Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra of
Scottish Opera among others.
Ms Thomson will succeed Howard
Ionascu, who will take up the role of
director of chapel music at Winchester
College in January 2019.
She said: ‘I am greatly looking
forward to joining the Junior Academy
team and working alongside them,
the teachers and parents to ensure
that every student receives the best
experience possible to help them reach
their full potential.’
www.ram.ac.uk/study/junior-academy

12 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019

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BARLINES NEWS & LISTINGS 
SEASON ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dartington Summer School and
Festival has announced its 2019
programme, with Joanna MacGregor
as artistic director for her fifth and
final year.
The programme encompasses a broad
range of music, including early music,
folk, classical and jazz. MacGregor’s
personal choices include the New York
street musician Moondog paired with
Bach’s The Art of Fugue; Britten’s Turn
of the Screw; Cage’s Musicircus; and
Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. She has
also commissioned Eleanor Alberga to
write a new work for large choir and piano
with a text by Alice Oswald.
MacGregor said: ‘It’s been my great
pleasure to be the artistic director of
Dartington international summer school
and festival for the last five years; I bid
farewell with a four-week programme
rimming with vitality, daring, and joy.’
The programme will run from 27 July
to 24 August 2019.
For more information and booking visit
www.dartington.org/whats-on/programme/
summer-school/
The Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra will
celebrate its centenary in 2019 with a
programme of international tours.
The orchestra will return to the UK
6-10 March to give five anniversary
concerts – at St David’s Hall, Cardiff;
Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall;
Symphony Hall, Birmingham; Leeds
Town Hall; and Sage Gateshead.
The programme will draw from a list
of major orchestral works including
Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet,
Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 3,
Delius’s On Hearing the First Cuckoo
in Spring, Grieg’s piano concerto and
Sibelius’s Symphony No 5.
 n tour: Vasily Petrenko with the
O
Oslo Philharmonic
14 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
The soloist for piano concertos will be
Nikolai Lugansky.
‘We want the greatest possible number
of people to hear the Oslo Philharmonic
in its centenary year,’ said Petrenko. ‘This
tour of the UK is an important part of
our international celebrations. I’m very
glad that, because of it, British audiences
will have the chance to hear the orchestra
during its landmark anniversary.’
www.ofo.no/en/
The Ludlow English Song Weekend will
take place 5-7 April 2019.
The theme for this year is ‘looking to
the future’ – a reference to the festival’s
new collaboration with the English
National Opera and its ENO Harewood
Artists Programme, which provides young
artists with performance opportunities,
coaching and support for two-to-three
years. Seven singers enrolled on the
scheme will perform during the weekend.
In addition, the weekend will feature
guitarist Sean Shibe and violinist
Michael Foyle; talks and discussions,
film screenings and poetry; a masterclass
from Susan Bullock; a discussion panel
with author and broadcaster Dr Katy
Hamilton; and a young composers’
workshop and showcase with composer
Eleanor Alberga.
Artistic director and pianist Iain
Burnside described Ludlow as ‘the perfect
festival town: compact, historic, beautiful,
friendly.’
He continued: ‘This year’s artists bring
a new dimension to the weekend: we’re
presenting a group of hugely gifted young
singers, all bursting through into major
careers.
‘Having BBC Radio 3 with us is the
icing on the cake. We look forward
to welcoming [them] for concerts,
discussions and film – all set against
the backdrop of the glorious Shropshire
countryside.’
www.ludlowassemblyrooms.co.uk
Llangollen International Musical
Eisteddfod will be held 1-7 July 2019.
Highlights include
XXThe festival’s vice president Jools Holland
will open the festival with his Rhythm
and Blues Orchestra on 1 July
barlines@rhinegold.co.uk
XXTenor Rolando Villazón will be joined
by soprano Rhian Lois for an evening of
operatic favourites
XXWelsh vocalists Shân Cothi and Rhodri
Prys Jones with the British Sinfonietta
perform an evening of Welsh choral music
XXGipsy Kings featuring Andre Reyes
present an evening of rumba, flamenco
and salsa
XXInterim music director Edward-Rhys
Harry said: ‘We are proud that this
year’s festival line up spans genres and
generations, crossing the boundaries of
age, culture and creed.
XX‘There really is something for everyone
and we’ll be adding even more early in the
New Year.’
www.llangollen.net
Now in its 15th year, Temple Music offers
chamber music, song recitals and choral
concerts in Temple, London. Highlights of
the spring 2019 programme include:
Chamber Music
XXIestyn Davies will perform works by
Michael Nyman in celebration of the
composer’s 75th birthday (26 March)
XXMatthew Rose, Katherine Broderick,
Anna Tillbrook, Jan Schmolck and
friends present a programme of
contemporary works, followed by
Strauss’s Metamorphosen (30 April)
Choral concerts
XXTemple Church Choir and the Temple
Youth Choir will perform a concert of
sacred music (28 Feburary)
XXOn 23 May, the Temple Church Choir
will be joined by the Outcry Ensemble
to perform an all-Haydn programme,
including Symphony No 73 and the
Nelson Mass
Song recitals
XXA special Valentine’s Day programme of
love songs by Brahms and Schumann,
performed by Gemma Summerfield,
Fleur Barron, James Way and Julien van
Mellaerts
XXJulius Drake will be joined by Nicky
Spence, Barbara Kozelj, Roderick
Williams, Sofia Fomina and Sarah
Connolly on various occasions
throughout the year
www.templemusic.org
barlines@rhinegold.co.uk  BARLINES NEWS & LISTINGS

IN BRIEF
MUSICAL CHAIRS

© STUDIO SEILERN
XXCarlo Pavese of Italy has been elected
president of the European Choral
Association
XXPhilip Cobb has been appointed brass
artist-in-residence at the Guildhall
School of Music & Drama. He will
work with Guildhall brass students in
masterclasses and ensemble coaching
XXPaul Clements has been appointed
CEO of the Music Publishers
Association
XXAskonas Holt has welcomed soprano
Sonya Yoncheva to its roster for
general management
XXIan Cusson has been named Canadian
Opera Company composer-in-residence
XXJohn Fisher has been appointed artistic
director of the Royal Welsh College of
Music & Drama’s David Seligman
Opera School An artist’s rendering of the new Andermatt Concert Hall
XXTony Stoller CBE has been named
chair of Orchestras Live.
www.orchestraslive.org.uk/ EVENTS XXEaling Music & Film Festival will
XXCraig Odgen’s Guitar Weekend take place 13-17 February in venues
VENUES will take place 25-27 January at the around west London.
XXSwitzerland’s new concert hall in Bridgewater Hall, Manchester. The www.ealingmusicandfilmfestival.org/
Andermatt is set to open in June 2019. It biennial festival features concerts
is hoped that the new venue will establish and workshops and offers the chance OPPORTUNITIES/AWARDS
the Alpine village as an important year- to participate alongside world-class XXThe deadline for application to the
round cultural destination guitarists. www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk Guildhall School of Music & Drama’s
XXBarbara Hannigan, Thomas Larcher Doctorial composer-in-residence
ANNOUNCEMENTS and Mark Padmore have been scheme, in association with the Royal
XXRoyal harpist Catrin Finch (see p78) appointed artists-in-residence at Opera House is 27 March.
has been added to the line-up for next Aldeburgh Festival. General booking Email research_applications@gsmd.
year’s Llangollen International Musical opens 19 February. ac.uk for details and an application
Eisteddod. Booking is now open: www.snapemaltings.co.uk/aldeburgh- form.
www.llangollen.net festival XXThe National Centre for Early Music
XXStreaming service Marquee.tv will XXThe inaugural Riga Jurmala Music Young Composers Award is open
collaborate with Michael Nyman Festival will be held in Latvia in the for applications. This year, young
in the Michael Nyman Network, summer of 2019. More information will composers living in the UK are invited
a new channel which will present be announced in February. to compose a fantasy for solo viol or
the composer’s oeuvre, including XXThe Royal College of Music has viol with electronics. Expressions of
previously unheard works, to acquired 1,300 portraits by German interest must be received by 11.59pm
audiences across the world. artist Milein Cosman. The collection on 15 February, and completed scores
https://marquee.tv includes formal and informal drawings by 5pm on 15 March.
XXWarner Classics has announced of major composers and performers, www.ncem.co.uk/
the first complete edition of Berlioz including Stravinsky, Strauss, composersaward2019
recordings, which will be released on Bernstein and Simon Rattle. On 20 XXNominations for the 2019
1 February to coincide with the 150th February the RCM will celebrate the International Opera Awards close on 7
anniversary of the composer’s death. acquisition with a special concert and January. To nominate visit
warnerclassics.com exhibition. www.rcm.ac.uk www.operaawards.org/nominate CM

JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 15

Junior Guildhall
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Training
• Music Course (ages 8–18)
• Brass & String Training Programmes
(ages 4–11)
• Specialist Jazz Programme
• Drama Course (ages 13–18)

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gsmd.ac.uk/juniors

KEITH CLARKE
CONSULTANT EDITOR
California
dreaming
W
hen Esa-Pekka Salonen
announced his departure from
the Philharmonia last month,
everyone was wondering where he had booked
a flight to. They didn’t have long to wait. First
came the leak and then the announcement
that he was heading back to California, where
he enjoyed 17 years as music director of the Los
Angeles Philharmonic, this time to take the
helm at the San Francisco Symphony.
The players in San Francisco will probably
need therapy to make the change from
Michael Tilson Thomas after the 23 years he
will have served as music director by the time
he goes in 2020. But Salonen is no stranger
to them, taking guest conducting slots from
Taking a break: Manvinder Rattan
2004 onwards. And he is a good fit for MTT’s
big shoes. Some years ago, when I was covering
something at San Francisco Opera, I called
the orchestra to see what was on while I was in
town. The press office was almost apologetic
that the only thing in the time slot was a
Sunday family concert. There was nothing to
apologise for – MTT bounded on to the stage
with enough energy to power the entire state
and positively demanded that we enjoy some
cracking music making. EPS, as Salonen will
no doubt become known, has something of
that energy and openness.
Like Tilson Thomas, he has another life
as a composer – rather more so, with a sizable
body of works, most recently his cello concerto
premiered by Yo-Yo Ma. If MTT’s sideways
step to become music director laureate in
San Francisco leaves him more time for
composition, that will be a welcome move.
Having had a birthday cake with 74 candles
on it just before Christmas he could like the
idea of slowing down a bit, but somehow that
doesn’t seem his style.
The John Lewis Partnership tends to provoke
strong feelings, and of course cannot be
forgiven for downgrading its Oxford Street
haberdashery department a while back, but you
have to hand it to a chain of department stores
that employs a musical director. Step forward
Manvinder Rattan, who has long presided
over the John Lewis Music Society, set up by
company founder John Spedan Lewis in 1925
(‘We shall foster interest in music and spread
a care for worthwhile things’) and which has
flourished under Rattan’s leadership. Being
a famously generous employer, John Lewis
offers staff a six-month paid sabbatical after 25
years’ service and Rattan has clocked up a full
29 years, so his break is long overdue. One of
music’s most engaging characters, he has great
Spanish practice: Kate Allsop
INSIDE VIEW
plans for his time off, ‘including donating
some time to teach vocal leadership to music
teachers in Bengal and Nairobi and a month
Interrailing around Italy’s lesser known cities,’
he says. Buon viaggio.
It seems odd now to think that the Goldberg
Variations were once considered obscure
repertoire, and we have Glenn Gould to thank
for putting the work back on the musical map.
Reports of the 1955 recording sessions became
legendary – the pianist wrapped in coat,
beret, muffler and gloves, humming quietly,
hunched over the piano with his nose almost
touching the keys. Now the annotated score
for his later recording, a work of art in itself,
has sold at auction in New York. It has helpful
hints like ‘↓ at Bar 5 could be just a wee shade
less’ and ‘Var 20 ... Bar 8; look once again for
another last beat, 9 as we know tends to rush’.
It sold for $125,000, but it is priceless.
A friend who paid the rent by teaching
English to Spanish businessmen used to take
great pleasure in getting a class full of suits to
intone: ‘There is a horsey in the field’. There
was less horse play when Royal Birmingham
Conservatoire postgraduate student Kate
Allsop was called on to teach a group of
senior corporate managers in Madrid how
to perform a Beatles hit on the recorder. It
was all part of a team-building exercise for
a firm called OTD, which says it ‘delivers
development programmes to global brands
in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, electronics
and sports retail’, so you can understand why
playing the recorder might be a nice diversion.
There should be a lot more of this, and not just
in big business. Surely Westminster would not
be in such an unholy mess if MPs had all been
required to take time out and learn to play
Nellie the Elephant on the trombone. CM
Priceless: Glenn Gould
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 17
WORLD PREMIERE

MacRae/Welsh

ANTHROPOCENE What lies beneath the ice?

THEATRE ROYAL KING’S THEATRE HACKNEY EMPIRE

GLASGOW EDINBURGH LONDON
24 & 26 JAN 31 JAN & 2 FEB 7 & 9 FEB
London performances presented in association with The Royal Opera Supported by
Scottish Opera’s New Commissions Circle
John S Cohen Foundation
RVW Trust

scottishopera.org.uk
Registered in Scotland Number SCO37531 Scottish Charity Number SCO19787
 OPINION

We shouldn’t be too surprised that folk are

fighting in our concert halls
ANDREW MELLOR

S
ixteen hundred Swedes settled down

© JENS GERBER
for an evening of ferocious, unbridled
passions at Malmö Live Concert Hall
on 11 October. And that is what they got. First
came Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s trumpet
concerto Nobody Knows de Trouble I See,
but few could have guessed what trouble our
audiences of orderly Scandinavians would
actually see unfolding a little over an hour
later. After an apparently fissile rendition of
Mahler’s fifth symphony from Andris Nelsons
and the Gewandhaus Orchestra, fisticuffs
broke out between two punters in the stalls.
Yes, that’s right: an actual fight.
No journalist likes to miss out on a good
story, but I regrettably wasn’t present to
witness this, the first classical music event on
my patch for years to attract international
tabloid press attention (or a few paragraphs
in the Independent). But 11 October was a
tricky one for Greater Copenhagen music Stirring: Andris Nelsons conducts the Gewandhaus Orchestra
fans, as local resident Lise Davidsen was
singing Strauss’ Four Last Songs at the Danish
Broadcasting Corporation (you’ll forgive me wrote it was reluctant to explore the idea endorsing violence to argue that much of
for choosing to attend that). that Mahler’s fifth symphony is actually the music we present is the very opposite
Still, I was in Malmö a few weeks later for preoccupied with violent confrontation. of relaxing, despite some very effective
a performance of Verdi’s Requiem from the Why? First, because that’s a non-story. marketing to the contrary.
Malmö Symphony Orchestra and Robert Second, because it’s other music, not classical What actually happened in Malmö was
Trevino. The same hall was sold out twice music, that prompts strong emotional and this: someone in the audience had become so
over, which may or may not have been down physical reactions. Or so we are told. There are frustrated by someone else’s rustling of a sweet
to a smart move from the orchestra’s PR chief, complicated reasons why we tend to think along wrapper during the slow movement of the
who had been interviewed a couple of weeks the same lines as that journalist and the readers Mahler – who wouldn’t? – that they simmered
earlier for that story in the Independent. In he was titillating. Many of them are rooted for half an hour before boiling over after the
the article, Anna-Maria Havskogen was asked in certain ideas about tradition and etiquette ovations and executing an effective left hook.
if there were any upcoming concerts ‘that that have varying degrees of validity. What’s But the whole sorry saga ends on a positive
might cause emotions to run wild.’ Sensing an undeniable is that a significant proportion of note if we consider Havskogen’s revealing
opportunity, she responded cannily: ‘Verdi’s the repertoire orchestral works from the last comment to the hack from the Independent.
Requiem on 1 and 2 November.’ All she left 100 years from Bartók to Adès are filled with a Of course Verdi’s Requiem contains music
out was the box office number. violent rage that few other genres ever get near. strong enough to release emotions inside us
Personally, I would deem any orchestral Their anger is genuine, written-in and often that we maybe didn’t even know we had. That
concert that doesn’t cause emotions to run born of extraordinary situations. is a powerful message considering the number
wild to be something of a let down (unless Of course, you don’t have to be confronted of people who have still allowed themselves
it consisted exclusively of restful Fauré and with those works, in particular, to be put to be persuaded that classical music is boring.
Pärt). But that’s not the way we have been through the emotional ringer at a concert. It is something we all know is true, but are
conditioned to see things. The Independent’s Perhaps that’s why the Metropolitan Police hopelessly bad at anchoring, embracing and
headline – ‘Classical Music Concert found themselves investigating a scrap that communicating while our colleagues in the
Descends Into Brawl’ – was intended to took place in the amphitheatre at Covent parallel universes of extreme sports, rock music
sound like some sort of contradiction Garden after the second of the Royal Opera’s and even film would see it as a virtue worth
in terms. Naturally, the journalist who recent Ring cycles. It is not accepting or shouting (loudly) about. CM
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 19
 OPINION
Historically informed performance is once
again entering fresh and exciting waters
CHARLOTTE GARDNER
W
hat a way we’ve come in
historically informed
performance (HIP) since 1988
when Raymond Leppard felt justified in
writing of baroque musicians, ‘Too often
the less good players hide their technical
and musical deficiencies under the mantle of
authenticity, and sit behind their “original”
instruments bristling with insecure dislike
of their colleagues in the professional
mainstream.’ Yeeowch. (And also rather harsh,
given that that period also saw the heyday of
bands such as the Academy of Ancient Music
and the English Concert).
Still, it is probably fair to say that those
decades were indeed more of a mixed bag
of technical quality than the decades which
followed. Decades which of course have now
got us to a place where no one attends a baroque
performance expecting to hear anything less
than superlative technical excellence, whether
that be via the interpretative sparkle of bands
such as La Serenissima and Concerto Köln;
the scholarly explosion of lost composers being
rediscovered, performed and recorded by the
likes of violinist Johannes Pramsohler; or the
outside-the-box presentation pioneered by the
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment with its
late-night concerts and pub gigs.
It seems to me that over the past year
or so, the evidence has been mounting to
‘Interpretative sparkle’: La Serenissima
© FATKOALA IMAGES
20 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
suggest that HIP is once again entering
fresh and exciting waters – a third wave of its
development, if you like. The tipping point for
voicing this theory came in September when I
attended the all-Vivaldi Paris debut of lutenist
Thomas Dunford’s new Ensemble Jupiter.
First there was the line-up. While the
majority are solidly baroque artists, they were
joined for Vivaldi’s cello concerto RV416
by one of Harmonia Mundi’s most exciting
recent signings: cellist Bruno Philippe, who I
had last heard back in January in Gstaad, in a
show-stopping performance of Rachmaninov’s
cello sonata that had provoked two
spontaneous between-movement applauses.
In other words, a cellist who doesn’t primarily
identify as a baroque musician, yet here not
only on gut strings, but revealing himself to be
an immensely sensitive continuo player; which
I think was news to many in the audience
that night. Then there was the sheer quality
of the ensemble’s overall sound, and the fresh,
youthful, pleasure-filled vibe it radiated.
So my theory goes that the newest
generation of artists, even more than the
generations before them, has grown up
surrounded by peerless HIP baroque
excellence, with period performance regarded
as such a natural element to their studies,
whether they are considering a baroque career
or not (and indeed it turns out that Philippe
took some lessons from Christophe Coin at
the Paris Conservatoire), that more than ever
before this awareness is simply sitting within
every young artist’s stylistic palette.
It appears to be the same story coming from
the other direction, because young baroque
instrumentalists seem to be increasingly
interested in stepping beyond the 18th
century. I’ve just reviewed the debut disc of the
young American violinist Elicia Silverstein,
recorded on pure gut strings, which explores
the links between the progressive violin
composers of the 17th century and those of the
20th-century Italian avant-garde. Or there’s
the entry conditions of the UK’s brand new
Early Music Young Ensemble Competition,
which gives competitors the option of
performing a contemporary piece written for
baroque instruments.
Genre blurring is increasingly part of the
picture, most especially in the realm of folk –
take The Curious Bards, who are mixing their
early music training with their fascination for
Gaelic and Celtic traditional music. Or the
Lodestar Trio, British violinist Max Baillie’s
brand new collaboration with Scandinavian
folk music stars Olav Mjelva and Erik Rydvall.
So, a new baroque wave; and this needs to be
shouted about, when in the music industry as
a whole I often feel that HIP is still perceived
as being slightly outside of mainstream taste.
Not least because baroque music also appears
to have tremendous commercial potential,
and potential for hooking in new listeners
for classical music as a whole. Take recent
figures from Harmonia Mundi which show
that among the 83 recordings it released over
the first nine months of 2018 (including new
and reissues), the amount totally devoted
to baroque was 29%, but this 29% then
proceeded to garner 42% of the global sales.
Or look at Spotify, whose baroque playlist has
well over 130,000 followers, which is only
a little behind its ‘Classical Moments in the
Movies’ playlist.
I truly believe that the baroque world is
entering a new golden era of discovery. Let’s
work out the ways in which we can harness
this for the classical industry as a whole. CM
 T H E B R OM S G R OV E I N T E R NAT IO NA L
MUSICIANS COMPETITION 2019

39
MUSICIANS’
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Professional development days in 2019
24 February Bath David Combes
From Pachelbel to pop
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9 TH - 13 TH APRIL 2019 Teaching young voices
24 March London Paul Farrington
From bel canto to con belto
FIRST PRIZE
£6,000 and recital opportunities 7 April Derby Gillyanne Kayes
Entries are invited from with Birmingham Conservatoire,
Teaching musical theatre in the 21st century
Orchestra of the Swan and The
singers and Three Choirs Festival

solo instrumentalists
aged 18-25* (*28 for singers)
TWO FINALISTS’
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Closing Date: 16.00 hours on SIR JOHN MANDUELL

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Venue: Routh Concert Hall at Bromsgrove School

For further information and to apply online please visit

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Chairman of the Adjudicators: Meurig Bowen Registered charity 296850
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COACHING YOUNG ORCHESTRAS

 TRAVEL
Plain sailing
Specialised Travel works with orchestras and choirs to ensure international
touring runs as smoothly as possible. Andrew Green finds out how the company
keeps the show on the road
W
hatever stresses and
strains the classical music
industry continues to suffer
internationally, Specialised Travel Ltd sails
serenely on. Each of its various arms, covering
the range of amateur and professional touring
activity, is enjoying another record year.
Ironically, says CEO Richard Savage, one
major reason for this onward march is the
financial straitjacket hampering so many
professional performing arts organisations at a
time of strangled public subsidy. ‘For example,
if an orchestra doesn’t have the resources in-
house of a fully-fledged touring department, it
may turn to us on a project basis instead. Take
the recent Sydney Symphony Orchestra three-
week tour of Europe with conductor David
Robertson. Instead of just booking flights, we
Taking the stress out of air travel: Specialised Travel
© JAAPO
22 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
handled most of the logistics and provided a
team to travel with the party.’
An important element in Specialised
Travel’s ability to advance its market position
is the contribution it can make to tour
planning at the earliest stages. For example, the
company is a past master at cooperating with
artist management companies. ‘What we offer
is especially valuable when long-haul tours are
involved,’ Savage explains. ‘To provide reliable
cost estimates years in advance, part of the
skill is to analyse the itinerary and work out
the most cost-effective break points if more
than one carrier needs to be used. The largest
number of separate airlines we’ve involved on a
single Asian tour is eight!’
Intimate knowledge of airline procedures
has been crucial to Specialised Travel’s
continuing success in difficult times – not
least with booking processes increasingly
geared to clicks of a mouse rather than human
contact. Take those frequent flyer programmes
which allow privileged customers a free choice
of seats online: not helpful when performing
groups wish to be seated in a block – especially
where the safeguarding of young cathedral
choristers is involved. Savage points out:
‘Some airlines are becoming reluctant to carry
performing groups because of such problems.
The bottom line, though, is that there are
more seats available on more aircraft than ever
before, so competition between airlines is ever
fiercer. For us, it’s all about having excellent
contacts and negotiating skills. When
you’re doing £3m worth of business a year
with British Airways, as we are, you possess
negotiating clout.’
Specialised Travel has also proved its
adaptability to changes in patterns of booking
performing engagements, says Savage. ‘Many
more tours are arranged at much shorter
notice. Performing groups are more likely to
countenance very short trips abroad. This can
create havoc if there are last-minute problems
with flights. Our teams are trained to deal
with crises as they occur.’
What ultimately safeguards Specialised
Travel’s trading position is the fact that
earnings from foreign tours remain essential
for the financial viability of the arts
organisations themselves. ‘And if certain
overseas promoters are less able to engage
larger groups,’ Savage explains, ‘there’ll
always be opportunities for those more
limited in size. You see this, for example,
with smaller British vocal ensembles.
Equally, the company is on hand to support
entrepreneurially-minded organisations
whose strategy includes the seeking-out of
less obvious places to perform, where money
is nonetheless available – take the new festival
on the fabulous Tsinandali wine estate in
Georgia, for example.’

There is no sign, either, of a slackening
of demand for Specialised Travel’s services
from amateur groups across the age range.
Currently around 100 amateur-based trips
a year are organised by the company – tours
which include concerts arranged as part
of the package. One factor in sustaining
demand has been that foreign touring
is seen as highly desirable for successive
generations of school and youth performing
groups – projects made all the more
financially viable if outreach activity is
included in destination countries such as
South Africa, India or Myanmar.
If keeping costs down is a challenge
for Specialised Travel, so too is the need
to seek out new and attractively different
destinations for amateur groups, with good
concert audiences all but guaranteed. ‘We
have reps working exclusively for us in key
destinations around the world,’ Savage
explains. ‘They’re regularly consulted about
possible new itineraries. We often try and steer
clients away from tourist hotspots towards
lesser-known places. In Spain, for example,
Travel Services for the performing arts since 1955
Specialised Travel has three divisions dedicated to the travel needs of
professional musicians, amateur ensembles and music lovers.
TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS
Cost-effective logistics
for soloists, conductors,
orchestras, choirs, ballet and
opera companies.
www.stlon.com
TRAVEL
Camino de Santiago rather than Barcelona.
We’re currently keen on the Baltics, Balkans
and Portugal, where good deals are to be had.
Romania recently hosted a groundbreaking
tour by the London Schools Symphony
Orchestra and we’re exploring deeper into
Bulgaria and Georgia for the first time.
‘One approach involves offering top
amateur choirs to professional orchestras
overseas. The Huddersfield Choral Society
travelled to Canada to sing Belshazzar’s
Feast with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra
under Sir Andrew Davis. A hugely satisfying
project for all concerned.’ CM
Since this article was written, we have learned
that Specialised Travel have just arranged flights
on behalf of Ingles & Hayday Fine Instrument
Specialists to transport the Mstislav Rostropovich
cello collection which sold at Sotheby’s in November
for world auction record prices, including a G.B.
Guadagnini cello which fetched £1,930,000.
Negotiating know-how: Richard Savage
Music is enough for a lifetime, but
a lifetime is not enough for music.
Sergei Rachmaninov
CONCERT TOURS OPERA AND BALLET LOVERS
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JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 23
 CONTINENTAL DRIFT
Trouble ahead?
Simon Mundy reflects on the rise of populism across Europe and the ways in which
music can offer unity and peace
© ANDREAS PRAEFCKE
Radialsystem: Berlin’s experimental arts venue
G
ermany had a pretty terrible 20th
century, all things told, and in
Berlin they mark three of the more
momentous events that all have anniversaries
falling on 9 November: the founding of the
German Republic after the Kaiser abdicated
in 1918, the start of Hitler’s pogrom against
the city’s Jews in 1938, and the fall of the
Berlin Wall in 1989. Walking down Unter
den Linden on that afternoon in 2018 towards
the Brandenburg Gate from the Statsoper
(about to open Orfeo with choreography by the
wonderful Sasha Waltz), passing the Komische
Oper, it was hard to imagine that it was a
walk I could not have made without a very
complicated East German visa when I first
stayed in the city.
24 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
A few weeks after the wall opened (it and
the German Democratic Republic had not
yet fallen) I ventured into the east for the first
time, paying the requisite five deutschmarks,
braving the now smiling guards in the booths
that had mirrors above and below you to check
your head and trousers for illicit bags. The
ridiculous Trabant cardboard cars chugged
along but otherwise this central thoroughfare
of the Prussian capital was bleak and dirty,
its confidence long gone – though there was
something about its stern austerity that was
a relief after the brash neon of the American
sector to the west.
If Kurt Masur had not presided over the
first open discussions between the state and its
citizens in Leipzig, it is doubtful whether East
Germany would have faded away as peacefully
as it did – and music was central to the
healing process. I remember an extraordinary
performance by Heinrich Schiff of the Dvořák
cello concerto with the Berlin Symphony
Orchestra that, with its echoes of Czech calls
for freedom, had everyone sobbing.
So in 2018, on the weekend that marked the
centenary of the Armistice too, it was good
to find that music is still the way that Berlin
looks to find answers to its problems. Since
2004 I have attended the annual meeting of an
initiative (not an organisation) called A Soul
for Europe (ASfE) that uses the symbolism of
that weekend to bring together the cultural
and political worlds. It was started by the
Christian Democrat Union former senator,
 CONTINENTAL DRIFT

Volker Hassemer, and the much more left-
wing former director of the Berlin Festival,
Nele Hertling. Between them they encourage
much younger people in the arts to present
ideas for social reconciliation.
The next meeting will, unusually, be in
March at Berlin’s experimental arts venue,
Radialsystem (partly run by the husband of the
aforementioned Sasha Waltz, Jochen Sandig).
It is being held then to debate the position the
arts should take prior to the next European
parliament elections – the first that Britain will
not take part in, even if Brexit does not happen,
because the seats have already been reallocated
to other countries. The worry is that the
elections will shift the political balance towards
overtly nationalist parties, undermining many
of the EU’s projects that champion integration
and Europe-wide participation – of which its
cultural programmes like Creative Europe are
a major part. Musicians and all those in the arts
will be asked to use their influence to show that
we will defend the values of common humanity.
This is already becoming important as
so-called populist governments crack down on
those they see as too pro-European and against
their xenophobic agenda. One Hungarian
musician contacted me several months ago,
saying his group was finding it increasingly
difficult to get dates in Hungary itself because
he is seen as antipathetic to the policies of
Victor Orban and his party, Fidesz. Luckily
the musician himself is a member of several
pan-European ensembles so his livelihood is
relatively safe for the moment but even if this
turns out to be an isolated case it is worrying.
There is clear division in other countries
too. Later in November there were audible
boos in Warsaw when the nationalist Polish
government’s minister of culture came on
stage at the final concert of the Penderecki
festival. I wonder how long it will be before
there is a need for an Italian musician to stand
up against the rhetoric of Salvini in the way
Toscanini did against the rise of fascism from
the 1920s onwards. As Harvey Sachs has laid
bare in his recent brilliant biography of the
conductor, the Salzburg and Lucerne Festivals
were started specifically to help musicians
being blacklisted and to raise awareness of
the threat. Let us hope Britain’s post-Brexit
immigration policies do not prevent other
European musicians finding a haven here if the
situation worsens.
Maybe it’s a reaction to winter nights that
has made me look at the potential darkness
of the times and I realise that this is a highly
political episode of this column. Nonetheless
it seems worth drawing attention to the overt
ways the music world has championed the
collegiate nature of the modern continent’s
cultural life: from older expressions like the
Chamber Orchestra of Europe and its origins
in the European Union Youth Orchestra to
the much more recent ‘Europe for Festivals,
Festivals for Europe’ initiative, or Penderecki’s
European Music Centre in southern Poland,
and the embryonic network that cellist Alban
Gerhardt and others have started, Musicians
4 United Europe. The ideals of performing
together, and therefore inevitably dissolving
boundaries and irrelevant borders, lives on and
is demonstrated forcefully by musicians almost
every day. Perhaps 2019 will turn out better
than expected after all. CM

2019 ANNUAL
JACQUELINE DU PRÉ
 CHARITY CONCERT
 Michael Collins
 Shanghai Quartet
 Friday 1 February 2019 7.30pm
East meets West as the Shanghai
 Quartet make their Wigmore
debut, joined by celebrated
 clarinettist Michael Collins



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www.wigmore-hall.org.uk

JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 25

 NEW MUSIC BY LUCY THRAVES
PREMIERE CHOICE
THE HERMES EXPERIMENT
© RAPHAËL NEAL
C
omprising Héloïse Werner
(soprano), Oliver Pashley (clarinet),
Marianne Schofield (double bass)
and Anne Denholm (harp), the Hermes
Experiment celebrates its fifth anniversary
this month. The group met while at
university and, united by a passion for
contemporary music, set out to overcome
the restrictions placed on it by the unique
combination of instruments – primarily the
issue of a total lack of repertoire. It was up
to the musicians to commission new works
from contemporary composers; they have
since built up a library of more than 50 pieces
in a variety of different styles. ‘You have to
think outside the box,’ says Schofield. ‘What
works for the London Sinfonietta isn’t going
to work for us. The composers we have
commissioned have become more inventive
26 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
‘You have to think outside the box’: The Hermes Experiment
because of the limitations set by the unusual
nature of the ensemble.’
The group’s fifth birthday concert, held on
11 January at London’s Crypt on the Green,
is an opportunity both to reflect on and to
celebrate connections with composers. As well
as some perennial favourites, pieces which
‘represent what we’ve been doing for the last
five years’, the ensemble will perform two
world premieres. The first, gun gun gun by
Erollyn Wallen, is set to a text by American
poet Terese Svoboda. The second is a new
work by Oliver Leith. The concert will be split
into three sets, each separated by a DJ set by
Nick Luscombe of Radio 3’s Late Junction.
What’s in store for the next five years?
There is a ‘wishlist’ of composers that they
would like to collaborate with (under wraps
for the time being), and a concert at Kings
Place as part of Venus Unwrapped. They also
have plans to make a recording, now that a
substantial repertoire has been established,
and are looking to continue their significant
outreach work: as ensemble-in-residence in
schools across Wales they work with students
on their A-level and GCSE compositions, and
lead composition workshops in schools and
conservatoires around London. Remarkable
in their ambition, dedication, and energy, the
young ensemble is working hard to change the
landscape and appreciation of contemporary
music. As Werner concludes, ‘I think that if
you’re really passionate and you want to make
it work, it will work.’
XX 11 JANUARY
Errollyn Wallen, gun gun gun; Oliver Leith, New
work (The Hermes Experiment, Crypt on the
Green, London, 7.30pm)

January 2019
PREMIERES
IN THE UK & IRELAND
World premieres unless otherwise stated.
Full listings at www.classicalmusicmagazine.org
XX 5 JANUARY
Dai Fujikura harahara European prem (Nobuaki
Fukukawa, French horn, Eriko Takezawa, piano,
Wigmore Hall, 1pm)
XX 11 JANUARY
Errollyn Wallen, gun gun gun; Oliver Leith New
work (The Hermes Experiment, Crypt on the
Green, London, 7.30pm)
XX 12 JANUARY
David Fennessy New work; Simon Steen-
Andersen piano concerto, UK prem (BBC
Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Thomas
Dausgaard, conductor, Glasgow City Halls, 8pm)
XX 16 JANUARY
Louis Andriesson Agamemnon Erkki-Sven
Tüür piccolo concerto ‘Solastalgia’; UK prems
Arne Gieshoff Burr Helen Grime percussion
concerto Anders Hillborg concerto for
orchestra (London Philharmonic Orchestra,
RICHARD CAUSTON - IK ZEG: NU
‘We forget this recent history at our peril’:
Richard Causton
Ik zeg: Nu translates from Dutch as ‘I say:
Now’. The title, Richard Causton explains,
comes from a book of the same name by
his relative Sal van Son, which tells the
story of [van Son’s] Jewish family over
several centuries and describes his time
in hiding from the Nazis. Van Son’s young
nephew, when asked how he understood
Marin Alsop, Royal Festival Hall, 7.30pm)
Benjamin Graves New work; Emma Wilde New
Work (The Hermes Experiment, Purcell Room,
London, 6pm)
XX 17 JANUARY
James Dillon Tanz/haus London prem (London
Sinfonietta, Queen Elizabeth Hall, 7.30pm)
Anahita Abbasi New work UK prem Sunleif
Rasmussen Quadroforone (Mahan Esfahani,
harpsichord, Milton Court, Barbican, 7.30pm)
Laura Snowden New work (Matthew Wadsworth,
lute, theorbo, Julia Doyle, soprano, Symphony
Hall, Birmingham, 7.30pm)
XX 20 JANUARY
Du Yun Where we lost our shadows (Aurora
Orchestra, Nicholas Collon, conductor, Queen
Elizabeth Hall, 4pm)
Dai Fujikura Concerto for flute and ensemble
UK prem (Claire Chase, flute, Philharmonia
Orchestra players, Dalia Stasevska, conductor,
history, replied: ‘I say now now, and a
moment later it is already history.’ ‘That
struck me as a wonderful metaphor for
how we experience music,’ says Causton.
‘But actually, all of life is like that –
nothing stays the same and we can never
grasp the present, never hold on to it. It’s
always slipping through our fingers.’
How are these ideas captured
musically? There are two kinds of music
throughout the piece, says Causton.
‘On the one hand, extremely fast music
played by a hyperactive, zany “menagerie”
of instrumental trios (the phrase I had
in mind when writing this was “joyfully
wonky, anarchic”). On the other hand,
there are extremely slow, repetitive
patterns which shift almost imperceptibly
over long stretches of time. This music is
grave and implacable, often dominated
by the relentless tolling of bells. It forces
us into a very slow, almost hypnotic pace
of listening. By contrast, the fast music
is whimsical, light and graceful and, a bit
like birdsong, it darts around too fast to
grasp properly – this is also the ‘now’ that
is constantly slipping through our fingers.
And when these two musics collide, the
ear is pulled in very different directions
and the ‘now’ gets stretched.’
NEW MUSIC BY LUCY THRAVES
Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall, 6pm)
Geoffrey Gordon Prometheus: concerto for bass
clarinet and orchestra London prem (Laurent Ben
Slimane, bass clarinet, Philharmonia Orchestra,
Martyn Brabbins, conductor, Royal Festival Hall,
London, 3pm)
XX 23 JANUARY
Richard Causton Ik zeg: Nu (I say: Now) (BBC
Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo, conductor,
Barbican, 7.30pm)
XX 24 JANUARY
Amelia Clarkson Beacon of Hope (Pro Youth
Philharmonia, Blackheath Halls, London,
7.30pm)
XX 30 JANUARY
Laura Bowler Antarctica (Manchester Camerata,
HOME, Manchester, 8pm)
Causton intends the piece in part as
a homage to Sal van Son’s experiences
hiding from the Nazis – an important story
to retell, he agrees, given the current
political climate. ‘It’s no coincidence
that this intolerance and populism is
re-emerging precisely as the generation
that experienced the wartime horrors of
fascism is gradually dying out,’ he says.
‘And it’s no coincidence that someone
like Lord Dubs, who is now speaking
up so brilliantly for child refugees, was
himself saved from the Nazis in the
Kindertransport.
‘Reading Sal van Son’s account of
his experiences, I was shocked by their
immediacy: he describes how he felt at
being on the other side of a thin partition
with German soldiers banging on the
wall and shouting, suspecting that there
might be people hidden inside. We forget
this recent history at our peril. Facing and
remembering the unimaginable horror
of fascism is absolutely vital if we are to
have any hope of avoiding a new wave of
racism and hate.’
XX 23 JANUARY
Richard Causton Ik zeg: Nu (I say: Now)
(BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo,
conductor, Barbican, 7.30pm)
►
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 27
NEW MUSIC BY LUCY THRAVES

LAURA BOWLER – ANTARCTICA

‘The one aspect I’m very sure of was

© BRAD KRATCHOVIL
the sensation of being on another
planet,’ says Laura Bowler of her
recent visit to Antarctica. ‘It seems
so alien because of the uniqueness
of the landscape and its distance
from the populated world.’ It was a
commission for Manchester Camerata
that saw Bowler making the journey to
Antarctica with the aim of recording
sounds and footage. The resulting
work offers an immersive experience
based around the soundscapes of
the continent, while exploring society’s
destructive relationship with the
planet.
For such a seemingly empty
continent, there was a lot to hear:
Bowler describes ‘elephant seals
roaring, penguin colonies chattering
with seemingly never variety, Weddell
seals offering up sweeping descending
glissandi, many different bird species
and their calls, humpback whales,
Hourglass and Dusky dolphin calls.’
But the ice itself offered sounds of
its own: ‘The ominous boom of ice
collapsing and then splashing into
the sea, brash ice crackling on the
ocean surface and the popping of
ice underneath the surface heard via
a hydrophone and crunching of ice
and snow underneath my boots on
land. These are the sounds that truly
captured the landscape of Antarctica
for me.’
The sounds are being incorporated ‘It seems so alien’: Laura Bowler on her visit to Antarctica
into the music both in their raw form
and manipulated to create new textures.
Bowler explains: ‘The brutality and am still fascinated with as a composer responsibility.’ She explains: ‘Climate
fragility of some of the raw sounds and performer and is something that change is an extremely difficult area
provoke a listener to consider the nature will be explored in my Antarctica work to communicate in this context – it’s
of our impact on Antarctica’s climate through both the instrumental and vocal a seemingly intangible and ethereal
as well as the rest of our planet, and writing to express the human race’s thing that is hard to grasp because of
this is something that I find particularly relationship to our environment. There its overwhelming and vast nature, thus
stimulating.’ may also be some sneaky references making it quite tricky for people to feel
As well as being a homage to the in there to Max’s own Antarctica a personal attachment to the problem.’
landscape, Antarctica is also inspired Symphony.’ But she has worked to ensure that the
by Bowler’s composition teacher Peter Bowler’s research into climate work isn’t ‘pious’. She concludes: ‘I hope
Maxwell-Davies, who she describes change (she read 30 books about that I will find a way to communicate
as ‘generous, kind, provocative, fierce the subject to understand different something that is challenging but not
and full of vitality.’ She continues: ‘The aspects of the discussion) has preaching.’ CM
violence and enhanced physicality in his convinced her of the need to ‘challenge
XX 30 JANUARY
approach to writing for the voice, and audiences to look outwards from Laura Bowler Antarctica (Manchester
in turn the human body, is something I themselves in order to question their Camerata, HOME, Manchester, 8pm)

28 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019

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[Looking to
the future
The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra has announced ambitious plans for the future
as it gears up for its 20th anniversary concerts this month. Nicola Lisle meets founder
and music director Marios Papadopoulos
I
f Marios Papadopoulos hadn’t been
invited to play in a series of Beethoven
concerts in Oxford in 1975 the Oxford
Philharmonic Orchestra – formerly known
as Oxford Philomusica – might never
have happened. As it was, the Cyprus-
born pianist fell in love with the city and
returned after a 20-year international
playing career to put down roots and
establish his own orchestra.
The Philharmonic now is now a leading
player in Oxford’s cultural life, with a major
annual concert season, a busy outreach
programme in local schools and hospitals,
and the summer Piano Festival. In 2002,
the orchestra further cemented its ties to
the city when it became the first orchestra-
in-residence at the University of Oxford’s
Faculty of Music.
In addition, there is an ever-expanding
programme of touring engagements across
the UK and overseas.
Now, as it celebrates its 20th
anniversary, the orchestra has announced a
star-studded concert season as well as some
ambitious plans for the next few years.
On 12 January, it will play an official
20th anniversary concert at the Barbican,
where it gave its inaugural concert in
November 1988.
The programme includes Bach’s
Concerto for Two Violins in D minor,
Schumann’s piano concerto and
Beethoven’s Symphony No 3, and features
Maxim Vengerov, Anne-Sophie Mutter,
and Martha Argerich, with Papadopoulos
conducting.
Taking stock: Marios Papadopoulos
‘It’s an important occasion for the
orchestra, and we’re delighted that we’ve
got three of the world’s most renowned
musicians joining us and celebrating with
us,’ Papadopoulos says. ‘It’s an occasion
when obviously we celebrate 20 years, but
also hopefully showcase where the orchestra
is today.’
The same programme is repeated two
days later in Oxford, almost 20 years since
the first Oxford performance in February
1999. Violinists for this concert will be
Oxford Philharmonic principals Anna-Liisa
Bezrodny and Charlotte Scott.
The season continues in Oxford with
some more high-profile names, including
Nicola Benedetti playing Elgar’s violin
concerto on 17 April, Krzysztof Penderecki
conducting the UK premiere of his
Concertino for Trumpet and Orchestra
on 18 May, pianist Steven Osborne in a
programme of Stravinsky, Shostakovich,
Ravel and Bizet on 13 June, and Angela
Gheorghiu making her debut with the
orchestra on 29 June singing Strauss’ Four
Last Songs.
Other highlights include ‘Celebrating
Leonardo’, a concert of art-inspired music
on 11 May to mark 500 years since the
death of da Vinci, and Alena Baeva making
her Oxford Philharmonic debut on 1 June
playing Schumann’s violin concerto in a
concert inspired by Jessica Duchen’s novel
Ghost Variations.
Meanwhile, other exciting plans are
taking shape. The orchestra has recently
announced the creation of a new assistant
conductor position as part of its ongoing
residency programme at the University of
Oxford. Hannah Schneider, a DPhil student
COVER STORY
at Oxford, will be in post until December
2020, and will conduct three works during
the coming season as well as spearheading a
new orchestral scheme for young people in
Oxfordshire.
For Marios Papadopoulos, Schneider’s
appointment is a key part of securing the
orchestra’s long-term future. ‘One thing that
preoccupies my mind is the legacy of Oxford
Philharmonic,’ he says. ‘Hopefully it’s here
to stay long after my sell-by date, and it’s
good to think about the next 20 years. In
that respect, encouraging young talent to
emerge, particularly somebody from within
the fabric of Oxford, is important, and
Hannah has worked with us in the past.
She conducted the orchestra recently in a
concert that included a new work and has
participated in a masterclass with me, so
she seemed the ideal candidate to become
my assistant. We’re really looking forward
to the next two years to nurture her further
and provide her with opportunities to fulfil
her potential.’
The new orchestral scheme will be
launched in the autumn, and will see
youngsters from across the county being
invited to play in the opening work of a
concert alongside the professional players,
with Schneider conducting. ‘Hopefully
we will have each desk shared by a young
instrumentalist, so we’re looking for around
20 or 30 youngsters, in strings and wind,’
says Papadopoulos. ‘It’s a tremendous
opportunity to sit next to a professional and
to play. So that’s one of the schemes Hannah
will be launching next season.’
Papadopoulos is delighted that
Schneider’s appointment will further
strengthen the orchestra’s links with the ►
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 31
COVER STORY
university – a relationship of which he is
extremely proud. ‘Our residency at the
university is very important to us, and as
far as I’m aware it’s still unique among
UK orchestras in the way it’s structured.
But there’s always scope to develop the
relationship, not only with the Faculty
of Music but in other multidisciplinary
ways. We had a music and maths project
a couple of years ago, and that proved
immensely successful.’
Young audiences are important to the
orchestra too, and the Student Access
Scheme, funded by the Stavros Niarchos
Foundation and the Sackler Trust, enables
students to obtain concert tickets for as little
as £5. ‘On a percentage of attendance, we
have the highest number of students coming
to concerts,’ says Papadopoulos. ‘It’s nearly
30%, which is really very good. The feedback
we’ve had from them is wonderful – in some
cases, they have been almost life-changing
experiences, which is really lovely to see.’
Looking ahead, the orchestra’s main
focus in 2020 will be the Beethoven Project.
This year-long festival will celebrate the
250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth
with a series of cultural and academic
events in partnership with Bonn, which is
not only Beethoven’s birthplace but also
one of Oxford’s twin cities. A major part
of the festival will be the Pastoral Project,
a worldwide collaboration taking place
on Environment Day to explore issues of
climate change alongside a performance
of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony. There
will also be performances of Fidelio, Missa
Solemnis, all the Beethoven symphonies,
concertos and sonatas, a poetry and music
recital, and a three-day symposium with
leading Beethoven scholars presenting the
latest research on the composer.
Some of the projects will be in
collaboration with Beethoven-Haus
Bonn, which will also provide artefacts
for an exhibition in Oxford, and the
orchestra will be performing in Bonn as
part of the celebrations. ‘I think we will
also try to have an overriding theme,’ says
Papadopoulos. ‘I’m particularly keen to look
at interpretation. I’ve often thought that I
might programme a piece in a concert twice,
played by different people, and almost
certainly you will hear it the second time
as a new piece. Something I’m very keen to
focus on is how approaches to Beethoven
have changed over the years. Having been
brought up on the wonderful recordings of
32 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
 ecuring the future: Papadopoulos with
S
assistant conductor Hannah Schneider
people like Schnabel and Wilhelm Kempff,
I’m very keen not to lose the connection
with those great performances of the works.
Even though we are a lot more technically
proficient today, we can still learn a lot from
those extraordinary interpretations.’
This will not be the first time the
Philharmonic has focused on Beethoven,
and Papadopoulos has fond memories of the
previous ones. ‘We held Beethoven mini-
festivals three times before. The first was in
2002, when we were struggling. If I had to
point to one major project that established
the orchestra in Oxford and created a
following, it was the Beethoven festival
then. So it’s important to us for more than
one reason. I remember we invited John
Suchet to present the festival and that drew
a lot of audiences to our concerts, so we’re
inviting him again to present aspects of the
festival in 2020.’
Another major project, which is still
very much at the planning stage, is a
festival to mark the bicentenary of Greek
independence in 2021. ‘What we’re hoping
to do is see how Greece has contributed to
humanity over the years, and look forward
to the future. We’re hoping to commission
a new work based on poetry by Lord Byron
and feature some Greek composers, but
others will also feature because it’s global.
What Greece has contributed to humanity
is something that belongs to the whole
world. It doesn’t just belong to Greece.’
All these ambitious plans, of course,
cost money. Oxford Philharmonic receives
no public subsidy, so it relies mainly
on funding from trust foundations,
individuals and corporates.
‘We’re very fortunate to be selling out
most of our concerts, but even so box office
receipts present about 20% of our income,’
Papadopoulos says. ‘One of the problems
we have in Oxford is that the Sheldonian
Theatre, although a wonderful space to
perform in, is very limited in the number
of seats that are on sale, therefore box office
revenue compared to the Festival Hall and
the Barbican is very little. So the fundraising
that we have to do every year is ongoing.’
A landmark anniversary is a time for both
celebration and reflection. Papadopoulos
is proud of the orchestra’s success but
determined not to become complacent. He
also has a pragmatic approach to the future. ►
© RICHARD CAVE
COVER STORY
‘We’re in the process of writing a new
I would like eventually business plan for the next five years. We are
going to be making further appointments
for the city to embrace in due course of at least a principal guest
conductor, and prepare the ground for the
it more and possess orchestra to look forward to a future that
may not necessarily be with me at the helm.
it more. It’s Oxford’s I’m not suggesting for a moment that this is
imminent, but one has to look at the future.
orchestra ‘We also want the orchestra to have about
60 concerts annually. We have about 40
now. And really, I suppose, get the orchestra
more established for what it is, which is an
instrument of the highest quality, making
strong musical statements. That’s what
it’s about. Recognition is not something
that springs to mind. What we aim for is
to continue to work to make interesting
performances. ‘I’m very proud of my
musicians and the team behind the success
‘A wonderful space to perform in’: Oxford’s Sheldonian Theatre
34 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
of the orchestra. We work very hard and we
have wonderful musicians. We also have
now a wonderful team in the office that
works very well. It’s not without challenges,
but overall I’m proud of what has been
achieved.’
There is definitely a sense now that
Oxford takes pleasure and pride in
having its own orchestra, I suggest to
Papadopoulos. ‘More and more,’ he agrees,
‘although I think there’s still some way to
go. I would like eventually for the city to
embrace it more and possess it more. It’s
Oxford’s orchestra. And when the time
comes for me to step down, there it is and
long may it endure. That’s the important
thing.’ CM
For full details of the 20th anniversary season,
visit www.oxfordphil.com
 ZELENKA Missa Divi Xaverii
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 BLACKHEATH HALLS
A NEW LIGHT
The recently refurbished Blackheath Halls in south-east London is looking to expand
its programming and broaden its appeal. Toby Deller spoke to director Gemma Okell
to find out more
F
rom the outside, Blackheath Halls may
look no different from a year ago. It is
still the handsome redbrick building
that William Webster, a scientist who was
also an amateur musician and artist, built
for the local population in 1895. It is inside
that changes have been made – work on the
exterior is for another time – thanks to a £3m
refurbishment (£500,000 of which came from
Arts Council England and £1.5m from the
Hearn Foundation).
The improvements are noticeable the
moment you walk through the front doors
and into the redesigned bar area. ‘We want
it to be a warm, welcoming space where
people will want to spend time both before
events and after,’ explains Blackheath Halls
director Gemma Okell. ‘Most of the work
has been to make it lighter: we have raised
the ceiling so you can see the stained glass.
Warm and welcoming: Blackheath Halls
© JANINE HOWLETT
36 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
The history of the building has influenced
the refurb: respecting the heritage but
thinking more about the people who are
going to use it now rather than reinstate it
to how it would have been.’
One of the major impediments had been
the raked stage, highly impractical for
orchestral performances, in the building’s
barrel-ceilinged main hall. That has now
changed: the stage is now flat and therefore
suitable for certain kinds of dance as well.
Moreover, the side walls have been removed,
giving the stage space a much more open
feel, and improvements made to the room’s
acoustics through the addition of curtains
and screens. Audiences will now sit on
retractable raked seating, rather than rows of
chairs on the floor. Backstage facilities, which
at Blackheath means below the stage, have
been opened up and made more flexible.
‘I’m really looking forward to getting
through this phase and then looking at the
programming in a bit more detail,’ says Okell,
who arrived as director in the spring of 2017.
‘There will be an element of trying things out
and getting to know the space, but the idea is
that we’ll be able to do a much wider variety of
things than we’ve been able to do.’
A major feature of the programming at
Blackheath is the particular balance between
professional productions and community
work. The latter include activities that the
venue itself puts together: there is an orchestra,
choirs and an annual community opera that
is led by professional performers (its patron is
tenor Nicky Spence) and directors but with
the substantial involvement of local people in
all departments of the production.
‘We are just in the process of finalising a
young people’s Easter musical theatre,’ adds
Okell, ‘a musical-theatre-in-a-week kind of
thing. The other thing we are hoping to do is to
broaden our community remit and look at our
audiences, and be a multi-art form venue not
just a music venue. We are going to look at doing
some large-scale children’s theatre – touring
theatre – which before we’ve had to pass over.’
The commitment to community
performance is not only a reflection of the
institution’s origins but an acknowledgment of
the part that local supporters played in saving
the building from demolition and returning it
to community use after a period when it was
used as government offices. This is embodied
in the Friends of Blackheath Halls.
‘They are a separate organisation, so they are
not overseen by us. There’s about 500 of them
at the moment. Historically they grew out of
the people who, when the halls were being
used for other purposes, wanted it back as a
community performance space. So historically
they have been very engaged in what happens
here. As part of the fundraising we’ve been
doing, they’ve been running their own

We want it to be a warm, welcoming space where
people will want to spend time both before events
and after
fundraising campaign. They’ve raised well over
£100,000 so far and they’ve been doing that
really enthusiastically.’
The third strand to the hall’s activity, after
professional and community work, straddles
these two. The principal user of the facilities
is Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music
and Dance – members of the community
themselves by virtue of having headquarters
in Greenwich, at the Old Royal Naval
College, and in neighbouring Deptford at the
Laban Building.
‘Blackheath Halls is a charity and a
company but we are a wholly owned subsidiary
On the up: Raked seating is one of the hall’s improvements
of Trinity Laban, so effectively Trinity Laban
is our parent company. One of the things I
was tasked to do was to look at maximising
the relationship between the Halls and
Trinity Laban. Obviously it makes sense if
you have a venue that is hosting a lot of your
performances but at the same time is running
a wider programme. About 400 rehearsals and
performances happen here during the year
by Trinity Laban students – almost entirely
music students at the moment because the
dance is at the Laban building.’
The halls give the college a public front,
meaning that students get to perform as
BLACKHEATH HALLS
© JANINE HOWLETT
part of a venue’s public programming. ‘At
the moment, certainly in the largest-scale
work, they make up a substantial proportion
of what we do here. There’s things like the
Breaking Barriers festival earlier in the year:
apparently the Halls were used for suffragette
rallies – I have images of the hall filled
with argumentative debates about women’s
suffrage. So we did a weekend celebrating that
anniversary of women getting the vote, and the
idea was that it included Trinity Laban staff,
it included students, alumni, the community;
it had a talk event with Harriet Harman,
who’s now chair of the governors, and those
kind of things. So building links between all
the things that are happening within that
Blackheath Trinity Laban connection.’ CM
Blackheath Halls hosts ‘The First Waltz: Tales from
Vienna’, featuring Emma Johnson and John Suchet
with audience tuition in Viennese waltz and polka
with Natasha Hubert, on Saturday 12 January
www.blackheathhalls.com
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 37
 DORICO

WHAT’S THE SCORE?

Is it time for Sibelius to stand aside? Toby Deller speaks to composers about their
experiences of Dorico notation software

when I see stuff done a multitude of times trying to make my music look good. To have
© JONATHAN SLADE

‘Everything you can do is completely
different from the way I’m used to doing
things’: Robin Haigh
ROBIN HAIGH
I bought Dorico when there was a deal for
people who already had Sibelius and also a
discount for students at the Royal Academy of
Music, where I was at the time. I knew I wasn’t
going to switch over: at the time my computer
wasn’t capable of using Dorico, but I thought,
I will buy it now and when I do upgrade I will
be able to start looking at it. A few months
after that I got a new computer and started
using Dorico for the first time.
Where the problem lies – and this isn’t
something you can really blame them for but
it’s just the fact of the matter – is the time that
goes into learning a new notation programme
is an arduous investment when you’ve already
learned another programme system and its
quirks. Because when you open up Dorico,
everything that you can do in it is completely
different from the way I’m used to doing
things in Sibelius.
It probably is likely to be the best on the
market, however. When you see Dorico doing
something in a flash that it might take you 20
seconds to fix on Sibelius, you do think, ‘Wow,
that would save so much time’. But I guess
because I personally don’t feel particularly
frustrated while I’m using Sibelius it’s only
38 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
more efficiently that I think: actually that
could be much better.
robinhaigh.com
YVONNE ECCLES
I think particularly the advanced
requirements for contemporary composers
are built in and that was what really made a
difference for me – for example, unbarred
layouts, note heads, microtonality. One
example: I’m writing a piece at the moment
for Psappha. I went to see their percussionist
Tim Williams with the piece and he said:
it just looks so good. And I didn’t have to
do any work on that myself: I didn’t need
to sit down, talk to him, have him tell me
how I need change the whole thing, go
home, do the changes, come back to him.
Also things like settings for beamings and
note spellings. When I did my PhD, I sat for
hours and hours going through every single
note deciding on how that note should be
spelled, but in Dorico you just decide on your
settings, go into advanced settings, press a
button and it does it for you. That would
have saved me hundreds of hours.
I must admit the look of it is something
I love because I’ve spent so long in the past
 cores ‘look so beautiful right from the word
S ‘The great thing is the degree to which you can
go’: Yvonne Eccles
something look so beautiful right from the
word go – to know you’ve got a piece that’s
in progress and isn’t there yet but looks really
beautiful – it makes you want to open your
composition and carry on.
yeccles.wixsite.com/mysite
PETER NAGLE
The big, big thing for me is the support
for microtonality which is just so much
better than anything Sibelius can do. When
I’m writing notated stuff I’m generally
working with just intonation using Ben
Johnston’s notation. It has potentially loads
and loads of accidentals for all the different
types of interval. The great thing about Dorico
is the degree to which you can customise your
own tonality and accidentals. What it can’t
do is define intervals as ratios, which is what
I would naturally do in my head and would
be most accurate, but the degree to which
you can subdivide an octave means you can
get pretty damn close, within half a cent. You
can define the stave as having unequal tones
and semitones and things, and that’s amazing.
And your own accidentals actually play back
as functioning accidentals and change the
pitch by the amount you ask it to. And it plays
customise your own tonality’: Peter Nagle

back accurately, which you just couldn’t do
© CARL HYDE
remotely as easily on Sibelius.
There are still a few things that don’t
quite work: when you try to use transposing
instruments in weird temperaments, that goes
a bit funny. But I believe that’s an issue they
are aware of. And it would be really nice if you
could combine accidentals in unequal scale. If
I could have a basic palette of accidentals and
you could combine them to create a new one
when you need rather than having to set one
up from scratch, that would be helpful. But
honestly these are piddling things.
www.peternagle.co.uk
MARK BOWLER
I was working with librettist Gareth Mattey
on a song called A Seductive Event that was
based on Schumann’s Dichterliebe. But instead
of it being a 16-song cycle we took it down to
make a song out of 16 micro events. I wanted
to display this as 16 separate movements. And
it’s so easy in Dorico using its ‘Flows’ – you can
have Flow 1 which is movement 1 and so on;
you name them – they are all there in front of
Dorico ‘feels intuitive’: Mark Bowler
you. If Flow 1 takes only half a page of A4 you
can decide if you want Flow 2 to start on the
same or next page. Then there are mastersheets
that you can edit if you want to do something
very specific about how your score’s laid out.
It’s like using an image editor combined with
notation software.
It just feels intuitive. When I’m working
DORICO
within it, things happen as I expect them
to happen: if I delete something, things
don’t happen around that edit that I’m not
expecting. I was tired of problems like when
I would produce a score and the parts, check
it and proof it. You know what proofing’s
like: the more you look the more problems
you find. You think you have got there but
there’s one little thing to nudge, which you
do and then print it. But nudging this one
little thing means a rehearsal mark suddenly
appears in the middle of a stave. You think:
why does this happen?
My favourite notation-nerd function is
irrational time signatures. I needed a bar of
5/6 in my piece Our Drugged Balloonist: no
problem for Dorico! CM
www.markbmusic.co.uk
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 39
Once upon a time
It’s more than a decade since Poul Ruders’ opera The Handmaid’s Tale was unveiled
to huge acclaim. This year will see the birth of its successor, alongside international
celebration of the composer’s 70th birthday. Andrew Mellor caught up with the
composer at his home deep in the Danish countryside

B
irthdays with a zero at the end tend
to involve retrospection as well as
celebration, so as Poul Ruders reaches
70 it feels like a good opportunity to take him
back to his very first opera Tycho, premiered in
1987. I already know the subject isn’t going to
prompt a flurry of happy memories. ‘Yes, the
whole thing famously bombed,’ laughs Ruders,
relishing the intrigue even now. The subject –
a discussion between the astronomers Tycho
Brahe and Johannes Kepler concerning the
position of the sun in relation to the earth –
was ‘not exactly built to keep punters on the
edge of their seats!’
Lessons learnt through adversity can be
good for you in the long run: Ruders is now
one of the most successful and admired opera
40 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
composers alive, a status that might well have
its origins in the painful experience of giving
birth to Tycho. The biggest realisation that
emerged from the whole debacle? ‘… that opera
is all about captivating an audience, about
pushing emotions right into their hearts,’ he
says. ‘That’s what music can do.’
Ruders vowed not to work in the genre
again after Tycho, but offered his arm for
twisting to Elaine Padmore, then director
of the Royal Danish Opera. The result of
her respectfully applied pressure was The
Handmaid’s Tale, based on the novel by
Margaret Atwood. The opera was seen
in Copenhagen in 2000 and at ENO in
2003 and subsequently in Minneapolis
and Toronto. It is in the midst of a flurry of
revivals: following a recent run in Melbourne
and an upcoming production at Boston Lyric
Opera, new productions are planned for San
Francisco and Copenhagen in 2020. ‘She
will be okay,’ says Ruders of his Handmaid,
reflecting on the sad fact that this story, about
a totalitarian state and its repression of women,
has enduring relevance, while crediting a
recent article in The New Yorker – and the
Hulu tv series – with her sudden resurgence.
In stark contrast to the relatable horror
of both The Handmaid’s Tale and Selma
Jezková – Ruders’ 2007 opera on the execution
of a blind, poverty-stricken immigrant and
single mother in 1950s America (based on
Lars von Trier’s poleaxing film Dancer in the
Dark) – opera number five will whisk us away

to a land that never existed and never will. It
is a central tenet of Ruders’ work in opera that
the nature of the drama changes entirely with
each project, and it was his US manager Becky
Starobin, president of Bridge Records, who
suggested he turn his hand to a fairytale.
‘I wanted to avoid Hans Christian
Andersen at all costs,’ says Ruders (his Danish
colleague Hans Abrahamson has just finished
an opera based on The Snow Queen, but
Ruders insists his decision was more connected
to avoiding national stereotypes). ‘So, I started
plowing through the Brothers Grimm.’ He
alighted on the story The Twelve Brothers,
which was distilled into operatic form by
Starobin and became The Thirteenth Child.
‘Becky wrote a brilliant synopsis but we
weren’t satisfied with the attempts at a libretto
we were getting. She suggested she have a
go herself with the help of her husband [the
guitarist David Starobin, who is also founder
of Bridge Records]. The result is by far the
best libretto I have worked with,’ says Ruders;
‘It sits well on the tongue, it’s poetic without
being maudlin and it’s built of short sentences
that are made for singing.’
T
he story of The Thirteenth Child is
the traditional fairytale stuff: a yarn
about two kingdoms in crisis (the
evocatively named Frohagord and Hauven)
that includes enchanted forests, battles and
apparitions, and recounts a lost princess’s
struggle to seize control of her destiny in
the face of evil forces (a nasty piece of work
named Drokan). Ruders draws comparison
with another well-known fantasy. ‘In Harry
Potter you have this train platform – is it
nine-and-three-quarters? – from which
you can slip immediately from one world,
London, straight into a fantasy. That’s
what I wanted. No overture, just suck the
audience straight in.’
Ruders’ thoughts on the audience’s role
in the creative process is unusual for a
composer who hasn’t sold out to commercial
elements. ‘I write for the audience – I have
no shame in admitting it!’ he says (the legacy
of Tycho at work). ‘I know I am not exactly
inept when it comes to orchestration and
I exploit that to the hilt. Not that I want
to compare myself, but think of Puccini:
fantastic tunes but orchestration to die for.
It’s about giving the audience the ultimate
experience.’
With the shift in operatic genre, there
will be a parallel shift in sound colour
for The Thirteenth Child, courtesy of an
orchestra with saxophones replacing flutes
and oboes (as in Selma Jezková), three
synthesisers and orchestral piano. ‘Yes, it’s
a more cinematic colour,’ says Ruders; ‘so
Creative teamwork: David Starobin, Poul Ruders and Becky Starobin
THE THIRTEENTH CHILD
many of the best scores for tv and film use
synthesisers because they offer so much
and with such convincing sound. I’m not
squeamish or puritan about that at all.’ We
talk in Ruders’ tiny wooden composing
hut, lined as much with crime novels and
thrillers as it is with poetry volumes and
literary classics. ‘A lot of what an opera
composer needs to know about tension and
release you get from thrillers and crime
novels,’ he says.
Paul Daniel will conduct the world premiere
of The Thirteenth Child at this year’s Santa
Fe Festival in New Mexico on 27 July, in a
production by the Serbian-American director
Darko Tresnjak (‘isn’t that a great name? He
sounds like one of the characters!’ chuckles
Ruders). The entire cast and company will
have the chance to familiarise themselves
with the sound of the work already, as a
recording has already been prepared by Bridge
Records using a Danish orchestra with singing
overdubbed (it includes one member of the
Santa Fe cast, Tamara Mumford, who will
sing Queen Gertrude). ‘Being able to hear
the whole thing so soon after finishing it
was exceptional’, says Ruders, ‘usually you’re
waiting for the first sitzprobe and you’re a
nervous wreck.’
What we hear from the snippets of the
recording available (Bridge has assembled ►
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 41
 THE THIRTEENTH CHILD

some on its homepage, but Ruders plays

© BECKY STAROBIN

me an early edit of the opening scene) is

a work with clear characterisation and
engrossing atmosphere in which Ruders’
ear and eye for detail is not compromised.
Early on, the character of King Hjarne
gives us something like a heart-stopping
aria of self-examination: ‘Yes, that’s the
first bit of ear-candy,’ says Ruders, ‘G-flat
major. Of course, the chili pepper comes
with Drokan.’ Unlike those classic Ruders
essays in geometrical organisation and
thematic gameplay – Concerto in Pieces
and the Handel Variations – here the
composer’s notes are hewn ‘entirely in
the service of the story. And it has to be
musically and dramatically fluid. That’s
why I love Wagner: what he did with that
endless melody really is wonderful.’

T
he Thirteenth Child was born not
of a commission dreamed up by
committee but of Ruders’ desire to
do something different. ‘I advise composers
to never write an opera without a contract
from a major house that stipulates the date
of the first performances,’ he says. ‘And then
I went against that advice myself.’ Because?
David Starobin and Poul Ruders during recording sessions for The Thirteenth Child in Odense, Denmark
‘…I quite simply had to. I had nothing to
lose and I had a great time doing it. All
Tamara Mumford recording Queen Gertrude from The Thirteenth Child
credit to Bridge Records and The Santa
Fe Opera that the whole thing has
come together.’
Ruders’ 70th-birthday year will be spent
finishing a new harpsichord concerto for
Mahan Esfahani and he will also oversee
the premiere of a new concerto for the
Danish accordionist Bjarke Mogensen.
Is there anything from the past that
he would like to seen revived in 2019?
‘Perhaps Manhattan Abstraction, or the
first symphony. I’m pleased that Tom Adès
[an old friend] will be conducting the
fifth symphony at Tanglewood. But as an
opera composer, I’m in clover now.’ As for
opera number six? ‘I have no idea if I will
write a sixth. It would have to be different
of course. But it would also have to be
worthwhile. For everybody.’ CM

The Thirteenth Child will be premiered at the

Santa Fe Opera in July.
www.santafeopera.org
A recording of The Thirteenth Child is due for
© ROB STAROBIN

release from Bridge Records.

www.bridgerecords.com
To listen to an excerpt from the opera, visit
https://the 13thchild.com

42 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019

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 SOCIAL BARRIERS

ISN’T CULTURE
ABOUT HOW WE
VALUE THINGS?
In last month’s issue, Camilla Seale told the stories of two musicians whose
experiences of freelancing were split between great freedom and great insecurity.
Now, she asks, what if we widen the lens to explore the mechanics which produce this
picture of inequality?
© DAISY DAISY

44 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019


W
hen Karl Marx was trying to
do just that in 1867, he looked
at industrial factories and saw
that inequality flourished because one
group of people was exploiting another.
More recently, in 2013 to be exact, the
French economist Thomas Piketty
published a doorstep of a book, Capital
in the Twenty-First Century, which argues
that the gap between rich and poor isn’t
widening because of exploitation, but
because of what happens to financial assets
when you sit and wait: they accumulate.
And who has the time to sit and wait? The
middle classes.
But to succeed as a musician, money is
only the soil for that kernel of talent. ‘I’ve
had music as quite a large part of my identity
almost as long as I can remember’, composer
Laura tells me. ‘I went to a pretty good
private school and I stayed with one music
teacher for my entire school career. That
was quite influential I think; that continual,
unbroken thing of being part of the music
community, having continual opportunities
to perform. I was very fortunate.’
What Laura was describing wasn’t sitting
and waiting for a pot of money to grow
but something more like an ecosystem.
Continual, unbroken connections between
teachers, mentors and peers, learning
gradually, by osmosis, how to make the
most out of their instruments. It takes
time to hone a sense of rhythm, to get your
fingers round the keys, to learn how to
improvise, how to practise. It’s an active
process of teaching your body and mind
how to do something.
For that to work, you need a large
quantity of time (which money can buy),
but you also get further much faster with
good guiding examples. Mentors who
can show you the best routes through the
forest: when to follow which path or a
leg up over a boulder. Teachers who can
show you how to practise, how to harness
the passing of time, conductors on extra-
curricular courses who know how to get
the most out of a short rehearsal period.
‘My method right now involves really
living it, all hours. On the train I read
my score, I sing the words to myself, it’s
very active,’ says 25-year-old accompanist
Matthew, ‘but I’m concerned that it’s not
long-term sustainable if I got really busy,
‘ Withdrawing support for music education
cuts off music-making at its roots’
say, with three concerts a week’. Unlike
a salaried job, musicians are never paid
for the hours of practice and preparation
they spend maintaining and increasing
the quality of their work. To weather the
storms, ‘sustainability’, as Matthew puts it,
has to come from strong foundations. The
time you invested at the age of six, 12 and
20. By the time you’re launching a career,
it’s probably too late.
Marx’s factory workers were subject
to a particular culture of time also, but
it was much closer to the ‘time is money’
maxim. An hour on the clock translated
to a quantity of money, and it didn’t
matter whether that was the third hour
worked that month, or the hundredth, they
would pay the same. This model works
when you’re producing shoes, less so when
you’re producing music, where, at the end
of the day, the sum of all your years of
development is you, the product.
Musicians are never paid for the hours they
spend maintaining the quality of their work
A few weeks ago, I met a trumpeter,
Dominic, whose journey into the top UK
orchestras came via the rich tradition
of brass bands in the north of England.
Having led education workshops in schools
across the country, he described to me
some of the pain points in British music
education: ‘How do you get kids excited
about music when they don’t even have
access to instruments?’ he pointed out.
Indeed, a report published this autumn
by the Musicians’ Union found that the
biggest barriers to access for lower income
families were that instruments, and
lessons, were prohibitively expensive – not
a lack of interest.
Withdrawing support for music
education – removing that soil – cuts off
music-making at its roots: the connections,
the relationships and the time to experiment
that someone like Laura experienced so
richly. How far could music-making across
the country change in ten, 20 years? We
would have far fewer Dominics playing in
orchestras, that’s for sure. ‘It seems almost
impossible for young musicians to get
anywhere now without financial backing. I
accompanied auditions for two whole days
SOCIAL BARRIERS
at [a top youth orchestra]. One student came
from a state school’, says pianist Lucy, who
herself received a full scholarship for musical
training in the 1980s.
Recent government policies for the
arts are fascinatingly contradictory.
While support is withdrawn from local
authorities’ budgets, £2.4m is being spent
launching 12 already successful music acts
into the ‘international market’. Elsewhere,
new policy research is discovering the
effectiveness of prescribing arts activities to
a wide range of NHS patients.
So, there is some awareness that making
‘culture’ isn’t just about making profit. Isn’t
culture really about how we do things? How
we value things? Make relationships? Learn
from each other? Wouldn’t it be exciting
if music-making was diverse and varied,
flourishing in vibrant ecosystems throughout
the country, not just in carefully protected
botanical gardens in London, or Manchester?
Making music has many values beyond
generating an income. This is obvious
to anyone who has ever enjoyed the
experience of listening or playing music,
but it’s also a reality that is forced to the
peripheries of the daily lives of many
musicians.
Across all the musicians I interviewed,
the conflict they always came back to was
about freedom: the freedom to choose
what music they made, to start their own
projects, to plan their lives, to decide how
to spend their time. And, of course, it was
those who had the resources and the time
over many years of development – with
better contacts, a more secure technique,
more money – who got the chance to
invest time in the activities they found
valuable. CM
Musicians’ Union report
https://bit.ly/2S59qKp
Independent: ‘Music lessons in schools at risk’
https://ind.pn/2LnuB7Q
Government backs British talent
https://bit.ly/2S43zoB
Creative Health: The Arts for Health and
Wellbeing https://bit.ly/2vjGvaI
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 45
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Boson Early Music Fesival 9-16 June 2019

“Arguably the most important and influential
s t e f fA n i ’ s Early Music event in the world.” —BBC3 Radio
9–16 june 2019 | festival & exhibition

9-16 June 2019 Don’t miss this week-long celebration of early

music in the spectacular city of Boston, mA! enjoy
Boston, MA, UsA
dazzling opera, try out exquisitely crafted
instruments at the world-famous exhibition,
hear unparalleled artists in a full week of
concerts, and so much more!

TickeTs are on sale now!

FullY sTaged opera Visit www.bemf.org or call +1-617-661-1812

in a fantastical world of wizards and dragons, the

heartbroken knight orlando spirals into self-doubt and
madness in Steffani’s 1691 opera, Orlando generoso.
delight as a captivating tale of intrigue and magic, comes to
life with gorgeous, period-inspired costumes, brilliant sets,
breathtaking flying machines, and truly ravishing music.
www.earlymusictoday.com 
On the edge
An early music festival trying not to be an early music festival
I
f the after-effects of the excesses of New
Year celebrations prove hard to shake
off, I’d recommend a visit to LSO
St Luke’s, near Old Street in London, for
the second edition of Baroque at the Edge
(www.baroqueattheedge.co.uk, 4-6 January),
a real musical and mental detox session if
ever there were one. Musicians from all over
the world, and in many different styles, are
being invited to start with baroque music
and then let their creative imaginations
run wild.
Thus, such artists as star improviser-
pianist Gabriela Montero, Dutch singer-
songwriter Nora Fischer, folk duo Dipper
Malkin (viola d’amore, guitar, and voice),
and multi-genre viol player Liam Byrne
will be taking their audiences on uncharted
journeys around the edges of baroque music
– all in a spirit of openness and accessibility
(‘No rules, no programme notes, no
lectures: all you need to know is how to
listen,’ proclaims festival advertising).
TOP TIPS
XXBook now for Bach the European, a new
concert series at the Royal Academy of
Music (3 February - 1 December 2019).
With more than 200 sacred and secular
cantatas performed in Duke’s Hall over
ten years, the Kohn Foundation/Royal
Academy of Music Bach Cantata Series
drew to a close in December 2018. To
carry on the exploration of the composer’s
music, the RAM – which has played
a large part in the promotion of Bach
outside of Germany ever since 1822 – is
now presenting a new series entitled
Bach the European: from Ancient Cosmos
towards Enlightenment, the aim of which
is to place Bach in a productive and
challenging new context. www.ram.ac.uk
XXAlso book now for the St John’s Smith
Square Holy Week Festival (14-20
April 2019), now in its third year under
the curation of Nigel Short. The music
of James MacMillan is the focus this
EARLY MUSIC TODAY BY ADRIAN HORSEWOOD
In addition, Natalie Rowland of Pitch
Black Lighting is to be lighting-director-in-
residence. Festival director Lindsay Kemp
says, ‘One of the most pleasing features
of the 2018 festival was the way in which
we were able to provide each concert with
an individual lighting concept, thanks to
the flexibility and architectural beauty
of the LSO St Luke’s interior.’ Rowland’s
expertise will particularly be brought to
bear upon the first full-scale staging of
Clare Norburn’s concert drama Burying the
Dead, which delves into the mind of Henry
Purcell as he lies on his deathbed; the
musicians are the young British ensemble
Ceruleo, which will be joined by actor
Niall Ashdown; and Thomas Guthrie will
be the stage director.
© ANDREW WILKINSON
On top of all of that, it’s good to see a new
festival surviving and returning after an
auspicious beginning – not that going under
was ever really a risk with the experienced
team of Kemp and Lucy Bending at the
time round, with performances of his
Stabat mater (with the BBC Singers,
conducted by the composer), Tenebrae
Responsories for Good Friday and Seven
Last Words from the Cross (both with
Tenebrae, conducted by Short) forming
the backbone of the programme.
The Marian Consort appears at St John’s next April
helm, theirs being the partnership that
oversaw many successful instalments of the
London Festival of Baroque Music (not to
mention the difficult transformation from
the Lufthansa years).
‘Our first Baroque at the Edge was an
exciting adventure for everyone involved,’
says Kemp, ‘whether performing, planning
or just listening to our eclectic mix of styles,
instruments and personalities … Now we’re
looking forward enormously to our second
edition, when we will again be putting
aside convention so that this great music
and extraordinary line-up of performer
can work their
magic on us
unhindered by
genre boundaries
and musicological
clutter.’
ADRIAN
HORSEWOOD ►
Other ensembles performing include
the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge,
Siglo de Oro, Polyphony, Sansara, the
Tallis Scholars, Ex Cathedra, the Marian
Consort, the Brodsky Quartet, and the
Etcetera Civil Service Choir.
www.sjss.org.uk
© BEN MCKEE
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 47
EARLY MUSIC TODAY BY ADRIAN HORSEWOOD
News and previews
New dimension for NCEM Young Composers Award
The 2019 NCEM Young Composers Award
was launched on 18 November, with a special
episode of Radio 3’s Early Music Show. The
12th edition of the award is being run in
partnership with virtuoso viol player Liam
Byrne, and the brief for composers is to
composer a new Fantasy for solo viol or viol
with electronics.
There are two categories, 18 and younger,
and 19-25 years old, and winning entries
will be premiered by Byrne in a public
concert later in 2019, broadcast by Radio 3.
Expressions of interest from young
composers must be received by 11.59pm on
15 February, and completed scores must
be received by 5pm on 15 March. Judging
will then take place on 8 and 9 May, during
Leipzig Bach Festival goes to court
The theme for this year’s Leipzig Bach
Festival, the largest annual celebration
of the composer’s music in the world, has
been announced.
‘Bach, Court Compositeur’ will run
from 14 to 23 June, and will focus on
the music that the composer wrote while
in service at the courts of Weimar and
Köthen, his employments before he moved
REMA Early Music Awards names winners
The 2018 REMA Early Music Awards
were presented to Sigiswald Kuijken and
the European Union Baroque Orchestra in
London on 30 November, held at St John’s
Smith Square.
EUBO wins REMA award
48 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
which days successful applicants will be
invited to attend workshops.
Delma Tomlin MBE, director of the
NCEM, said: ‘The Young Composers
Award continues to be one of the
highlights on the organisation’s calendar
and is an extremely important part of
our work. The NCEM is always keen
to embrace new ideas, and this year, we
have added an extra dimension and are
encouraging the use of electronics.
‘Presented with our partners BBC
Radio 3, the award is both challenging
and rewarding and provides a unique
opportunity for young composers to see
their work performed by professional
musicians and recorded for BBC Radio 3.’
to Leipzig as Thomaskantor in 1723.
Following on from the extraordinarily
successful Ring of Cantatas in 2018, a
whole cycle will be devoted to the 16
sacred Bach cantatas composed at the
court of Weimar. Artists to appear at
the festival will include the Akademie
für Alte Musik Berlin, the Freiburger
Barockorchester, Café Zimmermann,
The REMA Early Music Award was given
to the European Union Baroque Orchestra
(EUBO), and the REMA Early Music
Artist Award will be awarded to Sigiswald
Kuijken. Now celebrating their fourth
year, the REMA Early Music Awards are
presented annually and were established to
recognise exceptional contributions made
by artists, institutions and projects for the
promotion of early music.
The EUBO, founded in 1985, enables
young musicians from all over Europe
who have recently completed their studies
to acquire their first experience in a
www.earlymusictoday.com
Edwina Wolstencroft, editor, Radio 3 added:
‘BBC Radio 3 is committed to supporting
and developing emerging new talent and
we continue to do this with our partnership
with NCEM Young Composers Award.
Over the years, the award has helped young
composers to find a platform for their work,
provided expertise and advice from world-class
performers and practitioners and given the
winners their first broadcast experience. This
year, we are looking forward to working
with Liam Byrne whose work and approach
will add an exciting
new dimension to
the 2019 awards.’
www.ncem.co.uk
La Cetra Basel, Solomon’s Knot, and Le
Concert des Nations. Harpsichordist
Kristian Bezuidenhout will be artist-in-
residence, giving four concerts, and the
Thomanerchor and Leipzig Gewandhaus
Orchestra will also give their customary
performances at the festival.
www.bachfestleipzig.de/en/bachfest
professional orchestra under the direction
of eminent baroque specialists. The
success of the initiative is reflected in the
number of former EUBO members who
now play with the world’s leading baroque
ensembles.
Belgian violinist and conductor
Sigiswald Kuijken is a pioneering figure in
the field of baroque performance practice
for string players. He also rediscovered
the viola da spalla, an instrument halfway
between the viola and the cello.
www.rema-eemn.net
www.earlymusictoday.com 
A voyage of discovery
Stephen Darlington
P
rofessor Stephen Darlington’s legacy
after three decades at Christ Church
Cathedral is an extraordinary one,
encompassing more than 50 recordings,
several prestigious overseas tours and the
establishment of the Christ Church Music
Trust to preserve the college’s 500-year-old
choral tradition in perpetuity.
Of this, one of his most notable
achievements is the resurrection of long-
neglected music from the Eton Choirbook.
This compilation of around 90 settings
of texts honouring the Virgin Mary
dates from the 15th and 16th centuries,
and the music formed the basis of the
liturgical repertory performed by Eton
College Chapel Choir during Vespers and
evening services. Only around 40 of the
settings have survived in their entirety,
the remainder either having been lost or
existing only in fragmentary form.
Over the last ten years, the Christ Church
Cathedral Choir has been steadily bringing
this body of music back to life with the
release of five CDs, some of them featuring
world premiere recordings. Now all five
volumes have been released as a boxed set to
mark Professor Darlington’s retirement.
The predominant contributor to the
Eton Choirbook was John Browne,
whose music features on all five of the
Christ Church recordings. Other notable
composers were Richard Davy, Walter
Lambe and Robert Wylkynson.
EARLY MUSIC TODAY BY ADRIAN HORSEWOOD
During Darlington’s exploration of the
music – which he describes as a ‘voyage
of discovery’ – he found it to be far more
varied in style and character than might
be expected.
‘It was a revelation to me,’ he admits. ‘I
always imagined that the constraints of
the texts they were setting were such that
there was little room for individuality of
expression, but I discovered that’s not the
case. The generic style is roughly the same,
but the individual voices are very striking.
You can really tell the difference between
John Browne and Davy and Wylkynson.
‘Some of the composers write in a very
harmonic way with a really strong sense
of texture, so you get these wonderful
passages where you have very widely
spread chords, and then occasionally you
get one particular part divided into two to
add to the sonority.
‘Then there are others who are fairly
obsessed with intricate ornamentation and
perhaps a slightly strong sense of linear
approach. And of course it’s all based on
a plainsong foundation, so somewhere or
other, buried within the texture, there’s
always this plainsong theme.’
The Christ Church Cathedral Choir
recordings are not the first to draw on the
Eton Choirbook, with the Tallis Scholars
and The Sixteen releasing recordings
in 2005 and 2006 respectively; later
ETON CHOIRBOOK RECORDINGS BY CHRIST CHURCH
CATHEDRAL CHOIR (ALL RELEASED ON THE AVIE LABEL)
XXVolume 1: More Divine Than Human, 2009
 usic by John Browne, William Cornysh,
M  usic by Browne, William Horwood and
Richard Davy, John Fawkyner and Walter
Lambe
XXVolume 2: Choirs of Angels, 2013
 usic by Browne, Cornysh, Davy, Lambe
M flore virginali, plus music by Browne,
and Robert Wylkynson
XXVolume 3: Courts of Heaven, 2014
 usic by Browne, Fawkyner,
M XXThe Door to Paradise (Boxed Set) 2018
Wylkynson, John Hampton and
Edward Turges
recordings have come from the Huelgas
Ensemble and Tonus Peregrinus. But
Darlington believes the Christ Church
recordings are unique in their use of young
choristers and the fact that the other
releases are from mixed choirs.
‘I think we are the only all-male choir
that’s recorded this amount of music from
the Eton Choirbook,’ he says. ‘Clearly
at the end of the 15th century it would
have been performed by boys, but the
assumption in recent years seems to have
been that it was that it was too far out of
the comfort zone for children to be able
to do. But we do music by John Taverner,
who was the first director of music at
Christ Church in the 1520s, and this is
not long before that.’
So, following Darlington’s retirement
from Christ Church, where does that leave
the Eton Choirbook project now? ‘I won’t
be able to do any more with Christ Church,’
he says. ‘I don’t know whether I’ll have
the opportunity to do more with another
group, but in a way that would somehow
compromise the integrity of this particular
project, which was very much associated
with this choir and my time here.’
www.chchchoir.org
www.avie-records.com
NICOLA LISLE ►
XXVolume 4: The Sun Most Radiant, 2016
M
William Stratford
XXVolume 5: The Gate of Glory, 2017
 orld premiere of Lambe’s Gaude
W
Hugo Kellyk, Robert Fayrfax, Robert
Hacomplaynt
Includes the above five volumes, with
new overview by Stephen Darlington.
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 49
EARLY MUSIC TODAY BY ADRIAN HORSEWOOD
Reviews
Le cor mélodique: Mélodies, Vocalises
& Chants by Gounod, Meifred & Gallay
Anneke Scott (horn), Steven Devine (pf)
Resonus Classics RES10228
Brahms: Violin Sonatas
Leila Schayegh (vln), Jan Schultsz (pf)
Glossa GCD 924201
Gershwin: An American in Paris,
Rhapsody in Blue etc.
Claron McFadden (sop), Bart van
Caenegem (pf), Anima Eterna Brugge, Jos
van Immerseel (d)
Alpha Classics ALPHA 289
Do not adjust your sets: yes, this month’s
early music review section features music by
no composers born before 1789. Does that
bother you?
Or to put it another way: Where does
‘early music’ stop? It’s a regularly debated
question, seldom without passion and
often with rancour; various factors to take
into consideration include chronology
(does it make sense to make a certain year
in history a cut-off point?), instruments
(originals or copies of originals vs modern),
and philosophy of approach (which is more
authentic, a sloppy, sub-standard period-
instrument performance, or an excellent,
well-informed performance on modern
instruments?). Listening to any or all of
these three discs will, I suggest, make you
think hard again about what you consider
‘early music’ to be.
Proceeding in chronological order,
we start with the recital programme by
early horn player Anneke Scott – almost
certainly the UK’s current leading
practitioner of that instrument, and
also very active on the continent – and
50 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
pianist Steven Devine (playing an 1851
Érard). This stems from Scott’s extensive
research into both repertoire for the
horn in 19th-century France and the
development of the instrument itself (or,
rather, instruments themselves – read
her excellent booklet note for a potted
history of the natural-vs-valved fight),
and, as the title of the disc suggests all the
music is directly derived from or strongly
influenced by vocal music.
Unsurprisingly, Scott’s playing is
sumptuous and utterly ravishing, whether
on the natural or the two- or three-valved
horn. Many proponents of the valveless horn
considered the newcomer as deeply inferior
in its range of timbre and expression, but
in the hands of such a master of her art as
Scott the individual strengths of each of the
three instruments are clearly demonstrated.
For me, the captivating subtlety of Scott
and Devine in Jean-François Gallay’s
arrangements for natural horn of seven
Schubert songs won the day – but you,
dear reader, are left to determine your own
preferences …
Moving on, Leila Schayegh – professor
of violin at the Schola Cantorum
Basiliensis – and Jan Schultsz – playing
a Streicher und Sohn grand piano from
1879 – present all of Brahms’s original
works for violin and piano; Schayegh’s
musings in the booklet are also a valuable
insight into the considerations necessary
when approaching this repertoire in a
historically-informed manner.
Perhaps as a result of this careful
study and thought it tends to be the slow
movements of the three sonatas in which
the duo impresses the most: the Adagio
of the D minor sonata (op. 108) is a case
in point, Schayegh drawing out a rich,
www.earlymusictoday.com
beguiling tone from her instrument, and
Schultsz finding exactly the right balance
between forefront and background with
his lively playing (not for nothing were
these works published as sonatas for piano
and violin). In the quicker movements the
tone quality tends to suffer a little at the
expense of rhythmic drive, although the
standalone Allegro from the collaborative
‘F-A-E’ Sonata (the remaining three
movements of which were written by
Albert Dietrich and Robert Schumann) is
as wild and spirited as they come.
And so, to finish with Gershwin, born
less than three years before the start of the
20th century. Conductor Jos van Immerseel
has long considered him one of his musical
idols, and for this recording has interspersed
some of Gershwin’s masterpieces with
his songs, all performed on as close to the
original instruments as possible (this even
extends to determining the exact pitches of
the original klaxon in An American in Paris
and replicating these).
Those familiar with the work of van
Immerseel and his orchestra Anima Eterna
Brugge will know that they are one of the
most quirky and inquisitive early music
ensembles out there, and this album is, in
every good way, a riot: they have captured
all of the free, fun-loving side to Gershwin’s
music without treating it with too much
levity. The sonority is no less rich in colour
and weight than with modern instruments,
and the softer edge to the period
instruments seems to evoke the free and easy
of Gershwin’s Zeitgeist.
Pianist Bart van Caenegem is on
sparkling form in Rhapsody in Blue – you
can almost see the twinkle in his eye
through the speakers – but it’s soprano
Claron McFadden who steals the show
with her vocal numbers: whether in
‘Summertime’ or ‘I Got Rhythm’, or in the
cheeky ‘By Strauss’, McFadden turns her
wondrously expressive and versatile voice
to fit Gershwin’s music like a glove. It’s
a joyous album – the sessions must have
been great fun – and essential listening for
Gershwin fans, jazz enthusiasts, and early
music lovers alike. CM
ADRIAN HORSEWOOD
 SoundState
D E FINING NEW MUSIC
Anahita Abbasi | Marin Alsop | Sam Amidon | Louis Andriessen | Aurora Orchestra | Marcos Balter
Jonathan Berman | Claire Chase | Nicholas Collon | Colin Currie | Mario Diaz de Leon | James Dillon
Shayna Dunkelman | Ensemble Modern | Suzanne Farrin | Juliet Fraser | Dai Fujikura | Ashley Fure
Zeynep Gedizlioğlu | Arne Gieshoff | Helen Grime | Martin Grütter | Anders Hillborg | Khaled Jarrar
Jennifer Johnston | Vimbayi Kaziboni | Oliver Knussen | Felipe Lara | Oliver Leith
London Philharmonic Orchestra | London Sinfonietta | Stewart McIlwham | Nico Muhly | Andrew Norman
Pauline Oliveros | Park Lane Group | Philharmonia Orchestra | Steve Reich | Rebecca Saunders | Ali Sethi
Sound Intermedia | Dalia Stasevska | Josephine Stephenson | Erkki-Sven Tüür | Edgard Varèse | Du Yun | Vito Žuraj

1 6 – 2 0 JANUARY 2 0 1 9
 GUEST EDITOR INDEX

GUEST EDITOR: GILLIAN MOORE

© INDIA ROPER-EVANS
54 WHO NEEDS CLASSICAL MUSIC?

58 THROWING OPEN THE DOORS

Access through architecture

62 FROM WHERE I SIT

Chris Denton on audience behaviour

64 CLAIRE CHASE Q&A

The art of curation

67 HOME AND AWAY

Composers working abroad

70 INTERVIEW: MAXIME PASCAL

Rediscovering Stockhausen’s Licht 54
72 A CLASS ACT
Mark-Anthony Turnage discusses his
working-class roots

64
© MENG PHU

70
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 53
 GUEST EDITOR GILLIAN MOORE

Who needs
classical music?
Who needs classical music? It’s a question that has never been more important to
ask, and one that is essential to address if classical music is to thrive in our fractured
world. And for guest editor Gillian Moore, the answer to this difficult question is
surprisingly close to home
© SARAH HICKSON

54 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019


I
n the first half of the 20th century,
the Glasgow Orpheus Choir was a
massively popular musical phenomenon
which over the 50 years of its existence
sold millions of records and toured the
world. Founded by Hugh Roberton in
1906 at Toynbee House, a workers’ social
and educational club in Rotten Row, to
the east of Glasgow’s city centre, the choir
sang works by Handel, Holst, and Purcell,
English madrigals, and arrangements of
Scottish folk songs. Rabindranath Tagore,
the great Indian poet, attended an Orpheus
concert and said, ‘The choir speaks to all
men in the language all men understand.’
Tickets for Orpheus Choir concerts were
so sought after that there were ballots, and
the substantial income from ticket sales
and recordings covered membership and
travel expenses for the working people in
the choir. It also funded a junior choir and
training programmes for conductors – men
and women – who led a revival in choral
singing in Scotland and beyond. Under the
banner of ‘Music and Fellowship’, it created
its own ecosystem for the encouragement
of music for everyone – a very modern
idea that we can envy today. When Hugh
Roberton announced his retirement, the
choir didn’t want to go on without him. Its
final concert, in October 1951, was aptly in
the brand new Royal Festival Hall on the
South Bank, a symbol of opportunity in the
arts for everyone in the post-war world.
I have a personal link to the Orpheus
Choir: a number of my relatives were in it,
working-class people from the East End of
Glasgow. Great Uncle Jack, Aunt Margaret
and others were musicians on the world
stage through the Orpheus. It was part of
the musical culture in my family – there
were pianos, violins, and sheet music,
and everybody did their turn. When the
Glasgow Overspill Project moved my family
out of Glasgow to a brand new council
estate surrounded by green fields, the music
played on: we inherited Great Uncle Jack’s
piano, we had lessons, we sang in choirs,
my mum took me to concerts in Glasgow
and my dad’s light tenor voice won him a
place in the Scottish National Orchestra
Chorus, despite his poor music reading
skills; he ended up travelling to London
to sing Mahler’s Eighth at the Proms
conducted by Pierre Boulez. My father, now
‘There is a massive energy in classical
music at the moment’: Gillian Moore
Chineke! gives its first concert in the Queen Elizabeth Hall
elderly, recently protested to me, ‘What’s
all this about classical music being not for
everybody? We were singing Schubert songs
in our council houses!’ Nobody should ever
assume that a certain kind of art is of no use
to a certain kind of person. Sir Lenny Henry
speaking this autumn at the launch of the
BBC’s Our Classical Century, said, ‘We must
be prepared to penetrate the boundaries of
our tribes’. I couldn’t agree more.
There is a massive energy and
imagination in classical music at the
moment: innovative and exciting music
being composed; different venues, different
audiences and performers.
However, for all the positives, it’s also
true that there are big challenges: there are
sometimes shocking inequalities in who
gets to participate in, listen to and make
the decisions about classical music. This is,
of course, not unique to this sector: go to
events across the arts and much the same
applies. In pop music, for example, the Sutton
Trust recently found that 19% of the people
named ‘best solo artist’ at the Brit Awards
between 1977 and 2016 went to private
school, compared with 7% of the overall
population – and the percentages are worse
from the turn of the 21st century onwards.
As matter of priority, we have to ensure that
we are constantly focusing and refocusing
our energy and resources, and sometimes our
rage, on addressing those inequalities.
Rage and urgency is fuelling some of the
most exciting developments in music currently.
GUEST EDITOR GILLIAN MOORE
© ZEN GRISDALE
The sheer determination of Chi-chi Nwanoku
to change what classical music looks like on
the stage and in the audience has, in the three
short years since Chineke! gave its first concert
in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, changed what
we expect to see and hear, and uncovered
some previously unheard voices. Addressing
the eye-watering lack of women in concert
programmes and on the conductors’ podium,
we are finally seeing some real change, in new
music at least: from initiatives such as the PRS
Foundation’s Key Change, which presses for
50% women artists in festival line-ups; to a
national women conductors programme run
by the Royal Philharmonic Society; to many
special projects at Southbank Centre where
I am director of music, including Women in
Music breakfasts and a conductors’ masterclass
with Marin Alsop.
These special initiatives are necessary while
the inequalities remain so stark, when, for
example, only four of the 100-plus named
conducting positions in British orchestras are
held by women. It is simply not good enough
to say, as is still often said to me, ‘I’m only
interested in good music’; or, ‘quality will
rise to the top, whatever’. Programmers and
curators, like me, have to spend a moment
longer thinking about our choices, about what
artists we are going to present and pausing to
think about our choices, about what other
voices there might be and who is missing.
Perhaps the most important thing that
someone in my position can do to change the
landscape is to find, encourage, mentor, train ►
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 55
 GUEST EDITOR GILLIAN MOORE
© MARK ALLAN
Bernstein’s Mass with NYO and Chineke! at the Royal Festival Hall
and employ people who might have a different
perspective, and who will help us make these
decisions and, we hope, replace us when we
move on.
There is, of course, another big factor
at play: music education. And here, things
are far from positive. The Ebacc is forcing
creative subjects such as music out of schools
at A-level and GCSE. According to a recent
study from Sussex University, there has
been a 23% drop in GCSE Music since
2010. Local authorities struggling under
austerity budgets are feeling forced to slash
music services and instrumental teaching;
in Scotland, more than 40% of instrumental
teachers have disappeared from local
authority music services in the past decade.
According to the Higher Education
Statistics Agency just 44% of students at the
Royal Academy of Music were educated at
state schools – the lowest percentage of any
higher education institution in the country.
The National Youth Orchestras of Great
Britain are working hard to increase the
proportion of members from state schools
and broaden their diversity and reach, with
some success – but still, the numbers suggest
that children from independent schools are
at a massive advantage in terms of training
and opportunities from the earliest age.
So, what do we do? I believe we must
continue to use some of the current rage and
urgency to fight back. Our artists, orchestras,
venues, and institutions cannot replace
baseline, week in, week out educational
56 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
provision – classes, instrumental lessons,
school bands, county youth orchestras.
But what we can do is prioritise being an
urgent force in the communities in which
we are based, be porous, open, welcoming,
and energetic enough to remind people
constantly that they do, indeed, need music.
I’d argue that it is precisely this openness,
this porousness and connectedness, which
revitalised the fortunes of British classical
music in the early 20th century after a couple
of centuries in the doldrums. We think that
the idea of the ‘citizen artist’ is a new one,
but I’d argue that British musicians such as
Vaughan Williams embodied that ideal over
a century ago.
Vaughan Williams was utterly committed
to the idea that music is for everyone – and
this affected what his music actually sounded
like and the way in which he conducted
his long life. As a young composer, he
went out into rural communities with his
friend Gustav Holst to gather and record
folk song before it was lost in the wake
of industrialisation; at the age of 24 he
contributed to a mass community music
project by editing the English Hymnal;
and, later in life, he set up a community
music festival near his home in Surrey,
and was involved in setting up the Arts
Council – arts for everyone – and the
National Youth Orchestra after the war.
And there are many other examples of
prominent musicians who believed that
internationally excellent art and a rootedness
in the community are not a contradiction
in terms: Gustav Holst, Michael Tippett,
Holst’s daughter Imogen, Benjamin Britten,
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies on Orkney and
most recently, James MacMillan’s Cumnock
Tryst in his hometown in Ayrshire, a post-
mining community with serious economic
challenges. All have made music urgent and
needed and useful.
At Southbank Centre, we are looking
at how to shape a programme that is even
more porous, inviting and involving; how
to harness that amazing sense that 3,000
people are actually breathing together –
what the Orpheus Choir called ‘Music and
Fellowship’. It has enormous power in a world
which is becoming ever more fractured and
overwhelming. So, what would happen if we
really took action based on the compelling
scientific evidence that music has measurable
effects on mental and physical health, and has
diversified the ways in which we make music
available to people? It can be tempting to
believe that there is one ‘proper’ way to serve
up classical music: a formal concert at 7.30pm.
The vast majority of money, resources, and
press attention are still focused on this one
way of delivering music. What would happen
if we had, say, as many concerts for children
– family concerts, school concerts, learning
projects – as for adults? What would happen
if we had short concerts for people not sure
if they liked classical music or not? What
would happen if we had more late-night,
contemporary performances for people who
want new, cutting edge music? What would
happen if a large proportion of our programme
was free and in public spaces? We need to
carve up our cultural life differently for the
21st century.
The most powerful way we can make
music useful to people is by ensuring that
they take part in it. It’s an idea with which I
think Vaughan Williams, and my dad, would
doubtless agree. And it’s a sentiment best
expressed by a child who took part in a mass
participation production of Bernstein’s Mass
with Marin Alsop at the Royal Festival Hall
last year when she said: ‘[Bernstein’s music]
makes me feel like I should be in this world
and I shouldn’t be left out’. That’s why we need
music, all kinds of it. That’s what art is. CM
Gillian Moore is director of music at Southbank Centre.
This is an abridged version of a lecture given at
Middlesex University in October 2018.
Gillian’s latest book, The Rite of Spring, will be
published by Head of Zeus on 10 January.
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 GUEST EDITOR VENUES
© HUFTON + CROW.

58 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019


Open doors
Ever since the performance of music moved out of
the salons and palaces into concert halls, these public
venues have continued to evolve, writes Susan Nickalls.
How do architects today ensure that these spaces are as
welcoming and inclusive as possible?
I
n the UK, millions of pounds are being
invested in improving existing halls to
meet the demands of 21st-century artists
and, especially, their audiences. For instance,
the recent £9m renovation of the Aberdeen
Music Hall has opened up more areas for
public and educational use and the ambitious
£48.8m redevelopment plans underway at
Bristol’s Colston Hall will see it transformed
into a world-class music venue with a new suite
of educational facilities.
In London last spring, the Southbank
Centre unveiled its £35m refurbishment of
the complex housing the Queen Elizabeth
Hall (QEH) and Purcell Room along with
the adjacent Hayward Gallery. The design of
these 1967 buildings reflects the post-war ideal
that people were entitled to a better world, and
Royal Festival Hall next door, built in 1951,
also had an influence.
Gillian Moore says this open approach
has created a wonderful civic space on the
South Bank, a rare thing in the capital
where space is so expensive and contested.
‘I’m interested in social architecture and
its effect on how people view arts and
culture, which is especially important at
Southbank Centre. The Festival Hall is the
only surviving building from the Festival
of Britain, built by the Attlee government
at the same time the NHS and the Arts
Council were created. The QEH and
Purcell Room were built later during the
brutalist era. I’m a a big fan of brutalism; the
architecture speaks of a modern world and a
belief in technology and people.’
Moore says that this ethos is embedded in
Queen Elizabeth Hall foyer
GUEST EDITOR VENUES
the design of the Festival Hall with its glass
façade and large volumes of public space;
two thirds compared to the one third for the
concert hall. ‘The public space makes people
feel welcome whether they’ve got a ticket or
not. They can see in and they’re invited in.’
As part of the Let the Light In campaign
for the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell
Room refurbishment, these public spaces are
now brighter and more welcoming. Richard
Battye, the project architect from Feilden Clegg
Bradley Studios, explains how removing the
heavy doors to the river-facing entrance to the
building’s café and replacing them with floor
to ceiling glass sliding doors has completely
opened up this area. ‘We reconfigured the bar
and softened the threshold with glass so people
can see in and out. It’s another way of getting
people walking past to come into the café and
then discover the whole arts centre behind.
You’re not obliged to buy anything; you can sit
there and relax all day.’
While the foyer has always been a
performance space, the existing lighting and
acoustics were not quite working. To make the
place feel warmer, the timber in the pyramid-
like triangles in the roof was replaced and
LED lighting strips were installed. This means
that the light colour and atmosphere can be
changed at the touch of an iPad, depending
on whether the foyer is used as a night club
or for a classical concert. And with all the
concrete, glass and the marble floor, Battye
points out that the foyer acoustic can be quite
hard, making it difficult to hear the person
next to you. So an acoustic cushion, in the
form of specially commissioned woven wool
cloth curtains designed by artist Giles Round,
now complements the mushroom pillars in
the foyer. ►
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 59
 GUEST EDITOR VENUES
© BEN HINES
‘An iconic symbol of the area’: Sage Gateshead
A large part of the project involved
restoring, cleaning and polishing what was
already there and removing lots of clutter,
says Battye. ‘Over the years there was a slow
process of adding things to make the spaces do
what they weren’t really built for. For instance,
the Purcell Room and Queen Elizabeth Hall
were designed for chamber concerts that
didn’t need a lot of lighting, but it was used for
everything from string quartets to Pink Floyd.
For their 1967 concert the band brought in
a quadrophonic sound system and a bubble
machine and were subsequently banned after
the daffodils they threw into the audience
stained the leather seats.’
In the QEH the two fixed lighting
bridges that were put up in the 1980s were
removed and a hole cut in the ceiling so that
appropriate lighting can be lowered down
to suit a specific performance. The stage has
also been widened, giving the hall scope to
put on theatrical performances and touring
contemporary dance shows. Battye was also
delighted to discover that 50 years on, the
acoustics in the hall were just as good. ‘The
halls have had a good hard life and survived
well. What we’ve done is to ready them
60 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
for the next 50 years of doing what no one
expects them to do.’
Moore likes to think that the original
architects of the venues would approve
of how the recent refurbishment has
opened up the spaces to even more people.
‘We’ve encouraged this through specific
interventions such as free programming and
art installations and by welcoming different
types of communities here. For instance, in
partnership with Grounded Ecotherapy, a
horticultural therapy project that works with
people who’ve experienced homelessness,
we have a roof garden on the QEH. We
also work with youth education groups in
our basement. I hope this generosity and
openness continues in the future so that
people can engage with music formally and
informally.’
These changing demands on space seem to
be a constant for busy arts venues. The Sage
Gateshead, designed by Norman Foster, was
built in 2004 and already managing director
Abigail Pogson is looking to make some
adjustments. As an iconic symbol of the area,
she says, the Sage attracts half a million people
every year and this footfall is why the building
has a much larger than usual concourse.
‘Our founding principles are excellence
and inclusion, so the building’s designed
like a town square and is a meeting point
for everyone who comes here. There are no
backstage canteen facilities, which pushes
artists out on to the concourse to get a coffee
or to have their lunch. So a musician from the
Royal Northern Sinfonia could be sitting next
to a mum and child in for an early years class.’
Pogson is keen to develop new audiences and
is increasingly programming free music on the
concourse during the day to encourage people
to connect with what’s going on at the Sage.
And she says that young people are the focus
of a new capital project, due for completion in
2019/20. ‘We’re putting more flexible seating
in the stalls of our big hall so they can be taken
out to create standing room for gigs. This
means we can programme different artists
to attract a younger audience. We’ll also be
installing large screens with digital content
across many of our walls that people will be
able to see from the Tyne Bridge.’
www.southbankcentre.co.uk
www.sagegateshead.com
 GUEST EDITOR VENUES

THE IMPACT CENTRE, EDINBURGH

After a 25-year search for a new home,

© DAVID CHIPPERFIELD ARCHITECTS

the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO)
is looking forward to moving into its
new purpose-built concert hall by
summer 2022. The Impact Centre
in St Andrew Square will be located
on the site originally earmarked for
a major public building by architect
James Craig as part of his 1766 plans
for Edinburgh’s New Town. Instead, a
private home was built for Lawrence
Dundas and later sold to the Royal
Bank of Scotland in 1825. The Impact
Centre will be built behind Dundas
House which will remain an operational
bank branch.
Designed by David Chipperfield
Architects, the building will have three
different entrances to its foyer, which
includes a large welcoming open café/
bar space for informal music events.
The 1,000-seat timber-lined arena-

© DAVID CHIPPERFIELD ARCHITECTS

shaped concert hall has three tiers
with a mechanised floor which can sink
down so the audience can sit on the
stage for more intimate concerts. In
the basement there will be a 200-seat
studio rehearsal and performance
space while the colonnade at the top of
the building will offer spectacular views
over Edinburgh.
Gavin Reid, chief executive of the
SCO, says that the whole building will
be a dynamic live performance area
and he is excited about the potential
for increased public engagement. ‘It
will create a new type of immersive and
inclusive experience for audiences.
There’s no sense of them and us. The
building will stretch our imaginations
and help everyone to grow artistically
and creatively. It will be one of those
places that spark a lifetime of wonder
for youngsters everywhere whether
they become professional artists or
audience members. And people will be
able to bump into world-class music-
making in a way they’re currently
unable to do in this city, so that’s a big
step forward.’ CM

www.impactscotland.org.uk

Artist’s impressions of the new hall

JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 61

 GUEST EDITOR AUDIENCES

From where I sit

Latest research offers a fascinating insight into classical concert audiences.
Chris Denton, executive director of audiences at Southbank Centre, argues for a
more collaborative approach in reaching them

towards late booking; increasingly up to ensembles, it’s perhaps understandable

© PETE WOODHEAD

25% of final concert sales happen in the
last week. And let’s be honest, there are
sometimes empty seats.
Ever more sophisticated data analysis
and detailed research gives us real insight
and clues about audiences’ buying
behaviour, their loyalty to individual
organisations and ensembles, motivations
to attend, and whether they will come
back, donate or recommend us to others.
At Southbank Centre we have an in-
house research team that produces and
shares detailed reports with our resident
and associate orchestras regarding
audience attendance, retention, crossover
and behaviour. We are also developing
 hris Denton: ‘There’s a real opportunity for
C a new bespoke audience segmentation
us to work as a collective’ model which will feed into future
programming by helping us to understand
where we over- or under-serve different
that individual promoters are keen to
access data to communicate with them.
GDPR has thrown up both legal and
technical challenges in achieving this –
some still to be resolved – but has also
presented an opportunity to rethink
radically. For too long the debate has been
about who owns the data, not what the
data is telling us.
The exceptionally high numbers of
people who opt out of any marketing
consent means the relatively small
amounts of data that is currently shared
with promoters does not paint a complete
picture for them, individually, to develop
meaningful audience development
strategies. With customers increasingly
savvy about their opt in/out rights –
and happy to exercise them – it will
continue to lose traction. And by opting

R
emember the heady days of
queues snaking around the Royal
Festival Hall, people eager to
secure their tickets to the just-announced
classical season? You may say those times
have gone, but don’t be fooled.
Despite years of naysayers proclaiming
its imminent demise with the passing of
older, traditional audiences, there has
never been so much classical music to
enjoy and audiences are still coming. In
the past five years, Southbank Centre
alone has sold more than a million tickets
to classical music concerts; Classic FM
has nearly six million listeners each
week (over one million aged under 35).
The trend towards seeking out live and
communal experiences as an antidote to
the isolation of an ‘always on’, ‘wired’
world plays to the strengths of what a
concert hall uniquely offers.
But there is certainly no room for
complacency. Getting people to attend
concerts isn’t easy and there is a trend
62 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
audience groups and by looking at key
factors such as loyalty, ticket pricing by
segment and propensity to donate.
What we’ve found doesn’t always make
for comfortable reading, especially when
it comes to ‘brand’ loyalty: only 7% of
audiences attend principally because
of who is playing whereas 66% attend
because of what is being performed,
regardless of by whom. There is clear
crossover between ensembles, orchestras
and series; 40% who may be newly
attending one orchestra will have attended
several others at Southbank Centre in the
past and the same percentage also return
to a classical event the following season,
though less than a quarter return to see a
concert by the same orchestra two years in
a row. Most also take full advantage of the
wealth of music on offer across the capital
and attend concerts at other venues
alongside Southbank Centre.
With classical concertgoers crossing
over more readily between orchestras and
out, they’re sending a clear message:
less is more. By bombarding them with
information there’s a danger that rather
than inform, we annoy and ultimately
alienate our audiences.
With research showing high crossover, I
believe that there’s a real opportunity for
us to work as a collective, sharing insights
and investment to develop common
audience development and retention
plans. Venues such as Southbank Centre
have a role and responsibility – obligation
even – to act as hubs of information
and investment and should play a role
in uniting their promoters and partners
around a common audience development
strategy. There’s more we can and will
do. It’s all part of an exciting new way of
thinking, in which cultural life is carved
up differently to reflect how we all live
our lives today.
Audience development strategies
must also be felt in the concert hall in
the way that concerts are presented, the

times they are staged and through lively
programming.
Orchestras and ensembles must work
as one to understand the audience
as a whole. Southbank Centre has
held workshops with our key classical
promoters and we are in agreement:
we need to collaborate more on a host
of new initiatives, whether it be the
development of a BAME diversity strategy
for audiences, artists and administrators;
the creation of generic campaigns;
GUEST EDITOR AUDIENCES
© TONY BIRCH
A Queen Elizabeth Hall audience for Chineke! and Anthony Parnther
shared investment in further attitudinal
research; a more joined up pricing and
discounting policy; a thorough review of
At the heart of this is
the programming mix; or exploration of
economies of scale and shared resources
listening to audiences;
in back end functions such as digital we ignore what they tell
content creation.
At the heart of this is listening to us at our peril
audiences; we ignore what they tell us at
our peril. If we are to maintain and grow
in the future, we need to work together
and take our lead from them. CM
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 63
GUEST EDITOR CLAIRE CHASE Q&A

‘Music implores us to
listen to each another
unconditionally’
Claire Chase, a featured artist in Southbank Centre’s new music festival SoundState,
has been pushing the possibilities of the flute both as a performer and curator. She is
founder of New York-based new music ensemble, ICE (International Contemporary
Ensemble). Gillian Moore asks the questions

Y
ou’re a leading curator of music in
New York and beyond. Has this
instinct always been with you?
For me, the instinct to create and to curate
is about bringing things together that I
love and want to share. You could say that
one is generative (creation) and the other is
responsive (curation), but for me they are
more porous than that. The act of making
something has never been separate in my
mind from the act of finding a place for it, and
that act has always been integral to the act of
finding places for things that my fellow artists
make. It’s more fun, more difficult – and far
more interesting – when we embrace our
interconnectivity.

Have you ever experienced any resistance to

the idea that a performer should have views
about what they and other people should
perform?
All the time. People have palpable resistance
to the idea of an artist – especially a female-
identified or queer artist – marching to the
beat of her own drum, calling her own shots.
I am used to that resistance, and I’ve come to
expect it, but it only strengthens my resolve to
use whatever platform I have to do the work
I need to do and to stand with others so that
they can do theirs. I like to follow the late,

‘How far can we push this instrument into

the future?’

64 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019


great Pauline Oliveros’ advice on resistance
and expectations. She said: ‘The best way
to deal with authority is to become one.’
She lived by this and she did it in a humble
and playfully subversive way, constantly
challenging herself and everyone around her
to reinvent themselves, to include more in
their listening and in their evolving practice
as artists, advocates and citizens.
Your Density 2036 Project is a huge,
longitudinal project of commissions, taking
its title from Varèse’s famous flute piece,
Density 21.5. Why did you want to do it and
what did you want to achieve?
Commissioning and creating new music
collaboratively with composers has been
the through line of my life’s work, and was
the impetus behind the formation of ICE
nearly 20 years ago, so in many ways Density
2036 is just an offshoot of that larger pull.
Considered that way, the project feels small,
like just one part of me. It’s one line of work
for one little tube of metal, centred around
one question: ‘How far can we push this
instrument – and the spirit that runs through
it – into the future?’ Varèse opened up a
whole world of possibility in four-and-a-half
minutes of music in 1936. What worlds can
we open through the lens of this little tube by
2036? I want each piece to be a spark-plug for
other pieces and other ideas, which is why it’s
very important to me that the project and the
repertoire inspire an emerging generation of
flutists, composers and audiences to imagine
and enable new densities.
Pan Project, a collaboration with Brazilian
composer Marios Balter, is another of your
long-term projects that we’re going to see at
SoundState. For this project you are inviting
non-professional musicians – in fact those
who have no musical experience – to join.
What’s the impetus for this, and what are
the challenges?
I grew up in community theatre and
community choral music, so the idea of
playing, singing and being on stage with
people who were ‘amateurs’ (I aspire to be
an amateur, one who plays for the love of it)
has always been part of me. Pan, which is a
collaboration between myself, Marcos Balter,
director Douglas Fitch, and producer Jane
M Saks of the Chicago-based social justice
organisation Project&, returns to the world
of community theatre and community
organising, a place where my heart has always
been. This time, though, I get to do it with a
flute in my hands. The work in its 90-minute
version is fully staged with an ensemble of
65 community members of many ages and
abilities – a kind of 21st-century Greek chorus
– onstage with me the entire time, playing
handheld instruments, reciting text in lingua
ignota (the 12th-century ‘unknown language’
of Hildegard of Bingen), chanting, singing,
and at one point hoisting Pan up into the air
as he tries to seduce the moon goddess Selene.
The version we’ll do in London is a concert
suite from the larger work, about 20 minutes
in length (and with minimal staging). For
this version I’m excited to work with 12-18
all-comers over two public sessions.
The impetus of the project – to bring people
together from different walks of life to tell a
multi-layered story through sound – is also
the challenge. And vice versa: the story, and
the music, come out of the complex human
community that is formed in the process of
attempting this chaotic, seemingly impossible
thing together. All of a sudden a group of
people who have never been onstage before
have memorised dozens of cues, are playing
complicated polyrhythms, singing confidently
in a centuries-old language, and effortlessly
playing nine-part harmonies. It’s a wild and
deeply rewarding journey.
You and Du Yun, who is also a featured
artist in SoundState, are right at the heart
of New York’s new music scene. It’s a scene
that I find hugely exciting at the moment.
What gives it its special energy?
I think that the special energy of New York
is generated by how uncompromisingly
hard everyone works, how restless and
unsettled the creative spirit is there. There are
certainly settled artists too, but I choose to
surround myself with the seekers of sensuous
dissonance, the ones who are pushing and
reinventing themselves and each other,
those who are constantly building more
intersectional communities for and with each
another. I am inspired daily by these people to
keep working harder. Du Yun is one of them.
And although he’s in Boston at the moment,
Vimbayi Kasiboni, who conducts Ensemble
Modern as part of SoundState, is one of them
too. I’m totally inspired by his advocacy of
African composers.
In this festival we haven’t had to look too
hard to find extraordinary musicians and
composers working all round the globe.
Does the global reach of new art music
surprise you, or is it the new norm?
GUEST EDITOR CLAIRE CHASE Q&A
There have always been extraordinary
artists and composers working all around
the globe in every era, but the establishment
has historically shone a light on a narrowly
defined and very privileged few of them.
That is changing, thankfully, but not fast
enough. We have to keep working to bring
underrepresented voices into spaces where they
can be heard, seen, and celebrated for who they
are, on their own terms. I’m not talking about
acting out of charity; I’m talking about acting
in solidarity. That’s a shift institutions still
have to make.
Music, more than any other act, implores
us to listen to each another unconditionally.
New music, and especially music by young
and as yet unheard voices, implores us to listen
through the unknown, through difference
and discord and the defiance of traditions
and the surrendering of deeply held beliefs.
I think this is what Hildegard of Bingen
meant when she said that ‘We cannot live in
an interpreted world…part of the terror is to
take back our listening, find our own voice,
see our own light.’ We have to do that for
ourselves as artists; but just as importantly, we
have to do that for each other, for the younger
generation, and for people that we don’t think
we understand.
Going back in time, which composer would
you like to have commissioned for your
Density project?
Hildegard! The raddest, fiercest, baddest-
ass, most hydra-headed chick of all. Can you
imagine what she would have done with a
contrabass flute? CM
Claire Chase in Pan Project
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 65
 GUEST EDITOR INTERNATIONAL COMPOSERS

Home and away

Jessica Duchen speaks to three composers whose careers have taken them away from
their countries of birth

W
ith the music world growing
ever more international,
many composers currently
rising to prominence have made their
homes in countries far from those where
they were born. This begs the question
of how a change of country affects their
music. But when I talked to three whose
music features at Southbank Centre’s
SoundState festival, it was soon obvious
that the answer is: not necessarily in the
way you might think.
Zeynep Gedizlioğlu was born in Izmir,
Turkey, grew up in Istanbul and travelled
to Germany to study in Saarbrücken. She
now lives in Berlin. Her Kesik (Cut) has
its UK premiere at SoundState with the
Ensemble Modern.
Dai Fujikura, from Osaka, Japan, came
to Britain aged 15 to attend school on a
music scholarship, and he still lives
in London. His flute concerto receives
its UK premiere during SoundState,
with soloist Claire Chase, for whom it
was written.
Du Yun is now resident in New York.
She was born in Shanghai and studied at
Oberlin and Harvard University. Her new
multimedia piece with the Palestinian
artist Khaled Jarrar, Where We Lost
Our Shadows, is being premiered during
SoundState.

ZEYNEP GEDİZLİOĞLU
My motivation in studying abroad was to
go away from my familiar environment
and have the chance to open my senses.
Saarbrücken was a perfect choice because
it was another world from Istanbul.
Everyone was asking me if I was
having a culture shock, coming suddenly
into Europe from a partly Islamist,
conservative country. Yes, I was having a ►
© ESAT TEKAND

Culture shock: Zeynep Gedizlioğlu

JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 67

 GUEST EDITOR INTERNATIONAL COMPOSERS
© MILENA MIHAYLOVA
‘The problem is the phantom image of “Japaneseness”’: Dai Fujikura
culture shock – but for a totally different
reason. I’d left a place that is dynamic
and crazy, a place full of contrasts, a city
in which the ultra-conservative used
to coexist next to extremely marginal
lifestyles, a very noisy place which you
cannot escape. The music of the city is all
around you and it just takes you. But in
Saarbrücken sometimes you can walk at
68 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
8pm or 9pm and be the only person on the
street. This was the real shock.
To live somewhere so quiet gave me the
chance to get deeper into myself and focus
on what I wanted to do as a composer. I was
pleased not to be in another crazy city where
I could have parties every week. Instead I
could take the train into France, listen to
the sounds, go home and enjoy the solitude.
All these experiences I’ve collected
I carry everywhere with me as a big
package. I still am very connected to
Istanbul because of my family and my
compositional activities. And Berlin has
a strong Mediterranean culture now –
sometimes it feels almost like a part of
Istanbul.
Moving to Germany has allowed me to
connect to my old spheres in a different,
very productive way. As things developed
and I had collaborations with ensembles
in Germany, France or Sweden, I also
started to receive commissions from
a symphony orchestra and new music
ensembles in Istanbul. From around 2006
to 2007, people and institutions in Turkey
saw that I’m a composer active in middle
Europe, working with, for instance, the
Arditti Quartet, Ensemble Recherche and
various international festivals. Since then
they have approached me not only as a
Turkish composer, but as an international
composer.
DAI FUJIKURA
Aged ten, I realised all the famous
composers I was learning about with
my strict Japanese piano teacher were
German. I wanted to be a composer and I
thought: ‘If I go to Germany I’ll become
a great composer!’ I could speak English,
but not German, so my parents suggested
I should go to school in England and
think about Germany after that. But
much later, when I looked at music
colleges there, they were shocked that I
was composing using five-line staves ... so
I stayed in the UK and studied here.
Believe it or not, I heard Japanese
traditional instruments for the first time
in Darmstadt! In Japan, subculture,
cartoons and animation are more popular
than traditional music. There’s this
fantasy that Japanese people are eating
sushi every day, doing Zen meditation and
going to Kabuki theatre. It’s not like this
at all. It’s so westernised.
The problem is the phantom image
of ‘Japaneseness’. When I was growing
up I wanted to be a composer, but I
wasn’t thinking I want to be a Japanese
composer. You can’t choose where you’re
born. I want my music to be borderless.
Therefore, when I see some kind of
‘triggering’ thing in the surface of my
music – gestures or motifs that suggest
Japanese influence – I take them out. If

people see stuff that is not western, that’s
fine, but I don’t want to do it deliberately.
And then there’s the ghost of Takemitsu.
I love Takemitsu, but I can’t use titles
involving ‘Rain’ or ‘Dream’…
The large flute is especially dangerous. If
I was French or Scandinavian it would be
‘beautiful’ or ‘airy’, but if I do it people say,
‘Oh, it’s a shakuhachi…’. They want to tell a
story – but it’s not my intention. Just because
of my name, my background and how I look,
I have to be careful of using a large flute!
DU YUN
I grew up in 1980s Shanghai. The door
had just opened a tiny bit after the
Cultural Revolution. I started piano when
I was four – and back then, if you played
the piano, it was not a hobby. In China
we don’t do hobbies very well! My parents
used the gold that my grandparents hid
from the Cultural Revolution to get me
GUEST EDITOR INTERNATIONAL COMPOSERS
the piano and lessons, so that I could have
more options than they had had.
The Shanghai Conservatory is extremely
rigorous – imagine Russian ballerina
training in a Juilliard School setting!
People thought the Beijing Olympics in
2008, the way it was so together, looked
‘fake’ – but actually, that’s how we do it.
You have to work hard. When you’re in a
country with such a massive population the
competition is fierce, and at that time there
was only one good music school.
My urge to go abroad to pursue a career
in composition came about because there
are many more live performances and I
don’t want to compose things I never get to
hear. I wanted to have more options. After
three years at Harvard I was eager to move
to New York. Here I never had a culture
shock because Shanghai has always been a
very metropolitan city. I’d have had more
cultural shock if I’d gone to Texas.
I remember coming to Paris and
London for the first time: when you hear
music you grew up with played live and
see the real paintings you’ve glimpsed
only in a book, it’s an amazing and tearful
experience. When you really see the layers
of the brushstrokes and the oil and the
shade… As an artist you need that visceral,
personal experience with a work of art,
whether a painting or a piece of music. At
high school I thought The Rite of Spring
was so cool. But when I heard it live in
New York, I was in tears, because you feel
the hair rising on the back of your neck.
That’s the moment you remember why
you made your choices in life.
Now I’m engaged in working with
a changing China and I have an active
position in Shanghai Conservatory. I want
to keep understanding my home country
and see what I can do with the knowledge
I have, to offer another perspective. CM
‘In China we don’t do hobbies very well!’: Du Yun
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 69
 GUEST EDITOR DONNERSTAG AUS LICHT

Light in the dark

Charlotte Gardner speaks to French conductor Maxime Pascal about the ‘life-changing’
Stockhausen opera he is bringing to London in May

‘I
don’t know whether you’ll like it or not,
but the one thing I am sure of is that
you will never have heard anything like
it. It’s impossible, because it’s so specific and so
strong and so new’.
Spoken by the young French conductor
Maxime Pascal, these words could be seen
as rather extraordinary in the context of
their being attached to an opera that first
premiered all the way back in 1981. However,
not when we’re talking about Stockhausen’s
monumental Donnerstag aus Licht, the fourth
opera of the seven-strong Licht cycle composed
between 1977 and 2003, which Pascal and his
Paris-based ensemble Le Balcon are bringing
to London’s Royal Festival Hall this May
for what will be its first hearing in the UK
since 1985, and the first instalment in their
ambitious project to perform the entire cycle
over the course of seven years.
Also not when you read the rave reviews
from this production’s first performances,
which took place in Paris last November. ‘It
really did have a strong impact on the audience
in Paris,’ Pascal confirms. ‘After the premiere it
sold out, because the experience was so strong
that people wanted to come a second time.’
For their three Paris dates Le Balcon were
joined by instrumentalists and the choir
of the Paris Conservatoire, but the two
London performances are instead a Franco-
Anglo collaboration featuring the London
Sinfonietta, the New London Chamber
Choir, and students from the Royal Academy
of Music; and when you consider exactly what
they are performing, you begin to realise why
it’s so very powerful.
Donnerstag aus Licht features just
three characters: the angel Michael, who
reincarnates as a human being and falls in
love with humanity; the fallen angel Lucifer,
who hates humans and thus is in permanent
conflict with Michael; and Michael’s
© MENG PHU

Rave reviews: Pascal conducts Le Balcon

70 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019


mother Eve. However, each character is then
played by a trinity of performers comprised
of a singer, an instrumentalist and a dancer,
all of whose movements Stockhausen has
scored himself, as intricately as the music,
using a language redolent of baroque
gesture. Emotionally this was an all-in
effort for Stockhausen too, because for
the story of Michael’s human youth he
chose his own: an intensely traumatic
second world war one, during which his
mentally unwell mother was taken away to
a psychiatric hospital and then killed by
Nazi doctors, and his father was lost on the
battlefield. Furthermore, Stockhausen’s
original performers were his own family;
for instance it was his son, Markus
Stockhausen, who played the trumpet part
attached to Michael.
So it’s quite the undertaking on every
level. But for Pascal and Le Balcon –
who, incidentally, have been regularly
programming Stockhausen since forming in
their student days in 2007 – the fact that this
work was so intimately personal has actually
proved an advantage. ‘When the work has
been written for a person and they’re not
here, there’s space to have a whole new
person coming with all his history’, says
Pascal. ‘So playing this music with our own
musical family, it becomes kind of the story
of what we are; both what we are with Le
Balcon and individually’.
GUEST EDITOR DONNERSTAG AUS LICHT
Pascal also believes that the current
generation of the listening public is
particularly well placed to connect to the
work. ‘Stockhausen’s works, and especially
Licht, were absolutely not conceived for the
20th century’, he says. ‘It was the century of
entertainment and cultural consumption,
whereas by contrast we’re now living in
times when it’s not about just buying a ticket
and consuming; the idea of what it is to
listen deeply to music. People are also more
interested in how to coexist with one another
and with nature, and these are exactly the
kinds of people and ears this work is really
written for.’
To zero in on exactly why the overall
experience is so strong, though, Pascal believes
it’s the musical language itself. ‘When you
meet someone you’ve never seen before, your
brain changes so you can then recognise that
person again’, he explains. ‘Stockhausen knew
that. So, believing that music transforms
people, he wrote in such a way that you’re
always hearing something you’ve never heard
before. So you won’t be the same afterwards,
meaning that although we haven’t actually
put on the programme, “This music will
change your lives”, that is in fact the point.
This music genuinely has changed my life,
and our lives as a company. As interpreters,
but also as listeners’.
Beyond the actual language, the other
thing that will strike you forcefully if you go
is the sheer human feat being performed by
Le Balcon’s instrumental soloists, because
they are onstage all the time, requiring the
memorisation of literally hours of music
and physical movement. Plus, the means by
which they have conquered this has been both
ingenious, and educationally philanthropic
to a degree that Stockhausen himself would
surely have approved of.
‘It can’t be done in the usual number of
opera rehearsals’, says Pascal. ‘It needs to be
played 30 or 40 times. So we took it into
schools, which was wonderful! It prepared us,
and the kids loved the music’.
Still, delivering such harrowing subject
matter to kids? Well yes, because for Pascal
the ultimate feel of Donnerstag aus Licht is far
warmer than you might anticipate.
‘It’s important to know that Licht comes
from tragedy’, he says. ‘After all, the first
scene of the entire cycle is of a child losing
his mother. However it’s also a very romantic
thing. For example, the music of Beethoven’s
sixth symphony isn’t describing the water and
birds themselves but what we feel as humans
when we hear them, and with Stockhausen
it’s the same. It’s the point of view of a 20th-
century German composer in love with
humanity, which is a wonderful point of view
to listen to. There is a lot of joy’.
So, joy from tragedy. Something
which is surely worth going along to be
transformed by. CM
Joy from tragedy: Donnerstag aus Licht
© MENG PHU
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 71
 GUEST EDITOR MARK-ANTHONY TURNAGE
A class act
Mark-Anthony Turnage’s path to celebrated composer was not an obvious one given
his working-class background. But when he was growing up, he says, classical music
was simply a part of life
© PHILIP GATWARD
‘Music doesn’t have to be an elitist thing’: Mark-Anthony Turnage
I
grew up in urban Essex. No one in my
family was a classical musician, but we
had a piano in the house. This wasn’t
uncommon for working-class people in the East
End of London, many of whom moved out to
Thurrock and Grays, where I lived. My mother
was in an Essex brass band, part of the region’s
lesser known musical heritage, as was her father,
and she was crazy about Beethoven. She took
me to hear his music at the Proms when I was
nine and it made a big impression on me.
Nobody else in my family was particularly
interested in music, but they were religious,
so I played the organ at a church and a few
key people around town encouraged me;
for example, I had an inspired sixth form
music teacher. If this seems slightly random,
it was, but the point is that in various forms,
music was very much around and available.
When I was still a young child I would go to
Westminster Music Library seeking out scores
of Berio, Boulez, and Stockhausen; and there
were scores by Richard Rodney Bennett in my
local library in Essex! Classical music culture
was more ‘in the air’ when I was growing up
than it is now: for example, BBC One showed
Benjamin Britten’s 50th birthday; and when
Dudley Moore did his impersonation of Peter
72 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
Pears singing the spoof ‘Little Miss Britten’ on
television it was assumed that people would
get the joke. Could this happen now, in the X
Factor era, I wonder?
Music became my life, and I’m lucky to have
my work performed worldwide. But I’ve never
felt entirely comfortable in the classical music
world. The playwright Dennis Potter, who
followed an uneasy route from his working-
class Forest of Dean roots, through grammar
school to Oxford, expressed this feeling of
being caught between two worlds, and the
sense of not fitting easily into either.
When I was studying composition at the
Royal College of Music, there were a few of
‘us’: I had a friend whose dad was a roofer,
and quite a few others from very ordinary
backgrounds like mine. None of us was very
confident, because of our accents and because
we didn’t feel like we had the tools to be able
to deal with people; it seemed to us that other
students were more confident and exuded
a sense of entitlement. Some might argue
that I have benefited from my ‘difference’. In
many ways it has made me stand out, and also
helped focus my musical lens and I have had
success, fulfilled my childhood aspiration to
compose. But I have been followed by a feeling
that there’s still a ‘code’ and I don’t always
understand it, even now. When you get away
from Britain, attitudes are different: even
when I was a student, Hans Werner Henze
always treated me like a peer.
I’d like to say that things are different
now, but I’m not sure this is the case. The
demographic breakdown of entrants to music
colleges speaks volumes and, in my own
experience of hearing auditions, those by
young musicians from ordinary state schools
like mine are too often overshadowed by a
heart-breaking lack of confidence. This really
shouldn’t be happening.
Music doesn’t have to be an elitist thing –
writing music, listening to music or taking
part in music. Concerts must welcome
everyone. Musicians: go into schools, play,
perform, make music with young people.
Government: don’t put non-creative subjects
on the ‘and also’ list – they’re essential.
Let’s normalise things, so that music is
simply ‘around’ everyone, of any class, any
background and any race, like it was for me.
I don’t think I’m alone in this view and many
people and organisations are doing a great job
of changing things. I really admire the work of
London Music Masters, Holland Park Opera,
Music in Prisons, among others. The work that
I have done in prisons has been amongst my
best and most emotionally involving. Working
on a project with the London Sinfonietta in
Wormwood Scrubs I met a life prisoner who
grew up near me, who knew people at my
school. This brings everything home to you. I
was lucky. And some of it really is down to luck:
you have to have parents who believe in you,
and you’d hope that they have a network that
offers a way out, and an enlightened teacher or
two. But something more systemic needs to be
there too: a good state education that opens up
possibilities and tells you that you have as much
right to the arts as anybody. Of course, you have
to fight a bit as well; my discouragement made
me fight harder and I’ll keep battling until the
field is levelled. CM
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22 January - 26 November 2019

Gould Piano Trio & Robert Plane The Complete Beethoven Piano Trios: Concert III
Tuesday 22 January, 7.30pm Tuesday 12 November, 7pm
The Complete Beethoven Violin Sonatas: Concert I Aquarelle Guitar Quartet
Wednesday 6 February, 7pm Tuesday 19 November, 7.30pm
The Complete Beethoven Violin Sonatas: Concert II Fitzwilliam Quartet
Tuesday 5 March, 7pm Tuesday 26 November, 7.30pm
Guy Johnston and Tom Poster
Wednesday 6 March, 7.30pm
This Woman’s Work
Friday 8 March, 7.30pm
The Complete Beethoven Violin Sonatas: Concert III
Thursday 4 April, 7pm
Victoria String Quartet with Elliot Gresty
Wednesday 15 May, 7.30pm
Castalian Quartet with Gabriella Swallow
Wednesday 12 June, 7.30pm
The Complete Beethoven Piano Trios: Concert I
Tuesday 17 September, 7pm
The Complete Beethoven Piano Trios: Concert II
Tuesday 1 October, 7pm
Brodsky Quartet with Martin Roscoe Discounts are available when you book multiple events
Thursday 10 October, 7.30pm within a single season - see website for full details.
© TOM BARNES

These polish things
Jennifer Pike’s latest disc is an exploration of Polish music and character, and a celebration
of the violinist’s own identity in the wake of the Brexit vote. She speaks to Toby Deller
A
recording titled The Polish Violin
might not seem like a minor act of
defiance or revenge. But Jennifer
Pike’s latest release was born in the aftermath
of the 2016 EU referendum. While the vote
had particular significance for many musicians
in its threat to the unconditional right to work
in Europe and collaborate with European
colleagues, there’s a further piquancy for Pike:
she herself is half Polish.
‘If I’m really honest I was devastated by the
news in 2016. The world sort of turned upside
down a little bit just because of having Polish
relatives abroad and the fact that my parents
had gone through so much difficulty with
borders. They were married and then were
separated because of martial law [in Poland].
My dad didn’t hear anything from my mum
for six months apart from the odd word that
was smuggled through in diplomatic pouches.
So there was that sense of boundaries and
walls and all of that. And I was born the day
the Berlin wall came down!’
Hence the sense of defiance. ‘For a time I
was rebelling against my English side – for a
few months, I would say,’ she recalls. ‘I had to
play Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending
on the day after the referendum and I thought
to myself: how do I feel about playing this?
I don’t know if I can. Go on stage and feel
this music, which is so wonderful and is so
important to me: how can I perform it in this
context? But of course, I shook myself up and
said: this has nothing to do with it.’
Conversely, she resolved to discover more
about her Polish heritage, and Polish violin
repertoire specifically. Perhaps because it was
something that had been on her mind for
some time anyway, this response has been
more enduring, with her record company on
hand to capture the results.
‘I think Chandos were delighted because
they very much like Polish music and have
always wanted to do this; they’ve already put
‘Celebrating Polish culture at a time when it
has been misunderstood’: Jennifer Pike
out lots of Bacewicz and composers like that.
So they were the ideal company to work with.’
‘It’s really been a way of celebrating Polish
culture, especially at a time when maybe it has
been misunderstood.’
She describes this atmosphere of
misunderstanding, typified by ‘slurs about
hearing the Polish language on the train,
stuff like that’, as ‘upsetting, when there’s
such a rich culture in Poland of music, art
and ideas and you don’t hear of those things’.
The Polish Violin is one way of bringing our
attention to it, although she stresses, ‘I don’t
ever go on stage feeling I’m doing something
to manipulate. I only think I’m there to be
of service, in a way, to heal. I feel music is a
healing thing rather than anything else in
times of political upheaval.’
Her account, with pianist Petr Limonov,
pivots around the emergence of Szymanovski
into a romantic, virtuoso tradition embodied
on the disc by three other composers. ‘I
felt that the Wieniawski, Moszkowski and
Karłowicz – especially Karłowicz – are part
of a world that still feels that it’s looking back.
And with Szymanowski you feel the presence
of these composers and then he branches out
and looks forward. Of course you could do it
the other way and start with the Mythes and
have other more modern composers taking
things forward.’
That accounts for the lack of the likes of
Bacewicz, Penderecki and Lutosławski on
this particular survey. But Pike insists that
the Mythes, headily rhapsodic pieces that
Szymanowski wrote in 1921, are contrast
enough. Does Szymanowski’s forward-
looking music give up its secrets readily to
the performer? ‘Oh no, it’s a long journey.
Especially with the Mythes. The third
especially is a real challenge for the audience
and the performers. It’s kind of intangible, this
mystical world which is very hard to uncover
so when you come to look at this for the first
time it’s like another language. It’s fascinating
to look at the score – I want to show people
what it looks like because it’s just fantastic,
STRINGS FOCUS JENNIFER PIKE
kind of like his pen has stopped working and
he’s scattered these ink blots on the page.’
Pike has a particular soft spot for
(Mieczysław) Karłowicz, partly because he
died in an accident in the Tatra Mountains
that she knew from childhood visits to the
region. ‘Discovering Karłowicz, the Symphonic
Poems and all this other music, through this
Impromptu (a new discovery for me), I was
blown away. I think he should really be better
known. It’s so tragic that he isn’t – a lot of his
music was lost in world war two and he was
only 32 when he died. He was a lover of skiing
and taking pictures of the mountains. It’s an
almost Elgarian piece.’
What has she discovered of the Polish
characteristics of the music on the disc? ‘It’s
very intense; the Polish character is very
serious but yet there are moments of real
nostalgia or melancholy – they have this
word żal that is quite difficult to translate. It’s
kind of a deep melancholy and sorrow, which
permeates this disc. A lot of it is virtuoso
writing, really at the forefront of violin
playing. Polish music always has been: you
have these great figures like Wieniawski really
pushing the boundaries of violin technique.
And then, from a musical point of view, it’s
just very dark. There’s this history, of course,
of suffering in the country so I feel that very
much in the art and music.’ CM
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 75
 STRINGS FOCUS CATRIN FINCH

Harp of gold
Internationally acclaimed harpist Catrin Finch, one of the most talented players of
her generation, shares her passion for all things harp with Classical Music

T
he first time I came across a concert
Catrin Finch has performed with the world’s top orchestras and pushed the harp was in February 1986 when
boundaries of her instrument and its repertoire with her cross-genre collaborations I went to hear the Spanish harpist
writes Susan Nickalls. The award-winning musician is also an arranger, composer, Marisa Robles in Lampeter, near to where I
teacher and no stranger to firsts: at the age of ten she was the youngest member grew up on the west coast of Wales. She had
of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain to play at the Proms and the first a fabulous gilded harp and was a flamboyant
person in over 200 years to be appointed as harpist to HRH The Prince of Wales. and inspirational character. I was five years
She is also a visiting professor at the Royal Academy of Music, and the Royal Welsh old and it’s something I’ll never forget. I’d
Academy of Music & Drama, and is spearheading the 2020 World Harp Congress already started piano lessons at the age of
in Cardiff. four and I fell in love with the sound of the
harp. She was signing tapes at the end of the
concert so I went up to her and said, ‘I’m
going to be a harpist when I grow up.’
A few months later for my sixth birthday
my parents rented a small lever harp and I
started having lessons with a local teacher,
Delyth Evans in Aberystwyth. I quickly
progressed to an old Erard pedal harp a
year later and from the age of eight I had
lessons with Elinor Bennett in Carnaevron.
I was with her until I was 16 years old. It
was a two-and-a-half hour round trip from
where we were and my parents made that
journey once a fortnight. I went through the
associated board exams and passed Grade
8 at the age of nine. Once you finish your
grades you have to do other things to push
you forward so I gave performances and
took part in quite a lot of competitions like
the Wales Eisteddfod.
I was also a member of the National
Children’s Orchestra for a year and the
National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain
(NYO) for six years. It was a big part
of what I did when I was younger and I
looked forward to the NYO courses. Every
Christmas, Easter and in the summer
holidays I went on a residential course
somewhere with other young musicians.
Being a harpist was something I’d always
had in my mind since the day I started playing.
I had a lot of potential and showed signs of
© RHYS FRAMPTON

being serious about it from a young age. It’s

Royal connections: Catrin Finch

76 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019

 STRINGS FOCUS CATRIN FINCH

a big investment for parents both in terms of

time and money. The big step is when you
go from paying a few thousand pounds for a
start-up harp to having to find £20,000 for a
concert harp. My parents had to re-mortgage
the house and change the family car. If you
take that step as a parent, you have to think
your child is serious about it. But I’d say to
anyone thinking about playing the harp, don’t
be put off by the size of the instrument or the
initial expense. The main thing is to enjoy
it. There’s fantastic repertoire for solo harp
by composers like Marcel Grandjany, Carlos
Salzedo and Elias Parish Alvars.
The repertoire I play has changed a lot in
the last five or six years. I started off down
the classical route but I’ve always been
drawn to improvisation and took course
at the jazz department when I was at the
academy. Shortly after I graduated, I did a
project with a Columbian band, Cimarrón,
which sparked my enthusiasm for harp-
led joroppo music. The South American
harps are smaller than the classical harp
and the singing and dancing style of the
music is very upbeat and rhythmic. In places
like Columbia and Venezuela where this
music comes from, cowboys carry harps on
their backs so the music often depicts the
galloping horses.
I was in my third year at the Royal
Academy of Music when I was asked to be
harpist to HRH The Prince of Wales. For
the millennium, the royal family decided
to re-establish this dormant tradition – the
last harpist was in the 1870s in the time of
Queen Victoria. It was a fantastic experience
and a great privilege as I got to witness some
wonderful events. Over the four years I led a
bit of a double life, playing for the Prince of
Wales then going back to my bedsit flat in
Willesden Green to study.
I’m gradually playing less classical
music now, but I like to keep lots of
doors open and get involved in different ‘My parents had to re-mortgage the house and change the family car’
things. Five years ago I started working
with the Senegalese kora player Seckou
Keita. (The kora is an African harp.) My There are always new projects brewing, career. With two young children, sometimes
projects with Seckou account for 75% for instance Seckou and I are looking to the travelling can be difficult so composing
of what I do. The way we come up with work with percussionist Evelyn Glennie. is something I can do closer to home.
the pieces is by playing around in sound I’m also the artistic director of Cardiff ’s Neither of my children has shown signs
checks, taking influences from folk music World Harp Congress in July 2020 so of wanting to play the harp, which I’m
and improvisation. You never know what I’ll be spending the next year and a half not particularly upset about, but they can
direction the piece is going to take, one of putting that together. I’d like to do a bit both tinkle around on the piano. Their
us could introduce an idea and spur the more composing over the next few years. grandmother is a harpist as well, so perhaps
other one on. Then before you know the I’ve always improvised, but I’ve really only two generations of harpists is enough. CM
music’s gone in a difference direction. I started writing in the last ten years. It’s still
find that liberating and exciting. very much a side line to my performing www.catrinfinch.com

JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 77

 STRINGS FOCUS HARP RESOURCES
Hiring a harp
The sky’s the limit when it comes to the cost of new pedal harps. Many harpists,
therefore, may opt to hire for a performance. Ben Morley from Morley Harps
explains what to look out for
© MILART
‘Harpists, like pianists, need to be flexible’
H
iring pedal harps is never
that straightforward. Most
orchestral harpists will want a
concert grand size pedal harp, one with
WHERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE HARP AND THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THEM
XXUK Harp Association:
www.ukharp.net and @UKHA
XXUKHA brings together those interested
in the harp, including amateur and
professional players, teachers and
business
XXThe World Harp Congress:
www.worldharpcongress.com and
www.whc2020wales.com
78 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
47 strings and an extended soundboard.
New prices for such instruments range
from around £12,000 to, say, £35,000
and upwards. We often get calls from
XXHeld once every three years, the
World Harp Congress features
concerts, workshops, seminars and
exhibitions, with the aim of promoting
exchange of ideas and encouraging
the composition of new music for
harp
XXThe next congress will take place in
Cardiff in 2020
orchestras and tour agents, who will on
behalf of an overseas harpist try to rent
a particular harp model – say a Lyon &
Healy Style 23, which new are £32,500.
The reality is that there are probably
only one to three of these harps new and
available in Europe at any time, as the
lead times for manufacture are about six
to nine months. So harpists, like pianists,
need to be a bit more flexible and accept
that their number one choice of harp
brand or model of harp can’t always
be hired.
Most harp shops won’t want to rent a
brand new harp out – or the hirer won’t
want to pay the hire cost, which would
need to account for depreciation. So
often what happens is a shop will rent
out an older harp – which might not be
representative of the new harps available
today. The problem is harder for overseas
harpists; most UK harpists will use their
own instrument.
Some firms like ours do rent pedal
harps, but if we can hire them out long
term because there is demand, then
they are not available to have ready for
occasional short term hire. Then hard
transport cases are required – these are
very heavy and awkward to move – but do
protect the harp when on the road. CM
Buying, selling or hiring a harp
XXSalvi Harps – www.salviharps.com
XXPilgrim Harps –
www.pilgrimharps.co.uk
XXMorley Harps –
www.morleyharps.co.uk
XXAffairs of the Harp –
www.affairsoftheharp.com
XXTelynau Vining harps – @TelynauVining
A major second.
We already set the standard for violin. Now, advancing viola students can
take their sound to the next level with the sophisticated tone and unbeatable
pitch stability that only Ascenté offers. Our strings are made with a synthetic
core designed to elevate the sound of any progressing player – plus Ascenté’s
superior durability means they can focus their energy on learning. Sure we’ve
done something like this before, but for violists? It’s a brand new day.

SCO and St Mary’s Music School
launch free String Academy
© DOROMIR-TSENOV-CROP
‘Well-deserved’ win: Edward Leung and Usha Kapoor
T he Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO)
and St Mary’s Music School have
announced a new partnership programme
for young string players in and around
Edinburgh.
SCO String Academy is a free initiative for
young musicians who play violin, viola, cello
or double bass and have reached Grade 6.
The young musicians will work alongside
SCO musicians to develop their technique,
musicianship and orchestral playing.
Additionally, participants will have
opportunities to develop social confidence,
teamwork, and communication skills.
SCO chief executive Gavin Reid said:
Royal College of Music announces
string quartet fellowship
T he Royal College of Music (RCM)
has announced a new string quartet
fellowship, funded by the late businessman
Albert Frost.
The one-year fellowship will provide
the quartet with ensemble coaching and
mentoring from the college’s professors,
and a performance profile at RCM. They
will also have full use of RCM resources,
including practice rooms, the library, and
the Creative Careers Centre, which provides
a professional development service.
RCM head of strings Mark Messenger
said that the initiative will provide ‘an
inspirational and creative home for
‘Scottish government figures show that
creative industries contribute more than
£4bn to the Scottish economy every year.
The range of skills that young people
develop through orchestral playing are
crucial transferable skills for their future.
‘SCO String Academy will be a fantastic
way to support successful learning, develop
confidence, and give participants the
opportunity to contribute to high-quality
ensemble performance.’
The first project takes place in Edinburgh in March
2019. Young musicians are encouraged to sign up
at www.sco.org.uk/stringacademy
the next generation of string quartets.
They will greatly benefit from the Royal
College of Music’s world-renowned
coaching, mentoring and performance
opportunities.
‘The quartet will also enjoy membership
of the RCM’s global community of
musicians, which offers the chance to
engage with diverse interpretations and
experiences of the repertoire.’
The closing date for applications is
4 February 2019.
For more information visit www.rcm.ac.uk/
fellowships
STRINGS FOCUS NEWS
Kapoor-Leung
duo wins
inaugural
Birmingham
Chamber Music
Competition
V iolinist Usha Kapoor and pianist
Edward Leung, both from the United
States, have won the first Birmingham
International Piano Chamber Music
Competition.
Performing works by Mozart, Adams
and Saint-Saëns, the duo fought off
competition to win the top prize,
which includes £4,000 prize money,
a commercial recording with Resonus
Classics, and professional engagements
at Wigmore Hall, Winchester Chamber
Music Festival, Ulverston Festival and
Chamber Circle in Brussels.
The jury comprised of Resonus Classics
founder Adam Binks; pianists Katya
Apekisheva, Daniel Tong and John
Thwaites; violinist Michael Gurevich;
violist Robin Ireland; and cellists Alice
Neary and Christoph Richter.
Daniel Tong, head of piano
chamber music at Royal Birmingham
Conservatoire, said: ‘Chamber music is
a multi-layered medium, in the wealth
and depth of its repertoire as well as the
skills and characteristics required to
realise it.
‘It is music for sharing, both with one’s
performing colleagues and the audience,
and is therefore somewhat confessional.
It is open to wide-ranging interpretation,
despite being put together by composers
with great intellectual rigour.
‘The jury were delighted that Usha
and Edward won the competition and it
was extremely well deserved. The music-
making in the festival generally was of an
extraordinary standard, both from the
young artists and the professional guests
in the evenings.’
The organisers hope to host the next
edition in 2021.
www.bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire/music
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 81
STRINGS FOCUS LISTINGS
MODERN INSTRUMENT MAKERS
Aitchison & Mnatzaganian 7 Cambridge
Rd, Ely, Cambridgeshire CB7 4HJ t: 01353
668559 e: info@aitchisoncellos.com w: www.
aitchisoncellos.com. Robin Aitchison,
proprietor; Sarah Mnatzaganian, customer
contact. Vc specialists, baroque, classical and
modern vcs made to commission. Guadagnini
specialists. Stock of fine vcs and bows.
Appointment needed.
Aitchison & Mnatzaganian Cello Specialists
7 Cambridge Rd, Ely CB7 4HJ t: 01353
668559 e: sarah@aitchisoncellos.com
w: www.aitchisoncellos.com. Robin Aitchison,
prop; Sarah Mnatzaganian, customer contact.
Vc specialists: experts in set up, makers
of close copies of classical vcs made to
commission. Stock of fine vcs and bows.
Appointment needed.
Andrew Hooker Violins Christchurch House,
Rode Hill, Bath, Somerset BA11 6PS t: 01373
831464 e: andrewhooker@aviolin.com
w: www.aviolin.com. Andrew Hooker, prop.
Vn, va, vc and bow makers and restorers.
Appointment needed.
Andrew McGill Bowmaker 47 Station Road,
Cropredy, Oxfordshire OX17 1PT t: 01295
750255 f: 01295 750153 e: andrew@
bowmakermcgill.co.uk w: www.
bowmakermcgill.co.uk. Rehairs, repairs and
new modern bows. Appointment needed.
Anthony Nickolds Violins 29–30 High St,
Wall Heath, Kingswinford, West Midlands
DY6 0HB t: 01384 277866 e: info@
anthonynickoldsviolins.co.uk w: www.
anthonynickoldsviolins.co.uk. Anthony
Nickolds, luthier. Violin, viola and cello maker
and repairer since 1981. A range of antique
violins always available. Bow repairs and
sales. All accessories stocked. Valuations and
appraisals. Stock of old and new vlns, vlas and
cello. Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 9am-2.30pm. No
appointment needed.
Ardival Harps Ltd Orchard House, Castle
Leod, Strathpeffer, Ross-shire, Scotland
IV14 9AA t: 01997 421260 e: info@ardival.
com w: www.ardival.com. Bill Taylor. Historical
and traditional Scottish hps. Appointment
needed.
Ball, Howard The Hunters, The Green,
Hartest, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP29 4DH
t: 01284 830223; 07957 218236 w: www.
howardballbowmaker.co.uk. Bowmaker.
Repairs and rehairing. No appointment
needed.
Bassix 155 Chestfield Rd, Chestfield,
Whitstable, Kent CT5 3LR t: 01227 791640;
07703 649531 e: info@bassix.net w: www.
bassix.net. Alan Hatswell. Makers of electric
upright basses and carbon fibre composite
acoustic basses. Bass accs suppliers.
Tel enquiries 7 days a week before 9pm.
Appointment needed.
Batchelar, Timothy 28 Colbert Drive,
Leicester LE3 2JB t: 0116 289 9798; 07710
204303 e: tim@batchelar.com w: www.
batchelar.com. Dealer, restorer and maker
of stringed insts of the vn family. Accredited
82 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
Fellow of the Institute of Musical Instrument
Technology, also MIA member and MMA
corporate member. No appointment needed.
Beare & Son Ltd Unit 18 Tavistock Place,
Tavistock Street, Dunstable, Bedfordshire
LU6 1NE t: 01585 477130, also fax
e: beares1@btconnect.com w: www.
beareandson.co.uk. Mark Hutchinson. Vns,
vas, vcs and dbs; bows, cases, strs, fittings
and accs. Also manufacturers and wholesalers
of Beares-Tertis vas and Michael Poller insts.
Bow rehair/repair. Insurance valuations.
Open Mon-Fri 9.30–5.30, weekends by
appointment. Appointment needed.
Beecher Acoustics Ltd Oxford Violin Makers
and Dealers 1 Quarry High St, Headington
Quarry, Oxford OX3 8JT t: 01865 762287
f: 01865 767954 e: info@beecheracoustics.
com w: www.beecheracoustics.com. Sarah
Porter, admin. Vn makers, restorers, dealers,
consultants. Tone production specialists.
Insts bought and sold, bowmaking, sales and
repairs. Appointment needed.
Bennardo, Marion The Workshop, Stuc-An-
T-Sagairt, Balmaha Rd, Drymen, Glasgow
G63 0HY t: 01360 661243; 07940 079
519 e: info@mondocellos.co.uk w: www.
mondocellos.co.uk. Hand-made vns, vas and
vcs. Set-ups and adjustments. Appointment
needed.
Besson, Yann 31 Evershot Rd, London
N4 3DG t: 07760 358627 e: contact@
yannbesson.com w: www.yannbesson.com.
Maker of vns and vas. Appointment needed.
Bishop Instruments & Bows 2 Hinde Street,
London W1K 5QU t: 0207 4875682; 07905
344220 e: sean@bishopstrings.com; melody@
bishopstrings.com w: www.bishopstrings.com.
Sean Bishop, dir; Melody-Jane Greene, Admin.
Vns, vas, vcs and bows sold; new and antique.
Appointment needed.
Blackburn Stringed Instruments 75
Harrington Gdns, London SW7 4JZ t: 020
7373 2474 f: 020 7373 5141 e: tom@
londonviolins.co.uk w: www.londonviolins.
co.uk. Tom Blackburn. Buying and selling of str
insts; valuation and restoration. Appointment
needed.
Blackheath Violin Workshop 26 Tranquil Vale,
Blackheath, London SE3 0AK t: 020 8318
0738; 07751 220301 e: shakespeare11@
tiscali.co.uk w: www.michaelshakespeare.
com. M Shakespeare, prop. Vns made on
commission for professional and student
musicians. Comprehensive repair and
restoration service, bow rehairs, insurance
valuations, insts bought and sold, some accs
available. No appointment needed.
Boardman, Peter 33a Hogstown Rd,
Donaghadee, Co Down BT21 0NH t: 028 9188
3474 e: boardmanviolins@googlemail.com
w: www.peterboardmanviolinmaker.co.uk. Vns,
vas, vcs. Appointment needed.
Bowstrings 37 Gayton House, Chiltern Road,
Bow, London E3 4BX t: 020 7987 0275.
e: dineshdave@hotmail.co.uk. Violin family of
instruments made and repaired. Bow rehairs.
Bridgewood & Neitzert ltd 146 Stoke
Newington Church Street, London
N16 0JU t: 020 7249 9398 f: 020
7275 9330 e: bridgewoodandneitzert@
gmail.com; violinsbn@gmail.com
w: bridgewoodandneitzert.london/. Gary
Bridgewood. Expert restoration led by a
passion and dedication for sound. One of
the UK’s leading violin dealers, restorers and
makers offering a complete service to all
string players from student to professional,
running a large scale repair and restoration
workshop operating to the most exacting and
precise standards. Bridgewood & Neitzert Ltd
was founded in 1982; their passion, expertise
and knowledge have served many musicians
in achieving optimal sound and satisfaction
that their instruments are cared for by gifted
craftsmen/musicians.
Bruce I Brook (Luthier) 1 Highview Close,
Windmill Hill, Herstmonceux, East Sussex
t: 01323 832979 e: bruce@brucebrook.
co.uk w: www.brucebrook.co.uk. Maker of
lute, orpharions, bandora, baroque guitars,
theorbos, citterns etc; also maker of lute,
guitar, and viol tuning pegs. Appointment
needed.
Carbow LNM – Carbow, 6 Avenue de Saint-Just
13004 MARSEILLE t: +33 (0) 953 453 781
e: info@carbow.com w: www.carbow.com.
Carbon fibre bows. No appointment needed.
Chris Johnson Violins 12 Flaxland Crescent,
Sileby, Loughborough, Leicestershire
LE12 7SB t: 015098 16023 e: violincraft@
gmail.com w: www.chrisjohnsonviolins.co.uk/
chris-johnson.html. Chris Johnson. Violin, viola
and cello maker. Also supplies student outfits.
Repairs and restorations.
Clive Morley Harps Ltd Goodfellows, Filkins,
nr Lechdale, Gloucestershire GL7 3JG
t: 01367 860493 f: 01367 860659 e: harps@
morleyharps.com w: www.morleyharps.com.
Benjamin Morley. Folk, pedal, lap and antique
hps; manufacturer of Cecilia 40 and Cecilia 47
pedal hps. No appointment needed.
Cohen, Brian SoundPost, The Old Glassworks,
Alexandra Place, Guildford, Surrey GU1 3QH
t: 01483 456422, also fax
e: strings@soundpost.co.uk w: www.
violinsandcellos.com. Guis, lutes, vas da
gamba, vns, vcs, dbs. Appointment needed
Collins, Glen Notaarintie 1, 00690 Helsinki
t: +358 400 105566 w: lelandchen.com/
violin/. Violin Maker.
Collins, Roy 35 Clayhall Pl, Acton,
Sudbury CO10 0BT t: 01787 373789
e: roycollins@waitrose.com w: www.strings.
co.uk/contemporary_maker_details.
asp?page=contemporary_makers_collin.
htm. Bowmaking; repairs, restoration, rehairs.
Appointment needed.
David Milward Violas The Old Parlour, New
Court Farm, Llantilio pertholey, Abergavenny,
Monmouthshire NP7 8AU t: 07867 572088
e: david@milwardviolas.co.uk w: www.
theviolaworkshop.com. Contemporary luthier
specialising in the design and manufacture of

contemporary vas. Appointment needed.
Derek Roberts Violins 1 Freeman’s
Close, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
CV32 6EY t: 01926 428313, also fax e: mail@
derekroberts.co.uk w: www.derekroberts.
co.uk. Modern and baroque vn, va, vc maker
and restorer. Appointment needed.
Devon Strings Workshop 1 Bartholomew St
West, Exeter, Devon EX4 3AJ t: 01392 433748
e: enquiries@devonstrings.co.uk w: www.
devon strings.co.uk. Jonathan and Rebecca
Springall. Devon’s premier violin shop, run
by the south west’s leading violin restorers.
We offer violins, violas and cellos suitable
for players of all standards, from beginners
instrument’s in all sizes to professional quality
cellos, violas and violins. We also have a wide
range of bows, cases, strings and accessories
in stock. Devon Strings is run and staffed
solely by professionally trained, experienced
violin makers and restorers. Our workshop has
earned a first class reputation for set up work,
repairs and restoration. We can also assess
and value your instrument. We offer free
verbal valuations.
Dilworth, John 49 Cresswell Rd, Twickenham
TW1 2EA t: 020 8744 0278 e: jdilworth@
btopenworld.com w: www.johndilworthviolins.
co.uk. Handmade insts for the vn family. Also
specialist in restoration of quality instruments
of vn family. Appointment needed.
Doe, Roger Mount St Laurence, High St,
Cranbrook, Kent TN17 3EW t: 01580 712330;
0044 1580 712330 e: roger@doe9.freeserve.
co.uk w: www.rogerdoebowmaker.co.uk.
Bowmaker for modern, baroque and classical
insts.
Ertz, Neil Kristof 63 Lasswade Road,
Liberton, Edinburgh, Scotland EH16 6SZ
t: 0131 258 4814; 07799 585 714 e: neil@
ertz-violins.com w: www.ertz-violins.com.
Maker of vns, vas and vcs in both modern and
baroque form. Appointment needed.
Fajardo, Anette 50 Brockley Grove, London
SE4 1RJ t: 020 8699 4753; 07950399439
e: anettefajardo@yahoo.co.uk w: www.
anettefajardo.co.uk. Maker of vns and vas;
repairs and restorations of vns, vas, vcs.
Appointment needed.
Florian Leonhard Fine Violins 3 Frognal
Lane, London NW3 7DY t: 020 7813 3307
f: 020 7813 3308 e: violins@florianleonhard.
com w: www.florianleonhard.com. Florian
Leonhard, dir. Makers, restorers, dealers,
consultants for vns, vas, vcs and their bows.
Advice given on buying and selling; appraisals,
bow rehairs, restoration, sound adjustments.
Strs by m/order and in stock; wholesalers of
Pirastro strs. No appointment needed.
Gotting, Christoph Adolfinenstr.1, 65199
Wiesbaden t: +49 611 36059 663; +49
174 9270 488 f: +49 611 36059 664
e: christoph@gotting-violins.com w: www.
gotting-violins.com. Maker of vns and vas.
Appointment needed.
Green, Howard 46 Ogilvy St, Tayport, Fife
DD6 9NP t: 01382 553478; 07979 726603
e: greenbows@btinternet.com w: www.
howardgreenbowmaker.com. Maker of bows
for str insts. Appointment needed.
Grummitt, Robert A 84 High St, Caterham on
the Hill, Surrey CR3 5UD t: 01883 348095
e: sales@bobgrummitt.co.uk w: www.
bobgrummitt.co.uk. Maker, repairer and
restorer of guis, vns, vas, vcs, dbs, and any
stringed inst of any origin. Open Tue, Thu, Fri
and Sat am. Appointment needed.
Hans Nikolaos Pluhar Violin Maker
Föllingerstraße 28, A- 8044 Graz,
Umsatzsteuerfrei gemäß w: www.hanspluhar.
com/. Vn maker. Appointment needed.
Harris and Sheldon 53 Aberdeen Ave,
Cambridge CB2 8DL t: 01223 315 247
e: harris@violin.uk.com w: www.violin.uk.com.
Nigel Harris. Makers of vns, vas and vcs.
Appointment needed.
Helmut Rheingans 7 Windses Est,
Grindleford, Hope Valley S32 2HY t: 01433
631907 e: info@helmutrheingans.co.uk
w: www.helmutrheingans.co.uk/. Vns, vas and
vcs. Appointment needed.
Hibernian Violins 10 Camp Hill, West Malvern,
Worcestershire WR14 4BZ t: 01684 562947
e: padraig@hibernianviolins.co.uk w: www.
hibernianviolins.co.uk. Padraig Ó Dubhlaoidh,
prop, inst maker, conservator-restorer. W/shop
for str insts and bows. Contemporary maker,
restorer & Accredited specialist conservator
of str insts and bows. Instruments bought
and sold, cases, accessories, bow rehairs,
valuations etc. Appointment advised.
Holywell Music Ltd 58 Hopton St, London
SE1 9JH t: 020 7928 8451 f: 020 7928
8284 e: holywell@holywell.co.uk w: www.
holywellmusic.co.uk. Salvi and Lyon &
Healy concert and lever hps; hp music, strs,
recordings, accs. No appointment needed.
Hudelmayer, Andreas Studio 11, Craft
Central, 21 Clerkenwell Green, London
EC1R 0DX t: 020 7490 0188 e: violins@
hudelmayer.com w: www.hudelmayer.com.
Vns, vas, vcs. Appointment needed.
IESTA Musical Instruments Import Export
GmbH Am Storrenacker 1b, D-76139
Karlsruhe t: +49 (0) 721 623 79 69 f: +49
(0) 721 623 79 72 e: iesta@iesta.de w: www.
iesta.de/en/index.php. Head of office
Karlsruhe, Mattis Dänhardt. Carbon fibre
bows. No appointment needed.
James Rawes Violins The Violin Shop,
Glendale, Cotehill, Carlisle, Cumbria
CA4 0AZ t: 01228 561561; 07802 415607
e: info@jamesrawesviolins.co.uk w: www.
jamesrawesviolins.co.uk. James Rawes, prop.
Vn maker, repairer and dealer. Supplier of
strs, accs and cases; bow rehairs and repairs.
Appointment needed.
Johnson, Chris 12 Flaxland Cres, Sileby,
Leicestershire LE12 7SB t: 01509
816023 e: violincraft@gmail.com w: www.
chrisjohnsonviolins.co.uk. Handmade vn family
insts incl baroque. Supplies student insts.
Rprs and setting up. Appointment needed.
King, Michael J t: 07523 233052 w: www.
michaeljking.com. Anglo-saxon lyres, Finnish-
style kanteles, Welsh crwths, Icelandic fidla and
langpils, parlour guis, ukuleles, epinettes des
Vosges, stick dulcimers. Musical inst plans, CD
STRINGS FOCUS LISTINGS
and book available. Appointment needed.
Kudanowski, Jan 1 Devonshire Rd,
Handsworth Wood, Birmingham B20 2PB
t: 0121 554 6922, also fax e: ellatravel@
hotmail.com. Vn and bow maker and repairer.
Appointment needed.
Le Vaillant, Tobye 307 Cockpit Arts, 18–22
Creekside, London SE8 3DQ t: 07828 100 630
f: 020 8692 3735 e: info@greenwichstrings.
co.uk w: www.greenwichstrings.co.uk. Str insts
made and repaired. Vn family, guis, early strs.
Appointment needed.
Luis and Clark Carbon Fiber Instruments
308 Adams Street, Milton, MA 02186 t: +1
617 698 3034 e: info@luisandclark.com
w: www.luisandclark.com. Luis & Stephanie
Leguia. Carbon fibre vns, vas, vcs, dbs.
Appointment needed.
Luthier, Jean Auray 888 route de Riottier,
69400 Villefranche sur Saône t: +33 4 74
60 00 73 f: +33 4 74 09 15 67 e: aurayjean.
luthier@wanadoo.fr w: www.jauray.com. Jean
Auray.
Lutherie SA, Aubert BP59, F-88502 Mirecourt
Cedex, France t: +33 3 29 37 06 13 f: +33 3
29 37 30 73 w: www.aubertlutherie.com. April
Maillot, gen mgr. Manufacturer of fine violins,
vas and cellos; also bridges. No appointment
needed.
Luthier, Stephen Sedgwick The Grove,
Three Gates Rd, Fawkham, Kent DA3 8NZ
t: 01474 700357 e: sedgwickguitars@gmail.
com w: www.stephensedgwick.co.uk/. Maker
of bespoke and custom modern fretted
instruments. Specialising in hp guis. Open
Mon-Fri. No appointment needed.
M & J Healey Violins BoxhillHouse, Boxhill Rd,
Boxhill, Tadworth, Surrey KT20 7PW t: 01737
844164 e: malcolm@healeyviolins.co.uk
w: www.healeyviolins.co.uk. Str inst makers,
restorers and suppliers. Appointment needed.
MacArthur, Douglas Kirkcudbright
Scotland, Dumfries and Galloway
t: 01557 330156 e: douglas@macarthur-
violins.co.uk w: www.macarthur-violins.co.uk.
Hand-made vns, vas and vcs. Set-ups and
adjustments. Appointment needed.
Mark Jennings Violins 7 St. Mellans Terrace,
Mullion, Cornwall TR12 7EH t: 01326 240046
e: noo29@yahoo.com w: www.jenningsviolins.
com. Mark Jennings, owner. Maker of fine
vns, vas and vcs. Repairs and restorations.
Valuations and appraisals. Appointment
needed. Instruments available on approval in
London and Manchester as well as from the
workshop in Cornwall.
Mark Norris Harps The Old School, Stobo,
Peebles, Scotland EH45 8NU t: 01721
760298, also fax e: norris.harps@virgin.net
w: www.norrisharps.com. Mark Norris. Non-
pedal hps with professional semitone levers.
Appointment needed.
Martin Bowers The Volunteer Arms, 101
Wantz Road, Maldon, Essex CM9 5DD
t: 01621 853376 e: mjbowers@btinternet.
com w: www.lutesociety.org/pages/makers.
Maker of lutes, guis, vns, chitarrones,
theorbos, archlutes, liuto attiorbato,
renaissance and baroque lutes, guis, vn
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 83
STRINGS FOCUS LISTINGS
family, oud. Repairs and restorations.
Appointment needed.
Martyn Bailey Luthier Ltd 39 Summerfields,
Sible Hedingham, Halstead, Essex CO9 3HS
t: 01787 461128; 07761 470213 e: martyn@
mjbl.co.uk w: www.mjbl.co.uk. Martyn Bailey,
luthier and owner. Maker and restorer of orch
str insts. String manufacturer and technician.
Martyn Booth Guitars Unit 4, Old Brickworks,
Chapel Lane, Little Cornard, Sudbury, Suffolk
CO10 0PB t: 01787 370192 e: martyn@
martynboothguitars.co.uk w: www.
martynboothguitars.co.uk. Martyn Booth.
Luthier-built handcrafted electric gtrs. Repairs
to all types of guitars. Appointment needed.
Matthew Coltman Violin Bowmakers 153
Acton Lane, Chiswick W4 5HN t: 020 8742
7934, also fax e: violinbows@matthewcoltman.
com w: www.matthewcoltman.com. Rebecca
Leyton. Bowmaker, specialising in baroque,
classical and modern vn, va and vc bows.
Also strs and accs, rehairs and repairs.
Appointment needed.
Michetschlager, Helen 1A Grasmere Road,
Sale, Manchester M33 3QU t: 0161 972
0839, also fax e: helen@helenviolinmaker.com
w: www.helenviolinmaker.com. Maker of vns,
vas and vcs. Small-size vns and vas for hire.
Appointment needed.
Moseley Violins 2a Tudor Rd, Moseley,
Birmingham B13 8HA t: 0121 693 1214
f: 0121 693 0933 e: info@moseleyviolins.
co.uk w: www.moseleyviolins.co.uk. David
Bruce Johnson, Francois Bignon. Vn dealers
in antique, new and used vns, vas, vcs and
bds. Vn makers and restorers, makers of
Violectra electric vns, vas, vcs and dbs.
Valuations, appraisals, inst health checks, bow
re-hairing and servicing. M/order service. No
appointment needed.
Music Magic 12 Bath Rd, Frome, Bath,
Somerset BA11 2HH t: 01373 465596
e: tim.manning@timmanning.net w: www.
timmanning.net. Tim Manning, prop. Luthier,
manufacturing hammered dulcimers,
cimbaloms and individual commissions of
a more experimental nature. Appointment
needed.
Nick Cooper Violins 1 Castle Rising, Newark
NG24 1XW e: nick@nickcooperviolins.co.uk
w: www.nickcooperviolins.co.uk. Mrs Nick
Cooper, dir. Vns for sale/rent, vn restoration/
repair & setup, vn teaching, vn fittings.
Nowak, Steffen 75 Sylvia Ave, Bristol
BS3 5BU t: 0117 977 7141 e: s@nowakviolins.
co.uk w: www.nowakviolins.co.uk. Steffen
Nowak, owner. Modern and baroque vn, va and
vc. Also collectable books on the vn family.
Appointment needed.
Osborne Guitars and Mandolins The Stables,
Town Hall, Great Oak Street, Llanidloes,
Powys SY18 6BN t: 07837 108373 e: info@
osborneguitars.co.uk w: www.osborneguitars.
co.uk. Richard Osborne. Maker of guis
and mans. Repairs and pickups specialist.
Appointment needed.
Oxley, Peter 20 Old High Street, Headington,
Oxford OX3 9HN t: 01865 741909 f: 01865
744358 e: info@peteoxley.com w: www.
84 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
peteoxley.com. Makes modern bows.
Specialises in restoration of 19th C
French bows. Buys and sells French bows.
Appointment needed.
Penning, Martin Studio 8, The Silk Mill,
Saxonvale, Frome, Somerset BA11 4AR
t: 07810 890 108 e: info@mpenning-luthier.
co.uk w: www.mpenning-luthier.co.uk.
Handmade insts for the vn family. Also
specialists in restoration of quality
instruments of vn family. Appointment needed.
Perry, Anthony 3 Cheswell Close, Compton,
Wolverhampton WV6 8AS t: 01902 755610;
07976 245861 e: anthony@perryviolins.
co.uk w: www.perryviolins.co.uk. Maker of
vns and vas, repairs, bow rehairs, strs, accs.
Appointment needed.
Peter Dodge Violin Maker The Pottery,
Twentypence Rd, Wilburton, Ely CB6 3RA
t: 01353 741353 e: pdviolin@gmail.com
w: www.strings.co.uk/contemporary_maker_
details.asp?page=contemporary_makers_
dodge.htm. Maker of vns, vas and vcs.
Appointment needed.
Philip Brown Violins 85a Northbrook St,
Newbury, Berkshire RG14 1AE t: 01635
35465 e: philip-brown@btconnect.com
w: www.philipbrownviolins.co.uk/. Philip
Brown. Sale and manufacture of vns, vcs and
vas. Maker of period bows. No appointment
needed.
Pilgrim Harps Stansted House, Tilburstow
Hill, South Godstone, Surrey RH9 8NA
t: 01342 893242 f: 01342 892646 e: info@
pilgrimharps.co.uk w: www.pilgrimharps.co.uk.
Concert grand, pedal and non-pedal hps.
Restoration, servicing, str, mus, insurance,
accs. No appointment needed.
Pilsel, Rudolf 162 Sydney Road, Crewe,
Cheshire, CW1 5NF t: 01270 257468 Mobile
07875 603551 e: rudi.pilsel@tesco.net
w: tarisio.com/cozio-archive/browse-the-
archive/makers/maker/?Maker_ID=1585.
Rudolf pilsel. Maker of the finest contemporary
violins violas cellos and bows.
Piper, William Jinney Ring Craft Centre,
Hanbury Rd, Hanbury B60 4BU t: 01527
821181 w: www.piper-violins.co.uk. William
Piper. Maker of vns, vas, vcs, mans. Also
repairs. No appointment needed.
Purcell, Vincent t: 01547 550622 e: vincent.
purcell@yahoo.co.uk w: www.oldviolins.
co.uk. Handmade insts for the vn family.
Also specialists in restoration of quality
instruments of vn family. Appointment needed.
Robb, Arthur 79 Gloucester Rd, Malmesbury
SN16 0AJ t: 01666 822945; 07984 892570
e: art@art-robb.co.uk w: www.art-robb.co.uk.
Manufacturer and repairer of lutes, steel str,
elec and classical guis. Musical inst plans
available from the website. Appointment
needed. Renaissance lutes and modern guis
and repairs. Also sell plans for renaissance
lutes, 5 types of gui, psaltery, dulcimers,
octave mandola. Appointment needed.
Roche Violins e: brian@rocheviolins.com
w: www.rocheviolins.com. Brian Roche. Violin
making & repair.
Roger Hansell Violins Ltd Leyburn Business
Park, Harmby Rd, Leyburn, North Yorkshire
DL8 5QA t: 01969 624643 f: 01969 623048
e: roger@hansellviolins.com w: www.
hansellviolins.com. Roger Hansell, Georgina
Keays. Makers of exceptional insts and finest
fittings. Appointment needed.
Roger Williams Guitars Cromwells Meadow,
Lichfield, Staffordshire WA14 9EW t: 01543
262543 e: rogerwilliamsguitars@gmail.com
w: www.rogerwilliamsguitars.com. Roger
Williams, Luthier. Maker of fine handbuilt
classical, flamenco and acoustic guis.
Repair and restoration of cherished guis by
consultation. French polishing a speciality.
Appointment needed.
Ross, Joseph I 22 Ferguson Ave, Pitlochry,
Perthshire PH16 5EX t: 01796 473717
e: josephiross@yahoo.co.uk. Maker of vns,
vas, vcs, modern and baroque. Also vas d’am,
rebecs, hurdy gurdys etc. Some repair work.
Appointment needed.
Ross Violins 30 Burton Road, Little Neston,
Neston, Wirral, Cheshire CH64 9RA t: 0151
353 1745; 07974 849 624 e: info@rossviolins.
co.uk w: www.rossviolins.co.uk. Benjamin &
Kate Ross. Makers, dealers and restorers of
insts of the bowed str family for the student
to the professional. Wide range of strs,
cases, accs; speciality orders on request.
Appointment needed.
Roth, Kai-Thomas 16 Coombe Lane, Shepton
Mallet, Somerset BA4 5XD t: 01749 343912,
also fax e: info@kai-thomas-roth-cellos.com
w: www.kai-thomas-roth-cellos.com. Kai-
Thomas Roth, Caroline Crowley. Maker of
bowed stringed insts of all period and modern
specifications. Trained at Newark School of Vn
Making. Appointment needed.
Rowe, Christopher Hill & Company,
5 High Street, Welwyn, Herts
AL6 9EE t: 01438 715849 f: 01438
718930 e: christopherroweviolins@yahoo.
co.uk; hillviolins@btconnect.com w: www.
hillviolinshop.co.uk. Handmade vns and vas.
Prizewinner Cremona, Mittenwald, Paris.
Available at selected shops. Appointment
needed.
Rowe, Elspeth Hill & Company, 5 High Street,
Welwyn, Herts AL6 9EE t: 01438 715849
f: 01438 718930 e: elspeth.rowe@yahoo.
co.uk; hillviolins@btconnect.com w: www.
hillviolinshop.co.uk/. Handmade vns and vas.
Silver medal Cremona Triennale. Available at
selected shops. Appointment needed.
Shelley, Jan 6 Sandheys Terrace, Waterloo,
Liverpool L22 7RR t: 0151 928 9698 e: jan.
shelley@virgin.net w: www.janshelleyviolins.
inthepool.co.uk. Vns, vas, vcs made and
repaired. Bows rehaired and repaired.
Valuations. Appointment needed.
Simon Watkin Violins 2 North Green, Coates,
Peterborough PE7 2BQ t: 01733 840235
e: simon@watkin-violins.co.uk w: www.watkin-
violins.co.uk. Simon Watkin. Violins, violas,
cellos and double bass; repairs, restorations.
Specialise in acoustic setting up . Appointment
preferred.
Spanish Guitar Centre 36 Cranbourn
St, Covent Garden, London WC2H 7AD

t: 020 7240 0754, also fax e: enquiries@
spanishguitarcentre.com w: www.viewlondon.
co.uk/shopping/spanish-guitar-centre-
info-274707.html. Classical, acoustic
and flamenco guis, accs, tuition, hire. No
appointment needed.
Starfish Designs Ltd Unit 1 Old Ferry Rd,
North Ballachulish, Fort William, Scotland
PH33 6SA t: 01855 821429, also fax e: info@
starfishdesigns.co.uk w: www.starfishdesigns.
co.uk. Dave Shepton, dir. Makers and repairers
of celtic hps (26, 34 and 37 str models)
and electric bowed insts (vns, vas, vcs). No
appointment needed.
Steele, Kelvin Lea Brook House, Lea Wood,
Lea Bridge, Matlock, Derbyshire DE4 5AA
t: 01629 534558 e: kelvin@kdsviolins.co.uk
w: www.kdsviolins.co.uk. Maker of vns, vas,
vcs. Bow rehairs and repairs. Instrument
repairs and restoration. Appointment needed.
Stentor Music Co Ltd Albert Rd North,
Reigate, Surrey RH2 9EZ t: 01737 240226
f: 01737 242748 e: info@stentor-music.
com w: www.stentor-music.com. Liz Wilkes.
Manufacturer of Stentor orchestral stringed
instruments: violin, viola, cello, double bass.
Stentor instruments are the main teaching
instruments throughout the world’s schools
and lead students from their very first lesson
up to professional level. Teachers and music
services everywhere recommend Stentor
violins, violas, cellos and basses. The Stentor
name is known for quality, consistency
and reliability. We are also the UK’s
leading independent distributor of musical
PERIOD INSTRUMENT MAKERS
Affourtit Historical Bows Kasteellaan 28,
1628 KP Hoorn t: +31 229 503193; +31
6 51127566 (mob) f: +31 6 51127566
e: pieter@affourtit-bowmaker.com w: www.
affourtit-bowmaker.com. Pieter Affourtit,
owner. Appointment needed.
Attwood, Merion David 9 Orchard Close,
Lea, Ross-on-Wye HR9 7LE t: 01989 750591
e: mda@merion.co.uk w: www.merion.co.uk.
Viols, vns, vas, vcs, early bows. Appointment
needed.
Baker, Paul 21 Oakfield Ave, Kingswinford
DY6 8HJ t: 01384 295210 e: paul@diabolus.
org w: www.diabolus.org/workshop/
workshop.htm. Gitterns, renaissance and
baroque guitars, vihuelas, orpharions,
citoles, mandores, hurdy-gurdies, psalteries,
dulcimers, harps. See website for details or
email / phone to enquire.
Bridgewood, Gary 146 Stoke Newington
Church St, London N16 0JU t: 020 7249 9398
f: 020 7275 9330 e: violinsbn@btclick.com
w: www.vivaceviolin.com. Makers, repairers
and dealers in modern and baroque vns, vas,
vcs, bs, vas da g, violone and bows. Strs for
period insts. No appointment needed.
Brook, Neil W 1 Shire Bank Crescent,
Fulwood, Preston PR2 9QE t: 01772 774650
e: nwbrook@gmail.com w: www.hurdy-
gurdy.org.uk. Hurdy gurdy, symphonie. No
instruments: stringed instruments, guitars,
fretted instruments, woodwind & brass and
parts and accessories.
Stoppani, George 6 Needham Ave, Chorlton-
cum-Hardy, Manchester M21 8AA t: 0161
860 7386 e: george@stoppani.co.uk
w: www.stoppani.co.uk. Str family insts, db.
Appointment needed. Period vns, vas, vcs,
bs vns, violoni. Gut strs for period insts.
Appointment needed.
StringWorks Inc 327 Franklin St, Geneva, IL,
60134 t: (888) 624–6114 f: (920) 830–2206
e: sales@stringworks.com w: www.stringworks.
com/. Evan Lowery. Handmade violin family
stringed insts, cases and bows, available
exclusively through StringWorks and available
throughout UK and Europe. Professionally
set up and play-tested, with instruments
for all playing levels & many of the finest
contemporary makers. No appointment
needed.
Sylvie & James Fawcett Brookside Cottage,
Thornham Magna, Eye, Suffolk IP23 8HH
t: 01379 788130 w: www.fawcettviolins.co.uk.
Make, repair and restore modern and baroque
violins, violas and cellos. Appointment needed.
Thomson, Ewen Little Elom, Channenwick,
Shetland ZE2 9HY t: 01950 422403
e: thomsonviolins@gmail.com
w: ewenthomsonviolinmaker.com. Maker,
restorer and supplier of vn family. Bow rehairs
and sales. Appointment needed.
Tunnicliffe, Brian Flat 11, St Edmunds Gate,
49 St Edmunds Church Street, Salisbury
SP1 1FD t: 01722 416237; 0777 599 7636
appointment needed.
Cohen, Brian Soundpost, The Old Glassworks,
Alexandra Place, Guildford GU1 3QH t: 01483
456422, also fax e: strings@soundpost.co.uk
w: www.violinsandcellos.com. Guis, lutes, vas
da gamba, vns, vcs, dbs. Appointment needed.
Early Music Shop Salts Mill, Victoria
Rd, Saltaire BD18 3LA t: 01274 288100
f: 01274 596226 e: sales@earlymusicshop.
com w: www.earlymusicshop.com. Anthony
Calvert, w/shop mgr. Viols, lutes, hps, rebecs,
psalteries (bowed and plucked), medieval
fiddles, baroque vns, dulcimers, hurdy-gurdies;
also available in kit form. No appointment
needed. Also shop at 11 Denmark St, London
WC2H 8TD.
Eyland, Robert 6 Birchwood Close, Totnes
TQ9 5GB t: 01803 864040; 07714 314902
f: 01803 868014 e: eyland.viols@hotmail.
co.uk. Vas da gamba. Appointment needed.
Mackey, Shem 8 Abbot’s Hill, Ramsgate
CT11 8HN t: 01843 852726, also fax; 07718
023440 e: shemmackey@hotmail.com
w: www.shemmackey.com. Maker of bass,
tenor, alt, treble va da g; baroque vn, va, vc,
Pardessus, Quinton, va d’amore and baryton.
Repair, sound adjustment, restoration and
bow rehair. Appointment needed.
Matthew Coltman Violin Bowmakers
153 Acton Lane, Chiswick, London
STRINGS FOCUS LISTINGS
e: brian@tunnicliffebows.co.uk w: www.
tunnicliffebows.co.uk. Brian Tunnicliffe, sole
prop. Bowmaker for vn, va, vc and db, and
the baroque family of bows. Restoration and
rehairing. Appointment needed.
Violectra 2a Tudor Rd, Moseley, Birmingham
B13 8HA t: 0121 693 1214 f: 0121 693 0933
e: info@violectra.co.uk w: www.violectra.co.uk.
David Bruce Johnson. Makers of electric vns,
vas, vcs and dbs. Also Coda, Arcus, Collegno,
Hider carbon bows; cases and accs. Roland
AER amplification; Fishman, Barcus Berry, LR
Baggs, BTS, Shadow pick-ups/transducers. No
appointment needed.
Ward, Alan St Andrews, 27 Plomer Hill,
Downley, High Wycombe HP13 5JG t: 01494
523371 e: alan@alanwardviolins.co.uk
w: www.alanwardviolins.co.uk. Vn, va, vc
restorer and repairer. Also maker modern and
baroque. Commissions handmade to order.
Appointment needed.
Ward, Roderick R 11 Silver St, Guilden
Morden, Royston, Herts SG8 0JT t: 01763
852377; 07973 835 466 e: r449ward@
btinternet.com; ward@wardviolins.com
w: www.wardviolins.com. Rod Ward, owner. Vn,
va, vc maker; hand made conductor’s batons.
Appointment needed.
William John Violins 283 Boston Manor Rd,
Brentford TW8 9LG t: 020 8568 2757; 07763
232397 e: wjohnviolins@aol.com w: www.
williamjohnviolins.co.uk/. Maker and restorer
of vns, vas, vcs; also old vns. No appointment
needed.
W4 5HN t: 020 8742 7934, also fax
e: violinbows@matthewcoltman.com w: www.
matthewcoltman.com. Monika Bulsiewicz,
admin. Bowmaker, specialising in baroque,
classical and modern vn, va and vc bows.
Also strs and accs, rehairs and repairs.
Appointment needed.
Michel, Aleth 12 Wellington Ave, Montpelier,
Bristol BS6 5HP t: 0117 942 3845
e: alethmichel@gmail.com w: alethmichel.
free.fr. Aleth Michel. Modern, baroque
and transitional vns and vas. Models after
Amati, Gagliano, Guadagnini, Guarneri,
Stradivarius and own designs (merit WSMM&R
1986). Violin, viola and cello repairs, total
adjustments, also bow re-hairs and repairs.
Workshop established 1986. Appointment
needed.
Morse-Brown, Owen Units 19–22 The
Workshops, Jockey Lane, Bromham, Wiltshire
SN15 2EZ t: 013808 59756 e: info@
owenmorse-brown.com w: www.owenmorse-
brown.com. Viols, lironi, barytons. Medieval
and renaissance bowed strs inc hurdy gurdy.
Appointment needed.
Northern Renaissance Instruments
6 Needham Ave, Chorlton cum Hardy,
Manchester M21 8AA t: 0161 881 8134, also
fax e: post@nrinst.co.uk w: www.nrinst.co.uk.
Strs and varnish materials, lutes, viols, guis,
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 85
STRINGS FOCUS LISTINGS
citterns, bandoras, orpharions and rebecs. No
appointment needed.
Oakwood Instruments 8 Ladywood Rd, Leeds
LS8 2QF t: 0113 265 8585 e: workshop@
oakwoodinstruments.co.uk w: www.
oakwoodinstruments.co.uk. Martyn Banks, dir.
Hand-made harps, hammer dulcimers, guitars,
citterns, mandolinss, banjos, bouzoukis,
mandolas, electric and custom instruments.
Also repairs. Appointment needed (weekday
afternoons are best)
O’Kelly, Joseph M 2 Middleton Rd, London
E8 4BL t: 020 7254 7074 e: lute@hygra.
com. Baroque lutes and guis, ouds, theorbos,
vihuelas, chitarrones, calasciones. Also
restoration. Appointment needed.
ACCESSORY MANUFACTURERS AND DISTRIBUTORS
Accord Cases UK t: 07976 620025
e: accord@soundpost.co.uk w: www.
accordcaseuk.com. Brian Cohen, prop.
Exclusive UK importer and distributor of
Accord cases, trade and retail. Appointment
needed.
Alan Stevenson Cello and Bass Cases 460
Unthank Rd, Norwich NR4 7QJ t: 01603
502350 f: 01603 501903 e: cellocases@
aol.com w: www.stevensoncases.co.uk. Alan
Stevenson. Maker of carbon and fibreglass
cases for vc, db and va da g; also special one-
off cases for other musical insts. Appointment
needed.
Amati.com t: 020 7099 7114 e: info@amati.
com w: www.amati.com. Emma Newman. The
marketplace for stringed instruments.
Aquila Corde Armoniche di Peruffo Mimmo
& C. Sas Via Aviano 16, I-36030 Caldogno
(Vicenza) t: +39 0444 986972 e: aquila@
aquilacorde.com w: www.aquilacorde.
com. Mimmo Peruffo, owner & founder. Gut
and nylgut strs for historical and modern
performances. Musical monofilament
production. Appointment needed.
AR Distribution t: 0333 9390101 e: info@
ardistribution.co.uk; allyxa@ardistribution.
co.uk w: www.ardistribution.co.uk. Allyxa
Ruby. Each of our products has been selected
because of its high quality and performance.
We are the sole European Distributor for
Andrea Rosin and the sole UK distributor for
Warchal Strings, Arcrest and Rositini Rosin.
We also carry the VioTech line of bow cushions
and bass cables as well as GelRest comfort
pads for chinrests, FluteGels for Flutes and
Things4Strings Bow Buddies. Our philosophy
has always been to supply excellent products
that we believe in.
Billerbeck Oboe & Cor Anglais Reeds
Arncott, Cummingston, Burghead, Elgin
IV30 5XY t: 01343 835264 e: billerbeck@
live.com w: www.billerbeckoboereeds.co.uk.
Marjorie Downward. Handcrafted ob & cor
reeds; recanes; order by post or online. No
appointment needed.
Boing 64 St Marks Road, Henley on Thames,
Oxon RG9 1LW t: 079732 43461 e: info@
boingstands.co.uk w: www.boingstands.co.uk.
86 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
Peter Voigt Ltd 71 High St, Lindfield
RH16 2HN t: 01444 483206,
also fax w: https://plus.google.
com/103316398911822370837/
about?gl=uk&hl=en. Peter Voigt, dir. Vn family
insts. Appointment needed.
Slotboom, Rene Odijkerweg 4, NL-3709 JH
Zeist e: reneslotboom@planet.nl w: www.
reneslotboom.nl. Historical bowed insts. No
appointment needed.
Stephen and Sandi Harris Barber 11a
Peacock Yard, London SE17 3LH t: 020
7703 9978; 07785 272979 e: sb.sh@
lutesandguitars.co.uk w: www.lutesandguitars.
co.uk. Makers of lutes, archlutes, theorbos,
chitarroni, vihuelas, citterns and early guis. No
Exciting new UK design company, who design,
manufacture and print all in the UK. Musical
instrument stands: Innovative, instrument-
friendly stands for use at home and in the
practice room. All Boing stands are shock-
absorbing, stackable, eye catching, versatile,
made in the UK. For iPads, guis, ukuleles,
string, br and woodwind instruments. Book:
Music Practice – basic advice for parents. For
parents with little or no musical knowledge,
this book gives essential tips for when their
child is a beginner, an improver or bored.
Bow Brand International Highgate, Kings
Lynn PE30 1PT t: 01553 772943 f: 01553
762887 e: sales@bowbrand.co.uk w: www.
bowbrand.co.uk. Carolyn Clarke, dir; Frances
Davies, sales mgr. Manufacturers of natural
gut and bass wire strs for hp. No appointment
needed.
Bowzo Ltd The TechnoCentre, Coventry
University Technology Park, Puma Way,
Coventry CV1 2TT e: info@bowzo.co.uk
w: www.bowzo.co.uk. Bowzo aid for violinists
to help practice bowing technique. No
appointment needed.
Britannia Reeds 156 Hatfield Rd, St
Albans AL1 4JD t: 01727 846055 e: info@
britanniareeds.com w: www.britanniareeds.
com. D Blyth, D Brassington, dirs. Specialist
manufacturers and sales of ob and bsn
reeds, cane and accs; m/order worldwide. No
appointment needed.
Chevalets Despiau Route de Cazeaux, F-
32200 Gimont t: +33 5 62 67 80 44 f: +33 5
62 67 83 62 e: contact@chevalets-despiau.
com w: www.chevalets-despiau.com. Complete
range of bridges. Appointment needed.
D’Addario UK Ltd 2 Greenfinch Way, Newburn
Riverside, Newcastle NE15 8NX t: 0191
3003000 f: 0191 3003000 e: tom.bacon@
daddario.com w: www.daddario.com. Tom
Bacon, General Manager. World’s largest
manufacturer of musical inst accessories
marketed under seven proprietary brands:
D’Addario strings; Evans drumheads;
Promark drumsticks; Puresound snare wires,
Rico reeds, and Planet Waves cables and
accesssories. A family-owned and operated
business with more than 1,100 employees
appointment needed.
Stevens, George PJ 11 Ness Rd, Lydd,
Romney Marsh TN29 9DR t: 01797 320152
e: info@gstevensluthier.co.uk w: www.
gstevensluthier.co.uk. Plucked insts from the
medieval, renaissance and baroque periods,
eg lutes, early guis, hps, lyres, gitterns,
citterns. Appointment needed.
Van Edwards, David The Smokehouse, 6
Whitwell Rd, Norwich NR1 4HB t: 01603
629899 e: david@vanedwards.co.uk w: www.
vanedwards.co.uk. Medieval, renaissance
and baroque lutes, chitarrones and theorbos;
renaissance and baroque bows for vn, va da g
inst families. Appointment needed.
worldwide, the Company manufactures 95%
of its products in the U.S. employing Toyota’s
Lean manufacturing principles. D’Addario has
a distribution network in 120 countries and
serves more than 3,000 U.S. retailers, all
major e-commerce sites, and more than 5,000
endorsing artists.
DOGAL Snc Cannaregio 6124/a, PO Box
318, I-30100 Venice t: +39 041 5388281
f: +39 041 935499 e: info@dogalstrings.it
w: www.dogalstrings.it. Andrea Lavelli, gen dir.
Handmade production of strings for bowed
and fretted insts. No appointment needed.
Fiedler Cases GmbH t: +49 30 859 1605
e: info@cellofiedler.de w: www.cellofiedler.
de. Cello accs: cases, bow holders, spikes. No
appointment needed.
Hercules Stands Strings & Things Ltd, Unit
3, 202–210 Brighton Rd, Shoreham-By-Sea,
West Sussex BN43 6RJ t: 01273 440442
f: 01273 440278 e: robin@stringsandthings.
co.uk w: www.herculesstands.co.uk. Robin
Crocker. Wholesaler to the Music Trade.
Howarth of London Ltd 31–35 Chiltern St,
London W1U 7PN t: 020 7935 2407; 01903
239219 f: 020 7224 2564; 01903 232233
e: sales@howarth.uk.com w: www.howarth.
uk.com. William Ring, mktg; Nigel Clark,
Jeremy Walsworth, dirs. Manufacturers and
wholesale importers of ww accs. Also at 19
Buckingham Rd, Worthing BN11 1TH. No
appointment needed.
Impact Percussion Unit 7, Goose Green
Trading Est, 47 East Dulwich Rd, London
SE22 9BN t: 020 8299 6700 f: 020 8299
6704 e: sales@impactpercussion.com w: www.
impactpercussion.com. Paul Hagen. Importer
of orch perc and accs. No appointment
needed. Large perc hire fleet, worldwide
delivery. Also sales and repair. Repair and
custom manufacture of perc insts and stands.
Also hire and sales. No appointment needed.
Tubular bells, bs bells, bs drums, custom
manufacture of perc insts and touring trolleys.
No appointment needed.
Jargar Strings ApS Sortedam Dossering 59,
DK-2100 Copenhagen t: +45 3537 4015
f: +45 3537 4013 e: jargar@jargar-strings.
com w: www.jargar-strings.com. Erik Martens,

Administrative Manager. Production of
high quality strings for bowed instruments.
Appointment needed.
Jean Auray Luthier 888 route de Riottier, 69400
Villefranche sur Saône t: +33 4 74 60 00 73
f: +33 4 74 09 15 67 e: aurayjean.luthier@
wanadoo.fr w: www.jauray.com. Jean Auray.
Korg UK Ltd 1 Harrison Court, Knowlhill, Milton
Keynes MK5 8PA t: 01908 304613 f: 01908
304699 e: kay@korg.co.uk; info@korg.co.uk
w: www.jupitermusic.co.uk. Kay Hollingsworth,
Jupiter & Orchestral Product Manager. Korg
UK Ltd distributes many brands of Brass &
Woodwind including Jupiter, Humes & Berg
mutes, XO, Ultra Oils, Nuova, Jazzlab and
Tromba. Appointment needed.
Kun Shoulder Rest Inc 200 MacLaren St,
Ottawa, ON, Canada K2P 0L6 t: +1 613 232
1861 f: +1 613 232 9771 e: kun@kunrest.
com w: www.kunrest.com. Marina Kun, pres.
Since the invention of the first Kun shoulder
rest more than 40 yrs ago, our exclusive focus
has been the evolution of this important tool for
musicians. Our success at creating the most
ergonomically-correct and durable product
available has been built on extensive research
and continuous innovation. As a result, we offer
str players a wide range of models to suit all
ages and physical types. Kun offers simple yet
innovative adjustment and folding mechanisms
and a variety of often-revolutionary materials in
a product range to please the most demanding
str players.
Mach, Peter 309 Eardley Rd, Quebec, J9J 2Z6
t: +1 819 684 3886, also fax. e: petermach@
bell.net w: www.petermach.com. Luthier, maker
of vn, va, vc, db and the Mach One shoulder rest.
Appointment needed.
Melos Rosin G. D. Stefanou 18, GR-54250
Thessaloniki t: +30 2311 289165 f: +30 2311
242859 e: info@melosrosin.gr; melosrosingr@
yahoo.gr w: www.melosrosin.gr. Christos Sykiotis,
cellist/manufacturer and Eleni Navrosidou
owner. World’s finest rosin for all string
instruments. No appointment needed.
Noligraph e: info@noligraph.de w: www.
noligraph.de. Tool for drawing music staves. No
appointment needed.
Oasis Musical Instrument Humidifiers t: +1
410 772 5380 e: dhepple@oasishumidifiers.
com w: www.oasishumidifiers.com. Dave Hepple.
No appointment needed.
Pedi Cases 1F No. 11 Alley 1, Lane 488, Fusing
N Rd, Jhongsan District, Taipei City 104 t: +886
2 2515 6455; 0800 556 550 e: roderviolin@
hotmail.com w: www.pedicases.com. No
appointment needed.
Pegheds 1995 Highway 269, Winnsboro, SC
29180, USA t: +1 866 734 4337 e: info@
pegheds.com w: www.pegheds.com. John
Charles Herin. No appointment needed.
Pirastro GmbH Senefelderstrasse 80, 63069
Offenbach am Main t: +49 69 840 090 f: +49 69
831 663 e: info@pirastro.com w: www.pirastro.
com. Strings handmade in Germany since 1798.
Premier Batons 1000 Wildwood St,
Norfolk, NE68701 t: +1 800 998 1737
e: premierbatons@cableone.net w: www.
premierbatons.com. No appointment needed.
RATstands Unit 3 Waterside Business Park,
Witham, Essex CM8 3YQ t: 020 8741 4804
e: sales@ratstands.com w: www.ratstands.
com. Joe Ward. The RAT Stand was born in 1976
when one of the UK’s leading opera companies
commissioned the design of an all-new
illuminated music stand. Since then 500 opera
houses, theatres, concert halls and civic centres
all over the world have come to value our music
stands and lights. Our design philosophy is
quite a simple one, to be inspired by the world’s
most demanding musicians to create the best
possible music stands, lights and accessories.
The result is a range of products that employ
simple, beautiful designs and technically
advanced materials to support new heights of
artistic performance.
Reed Express 106 Russell Street, Cambridge
CB2 1HU t: 01223 576391 e: shop@reeds-
direct.co.uk w: www.reeds-direct.co.uk. Daniel
Bangham. Europe’s best single reed supplier.
Huge stocks, fast service, all prices inc first
class postage. The most comprehensive
range of reeds around. Buy on the phone or
on line at www.reeds-direct.co.uk. Used and
recommended by teachers and performers
for over 10 years. Reeds for Cl, bass cl, basset
horns, alt cls, contra bass cls, picc Ab cls, Cls in
C. Sopranino, soprano, alt, tenor, bar and bass
saxs. Synthetic and natural cane all in stock.
Reeds Direct Cambridge 106 Russell St,
Cambridge CB2 1HU t: 0800 096 9440 (orders)
f: 01223 576391 e: shop@reeds-direct.co.uk
w: www.reeds-direct.co.uk. Cl and sax reeds and
accs; open weekdays; 24 hr ordering online or by
phone. No appointment needed.
Rico Reserve c/o Barnes & Mullins, Grays
Inn House, Unit 14, Mile Oak Industrial Est,
Oswestry SY10 8GA t: 01691 652449 e: sales@
bandm.co.uk w: www.bandm.co.uk. Cl reeds. No
appointment needed.
Rosetti Ltd 4 Blackwell Drive, Springwood
Industrial Estate, Braintree CM7 2QJ t: 01376
550033 f: 01376 550042 e: music@rosetti.
co.uk w: www.rosetti.co.uk. Str, br, ww, gui, perc,
accs. Appointment needed.
Savarez SA 5 ave Barthelemy Thimonnier, BP
133, F-69643 Caluire Cedex t: +33 4 37 40 32
00 f: +33 4 37 40 62 10 e: contact@savarez.
fr w: www.savarez.fr. Manufacturer of Corelli
strings for vn, va, vc and db; maker of Bernardel
rosin. No appointment needed.
Sightread Ltd 212–214 Katherine Street,
Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 7AS t: 0161 343 8558
e: info@sightread.co.uk w: www.sightread.co.uk.
Bernard Perry, Director. Exclusive distributors
of a wide range of digital sheet music stands
using cutting edge PowerMusic software on
touch screen displays. Hands-free page-turning
with AirTurn BT105 foot switches and GigEasy
professional iPad & Tablet mounts for musicians.
Spautz Fine Furniture 2 Victoria St, Brighton
BN1 3FP t: 01273 328793 f: 01273 749860
e: info@spautz.co.uk w: www.spautz.co.uk. Period
classical mus stands. No appointment needed.
StringMail 3 Clydesdale Close, Biggar
ML12 6GH t: 01899 220099 e: info@stringmail.
co.uk w: www.stringmail.co.uk. Strs and accs
for vn, va, vc, db, gui and all fretted insts. No
STRINGS FOCUS LISTINGS
appointment needed.
Superpads 208 Liverpool Rd, Cadishead,
Manchester M44 5DB t: 0161 775 1842
e: eddieashton@woodwindco.com w: www.
woodwindco.com. No appointment needed.
Tempel Feine Bestandteile Gewerbepark
Grasig 23, Erbach 64 711 t: +49 6062
809972 f: +49 6062 809973 e: info@tempel-
feinebestandteile.de w: www.tempel-germany.
de. Accs for vn, va, vc. Tailpieces, pegs,
chinrests, end buttons, soundposts, face
plates. No appointment needed.
Thomastik-Infeld GmbH Diehlgasse 27, A-1051
Wien t: +43 1 545 12 62 f: +43 1 545 07 19
e: info@thomastik-infeld.com w: www.thomastik-
infeld.com. Zdenka Infeld, pres. Manufacturer of
handmade strs for bowed and fretted insts.
tomandwill.com Tomandwill Distribution,
Enigma House, 7 King’s Road Industrial Estate,
Haslemere GU27 2QH t: 01428 653381
e: sales@tomandwill.com w: www.tomandwill.
com; www.clarineo.co.uk/. The UK’s most
popular gig bags! Gig bags for Brass, Woodwind,
Orchestral Strings and Fretted instruments.
Rage of styles to suit all budgets.Designed in
the UK. Also UK distributors for Nuvo (Clarineo/
Flutes etc.) Octopus Ukulele Jumbie Jam Steel
Pans, Pukanala Ukulele, Indie Guitars and
Attitude Gig Bags.
Violin Strings Online 33 Chalk Hill,
Watford WD19 4BL t: 01923 232001
e: mail@violinstringsonline.co.uk w: www.
violinstringsonline.co.uk. Violin Strings Online are
the e-commerce store for Thwaites Fine Stringed
Instruments.At VSoL, we stock a large range
of Violin, Va, Cello & Db strings inc Pirastro,
Thomastik, Larsen, D’addario, Corelli, Jargar,
Dogal & Astrea. We also have a large selection of
shoulder rests, cases and other accessories but
if you can’t find what you’re looking for, please
contact us, we are always happy to help.
Viva-SAS Nova Cerkev 94, 3203 Nova Cerkev
t: +386 3 781 2576 f: +386 3 781 2577
e: karelmatek@siol.net w: www.viva-sas.com.
Matjaz Matek. Vn Accessories Manufacturer. No
appointment needed.
Warchal Warchal sro, Dlha 11, SK-900 32
Borinka t: +421 2 659 38 189 e: warchal@
warchal.com w: www.warchal.com. Strs for
bowed insts. Appointment needed.
Ward, Roderick R 44 Seaward Ave, Guilden
Morden, Royston SG8 0JT t: 01763 852377
e: ward@wardviolins.com w: www.wardviolins.
com. Handmade conductor’s batons and str
insts. Appointment needed.
Windcraft The Woodwind & Brass Warehouse,
Reform Rd, Maidenhead SL6 8BT t: 01628
630800 f: 01628 777466 e: sales@windcraft.
co.uk w: www.windcraft.co.uk. Jon Dawkes, mgr
dir. Windcraft mouthpieces; also trade distributor
of ww and br accs. No appointment needed.
Wittner GmbH & Co KG Buehlbergstrasse
5–6, D-88316 Isny t: +49 7562 7040 f: +49
7562 70414 e: wittner@wittner-gmbh.de
w: www.wittner-gmbh.de. Horst Wittner, mgr.
Manufacturers of fine tune pegs, tailpieces,
adjusters, chin rests, metronomes, tuning
forks, capos, music stands. No appointment
needed.
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 87
STRINGS FOCUS LISTINGS
SPECIALIST RECORD DEALERS
Banks Music 18 Lendal, York, YO1 8QU
t: 01904 658836 f: 01904 629547 e: sales@
banksmusic.co.uk. James Pertwee, mgr.
Classical recordings, sheet music, albums,
tutors and studies for all insts (br, ww, rcdrs,
str, gui). Large selection of band music. Rental
scheme on selected insts. Rock inst dept,
worldwide m/order.
Barbican Chimes Music Shop Cromwell
Tower, Silk St, Barbican, London, EC2Y 8DD
t: 020 7588 9242 f: 020 7628 1080
e: barbican@chimes​music.com w: www.
chimesmusic.com/barbican. Music, CDs, inst
accs, books. Opening hours: 9am–5.30pm
Mon-Fri; 9am-4pm Sat.
Bath Compact Discs Bath Compact Discs, 27
Broad Street, Bath, BA1 5LW t: 01225 464766
f: 01225 482275 e: bathcds@btinternet.com
w: www.bathcds.co.uk. Classical CDs and
DVDs; also m/order (post free in UK). Opening
hours: 9.30am–5.30pm Mon-Sat.
Czech Music Direct Czech Music
Direct, PO Box 37452, London, N3 1UZ
t: 020 8346 0088 f: 020 8371 0838
e: cmd@czecheverything.co.uk w: www.
czecheverything.co.uk. Laurence Lewis, mgr
dir. CDs/DVDs of Czech/Slovak music and
musicians. Classical, Jazz, Folk. Exclusive UK
distributor of Arco Diva, Arta, Cube Bohemia,
Music Vars, Nibiru, Vixen (Czech Republic),
Hevhetia, Hev-Het Tune, Music Centre, Music
Fund, Pavlik (Slovakia), MSR Classics (USA).
David Paramor 25 St Mary’s Sq,
Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 0HZ t: 01638
664416 e: cdparamor@btopenworld.com
w: ukbookworld.com/members/Paramor.
Gilbert & Sullivan, music and theatre. Music
hall, light entertainment, illustrated sheet
music, theatrical postcards. Postal only.
Opening hours: Visitors by appointment.
DI Music Direct Magnus House, 8 Ashfield Rd,
Cheadle, SK8 1BB t: 0161 491 6655 f: 0161
491 6688 w: www.dimusic.co.uk. Specialist
range of British and imported CDs; classical,
opera.
Discurio Ltd. c/o Opass Billings, Numeric
House, 98 Station Road, Sidcup, Kent,
DA15 7BY t: 01732 222296 e: jono@
discurio.co.uk w: www.discurio.co.uk; www.
lpmilitaryrecordings.co.uk. Military Band
Compact Discs, LP’s & DVD’s [MAIL ORDER
ONLY].
Dress Circle of London Ltd Unit 16 Mead
Business Centre, Mead Lane, Hertford,
SG13 7BJ t: 020 7240 2227 f: 020 7379
8540 e: info@dresscircle.com w: www.
dresscircle.co.uk. Murray Allan, MD. CDs,
karaoke, DVDs, books, vocal scores/
selections; posters and merchandise,
memorabilia, specialist in musical theatre,
cabaret and nostalgia. Opening hours: Mon–
88 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
Fri 9.30am–5.30pm.
English Folk Dance and Song Society English
Folk Dance and Song Society, 2 Regent’s Park
Road, London, NW1 7AY t: 020 7485 2206
f: 020 7284 0534 e: info@efdss.org w: www.
efdss.org. Katy Spicer, Chief Executive.
Produces CDs of traditional dance music and
songs. Cat available by post or online. Home
to the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library
and Sound Archive. Opening hours: 9.30am–
5.30pm, Mon–Fri; 10am–4pm, 1st and 3rd
Sats.
Esmetron Records Esmetron Records, Unit
21, Connies House, Rhymney River Bridge
Road, Cardiff, CF23 9AF t: 07966 039831
e: esmetronrecords@btinternet.com w: www.
esmetronrecords.com. Ian Fiddes, mgr. M/
order: classical vinyl and CDs bought and sold.
Forsyth Bros Ltd Forsyth Brothers Limited,
Deansgate, Manchester, M3 2GR t: 0161
834 3281 ext 602 e: records@forsyths.co.uk
w: www.forsyths.co.uk. Classical, jazz, world.
CDs, DVDs, Music Minus One, Karaoke. M/
order. Opening hours: 9am–5.30pm Mon–Sat;
Sun 11am–5pm.
Hancock & Monks Music 6 Broad St,
Hay-on-Wye, HR3 5DB t: 01591 610555,
also fax e: jerry@hancock​andmonks.co.uk
w: www.hancock​andmonksmusic.co.uk. Jerry
Monks, partner. Established in 1974, we are
specialists in Classical CDs, DVDs, second-
hand books on music, second-hand sheet
music and scores. Opening hours: 10.30am
- 5pm, 7 days a week. World Wide Mail Order
via our website.
HMV Shop (HMV UK Ltd) 150 Oxford
St, London, W1N 1DJ t: 020 7631 3423
e: enquiries@hmv.co.uk w: www.hmv.co.uk.
Recorded music (all formats and genres),
DVDs, games and related products.
Jewish Music Distribution PO Box 67,
Hailsham, BN27 4UW t: 01323 832863, also
fax e: orders@jewishmusic-jmd.co.uk w: www.
jewishmusic-jmd.co.uk. Retail and wholesale
suppliers of Jewish recorded and printed
music. Main agent for Israel’s major recording
and sheet music companies.
McAlister Matheson Music 1 Grindlay St,
Edinburgh, EH3 9AT t: 0131 228 3821 f: 0131
228 4780 e: sales@mmmusic.co.uk w: www.
mmmusic.co.uk. Anne McAlister, dir; Ruth
Squire, Sabine Koch, Julie Aitken. Classical
CDs, DVDs and Blurays, Scottish folk CDs,
discounts scheme and m/order available.
Opening hours: 9.30am–6pm Mon–Fri;
9am–5.30pm Sat.
MDT Mail Order MDT Mail Order, Unit 1,
Grassy Court, Etwall Road, Mickleover, Derby,
DE3 0BX t: 01332 540240 f: 01332 540772
e: info@mdt.co.uk w: www.mdt.co.uk. CDs
(classical only), m/order.
Opus Classical 2 The Villa, Cowick Lane,
Exeter, EX2 9HY t: 01392 214044 e: info@
opus-classical.com w: www.opus-classical.
com. Nola White, owner. CDs & DVDs by m/
order/market stall.
Otto Haas Maud & Julia Rosenthal, 49 Belsize
Park Gardens, London, NW3 4JL t: 020 7722
1488 f: 020 7722 2364 e: contact@ottohaas-
music.com w: www.ottohaas-music.com. J
Rosenthal, U Druener. Mss, rare music books
and eds. Auction representation worldwide.
Opening hours: By appointment only.
Pentacone PO Box 76, Batley, West Yorkshire,
WF17 8XN t: 07975 957773 e: peter@
pentacone.freeserve.co.uk w: www.pentacone.
freeserve.co.uk. Joseph Peter Sheehan, prop.
Label: Opus3Records; Continuo (Sweden);
Sugden (West Yorkshire).
Prelude Records Prelude Records, 25B St
Giles Street, Norwich, NR2 1JN t: 01603
628319 f: 01603 620170 e: sales@
preluderecords.co.uk w: www.preluderecords.
co.uk. Andrew Cane, prop. CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray;
classical specialist. Opening hours: 9.30am–
5.30pm Mon–Sat.
Presto Classical Presto Classical, 7 Park
Street, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire,
CV32 4QN t: 01926 317025 e: info@
prestoclassical.co.uk; shop@prestoclassical.
co.uk w: www.presto​classical.co.uk. Specialist
classical retailer offering CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays,
downloads, and an extensive range of sheet
music. Outstanding editorial content, including
regular reviews and interviews. Online ordering
and mail order available, including services for
schools, universities, choirs, and orchestras.
Open Mon - Fri: 9.30am - 5.30pm, Sat:
9.00am - 5.30pm.
Record Corner Pound Lane, Godalming,
Surrey, GU7 1BX t: 01483 422006
e: tom@therecordcorner.co.uk w: www.
therecordcorner.co.uk. Tom, prop. CDs,
DVDs, music books. Classical mus specialist.
Opening hours: Mon–Sat, 9–5.30.
Threshold Music & DVD 53 High St, Cobham,
KT11 3DP t: 01932 865678, also fax
e: sales@threshold-cd.co.uk. Phil Pavling, mgr.
Classical, jazz, blues, classic soul/R&B, world,
rock ’n’ roll, films and shows, gospel, nostalgia.
Opening hours: 9am–5.30pm, Mon-Sat.
Vinyl Connections London, NW6 2PY t: 020
7625 8966 e: rolg1@btinternet.com w: www.
vinylconnections.co.uk. Specialists in original
1950s-1970s classical LP records: symphony,
chmbr, inst, operatic, vocal, etc. Most vintage
labels. Complete collections bought for cash;
record cleaning service; vintage turntables
amd cartridges supplied. One off vinyl to CD
transfers (also from 78s). Opening hours: No
shop premises.

UK COMPETITIONS FOR PERFORMERS AND CONDUCTORS
AESS Catherine Lambert Junior Recital Prize
29 Petersfield, Chelmsford CM1 4EP t: 01245
440004; 07768 086123 f: 01245 445407
e: carolynwestrip@aol.com w: www.aofess.org.
uk. Carolyn Richards, prize admin. Eligibility:
Open to junior conservatoire students or pupils
of AESS members aged 13-18. Requirements:
15-minute themed recital of English art song,
inc spoken verse. Prizes: £300, £200, £100
plus £200 for the best spoken element. Entry
fees: £15. Venues to be confirmed. Frequency:
Annual.
AESS Patricia Routledge National English
Song Competition The Well House, 20 Barney
Road, Fulmodestone, Fakenham, Norfolk
NR21 0AT t: 01328 878364 e: miles.s.j@
btinternet.com w: www.aofess.org.uk. Stephen
Miles, admin. Eligibility: Open to students at
music college or AESS members aged 23-32.
Requirements: 20-min themed recital of
English art song, inc spoken verse. Prizes:
First prize £2000, 2nd prize £1000; 3rd prize
£1000; also £1000 accomp prize. Entry fees:
£20. Location: London conservatoires. Dates:
May. Closing date for applications: Mid Apr.
Frequency: Annual.
All England Masters International Brass
Band Championship 2 The Coppice,
Impington, Cambridge CB4 9PP t: 01223
234090, also fax e: philipbiggs@bandstand.
demon.co.uk. Richard Franklin, Philip Biggs,
organisers. Prizes: First prize £4000. Location:
Lighthouse Theatre, Kettering. Dates: May.
Frequency: Annual.
BBC Young Musician BBC Wales, Llandaff,
Cardiff CF5 2YQ t: 02920 323900 e: young.
musician@bbc.co.uk w: www.bbc.co.uk/
youngmusician. Kerry Clark, competition mgr.
Eligibility: open to UK residents aged 18 and
under with grade 8 (or equivalent). Prizes:
Category winners: £1,000 plus a place in the
semi-final. Winner of BBC Young Musician:
£3,000 plus a specially-commissioned trophy.
The Walter Todds Bursary (totalling £1000) is
also awarded to the performer or performers
who show great promise but do not reach
the final. Entry fees: free. Application forms
for 2020 competition will be available in the
spring of 2019. Frequency: biennial.
Beryl Chempin Bach Prize for Pianists
Birmingham Conservatoire, Birmingham
City University, Paradise Place, Birmingham
B3 3HG t: 0121 449 3055, also fax e: press@
bcu.ac.uk w: www.bcu.ac.uk; www.bcu.
ac.uk/news-events/calendar/beryl-chempin-
beethoven-prize-for-pianists-29-10-2014.
Malcolm Wilson, competition organiser.
Eligibility: Open to Birmingham Conservatoire
u/g (except 1st-yrs) and p/g pianists.
Requirements: Programme 20-25 mins’
duration of original kb works by JS Bach.
Prizes: Substantial cash prize. Frequency:
Annual.
Beryl Chempin Beethoven Prize for Pianists
Birmingham City University, University House,
15 Bartholomew Row, Birmingham, B5 5JU
t: 0121 449 3055, also fax w: www.bcu.ac.uk.
Malcolm Wilson, competition organiser; Beryl
Chempin. Eligibility: Open to Birmingham
Conservatoire u/gs (except 1st yrs) and p/g
pianists of any nationality. Requirements:
25-30 min programme of Beethoven works.
Prizes: Substantial cash prize. Frequency:
Annual.
Bromsgrove International Young Musicians’
Competition c/o MFG Solicitors, 1 High Street,
Bromsgrove, Worcestershire B61 8AJ t: 01527
878326 e: admin@bromsgrovecompetition.
com; dianne_smith68@hotmail.com w: www.
bromsgrovecompetition.com. Dianne Smith
- Trustee. Eligibility: Solo instrumentalists
(exc org), 18-25 yrs; singers 18-28 yrs;
who have attained an advanced standard
sufficient to sustain a career as a professional
performer. Prizes: 1st prize £6000, 2 runners
up prizes of £3000 each. Sir John Manduell
Prize of £1000 will be awarded for the best
performance in the Prelim Round of a piece of
music composed in or after 1969 lasting no
more than 7 minutes. Entry fees: £50 admin
charge. Location: Bromsgrove, Worcs. Dates: 9
- 13 April 2019. Closing date for applications:
Sunday 24 February 2019. Frequency: annual.
Caerphilly County Borough Council Schools’
Young Musician of the Year Competition
Caerphilly Music Service, Coed Cae Ddu Rd,
Pontllanfraith, Blackwood NP12 2DA t: 01495
228948 f: 01495 227058. Keith Ellerington,
principal offr for music. Also classes for pno,
singing, str, ww, br and tuned perc. Eligibility:
Open to those attending a Caerphilly County
Borough Council secondary school or college.
Max age 19 at competition. Prizes: 1st prize
£150; 7 class prizes fo £50 each. Location:
Blackwood Miners Institute. Dates: Mar.
Closing date for applications: Jan. Frequency:
Annual.
Choir of the Year 2 Portland Road, London
W11 4LA t: 020 7221 7883 e: helen@
choiroftheyear.com w: www.choiroftheyear.
co.uk. Helen Price. Eligibility: See website for
current criteria and guidelines. Requirements:
Max programme duration 8 mins. Must sing
different programmes at category and grand
finals (permission my be given to repeat 1
item). Location: UK-wide live auditions; finals
held at major UK concert venues. Closing date
for applications: TBC. Frequency: Biennial.
Donatella Flick Conducting Competition
PO Box 34227, London NW5 1XP t: 07799
085115 e: discovery@lso.co.uk w: www.
conducting.org. Susan Johnson, admin.
Eligibility: Open to EU nationals aged under
35 at the time of final concert. Prizes: Award
of £15,000 to subsidise period of up to 1 yr
as asst cond with LSO, specialist study and
concert engagements. Location: Final at the
Barbican. Dates: Autumn 2018. Closing date
for applications: Spring. Frequency: Biennial.
Eastbourne Symphony Orchestra Young
Soloist Competition 7 Prideaux Rd,
Eastbourne BN21 2NW t: 01323 724763
e: brianjknights@aol.com w: www.eso.org.
uk. Brian Knights, awards admin. Eligibility:
STRINGS FOCUS LISTINGS
Soloists of any nationality aged under 24.
Prizes: 1st prize £800 and an opportunity to
play a concerto with the orchestra. Entry fees:
£25 Location: Eastbourne. Frequency: Annual.
Dates: 1st round 5 - 6 Jan 2019; final round
27 Jan 2019. Closing date for applications:
30 Nov.
Essex Young Musician of the Year White
House, Noon’s Folly, Newmarket Road,
Royston, Herts SG8 7NG t: 01763 248342
e: administration@ongarmusicclub.org.
uk w: www.ongarmusicclub.org.uk. Janet
Pope, competition admin. Eligibility: Open to
singers and instrumentalists (not organists)
living, attending school or born in Essex.
Requirements: 3 rounds inc preliminary
round end Jun. Prizes: 1st prize £650 plus
concert at Ongar Music Club; 2nd prize £350;
3rd prize £250; 4th prize £175. Entry fees:
35. Location: Ongar Dates: Takes place over
two Sundays at the end of June each year.
Frequency: Annual.
Gerald Moore Award t: 0845 070 4969, also
fax e: info@geraldmooreaward.org.uk
w: www.geraldmooreaward.org.uk. Katie Avey,
admin. Eligibility: Candidates must be aged
28 or under and residing or studying f/t in the
UK. Each major UK conservatoire is asked
to nominate one candidate; independent
candidates assessed by written application
for a place in the auditions. Prizes: £2500;
singers prize £250. Frequency: Biennial. Next
competition Autumn 2018.
Gregynog Young Musician of the Year
e: sec@gregynogymc.co.uk w: www.
gregynogymc.co.uk. Sarah Garrett. Eligibility:
Any orchestral instrument, including piano,
guitar, recorder and percussion. No lower
age limit but entrants must be born after 31
Aug 2000. Requirements: Application form,
entry fee and CD of two contrasting excerpts
lasting no longer than 10 minutes in total to be
submitted. Entrants to be of Grade 8 standard
or equivalent. Prizes:1st prize: £3,000.00 and
5 category prizes of £500.00 each. Entry fees:
£30. Location: Gregynog Hall, Nr Newtown,
Powys. Competition date: 27th April 2019.
Closing date for applications: 3rd Feb 2019.
Frequency: Annual.
Handel Singing Competition PO Box
79, Ilminster, Somerset TA19 9WP e:
competition@londonhandelfestival.org.uk;
festivaldirector@londonhandelfestival.org.
uk w: www.london-handel-festival.com. Samir
Savant. Internationally acclaimed singing
competition. Past finalists include Iestyn
Davies and Lucy Crowe. Eligibility: Open
to those aged 23-34 on 1 February 2019.
Requirements: See website for details. Prizes:
First Prize £5000; Second Prize £2000.
Audience Prize £300; unplaced finalists each
receive £300. Semi-Finals and Finals are
part of London Handel Festival. All Finalists
are invited back as soloists in future years.
Entry fees: £40 Location: London. Frequency:
Annual.
Leeds Conductors’ Competition Leeds
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 89
STRINGS FOCUS LISTINGS
International Concert Season, Leeds Town
Hall, The Headrow, Leeds LS1 3AD t: 0113
395 1244 f: 0113 247 8334 e: music@
leeds.gov.uk w: www.leedsconductors.com.
Matthew Sims, competition dir. Eligibility:
Open to British-born conds aged under 35.
Requirements: Seminar adjudication at
each stage of the competition. Prizes: Total
prize money of £12,000, plus numerous
prestigious engagements with principal UK
orchs. Location: Leeds Town Hall. Frequency:
Triennial.
Leith Hill Musical Festival 59 Eastwick Park
Ave, Great Bookham, KT23 3LZ t: 01372
458811, also fax e: chairman@lhmf.org.uk
w: www.lhmf.org.uk. Brian Kay, cond; Liz May,
festival organiser. Choral Festival in Dorking
which was conducted by Ralph Vaughan
Williams for 50 years; a unique choral event
enabling choirs to both engage in friendly
competition and combine to perform together
in a concert with a professional orch and
soloists. 2016 Dates: St John Passion 10
March, Youth Choirs Competition 16 March,
Competitions & concerts 11-13 April.
Les Azuriales Opera Festival Singing
Competition 19 Victoria Square, London
SW1W 0RB t: 020 7834 9647 w: www.
azurialopera.com. Sarah Holford, pres.
Eligibility: Either in full-time musical education
or have completed postgraduate studies/
opera course within past 2 years. Prizes: First
prize. EUR 2000; second prize EUR 2500;
junior (under 27) prize EUR 1000. Entry fees:
None. Location: Saint Jean Cap Ferrat. Dates:
Aug. Frequency: Annual.
Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition
The Secretariat, Erin Arts Centre, Victoria
Sq, Port Erin, Isle of Man IM9 6LD t: 01624
835858 f: 01624 836658 e: information@
erinartscentre.com w: www.erinartscentre.com.
John Bethell MBE, artistic dir. Eligibility: Open to
va players of any nationality, aged 30 and under
on last day of competition. Requirements:
See website. Prizes: 18000. Entry fees: tba
for competition & workshop. Location: Isle
of Man. Dates: March 2019. Closing date for
applications: Oct 2018. Frequency: Triennial.
Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition
and Festival Erin Arts Centre, Victoria
Square, Port Erin, IM9 6LD t: 01624
832662 e: information@erinartscentre.com
w: www.erinartscentre.com. John Bethell MBE,
Artistic Dir. Dates: 6th - 13th April 2019. Open
to viola players of any nationality, aged 30 and
under on last day of competition. A variety of
competition stages, concerts, masterclasses
and workshops with professional artists. Held
at the Erin Arts Centre; in the lovely seaside
resort of Port Erin, Isle of Man. Frequency:
Triennial. Entry fees: Requirements and
Deadlines on website.
London International Music Competition 78
Warwick Ave, Edgware, HA8 8UJ t: 020 8958
5206 e: nlpsch@hotmail.com. M Schreider,
artistic dir/chair. Eligibility: Open to all ages
and nationalities. Requirements: Recorded
performance. Prizes: From £3000. Frequency:
Biennial.
90 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
Manchester International Concerto
Menuhin Competition 7 Exton Street,
London SE1 8UE t: 020 7620 8470
e: office@menuhincompetition.org w: www.
menuhincompetition.org. Becky Chilton,
General Manager. Eligibility: Open to
violinists of any nationality under the age
of 22. Dates: 12-22 April 2018. Location:
Geneva, Switzerland. Frequency: Biennial.
Repertoire, prizes and application details will
be released in April. Application info will be
available from www.menuhincompetition.org/
apply Facebook page: www.facebook.com/
menuhincompetition.
Moeck/Society of Recorder Players Solo
Recorder Competition 4 Victoria Road,
Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 3GG t: 07758
512342 e: comp@srp.org.uk w: www.srp.
org.uk/moecksrp-competition. This Biennial
Competition is organised by the Society of
Recorder Players with Moeck UK and aims
to encourage young, talented players and
advance their careers. The 1st Prize consists
of a recital at the Greenwich International
Early Music Exhibition together with a cash
prize (currently £1500). This is presented
at the recital and prizes are donated by the
Society of Recorder Players, Early Music Shop
and Moeck. The Competition is international
and entries are welcome from recorder players
of a suitable standard who are under thirty
years of age on 1st November in the year of
the Competition.
National Brass Band Championships of
Great Britain 13 The Paddocks, Penarth
CF64 5BW t: 02920 704325 w: www.
nationalbrassbandchampionships.com. Philip
Morris, contest admin dir. Eligibility: Regional
br band winners. Prizes: Trophy and £2000.
Location: Championships finals at Royal
Albert Hall; lower section finals at Harrogate
International Centre. Regionals various dates
in Mar. Frequency: Annual.
National Concert Band Festival NCBF
Festival Office, 6 Colehurst Croft, Monkspath,
Solihull, West Midlands B90 4XQ t: 01295
788499, also fax e: admin@ncbf.info w: www.
ncbf.info. Keith Allen, dir. Eligibility: Five
symphonic wind band categories: jrs (aged
14 and under), school, youth (aged 19 and
under), community, open. Five big band
categories: school, jr, youth, open, community.
Prizes: Platinum, gold, silver, bronze and merit
awards, also outstanding soloist award. Entry
fees: 125 Location: Finals at Royal Academy of
Music, London.
Norfolk Young Musician Competition Norfolk
Music Hub, Professional Development Centre,
144 Woodside Road, Norwich NR7 9QL
t: 01603 504301 e: astsally@lineone.net
w: www.academyofstthomas.co.uk/trust.
html; norfolkmusichub.org.uk/news/167/19/
Norfolk-Young-Musician-Competition.html.
Jonathan Wortley, chair. Eligibility: Open
to those resident, working or in f/t educ in
Norfolk; max age 21 (25 for singers), not
engaged f/t as perf or teacher of music,
and gr 8 with merit or equivalent. Prizes:
Prizes of £200, £150 and £100, the Michael
Badminton Prize for the most promising
str player, and the Mrs E Sturgeon Prize for
the most promising pianist. Entry fees: 10
Location: John Innes Centre, Norwich. Dates:
Jan. Closing date for applications: Previous
Dec. Frequency: Annual.
Parkhouse Award Hamilton Cottage, Waterloo
Road, Cranbrook, Kent TN17 3JJ t: 01580
713634; 07721672348 e: music@gbz.demon.
co.uk w: www.parkhouseaward.com. Gwenneth
Bransby-Zachary, mgr. Eligibility: Open to pno
with str ens, from duo to pno quartet. Upper
age limit 32. Requirements: Ens must show
they have been performing together regularly
during 2019 and 2020. Prizes: Winner
awarded concerts in prestigious London
venues, plus further concert opportunities.
Entry fees: £50 Location: Central London.
Dates: Spring 2021 (previously 2019). Closing
date for applications: 1 Dec 2020. Frequency:
Biennial.
Philip & Dorothy Green Young Artists 8
Holyrood Street, London SE1 2EL t: 020
7939 6030 f: 020 7939 6030 e: ayca@
makingmusic.org.uk w: www.makingmusic.org.
uk/opportunities-young-professionals/pdgya.
Caitlin Goreing, awards admin. Eligibility:
Instrumentalists and singers 21- 27 (on 1
April of corresponding year). Applicants must
be based in the UK. If not a UK citizen, must
be able to provide evidence of eligibility to
live and work in the UK. Candidates should
have completed f/t educ and be embarking
on professional careers. Prize: Series of
engagements throughout the UK with concert
promoters, orchestras, choral societies,
choirs and other amateur performing groups.
Entry fees: None. Location: Auditions held
in London. Dates: March/April. Frequency:
Annual.
PWC Jersey Young Musician of the Year
Competition Education, PO Box 142, St
Saviour, Jersey JE4 8QJ t: 01534 832230
f: 01534 618510 e: jis@music.sch.je. Dr
Graham Cox, head of mus service. Eligibility:
Open to all musicians residing in Jersey under
19 years of age on 1 Sep. Minimum Grade 6
level or equivalent. Prizes: 1st prize £200 and
an expenses paid visit to the UK for winner and
chaperone to attend a concert of their choice.
Royal Over-Seas League Annual Music
Competition ROSL ARTS, Royal Over-Seas
League, Park Place, St James’s St, London
SW1A 1LR t: 020 7408 0214 ext 324 f: 020
7499 6738 e: culture@rosl.org.uk w: www.
rosl.org.uk. Roderick Lakin, dir; Mandy Murphy
and George Harwood-Smith, admin. Eligibility:
Open to UK and Commonwealth citizens aged
30 or under. For solo awards: kb, strs, wind/
perc, singers; 2 awards for chmbr ens (strs,
strs and pno or pno duo/duet; wind, perc,
vocal or mixed ens); also award for accomps.
Prizes: Gold medal and prize money.
Sir Anthony Lewis Memorial Prize
Competition 5 Meadow View, Water Eaton
Rd, Oxford OX2 7QS t: 01865 310106
e: secretary@musicabritannica.org.uk w: www.
musicabritannica.org.uk. Peter Lynan, sec,
Musica Britannica Trust. Prizes: 3 prizes.

Entry fees: None. Location: Royal Academy of
Music. Dates: Spring 2018 tbc. Closing date
for applications: Early 2018 tbc. Frequency:
Biennial.
St Martin’s Chamber Music Competition St
Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London
WC2N 4JH t: 020 7766 1130 e: music@smitf.
org w: www.smitf.org/smcc. Nicholas Boyd-
Vaughan, assistant concerts mgr. Eligibility:
Open to acoustic classical ens based in the
UK with between 3 and 8 members, aged
between 18 and 30 years on the date of entry.
Location: London. Frequency: Annual.
The Two Moors Festival Young Musicians
Platform Competition Barkham, Sandyway,
South Molton, Devon EX36 3LU t: 01643
831370 e: liz.pile@btinternet.com w: www.
thetwomoorsfestival.com. Liz Pile, festival
admin. Eligibility: Open to musicians aged
18 and under on 1 Jan who live or attend
school in Gloucs, Wilts, Bristol, Avon, Dorset,
Somerset, Devon or Cornwall. Requirements:
2 rounds of auditions on Exmoor; 4 finalists
perform in their own concert in the Two Moors
Festival. Prizes: Four winners each receive
£250 prize money plus a concert within the
Festival. Location: Devon. Dates: First round:
Mar; second round April . Closing date for
applications: Jan . Frequency: Annual.
Traditional Music and Song Association
of Scotland The Signal Box, 5 Appin Lane,
Edinburgh EH14 1JL t: 0792 253 3915
e: office@tmsa.org.uk w: www.tmsa.org.uk.
Fiona Campbell, Convener.
Tunbridge Wells International Music
Competition at Mayfield Festival 11
Romford Road, Pembury, Tunbridge Wells,
Kent TN2 4JB t: 01892825548 e: info@
British Academy of Songwriters, Composers
and Authors (BASCA) The Ministry, 79
Borough Road, London SE1 1DN t: 020
7636 2929 e: info@basca.org.uk w: www.
basca.org.uk. Exists to support and protect
the artistic, professional, commercial and
copyright interests of songwriters, lyricists
and composers of music, and to celebrate and
encourage excellence in British music writing.
Administers major awards inc the Ivors and the
British Composer Awards.
British Composer Awards BASCA, The
Ministry, 79 Borough Road, London SE1 1DN
t: 020 7636 2929 e: awards@basca.org.
uk w: www.britishcomposerawards.com. The
British Composer Awards are unique in making
contemporary music, jazz and sonic art the
focus of their annual celebration. Created by
BASCA in 2003, the British Composer Awards
promote the art of composition, recognise
the creative talent of composers and sound
artists, and bring their music to a wider
audience. To qualify works must have received
a UK premiere performance - either live or
broadcast - in the year leading up to 31 March.
The Call for Nominations opens each May and
closes the first week in July.
twiyca.org; margaret_morgan37@btinternet.
com w: www.twimc.org.uk. Margaret Morgan.
Eligibility: Open to those aged 17-27. Prizes:
see website:www.twiymc.org.uk Location:
Mayfield, East Sussex, UK. Dates: 29th April to
3rd May, 2020. Closing date for applications:
January 2020. Frequency: Biennial.
Categories: Piano, Strings, Wind (including
Brass). In 2018 the competition will take place
at Mayfield School, Mayfield, East Sussex, UK.
as part of the Mayfield Festival of Music and
the Arts.
Wigmore Hall International String Quartet
Competition Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore
St, London W1U 2BP t: 020 7258 8244
e: quartetcompetition@wigmore-hall.org.
uk w: wigmore-hall.org.uk/string-quartet-
competition/wigmore-hall-international-string-
quartet-competition. Ruth Wheal, gen mgr,
Competitions, Wigmore Hall. Eligibility: Open to
str quartets of all nationalities, members aged
35 or under at date of Final. Prizes: £20,000
cash prizes plus professional development
opportunities. Entry fees: £25 registration fee,
additional £35 if selected. Location: London.
Dates: next Competition: April 2021. Closing
date for applications: Oct 2020 (exact date
tbc). Frequency: Triennial.
Windsor Festival International String
Competition Windsor Festival International
String Competition, c/o Martin Denny
Management Limited, Windsor Festival
Society Ltd, 11 High Street, Windsor,
Berkshire SL4 1LD t: 01753 832896
e: rosemary@martindenny.co.uk w: www.
wfinternationalstringcompetition.com.
Rosemary Taylor, Competition Manager.
Eligibility: Open to outstanding vn, va and vc
FOR COMPOSERS
Music for Youth 3rd Floor South Wing,
Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R t: 020
7759 1830 f: 020 7759 1831 e: mfy@mfy.org.
uk w: www.mfy.org.uk. Judith Webster, chief
exec. Education charity providing free access
to education performance opportunities for
young musicians through a nationwide series
of concerts and festivals.
NCEM Young Composers Award 2019
National Centre for Early Music, St Margaret’s
Church, Walmgate, York YO1 9TL t: 01904
632220 e: info.composers@ncem.co.uk
w: www.ncem.co.uk/composersaward2019.
Janet Cromartie, music admin. Eligibility: Open
to UK residents max age 25 on 15 March
2019. 2 categories: 18 and under; 19 to 25
years. Requirements: See website. Prizes: The
winning pieces will be premiered in a public
performance and recorded for broadcast by
BBC Radio 3. Location: The National Centre
for Early Music, York. Dates: 8 & 9 May 2019.
Closing date for applications: Expressions of
interest by 15 Feb 2019, submission of scores
by 15 Mar 2019. Frequency: Annual.
Royal Philharmonic Society Composition
Prize Royal Philharmonic Society, 48 Great
Marlborough Street, London W1F 7BB t: 020
STRINGS FOCUS LISTINGS
players aged between 16-26 on 1 Dec prior
to competition. Prizes: 1st prize: £5000, a
concerto performance with the Philharmonia
Orchestra, fine contemporary bow from
Bishop Instruments and Bows, CD recording
with Champs Hill Records, recitals; 2nd prize:
£2000; 3rd prize: £1000. Entry fees: 40.
Location: Windsor. Dates: Mar. Closing date for
applications: Dec. Frequency: Biennial.
Young Artists Platform The Tillett Trust, PO
Box 771, Kenton, Exeter EX6 8XA t: 0845
070 4969, also fax e: info@thetilletttrust.
org.uk w: www.thetilletttrust.co.uk. Katie
Avey, administrator. Eligibility: Open to
musicians residing or studying f/t in UK who
already hold u/g performer’s diploma from a
recognised British conservatoire, or equivalent
qualification. Age limits: 20-25 (inst soloists),
23-28 (singers); ens of up to 6 players, all
within same age limits. Requirements: 10
minute audition performing music of artist’s
choice. Prizes: No cash prizes. Successful
candidates are offered a shared Wigmore
Hall recital plus possibility of further recital
dates in the UK. Entry fees: £25 Location: The
Amadeus Centre, London. Audition. Dates:
February. Frequency: Annual.
Young Classical Artists Trust Somerset
House, West Wing, Strand, London WC2R 1LA
t: 020 7379 8477 e: info@ycat.co.uk w: www.
ycat.co.uk. Alasdair Tait, chief exec; Sue
Hudson, artist mgr. Eligibility: Open to
instrumentalists aged under 28, singers under
30. Prizes: YCAT musicians receive complete
mgr service for 3 yrs plus London and regional
presentation concerts, and opportunities to
take part in the YCAT Wigmore Hall lunchtime
series.
7287 0019 e: admin@philharmonicsociety.uk
w: www.philharmonicsociety.uk/composers.
James Murphy. Eligibility: Open to registered
students past or present of any conservatoire
or university within the UK, aged 28 or under
on closing date. Prizes: 4 annual £3000
commissions and two £1,000 commission
with guaranteed performances. Closing date
for applications: 31 Mar. Frequency: Annual.
RSCM Dr Harold Smart Competition Royal
School of Church Music, 19 The Close,
Salisbury SP1 2EB t: 01722 424848 f: 01722
424849 e: press@rscm.com w: www.rscm.
com. Tim Ruffer. Application forms available
from June. Requirements: Short original
anthem (unpublished and unperformed),
parameters set each year. Prizes: £100
Closing date for applications: September.
Frequency: Annual.
Shipley Arts Festival The Plat,
Thakeham Road, Coolham, West Sussex
RH13 8QD t: 01403 741685 e: andrew@
bernardimusicgroup.com; andrewbernardi@
me.com w: www.bmglive.com. Andrew
Bernardi, Artistic Director. One of the UK’s most
highly respected Classical Music Festivals’ West
Sussex County Times.
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 91
STRINGS FOCUS LISTINGS
The Christopher Brooks Memorial Prize
c/o Lancashire Sinfonietta, 12 New Beech
Rd, Stockport SK4 3DD t: 0161 432 7925
e: marketing@lancs-sinf.com w: www.lancs-sinf.
com. Fiona Sinclair, gen mgr. Young comp’s
competition. Eligibility: Open to comps aged
16-25, and born, educated or resident in NW
England. Requirements: 3 sample scores, CV
and reasons why winning would benefit career.
Prizes: 1st prize £1000 commission to create
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS FOR PERFORMERS AND CONDUCTORS
AUSTRALIA
ABC Symphony Australia Young Performers
Awards PO Box 1145, Darlinghurst, NSW
1300 t: +61 2 8622 9482 f: +61 2 8622
9422 w: symphonyinternational.net/artist-
development/performers. Justine Bashford,
artist development mgr. Eligibility: Must be
aged under 30 and permanent Australian
resident or citizen. 3 categories: string, kb,
other instrumental. Requirements: 2 stage
competition. Prizes: 1st prize AU $20,000
plus concert engagements with the Australian
symphony orchs. Entry fees: AU $60. Location:
Australian capital cities. Closing date for
applications: Dec. Frequency: Annual. Dates; 29
Oct - 7 Nov.
Asia-Pacific Chamber Music Competition
/ Chamber Music Australia Chamber Music
Australia, PO Box 325, South Yarra, Victoria
3141 t: +61 3 9682 3411 f: +61 3 9682 3422
e: cma@chambermusicaustralia.com.au w: www.
chambermusicaustralia.com.au. Competition
for Piano Trios and String Quartets. Eligibility:
Combined age of ensembles must not exceed
90 years (PT), 120 years (SQ). Applications to
enter the Competition may be made by persons
of Australian or Asia-Pacific nationality only.
Requirements: preliminary screening round (video
audition). Prizes: AU $100,000 total prizes, plus
concert tour of Australia. Entry fees: AUD$250.
Location: Melbourne. Frequency: Quadrennial.
Melbourne International Chamber Music
Competition / Chamber Music Australia
Chamber Music Australia, PO Box 325, South
Yarra, Victoria 3141 t: +61 3 9682 3411 f: +61
3 9682 3422 e: cma@chambermusicaustralia.
com.au w: www.chambermusicaustralia.com.
au. Competition for Piano Trios and String
Quartets. Eligibility: Combined age of ensembles
must not exceed 90 years (PT), 120 years (SQ).
Requirements: preliminary screening round
(video audition) and live audition round. Prizes:
AU $100,000 total prizes, plus concert tour
of Australia. Frequency: Quadrennial. Next
Competition date: 2019.
AUSTRIA
International Johannes Brahms Competition
Pörtschach Seeuferstraße 129, A-9210
Pörtschach t: +43 664 2864912
e: info@brahmscompetition.org w: www.
brahmscompetition.org. Waltraud Arnold.
Eligibility: Piano, chamber music, violin, viola,
cello, voice. Requirements: Open to musicians
92 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
a new work for Lancashire’s professional orch,
the Lancashire Sinfonietta; winner will become
Young Comp in Residence for the season.
Location: Lancashire/NW England. Frequency:
Annual.
The William Mathias Composition Prize Sound
and Music, 3rd Floor, South Wing, Somerset
House, London WC2R 1LA t: 020 7759 1800
e: elina.hamilton@bangor.ac.uk w: www.
soundandmusic.org. Elina Hamilton. Eligibility:
from any country who have reached international
competition standard. No age limits. Prizes:
Up to EUR 3500. Location: Pörtschach am
Worthersee, Austria. Frequency: annual.
International Mozart Competition Mirabellplatz
1 A-5020 Salzburg f: +43 662 6198 2209
e: mozartwettbewerb@moz.ac.at w: www.moz.
ac.at. Reinhart von Gutzeit. Eligibility: Open to
candidate of all nationalities. Requirements: See
website for full details. Prizes: string quartet 1st
prize: EUR 20,000 and a concert tour; 2nd prize:
EUR 12 000; 3rd prize: 8000. Further prizes in
preparation. Entry fees: EUR 320. Prizes: 1 st
prize: EUR 15 000; 2nd prize: EUR 10 000; 3rd
prize: EUR 5 000. Further Prizes: exceptional
prize for the best song interpretation; exceptional
prize of the Richard Strauss Gesellschaft.
Location: Salzburg.
The International Chamber Music Competition
“Franz Schubert and Modern Music”
Leonhardstraße 15, A-8010 Graz t: +43 316
389 1900 f: +43 316 389 1901 e: franz.
schubert@kug.ac.at w: schubert.kug.ac.at.
Britta Reininghaus. Categories: Duo for Voice
and Piano (Lied); Trio for Piano, Violin and
Violoncello; String Quartet. Age limit: 35 years
and under. Next competition: 18 - 28 February
2018. Chamber music competition, triannual,
organized by the Univer sity of Music and
Performing Arts Graz. Three main prizes and
additional prizes. Member of WFIMC and Arlink-
Argerich-Foundation.
AZERBAIJAN
Competition of Mugam Performance H Cavid
Avenue 506, AZ-1073 Baku t: +994 12 510
5328 f: +994 12 510 5328 e: sh.rzayeva@
conservatory.az. Jahangir Selimkhanov, head
of international relations department. Eligibility:
Vocalists aged 35 and under accompanied by up
to 5 instrumentalists. Prizes: Grand prize: EUR
20,000; 1st prize: EUR 15,000; 2nd prize: EUR
10,000; 3rd prize: EUR 5000. Location: Baku
Frequency: Biennial.
BELGIUM
Musica Antiqua International Competition
Festival van Vlaanderen-Brugge, t Zand 34
B-8000 Bruges t: +32 50 33 22 83 f: +32 50
34 52 04 e: info@mafestival.be; competitions@
mafestival.be w: www.mafestival.be. Stefan
Dewitte, director; Kristina Van Loo, competition
office. Eligibility: Open to musicians of
all nationalities born after 31 Dec 1980.
Open to UK citizens. Requirements: Offered
for a work for fl (doubling picc and/or alt), va,
vc and pno. It should last between 6-10 mins;
there are no restrictions in terms of style. Prizes:
£500; a professional performance during the
Bangor New Music Festival; a recording of the
work (for personal use only); a commission for
Bangor New Music Festival (worth up to £1,000).
Biennial.
Requirements: 2 rounds plus final; set works at
each stage. Competitions instruments chosen by
festival direction. Entry fees: EUR 95. Location:
Brugge.
Queen Elisabeth International Music
Competition - Brussels - Belgium 20 Rue
aux Laines B-1000 BRUSSELS t: +32 2 213
4050 f: +32 2 514 3297 e: info@qeimc.be
w: www.qeimc.be. Competitions for piano in
May 2016, cello in 2017 and voice in 2018.
Open to pianists, cellists, singers and violinists
who are ready to embark on an international
career. Requirements: Candidates required
to send DVD recording (image and sound)
for pre-selection round. Prizes: 1st prize
EUR 25,000; 11 other prizes EUR 5000-
17,000 for laureates; EUR 1000 for semi-
finalists. Concerts in Belgium and abroad,
CD recordings, grants. Entry fees: EUR 100.
Location: Brussels. Dates: May - June - Piano -
Closing date for applications: Jan. Frequency:
every 4 years.
CANADA
Banff International String Quartet
Competition The Banff Centre, PO Box 1020,
Station 23, 107 Tunnel Mountain Drive, Banff
Alberta T1L 1H5 t: +1 403 762 6231 f: +1 403
762 6338 e: bisqc@banffcentre.ca w: www.
bisqc.ca. The 13th Banff International String
Quartet Competition takes place in Banff,
Alberta, Canada. Occurring triennially, the
next competition is August 26-September 1,
2019. Submissions open October 1, 2018
- March 1, 2019. Open to string quartets of
all nationalities whose members are under
the age of 35 on August 26, 2019. Prizes
(CAD dollars): 1st Prize worth over $150,000
($25,000 cash prize; a recital tour of North
America and Europe; a residency at Banff
Centre to include a CD recording). 2nd & 3rd
Place Prizes ($12,000 & $8,000 each with a
Banff Centre Residency worth up to $15,000).
Eckhardt-Gramatte National Music
Competition Queen Elizabeth II Music Building,
270 - 18th St, Brandon University, Brandon,
Manitoba R7A 6A9 t: +1 204 728 8212 f: +1 204
728 6839 e: eckhardt@brandonu.ca w: e-gre.
ca. Aimee Coueslan, admin. Aims to encourage
young performers to study contemporary and
Canadian works. Rotates between pno, voice
and strings; 2017 Voice. Eligibility: Open to
Canadian citizens or residents, ages 18-30
(35 for voice). Prizes: 1st prize $10,000 and
Canadian recital tour. Frequency: Annual.

Montreal International Music Competition
(MIMC) 305 Mont-Royal East, Montreal
Quebec H2T 1P8 t: +1 514 845 4108 f: +1
514 845 8241 e: info@concoursmontreal.ca
w: www.concoursmontreal.ca. Isabelle Ligot,
Communications Manager. Overt $75,000 CAD
in prizes. Free transport and accommodation
with host families offered to candidates
selected for the Quarter-final Round. Eligibility:
Candidates must be aged 29 or under on 1 Jan
2017. Prizes: 1st prize CAN $30,000, plus other
prizes and engagements. Entry fees: CAN $150
(or equivalent in US funds). Location: Montreal.
Dates: May. Frequency: annual. 3 disciplines on
alternating basis: violin in 2016, piano in 2017,
voice in 2018.
CHILE
Dr Luis Sigall International Musical
Competition PO Box 31-D, RCH Vina del Mar
t: +56 32 268 06 33 f: +56 32 288 33 58
e: info@culturaviva.cl w: www.culturaviva.cl.
Categories change from year to year. Eligibility:
2017 competition is for Piano. Age limit 32.
Prizes: First prize $10,000; second prize $4000;
third prize $2000. Frequency: Annual.
CHINA
Beijing International Music Competition Suite
1804, Tower 5, SOHO New Town, 88 JianGuo
Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100022
t: +86 10 85800536 f: +86 10 85802340
w: www.bjimc.cn. Categories rotate each year.
Eligibility: Open to cltists of all nationalities
whose members are under 32 (born on or after
8 May, 1981). Prizes: 1st prize $25,000; 2nd
prize $16,000; 3rd prize $7000. Entry fees:
$100 for accepted candidates. Location: Beijing.
Frequency: Annual.
CROATIA
International Competition for Young Cellists
Antonio Janigro Koncertna direkcija Zagreb,
Kneza Mislava 18, HR-1000 Zagreb t: +385
1 45 01 200 f: +385 1 46 11 807 e: info@
antoniojanigro.hr w: www.antoniojanigro.
hr. Eligibility: For cellists under 20. Dates:
2018 Closing date for applications: Sep 2018
Frequency: Biennial.
CZECH REPUBLIC
Concertino Praga: International Radio
Competition for Young Musicians Concertino
Praga, Český rozhlas, Centrum uměleckých
těles, soutěží a přehlídek, Vinohradská 12, 120
99 Praha 2 t: +420 22 155 1510 2 f: +420 22
155 1512 e: concertino@rozhlas.cz w: www.
rozhlas.cz/concertino. Eligibility: Open to
performers aged 18 or under. Requirements:
CD recording comprising choice of set work
plus works of competitor’s choice to make a
programme of max 15 mins. Prizes: Winners
perform a concert tour in Prague and at the
Southern Bohemia festival.
Leos Janacek International Competition in
Brno Janáček Academy of Music and Performing
Arts Brno, Faculty of Music, Komenského nám.
6 Brno 662 15 t: +420 542 591 606 e: zilecka@
jamu.cz w: hfenglish.jamu.cz/leos-janacek-
international-competition/; www.facebook.com/
MSLJBrno. Categories change each year. 2018
(8 - 15 September): double bass and violoncello.
Location: Brno, Czech Republic. The applicants
cannot exceed 36 years of age on the opening
day of the competition. Financial awards are
announced for each field separately: 1st prize -
CZK 100,000; 2nd prize - CZK 70,000; 3rd prize
- CZK 40,000.
Prague Spring International Music
Competition Hellichova 18, CR-118 00 Praha
1 t: +420 257 313 033 f: +420 257 313 725
e: competition@festival.cz w: www.festival.
cz. Michal Vencl, competition sec. Eligibility:
Participants must be born on or after 7 May
1984. Requirements: Preliminary selection
round. Prizes: Financial prizes and concert
engagements. Entry fees: EUR 100. Location:
Prague. Frequency: Annual.
DENMARK
Carl Nielsen International Music Competitions
Odense Symphony Orchestra, Claus Bergs Gade
9, DK-5000 Odense C t: +45 63 75 00 55 f: +45
65 91 00 47 e: nielsen@odense.dk w: nielsen.
odensesymfoni.dk. Marianne Granvig, secretary
general. Eligibility: Open to violinists, cltists and
flautists under the age of 30, and to organists
under 35, of all nationalities. Requirements:
Online application followed by pre-selection
by DVD. Prizes: 4 main prizes plus special
prizes. Entry fees: EUR 100. Location: Odense.
Frequency: Each discipline quadrennial. 2014: fl,
2015: organ 2016: violin 2017.
Malko Competition for Young Conductors
Malko Competition, c/o Nordic Artists
Management, Christian IX’s gade 2, 5.th.,
DK-1111 Copenhagen K t: +45 4449 2900
e: info@malkocompetition.com w: www.
malkocompetition.com. Eligibility: Open to
conductors aged 20-35 at the time of the
competition. Prizes: 1st prize EUR 20,000,
plus DVD of performances, masterclasses,
and concerts with Nordic and European orchs.
Location: Copenhagen. Frequency: Triennial.
ESTONIA
International Competition: Young Musician
MTU Noor Muusik, Kitsas 8, EE-11614
Tallinn t: +372 672 0547; +372 5 059055
e: youngmusician@hot.ee w: youngmusician.
wordpress.com. Mrs Reet Hunt, head of
organising committee. Eligibility: For pno,
violin, vc soloists aged under 10 or 11-13.
Requirements: Compulsory piece, see
competition programme. Preliminary round is
DVD; round 2 performed with chmbr orch. All
participants have the opportunity to perform
at an open concert. Prizes: Prizes are original
pieces of art by Estonian artists. Entry fees:
EUR 50. Location: Tallinn, Estonia. Frequency:
Biennial.
FINLAND
11th International Jean Sibelius Violin
Competition Sibelius Academy, PO Box 38,
FI-00097 Uniarts t: +358 40 710 4217 e: paivi.
pousar@uniarts.fi w: www.sibeliuscompetition.
fi. Paivi Pousar, general secretary. Eligibility:
STRINGS FOCUS LISTINGS
Open to violinists of any nationality born in or
after 1985. Prizes: I 25.000€, II 18.000€, III
12.000€, IV, V and VI 2000€ each. Location:
Helsinki. Frequency: Quinquennial.
International Sibelius Conductors’
Competition Finlandia Hall, FIN-00100
Helsinki t: +358 40 503 0997 f: +358 9
457 957 e: elina.siltanen@icenet.fi w: www.
sibeliusconductorscompetition.org. Elina
Siltanen, secretary general. Eligibility: Age
35 or under. Requirements: Repertoire
ranges from Mozart to contemporary Finnish
works. The finalists are required to conduct a
Sibelius symphony. Prizes: 1st prize $15,000.
Dates: Next competition date tba. Frequency:
Quinquennial.
Paulo International Cello Competition PO Box
1105, FIN-00101 Helsinki t: +358 40 156 1010
e: cello@paulo.fi w: www.cellocompetitionpaulo.
org. Johanna Jarventaus, gen sec. Eligibility:
Open to ages 16-30. Prizes: 1st prize approx EUR
15,000. Frequency: Quinquennial.
FRANCE
Besancon Competition for international
young Conductors 2 rue Morand, Besancon,
F-25000 t: +33 3 81 25 05 85 f: +33 3 81
81 52 15 e: contact@festival-besancon.com
w: www.concours-besancon.com. Elodie Farges.
Established in 1951 within the Besancon
international music Festival. Eligibility: open to
conductors of all nationalities aged under 35
years of age. Prizes: 1st prize of €12,000 and
possible engagements with orchestras. Entry
fees: €250. Location: Besancon. Frequency:
Biennial.
Bordeaux International String Quartet
Competition Association, Athenee Municipal
Boite n, 1, place saint Christoly, 33000
BORDEAUX e: bensa_bordeaux@hotmail.com
w: www.quatuorabordeaux.com. Eligibility:
Open to ens of all nationalities whose members
were born after May 1, 1973. The average age
of the musicians shall not exceed 33 years on
May 1. Prizes: 1st prize EUR 20,000, 2nd prize
EUR 10,000 Location: Grand Thetre, Bordeaux.
Dates: 5 to 12 JUNE 2019 Closing date for
applications: tbc. Frequency: Triennial.
Concours d’orgue Concours Internationaux
de la Ville de Paris, ACDA, Usine Springcourt, 5
Passage Piver, F-75011 Paris t: +33 1 40 33 45
35 f: +33 1 40 33 45 38 e: info.orgue@civp.com
w: www.civp.com. Claude Samuel, president.
Eligibility: Open to those aged 33 and under, all
nationalities. Frequency: Triennial.
Concours International de Musique de
Chambre - Lyon 54 rue du 1er mars 1943,
F-69100 Villeurbanne, 69004 t: +33 6 52
14 80 45 e: contact@cimcl.fr; davidpastor@
cimcl.fr w: www.cimcl.fr. David Pastor, admin.
Eligibility: Open to artists of all nationalities,
under 33 years old. Requirements: All details
of programme and rules on website. Prizes:
1st prize EUR 8,000, 2nd prize EUR 6,000, 3rd
prize EUR 4,000, a few spezial prizes 5,000
EUR, concerts and video, etc. Member World
federation international music competition.
Broadcast on France Musique National Radio
and www.nomadmusic.com.
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 93
STRINGS FOCUS LISTINGS
Concours International de Quintette a Vent
Henri Tomasi Institut Français des Instruments à
vent, 4, rue Bernard du Bois, BP 62 042, 13201
MARSEILLE Cedex 1 t: +33 4 91 39 29 02 f: +33
4 91 39 29 02 e: vents.institut@wanadoo.
fr w: ifiv-marseille.blogspot.co.uk. Eligibility:
Average age of candidates must not exceed
35 years; all candidates must have been born
after 31 Dec 1972. Prizes: 3 prizes totalling EUR
12,000. Entry fees: EUR 250 per ens. Location:
Marseille. Frequency: Biennial.
Concours Lily Laskine Concours Internationaux de
la Ville de Paris, Cite Internationale des Arts, 18 rue
de l’Hotel de Ville, F-75020 Paris t: +33 1 40 33
45 35 e: info.laskine@civp.com w: www.civp.com.
Prizes: 1st prize, hp donated by manufacturers
Salvi, plus concert engagements. Other cash
prizes. Location: Paris. Frequency: Triennial.
International Saxophone Competition of the
Festival Ville d’Avray c/o Jean-Louis Petit, 24
ave Bugeaud, F-75116 Paris t: +33 1 78 33 14
57 f: +33 1 47 50 53 90 e: jlpetit@jeanlouispetit.
com. Jean-Louis Petit. Prizes: 1st prize EUR
1500. Entry fees: EUR 50. Dates: Mar.
Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition 32 ave
Matignon, F-75008 Paris t: +33 1 42 66
66 80 f: +33 1 42 66 06 43 w: www.long-
thibaud-crespin.org. Claude Perin, general
secretary. Alternates pno, singing and violin;
2017 competition for violin. Eligibility: Open
to competitors of all nationalities aged 30 or
under. Requirements: All works to be played from
memory (except contemporary works) and in full.
Prizes: 1st prize EUR 25,000. Total prizes EUR
59,100. Entry fees: EUR 75. Frequency: Annual.
Rostropovich Cello Competition ACDA, Cite
Internationale des Arts, 18 rue de l’Hotel de
Ville, 75004 Paris t: +33 1 40 33 45 38 e: info.
rostro@civp.com w: www.civp.com. Claude
Samuel, president. Eligibility: Open to those aged
33 and under, all nationalities. Prizes: 1st prize
EUR 12,000. Entry fees: Application fee EUR 25,
registration fee EUR 65. Location: Paris. Dates:
2018 Frequency: Quadrennial.
GERMANY
ARD International Music Competition Munich
Internationaler Musikwettbewerb der ARD,
c/o Bayerischer Rundfunk, Rundfunkplatz 1,
München, D-80335 t: +49 89 5900 42471
f: +49 89 5900 23573 w: www.br.de/radio/
br-klassik-english/ard-music-competition/index.
html. Open to musicians from all nations for
voice born between 1986 and 1998; for viola
and trumpet born between 1989 and 2001; for
piano trio: the total age of all three musicians
maximum 90 years; single members neither
younger than 17 nor older than 35. Total Prizes €
108,000. Grants, Special Prizes and invitations
to give concerts. Schedule: September 2 to
20, 2019. The repertoire for each category
can be found in the detailed brochure: http://
www.br.de/ard-music-competition/index.
html Entry fees: EUR 100 (string quartet EUR
200). Application deadline: March 31, 2019
Frequency: Annual.
Anna Amalia Competition for Young Guitarists
Weimarer Gitarre-Verein e V, Mozartstr 24,
D-99424 Weimar t: +49 3643 51 78 01, also
94 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
fax e: mail@gitarreverein-weimar.de w: www.
gitarreverein-weimar.de. Eligibility: Age groups:
13 and under; 14-16; 17-20 (age on 2 Apr
2016). Prizes: Total prize money EUR 10,000.
Entry fees: EUR 20. Location: Musikgymnasium
Schloss Belvedere, Weimar. Frequency: Biennial.
Bamberger Symfoniker Gustav Mahler
Conductors’ Competition Stiftung Bamberger
Symfoniker, Bayerische Staatsphilharmonie,
Mussstr 1, D-96047 Bamberg t: +49 951 96
47 100 f: +49 951 96 47 123 e: intendanz@
bamberger-symphoniker.de w: www.bamberger-
symphoniker.de. Eligibility: Participants must be
maximum 35 years of age on 1 Jan 2016. Prizes:
1st prize: EUR 20,000; 2nd prize: EUR 10,000;
3rd & 4th prize: EUR 5,000. Frequency: Triennial.
Dates: May 2019.
International Competition for Violin by Cultural
Foundation Hohenlohe c/o Marcus Meyer, Allee
17, D-74653 Künzelsau t: +49 7940 18 373
f: +49 7940 18 431 e: petru.munteanu@gmx.de
w: www.violinwettbewerb.de. Petru Munteanu,
artistic dir. Eligibility: 3 age groups: under 15,
under 18, under 21. Prizes: Prizes total EUR
40,000 Entry fees: EUR 150. Location: Kloster
Schoental (Baden-Wurtemburg), Germany.
Frequency: Biennial.
International Competition Viola da Gamba
Landkreis Anhalt-Bitterfeld Kulturamt, Am
Flugplatz 1, D-06366 Kothen t: +49 3496 60
18 10 f: +49 3496 60 18 12 w: www.bach-abel-
wettbewerb.de. E Bodo Elze, dir of competitions
office. Requirements: 2 preliminary rounds
and final round. See website for repertoire
requirements. Prizes: 1st prize EUR 5000; 2nd
prize EUR 3500; 3rd prize EUR 2500; 4th prize
EUR 1500; 5th prize EUR 1000; EUR 500 prize
for best hpd player. Entry fees: EUR 30. Location:
Koethen, Germany.
International Instrumental Competition
Markneukirchen Am Rathaus 2, D-08258
Markneukirchen t: +49 37422 41160 f: +49
37422 41169 e: instrumentalwettbewerb@
markneukirchen.de w: www.markneukirchen.
de. Carola Schlegel. Different strings and wind
categories rotate each year. Eligibility: Viola and
double bass players under 30 (double bass 32).
Prizes: Total prizes EUR 22,000. Entry fees: EUR
100. Frequency: Annual.
International Johann Sebastian Bach
Competition in Leipzig Thomaskirchhof 15/16,
D-04109 Leipzig t: +49 341 91 37 3 02 f: +49
341 91 37 3 05 e: wettbewerb@bach-leipzig.
de w: www.bachwettbewerbleipzig.de. Prof. Dr.
h. c. mult. Robert Levin, pres. Eligibility: Age
limit 16-32 years. Requirements: organ, voice,
violoncello/baroque violoncello. Prizes: Total
prize money EUR 67.500. Entry fees: EUR 100
(voice, violoncello/baroque violoncello), EUR 105
(organ). Dates: July 2018. Frequency: Biennial.
Member of the World Federation of International
Music Competitions, Geneva.
International JOSEPH JOACHIM Chamber
Music Competition Hochschule fur Musik
FRANZ LISZT Weimar, Wettbewerbsburo, Platz
der Demokratie 2/3, PF 2552, D-99406 Weimar
t: +49 3643 555 150 f: +49 3643 555 170
e: joachim-wettbewerb@hfm-weimar.de w: www.
hfm-weimar.de/joachim. Wiebke Eckardt.
Eligibility: For string trio, string quartet, string
quintet, pno trio, pno quartet, pno quintet. Ages
up to 35. Prizes: Prizes total EUR 17,500, plus
concerts and special prizes. Entry fees: EUR 50
per ens member. Location: Weimar. Dates: 2018
Frequency: Triennial.
International LOUIS SPOHR Competition
for Young Violinists Hochschule für Musik
FRANZ LISZT Weimar, The LISZT SCHOOL of
Music Weimar, Competition Office, Platz der
Demokratie 2/3, D-99423 Weimar t: +49
(0)3643 555 150 f: +49 (0)3643 555 170
e: spohr-wettbewerb@hfm-weimar.de w: www.
hfm-weimar.de/spohr. Wiebke Eckardt. Eligibility:
3 categories: ages 14 and younger, 15-17,
18-21. Prizes: Prizes total EUR 16,250; also
concerts and special prizes. Entry fees: EUR
100. Location: Weimar. Frequency: Triennial.
International Max Rostal Competition
for Violin and Viola Universitat der Kunste
Berlin, International Max Rostal Competition,
Künstlerisches Betriebsburo, Einsteinufer
43-53, D-10587 Berlin e: rostal@udk-berlin.de
w: www.udk-berlin.de. Julia Hartmann; Beate
Roesner. Eligibility: Violinists and violists from all
nations must be born after October 7th 1987.
Requirements: Preliminary recorded section
followed by 3-part competition inc. final with
orch. Prizes: For each instrument, 1st prize EUR
6000; 2nd prize EUR 2500; 3rd prize EUR 1500.
Also additional prizes and concert offers. Entry
fees: EUR 85. Location: Berlin.
International Violin Competition Leopold
Mozart Maximilianstr 59, D-86150 Augsburg
t: +49 821 324 4892 f: +49 821 450 6981
e: info@leopold-mozart-competition.de w: www.
leopold-mozart-competition.de. Simon Pickel,
Executive Director. Eligibility: Violinists of all
nationalities, professional and student, ages
15-30. Requirements: Preselection by recording
(Video-Upload). Prizes: Cash prizes about EUR
50.000. Young musician awards, CD recording,
radio broadcasts and concert engagements.
Next competition: 31 Mai - 8 June 2019.
Joseph Joachim International Violin
Competition, Hannover Stiftung Niedersachsen,
Sophienstraße 2, 30159 Hannover, Deutschland
t: +49 511 990 5418 f: +49 511 9905419
e: info@jjv-hannover.de w: www.jjv-hannover.
de. Krzysztof Wegrzyn, artistic director; Tanja
Wohlfeil, managing director; Aurelia Eggers,
artists manager; Ulrike Range; event manager;
Dr. Jörn Rieckhoff, media relations manager.
Eligibility:Ages 16-27. Prizes: Cash Prizes
totalling 140,000 EUR, CD production with
NAXOS, Gudagnini violin on loan for 3 years.
Dates: Oct 2021. Frequency: Triennial.
GREECE
Dimitris Mitropoulos International
Competition 4 Kriezotou St, GR-10671 Athens
t: +30 1 3605 129/3 f: +30 1 3605 134 e: info@
mitropouloscompetition.gr w: www.mitropoulos
competition.gr. Traute Lutz, chief officer.
Eligibility: Open to conductors born after 30 April
1972. Requirements: Required comp: work for
symphony orch. Prizes: 1st prize EUR 6000, 2nd
prize EUR 4500, 3rd prize EUR 3000. Location:
Athens, Greece. Frequency: Annual.

HUNGARY
Concours International de Musique Budapest
Philharmonia Budapest Concert Agency,
Alkotmany u. 31. I/2, H-1054 Budapest t: +36
1 266 14 59 f: +36 1 302 49 62 w: www.
filharmoniabp.hu. Maria Liszkay, manager.
Dates: Sept.
ISRAEL
International Harp Contest in Israel The
International Harp Contest in Israel, 16 Hanaziv
Street, 67018 Tel Aviv t: +972 3 6041808
f: +972 3 6041688 e: harzimco@netvision.net.il
w: www.harpcontest-israel.org.il. Eligibility: Open
to harpists of all nationalities aged under 35.
Requirements: 3 preliminary rounds plus final;
see website for repertoire lists. Prizes: First prize,
gold concert grand harp made and presented
by Lyon and Healey; also various cash prizes.
Frequency: Triennial.
ITALY
Concorso Internazionale Valsesia-Musica
Associazione Culturale, Valsesia Musica, Corso
Roma, 35 CP n.40, I-13019 Varallo (VC) t: +39
0163 560 020 e: info@valsesiamusica.com
w: www.valsesiamusica.com; www.facebook.
com/valsesiamusica. Cristina Minazzoli,
secretary; Ermanno Tiramani, vice-president.
Eligibility: Open to pianists, violinists and
singers, age limit 37. Requirements: 3 rounds
of prescribed repertoire. Prizes: 1st prize: EUR
8000. Entry fees: EUR 100. Location: Teatro
Civico, Varallo. Dates: May (violin and orch),
September [even years (piano) odd years (voice)].
Closing date for applications: Mid-April (violin
and orch); early August (pno); early September
(voice). Frequency: Annual.
Concorso Musicale dell’Adriatico Via
Musone 4, I-60026 Numana (Ancona) t: +39
071 7390352 f: +39 071 7391285 e: info@
musicancona.it w: www.musicancona.it.
Georgina Terni, competition organiser. Eligibility:
Under 18 years of age, in 3 age group categories.
Requirements: For pno, gui, strings, woodwind,
brass. Prizes: Cash prizes and concerts. Entry
fees: EUR 100. Location: Ancona. Check web
for details of future competitions. Frequency:
Triennial.
European Music Competition Citta
di Moncalieri t: +39 389 8303 466
e: info@moncalierimusiccompetition.com
w: moncalierimusiccompetition.com. Piano, solo
strs, solo winds, chmbr ens, schools. Eligibility:
Up to age 35, various age categories.
IBLA Competition for Instrumentalists
IBLA International Music Foundation, 568
Grand Street Penthouse, Penhouse 2001,
New York, NY 10002 t: +1 212 387 0111
e: iblanewyork@gmail.com w: www.ibla.org.
Salvatore Moltisanti, president. Eligibility:
Open to wind, string, organ and accordion
players. Divided into adult, young, solo, duo,
ens. Requirements: 30-minute program, free
choice of repertoire. Prizes: New York Carnegie
Debut concert and worldwide representation
in concerts, seminars, workshops and
masterclasses. Entry fees: $120. Location:
Ragusa, Sicily. Frequency: Annual.
International Classical Guitar Competition:
M Pittaluga Piazza Garibaldi, 16, 15121 -
Alessandria t: +39 0131 253170, also fax;
+39 0131 251207 f: +39 0131 235507
e: concorso@pittaluga.org w: www.pittaluga.org.
Micaela Pittaluga, pres. Competition for classical
gui. Eligibility: Open to performers born on or
after 1 Jan 1982. Requirements: Set works;
final with orch. Prizes: Cash prize EUR 17,500.
Entry fees: EUR 100. Location: Alessandria.
Frequency: Annual.
International String Quartet Competition
“Premio Paolo Borciani” c/o Teatro Municipale
R. Valli, Piazza Martiri del 7 Luglio, 7 - 42121
Reggio Emilia t: +39 0522 458811/458908
f: +39 0522 458822 e: premioborciani@iteatri.
re.it w: www.iteatri.re.it. Paolo Cantù, General
and Artistic Director; Francesco Filidei, Musical
Advisor; Marina Basso, Secretary. Board
and lodging offered to all admitted quartets.
Eligibility: Total age of the members may not
exceed 128. Requirements: Candidates chosen
by preselection. Prizes: 1st prize € 25,000, plus
international tour and residency projects; 2nd
prize € 10,000; 3rd prize € 5,000; Special prize
for best performance of the commissioned
quartet € 2,000; Public’s Prize € 1,000. Entry
fee: € 150. Location: Reggio Emilia. Dates of
the 12th edition: 7-14 June 2020. Closing date
for applications: 31 January 2020. Frequency:
Triennial.
International Violin Competition Via Don
Giovanni Bosco 91, I-34170 Gorizia GO
t: +39 0481 547863, 280345; +39 347
9236285 f: +39 0481 536710 e: lipizer@
lipizer.it w: www.lipizer.it. Lorenzo Qualli, pres;
Elena Lipizer, artistic dir. Eligibility: Violinists
of any nationality born after 16 Sep 1977.
Prizes: Prizes total EUR 37,000 and concert
engagements for 1st and 2nd prize. Winner
receives EUR 12,000, diploma, a plaque of the
President of Italy offered by the Lipizer Cultural
Association.
International Violin Competition: Premio
Paganini Fondazione Teatro Carlo Felice, Passo
Eugenio Montale 4, I-16121 Genova t: +39 010
5381314 f: +39 010 5381 395 e: paganini@
carlofelice.it w: www.carlofelice.it. Bianca
Fusco, exec sec. Eligibility: Open to competitors
of all nationalities aged 16-30. Prizes: Total
prize money EUR 40,000. Special prizes for
a further amount of EUR 15,600 and concert
engagements will also be awarded. Entry fees:
EUR 100. Location: Genoa. Frequency: Biennial.
Padova International Music Competition
Via G. Stampa 34, 35027 Noventa Padovana
t: +39 340 4254870 e: agimuspadova@
libero.it w: www.agimuspadova.com/index.
php?option=com_qcontacts&view=contact&
id=1&Itemid=74&lang=en. The competition
is divided into: 12° International Music
Competition for Soloists and Orchestra, 12°
International Music Competition “Premio Città di
Padova”, 12° International Virtuositè Prize. 20
concerts in Padova, Venice, Rome, Abano Terme.
Salieri Zinetti International Chamber Music
Competition Via F.lli Bronzetti 14, 37126 Verona
t: +39 045 915538 f: +39 045 8300633
e: info@salieri-zinetticompetition.eu w: www.
STRINGS FOCUS LISTINGS
salieri-zinetticompetition.eu. Filippo M Cailotto,
artistic dir. Eligibility: Open to chamber groups
(duo-sextet, with or without piano) of all
nationalities. Requirements: CD/mp3 audition
plus 3 subsequent rounds. Entry fees: EUR 50
per player to be sent with application form, plus
EUR 50 per player for all admitted groups. First
Prize: 10,000 euros, concert tour, Recording,
New York Recital Debut.
Val Tidone International Music Competitions
Regione Casa Berni, 3 - 27049 Stradella
(PV - Italy) t: +39 0385 245798 f: +39 0385
830217 e: info@valtidone-competitions.com;
livio.bollani@gmail.com w: t.ymlp249.net/
uwapauqwujaiaqhagahwbe/click.php. We will
offer money prizes and concerts in Europe
and Asia (total prize money amounts to more
than 20,000 Euros 10 concerts), recordings,
publication and performance of the selected
scores. The Val Tidone International Music
Competitions require high professional standard.
Therefore a prize obtained in those contests
represents a valuable passport toward an
international career.
Valentino Bucchi International Prize Via
Ubaldino Peruzzi 20, I-00139 Roma t: +39 06
8720 0121 f: +39 06 8713 1527 e: bucchi@
premiobucchi.it w: www.premiobucchi.it. Liliana
Pannella, president. Various categories, all
performance of 20th or 21st C music. Eligibility:
Composition-comps from every country born
after Dec. 31, 1969 (three categories), born after
Dec. 31, 1983 (one category). Performance-
violin & va, born after Dec. 31, 1976; violonvc,
born after Dec. 31, 1976; db, born after Dec. 31,
1976; string quartet, with each member born
after Dec. 31, 1971. Location: Rome Dates:
Nov 17. Closing date for applications: Oct 17.
Frequency: Annual.
Vittorio Gui International Chamber Music
Competition Associazione Concorsi e Rassegne
Musicali, Teatro Comunale di Firenze, Viale
Fratelli Rosselli, 1, I-50123 Firenze t: +39 393
2737176 e: info@premiogui.it w: www.premiogui.
it. Salvatore Accardo, president; Colella Ornella,
organising secretary. Chmbr music competition
for violin & pno, va & pno, vc & pno, pno trios
and quartets, string & pno trios quartets and
quintets, and wind quintets. Eligibility: Average
age of group under 33 on closing date. Entry
fees: EUR 140. Location: Teatro del Maggio
Musicale Fiorentino, Firenze. Dates: tbc.
Frequency: Annual.
JAPAN
Sendai International Music Competition
(SIMC) 3-27-5 Asahigaoka, Aoba-ku, Sendai City,
981-0904 t: +81 22 727 1872 f: +81 22 727
1873 e: info@simc.jp w: www.simc.jp. SAKAI
Hirobumi, SIMC Secretary General. 2 sections,
Piano and Violin, with repertoires focusing on
concertos. The 7th SIMC [Piano]: May 25, 2019
- June 9, 2019, [Violin]: June 15, 2019 - June
30, 2019. Eligibility: born on or after January
1, 1991. Application deadline: November 14,
2018. Prizes to all finalists (1st through 6th
prize): 1st prize: JPY 3,000,000, diploma, gold
medal, CD production, concerts with orch and
recitals in Japan. 2nd prize: JPY 2,000,000,
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 95
STRINGS FOCUS LISTINGS
diploma, silver medal. 3rd prize: JPY 1,000,000,
diploma, bronze medal, etc. (see more in the
website). Venue: Sendai City Youth Cultural
Center. Frequency: Triennial.
Shizuoka International Opera Competition
The Secretariat for the Executive Committee,
Shizuoka University of Art and Culture, 2-1-1 Chu-
ou, naka-ku, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka-ken 430-
8533 t: +81 53 457 6446 f: +81 53 457 6447
e: opera@suac.ac.jp w: www.suac.ac.jp/opera.
Eligibility: Age 33 or under. Prizes: 1st prize 3m
yen; 2nd prize 1.5m yen; 3rd prize 750,000 yen.
Location: Shizuoka Frequency: Triennial.
The Gaspar Cassado International Violoncello
Competition 1-29-3 Motoyokoyamacho,
Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0063 e: info@cassado-
cello.jp w: www.cassado-cello.jp. Eligibility:
Open to cellists of all nationalities born after
1985. Prizes: 1st prize: JPY 1,500,000; 2nd
prize: 800,000; 3rd prize: 500,000. Also special
awards. Entry fees: JPY 20,000.
KOREA
Isangyun Competition 4th Floor Shinwha
Bldg, 1451-19 Sheocho 3 Dong, Seocho Gu,
137-867 Seoul t: +82 2 3474 8315 f: +82 2
3474 8318 e: competition@timf.org w: www.
isangyuncompetition.org. Tae-Ho Kim, organiser.
Piano, vc and violin categories rotate each year.
Eligibility: Open to cellists aged 15-29, exact
birth dates to be confirmed. Prizes: 1st prize
$30,000; 2nd prize $20,000; 3rd prize £10,000;
4th prize $7500; 5th prize $5000. Location:
Tongyeong. Frequency: Annual.
The Seoul International Music Competition
3 Fl, The Dong-A Ilbo Bldg, 139 Chungjeongon
3-Ga, Seodaemun-Gu, Seoul 120-715
t: +82 2 361 1415 f: +82 2 2020 1639
e: seoulcompetition@donga.com w: www.
seoulcompetition.com. Categories rotate each
year: pno, violin, voice. Prizes: 1st prize $50,000;
2nd prize $30,000; 3rd prize $20,000; 4th prize
$10,000; 5th prize $7000; 6th prize $5000.
Location: Seoul. Frequency: Annual.
MALTA
Malta International Music Competition t: +356
9909 7717 e: vfimfestival@gmail.com w: vfimf.
com/malta-international-music-competition.
Maestro Volodymyr Baran. Open for pno, vn,
gui, sax, comp, chmbr mus, cimbalom, with
or without pno inc pno 4 hands. Three age
categories; open to any nationality.
NETHERLANDS
International Van Wassanaer Competition for
Early Music Ensembles Plompetorengracht 4,
3512 CC Utrecht t: +31 30 23 29 000 e: info@
oudemuziek.nl w: www.vanwassenaerconcours.
nl. Job Spierlings, producer. World’s first
competition for early music ens. Since the 1st
edition in 1986, it has developed into a festival
in addition to the competition rounds, inc
concerts, masterclasses and lectures. Eligibility:
For baroque music instrumental and vocal ens,
max 8 persons per ens. An individual musicians
may participate in max 2 ens.
No age limit. Requirements: Participants should
use original instruments or good replicas.
96 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
Prizes: 1st prize: concert tour in Netherlands
and Belgium. 2nd prize: EUR 3000. 3rd prize:
EUR 2000. Also audience prize, prize for best
musician in an ens, and masterclass award.
NEW ZEALAND
Michael Hill International Violin Competition
PO Box 78141, Grey Lynn, Auckland 1245
t: +64 9 360 6472 f: +64 9 360 6473
e: violincompetition@michaelhill.co.nz w: www.
violincompetition.co.nz. Anne Rodda, exec dir.
Eligibility: Open to violinists of all nationalities
between the ages of 18 and 28. Requirements:
Selection video recording and CV etc. 2
quarter-final rounds of unaccompanied and
accompanied works. Prizes: 1st prize NZ
$40,000, plus personalised professional
development package; 2nd prize NZ $10,000;
3rd prize NZ $5000; 4th prize NZ $3000; 5th
prize NZ $2000; 6th prize NZ $1000; best
performance of commissioned work NZ $2000;
chmbr music prize $2000. Bergonzi violin
awarded to deserving semi-finalist. Entry fees:
NZ $175. Location: Queenstown and Auckland.
Frequency: Biennial.
NORWAY
The Queen Sonja International Music
Competition Universitetsgaten 14, N-0164 Oslo
t: +47 22 99 21 05 f: +47 22 99 21 01 e: post@
qsimc.no w: www.qsimc.no; www.facebook.com/
qsimc. The Queen Sonja International Music
Competition is one of the world’s leading voice
competitions. It takes place every second year
in Oslo, and is open to singers from all over the
world. The Competition’s goal is to assist the
career development of talented young singers
and build bridges between the Norwegian
and international music scenes. The next
Competition will be held from 13-23 August
2019. Singers of all voices born after January
1st 1987 are welcome to apply via the digital
application form which will be available on our
website from 15 Februrary 2019.
Trondheim International Chamber Music
Competition Post box 8867, Trondheim, N-7481
t: +47 7352 5813 e: ticc@kamfest.no; kristin@
kamfest.no w: www.ticc.no; www.kamfest.no.
Eligibility: Open to Piano Trios of all nationalities.
Prizes: Total cash awards of EUR 30,000, plus
concert/festival engagements. Entry fees:
EUR 120 per trio. Free hotel accommodation
and meals provided. Location: Trondheim.
Frequency: Biennial. Next competition 23-29
September 2019.
POLAND
Grzegorz Fitelberg International Competition
for Conductors Ul Sokolska 2, PL-40084
Katowice t: +48 32 351 1704 f: +48 32 351
1718 e: sekretariatartystyczny@filharmonia-
slaska.eu w: www.konkursfitelberg.pl. Eligibility:
Age limit 35. Prizes: 1st prize EUR 25.000;
2nd prize EUR 20,000; 3rd prize EUR 15,000.
Frequency: Quadrennial.
International Competition for Cello
Solo Akademia Muzycnzna im Karola
Szymanowskiego, Biuro Organizacyjne Konkursu,
ul Zacisze 3, PL-40-025 Katowice t: +48 32 785
70 01 w: www.am.katowice.pl. Eligibility: Age
limit 32.
International Competition for Young
Violinists K Lipinski and H Wieniawski
Rynek 17, 20-111 Lublin t: +48 81 532 84 19
e: wieniawskisociety@wp.pl w: www.wieniawski.
lublin.pl. Eligibility: 2 age categories: under 17,
17-25. Location: Lublin. Dates: 2018 Frequency:
Triennial.
International Competition of Contemporary
Chamber Music in Krakow Institute of Art,
Rynek Glowny 8, PL-30-042 Krakow t: +48 12
429 4538 f: +48 12 412 7540. Malgorzata Bak,
co-ordinator. Eligibility: 6 categories: soloist; duo;
trio; quartet, quintet, sextet. Prizes: Cash prizes,
concerts and CD of performances for award
winners. Dates: Aug-Sep. Frequency: Annual.
International Henryk Wieniawski Violin
Competition Swietoslawska St 7, PL-61-840
Poznan t: +48 61 852 2642 f: +48 61 852 8991
e: violin@wieniawski.pl w: www.wieniawski.pl. A
Wituski, director. Eligibility: Ages 16-30. Prizes:
1st prize EUR 30,000 and gold medal. Entry
fees: EUR 100. Location: Poznan. Frequency:
Quinquennial.
Witold Lutoslawski International Cello
Competition ul. Sokolowska 29/37, 01-142
Warszawa t: +48 22 632 84 97 f: +48 22 632
74 19 e: palosz@unipress.waw.pl w: www.
lutoslawski-cello.art.pl. Eligibility: Open to those
aged under 25. Requirements: 2 rounds plus
concerto final. Prizes: Total amount of prizes EUR
15,000 plus special prizes and performance
offers. Location: Warsaw. Frequency: Biennial.
ROMANIA
Bucharest International Jazz Competition
PO Box 13-63, Bucharest 13 t: +40 74 075 95
66 f: +40 21 323 66 00 e: office@jmEvents.
ro; jmeventes.ro@gmail.com w: www.jmEvents.
ro; www.jazzcompetition.ro. Luigi Gageos, dir.
Competition open to jazz instrumentalists and
vocalists. Eligibility: Bands (up to 6 musicians)
and vocalists aged up to 35. Dates: 11 - 18
May 2019. Prizes: EUR 7000. Deadline for
application: TBC. Frequency: Annual.
George Enescu International Competition
ARTEXIM, Calea Victoriei 155, bl D1, Sc 8 et 2,
sect 1, RO-010073 Bucharest t: +40 21 317
8081 f: +40 21 311 0200 e: artexim@rdslink.
ro w: www.festivalenescu.ro. Costantinescu
Mihai, exec dir. Competition for pianists,
violinists, cellists and comps. Eligibility: Open
to participants of all nationalities, born after 1
Aug 1980. Requirements: Contact for details
of repertoire. Prizes: 1st prize EUR 15,000,
2nd prize EUR 10,000, 3rd prize EUR 5000.
Additional prizes for best performances of music
by Enescu. Entry fees: EUR 100. Location:
Bucharest. Frequency: Biennial.
RUSSIA
The 8th International Tchaikovsky Competion
for Young Musicians Office 239, 36 Arbat
Str, 119002 Moscow t: +7 916 328 56
53 e: tchaikovsky.youth@gmail.com; i.scherbak@
gmail.com w: tchaikovsky-competition.
net/?lang=en. The 8th International Tchaikovsky
Competition for Young Musician is organized

by the Association of Tchaikovsky Competition
Stars, the Moscow State Tchaikovsky
Conservatory, the Russian Gnesins Academy
of Music and the Central Music School at the
Moscow Conservatory. Opening Ceremony, Third
round, Awards Ceremony and Closing Ceremony
of the Competition will be held at the Great
Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. Finalists will
perform with a symphony orchestra.
SLOVENIA
Bled International Festival for Violin and Viola
Alpska 74, SI-4248 Lesce t: +386 4 53 17 610
e: festival.bled@siol.net w: www.festivalbled.
com. Eligibility: Open to those aged 25 and
under. Dates: July. Closing date for applications:
June.
International Saxophone Competition in
Slovenia Kulturni dom Nova Gorica, Bevkov
trg 4, SI-5000 Nova Gorica t: +386 5 335 40
13 f: +386 5 335 40 19 e: pr@kulturnidom-
ng.si w: www.kulturnidom-ng.si. Metka Sulic,
co-ordinator & pr. Eligibility: Category 1: born
in 1991 or later; category 2: born in 1985 or
later. Requirements: Category 1 has two rounds:
qualification and final; category 2 has three
rounds: qualification, semi-final and final. Entry
fees: EUR 75-100. Location: Nova Gorica.
SOUTH AFRICA
UNISA International Music Competitions Unisa
Music Foundation, PO Box 392,
UNISA 0003 t: +27 12 429 3344 f: +27 12 429
3644 w: www.unisa.ac.za/musicfoundation.
John Roos, artistic director, Alet Joubert, co-
ord. Eligibility: Open to instrumentalists of all
nationalities aged 29 or under. Requirements:
5 rounds inc CD prequalifying round and final
concerto round. Works, except accompanied
sonatas and prescribed SA comp, must be
performed from memory. Set repertoire choices
at each stage. Prizes: Prize money totalling US
$15,000. Special prizes may be awarded. Entry
fees: $85. Location: Pretoria. Dates: Jan-Feb 17.
Closing date for applications: Aug 16. Frequency:
Annual, categories change each year (pno, voice,
strings).
SPAIN
Alhambra International Guitar Competition
POBox 63, Duquesa de Almodóvar, 17, Muro de
Alcoy (Alicante) t: +34 965 530011 f: +34 966
516302 e: contacto@concursoalhambra.com
w: www.concursoalhambra.com. Juan Sanchis
Reig, mgr dir. Eligibility: Open to guitarists aged
under 35. Prizes: 1st prize EUR 14,000, CD
recording by Naxos and a concert; 2nd prize:
EUR 5000, an Alhambra gui worth EUR 3000
and a concert; 3rd prize: EUR 2500; audience
prize: EUR 1000; Alhambras’s prize to the new
Spanish Music Composition EUR 3000; Entry
fees: EUR 40. Location: Valencia. Dates: Jun 17.
Pablo Sarasate International Violin
Competition Departamento de Cultura y
Turismo, Calle Navarreria 39, E-31001 Pamplona
t: +34 848 424683 f: +34 848 424728
e: violin@cfnavarra.es w: www.cfnavarra.es/
sarasate. Inaki Gordejuela, executive director;
Vladimir Spivakov, president. Competition
organised as a tribute to the Pamplona-born
violinist by the Government of Navarra’s Dept of
Culture and Tourism. One objective is to discover
young talent in the violin world and help such
musicians at the beginning of their careers. Jury
chaired by Vladimir Spivakov. Eligibility: Open to
violinists aged 15-27. Prizes: Total amount EUR
38,700 plus engagements. Entry fees: EUR 60.
Location: Pamplona. Frequency: Biennial.
SWITZERLAND
Concours de Geneve - Geneva International
Music Competition Concours de Genève,
Geneva International Music Competition,
Bd de Saint-Georges 34 / CP 268, 1211 -
Genève 8 t: +41 22 328 6208 f: +41 22 328
4366 e: music@concoursgeneve.ch w: www.
concoursgeneve.ch. Dider Schnorhk, general
sec. Eligibility: All nationalities up to 30 years
old (composition: 40 years old). Requirements:
Preliminary auditions by video recording; 2
recital rounds, semi-final, and final with orch.
Prizes: 1st prize CHF 20,000; 2nd prize CHF
12,000; 3rd prize CHF 8000; also special
prizes. Career development program: 2 years
of concert management, tours, recordings,
professional workshop, etc. Entry fees: CHF
250. Location: Geneva. Frequency: Annual
competition with rotating categories. 2019:
composition, percussion. 2020: cello, oboe.
Regulations an registration on our website: www.
concoursgeneve.ch.
Concours International de Violon Tibor Varga
Sion Valais c/o agencedeconcerts.ch, Rue des
Creusets 16, CH-1950 SION t: + 41 27 322 25
58 e: info@varga-sion-concours.ch w: www.
varga-sion-concours.ch. Eligibility: age limit, 26
years old on September 1. Prizes: 1st prize CHF
15,000; 2nd prize CHF 10,000; 3rd prize CHF
5000 Also special prizes: children’s jury prize
CHF 500, prize of the public CHF 500, prize for
best rendition of the compulsory work 3,000.
Entry fees: CHF 100 Location: Sion. Dates: see
website. Frequency: Annual.
UNITED STATES
Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition
225 S Lake Avenue, Suite 300, Pasadena,
CA 91101 t: +1 626 793 4191 f: +1 805
523 1994 e: krfccma@aol.com w: www.
colemanchambermusic.org. Kathy Freedland,
exec dir. Eligibility: Open to non-professional US
chmbr ens (strings, wind and brass, 3-6 players)
under the direction of a coach. Applicants must
have valid US social security number or US tax ID
and must be aged under 28 as of 12 Apr. Dates
TBC.
Concert Artists Guild Competition 850 7th Ave,
PH-A, New York, NY 10019 t: +1 212 333 5200
f: +1 212 977 7149 e: info@concertartists.org
w: www.concertartists.org; www.concertartists.
org/competition. Eligibility: Open to all solo
instrumentalists, chamber groups and singers
performing classical and non-traditional
repertoire. Suggested age limit of 30 for
instrumentalists, 35 for singers. Requirements:
Preliminary rounds require submission of a
recording. Prizes include New York recitals,
management contracts, commissions and
STRINGS FOCUS LISTINGS
performance prizes. Victor and Sono Elmaleh
First Prize, $5000. Information about the 2019
Competition will be posted by December 31,
2018.
Hugo Kauder Competition Hugo Kauder
Society, 421 Humphrey Street, New Haven,
CONNECTICUT 06511 e: info@hugokauder.
org w: www.hugokauder.org. Competition
rotates between different instrumentations
Requirements: Application by submission of CD
of 3 selected movements from the standard
repertoire, covering 3 periods Prizes: 1st prize
$8000 and performance opportunity in New
York City; 2nd prize $4000; 3rd prize $1000
Location: Yale University Frequency: Annual.
International Violin Competition of
Indianapolis The International Violin
Competition of Indianapolis, 32 E. Washington
Street, Suite 1320 Indianapolis, N 46204 t: +1
317 637 4574 f: +1 317 637 1302 e: ivci@violin.
org w: www.violin.org. Glen Kwok, executive
director. Eligibility: Ages 16-29. Prizes: 1st
prize $30,000, use of the Ex-Gingold Stradivari
for 4 years, gold medal, Carnegie Hall recital,
recording contract and engagements throughout
North America and Europe. Total prizes and
awards over $200,000. Dates: Sep 2018.
Closing date for applications: February 2018.
Frequency: Quadrennial.
The USA International Harp Competition P.O.
Box 5008, Bloomington, IN, 47407-5008 t: +1
812 856 5715 also fax e: USAHARPCC@gmail.
com w: www.usaihc.org. Ms. Susann McDonald,
founder and artistic dir. Eligibility: Open to
harpists of all nationalities between the ages of
16 and 32, born after June 30, 1981 and before
July 2, 1997. Requirements: Performance of
selected works by memory. See website. Prizes:
tbc. Entry fees: $200 Location: Bloomington,
Indiana. Frequency: triennial.
Washington International Competition for
Strings 5456 Nebraska Ave NW, Washington,
DC 20015-1350 e: wash.intl.comp@fmmc.
org w: www.fmmc.org. Leslie Luxemburg,
competition chair. Eligibility: Open to applicants
aged 18-28 on competition date who are not
under professional mgt. Requirements: Various
repertoire requirements, see website for details.
Application form and information on applying:
www.ArtsApp.com/wicstrings Prizes: 1st prize
each for vn, va, vc, $8000; 2nd prize $5000;
3rd prize $2500; audience award $1000. Entry
fees: $110. Location: Washington Frequency:
Triennial. Dates: June 2018.
Young Concert Artists International Auditions
Suite 1222, 250 West 57th St, New York, NY
10019 t: +1 212 307 6655 f: +1 212 581
8894 e: yca@yca.org w: www.yca.org. Susan
Wadsworth, dir & founder; Jennifer DeCinque,
auditions admin. Aims to discover and launch
the US careers of exceptional young solo
musicians, string quartets and singers. Eligibility:
Aged 16-26 years (instrumentalists), 20-28
years (singers). Dates: Nov. Closing date for
applications: Aug. Frequency: Annual.
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 97
INTERVIEW

Q&A ANGELA DIXON

As Saffron Hall celebrates its fifth anniversary, Lucy Thraves meets chief executive
Angela Dixon to find out more about the venue and its work in the community

© PAUL ECCLESTON ARTHOUSE LTD

Our schools’ programme
offers an experience
of music, theatre or
dance to every primary
school aged child within
ten miles of the hall

Music for all: Angela Dixon

How has Saffron Hall evolved over the last
five years?
When I arrived at Saffron Hall in April
2014 there was no programme in place for
the following September. I was the only
member of staff and there were around
1,000 people on the database. Five years on,
we are presenting over 100 events a year,
there are nine full-time staff, 40 casual
staff, 80 volunteers and 23,000 names on
the database.  but very general in their coverage, and
The first full programme in 2014/15 was
principally classical music but now, alongside
an extensive classical music programme, we
present jazz, folk, world music, dance, talks
98 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
and a foyer folk and jazz programme.
Over time we have also established ourselves
with young people and nearly 10% of our
audience is now under 18. Sunday afternoon
programming has really helped grow this
audience demographic.
 
How have you raised the hall’s profile?
It is quite hard to grow profile in a venue outside
London. Local press tends to be supportive
concert reviews are simply unheard of. We are
reliant on word of mouth, so I keep the quality
of the programme high and our front of house
team delivers a superb standard of customer
service. A few weeks ago, we held a gala dinner
for 300 people in the hall and Nicola Benedetti
was the special guest. It was hard work but these
kinds of events help to highlight achievements
and show off the flexibility of the venue. We
changed the acoustic setting in the hall three
times during the dinner.
 
How does the hall’s location within school
grounds affect its atmosphere?
Unlike many arts venues, Saffron Hall is
constantly teeming with life. The hall itself
is also the school hall and so is used for
music concerts, musical productions, public
exams, masterclasses, parents’ evenings ►
SEASON
HIGHLIGHTS

Jess Gillam BBC Symphony

Orchestra
Paul Lewis
Mark Simpson
Welsh National Opera
Emanuel Ax
The Sixteen
Iestyn Davies

Box Office
www.saffronhall.com
0845 548 7650
INTERVIEW
Together in Sound: A weekly music therapy programme for people living with dementia
and a careers fair. The dual use of the space
means that the community are very familiar
with the hall and very comfortable within
it. Amateur music groups and school groups
are frequently in open rehearsals or in the
audience for concerts with the London
Philharmonic Orchestra or Maxim Vengerov
but are just as likely to find themselves on
stage performing with English Touring
Opera, the BBC Concert Orchestra or the
National Youth Jazz Orchestra. Last weekend
the Saffron Building Society Choir appeared
on stage with the London Community
Gospel Choir – it was quite an evening.
 
What kinds of outreach programmes are on
offer? How are these incorporated within
the day-to-day running of the hall?
From the outset there was a very strong link
between the public programme and the
schools and community work. The two are
now so intertwined that I don’t even try to
separate them. The artists and ensembles
that we have close relationships with all feed
into our schools’ programme, which offers an
experience of music, theatre or dance to every
primary school aged child within ten miles of
the hall. We work very closely with Saffron
Walden County High School’s sixth form
music academy through workshops, leadership
training and free tickets to all our concerts.
We also offer in-depth residencies for small
handpicked groups of children who would
most benefit from the confidence boost of
100 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
working with professional musicians. 
Two weeks ago, 20 children in year nine
(13/14-year-olds) came off-timetable for
three days to work with Brooklyn-based
percussion group So Percussion. At the end
they performed a piece they had made with
the group to their year group and then again
that evening as part of So Percussion’s public
concert. We recently held dance workshops
with hip-hop dance company Boy Blue to all
the boys in years seven and eight at the school
– around 350 pupils.
The Hallé are this season’s associate
ensemble and some of the musicians spent a day
with us in side-by-side rehearsals with Saffron
Centre for Young Musicians and talented
musicians from secondary schools across the
region. Musicians such as Nicola Benedetti and
Jess Gillam perform regularly at the hall and
work extensively with schools and many artists
from the programme also visit our community
project Together in Sound, a weekly music
therapy programme for people living with
dementia and their carers, run in partnership
with Anglia Ruskin University’s Cambridge
Centre for Music Therapy Research.  free parking spaces and is very accessible, but I
 
What’s the most enjoyable aspect of
your job?
It has been a privilege to be part of such
a visionary project and to work with a
community of people, from the teachers and
staff at Saffron Walden County High School
to the loyal audience members and supporters
to the world-class artists who have made
Saffron Hall their home, to build something
extraordinary in such a short time. Concerts
that can be taken for granted in London are
cherished and adored in Saffron Walden. All
artists coming to the hall comment on the
warmth and appreciation of the audiences
and it gives me great pleasure to reward that
audience with some of the finest music-
making in the county and beyond. To be able
to share that experience with schools and
people living on the edges of our community is
very special indeed.
On a more practical level, arts venues are
struggling as local authority and arts council
cuts bite still further. Saffron Hall receives
no substantial regular funding from either
local authority or arts council. Its educational
setting creates a model that is both beneficial,
sustainable and replicable. I enjoy sharing our
experiences with other organisations that are
thinking of doing something similar and I
hope that other venues likes ours will flourish
across the country.
 
What plans are in the pipeline?
Having established an audience, a team of staff
and a reputation for Saffron Hall, my next
goals are to diversify the programme further.
I would like to make classical music more
accessible to those who have never experienced
it through innovative presentation, and I would
like to start focusing more on new music.
We are starting to establish a strong dance
programme at Saffron Hall and I would like
to think we can, over time, become the home
of dance in the region. We will be announcing
a new partnership with a world-class ensemble
in the spring, which I am very excited about.
Demand is growing for our work with people
with dementia so I want to expand the
geographical reach of Together in Sound.
We want to do more intergenerational
work within the community: we are piloting
a project this summer called Come Together
which brings together young carers, groups
from Mind West Essex, people living with
dementia and other groups who suffer from
isolation and loneliness. Saffron Hall has 400
have plans to improve experiences for disabled
audience members still further. We rebuilt the
bar shortly after I arrived as the original one
was not adequate for the size of audiences we
now regularly attract. Crucially I don’t have
any plans to improve the hall; the building
itself and its acoustics are perfect – there aren’t
many concert halls that can say that! CM
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 INTERVIEW
ARTIST OF THE MONTH
Karin Hendrickson
The associate artist at Sage Gateshead speaks to Toby Deller about starting
out in Pennsylvania, building a network in London, and what’s missing from
classical concerts
© PAUL WILKINSON PHOTOGRAPHY
‘We need develop the human element of our concerts’: Karin Hendrickson
© HANNAH OPSTAD
‘It was those few minutes before the overture that I loved best as a kid’
‘I
came to the sound of the orchestra
through my mum’s work in musical
theatre – the earliest imprint of an
orchestra in me is theatre lights going dark and
that moment of anticipation and the overture
beginning. And I think it was those few
minutes before the overture that I loved best as
102 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
My job is to
create these
flashpoints of
musicianship
and physical
release
a kid – that moment of: it’s going to happen!
What’s going to happen?’
One thing that might happen is that Karin
Hendrickson appears baton in hand and gets
things going. Particularly if you are at Sage
Gateshead where she has recently taken up a
post combining associate artist at the venue
with assistant conductor with the Royal
Northern Sinfonia (which also includes
directing the junior orchestra at the Sage,
Young Sinfonia).
‘There’s always a physical flashpoint,’ she
says of the process of starting a performance,
‘that begins to release the sound. How hot
or fast that flashpoint is, is what influences
the sound you get from an orchestra. I just
love so much that my job is to be the highest
level collaborator, to create these flashpoints
of musicianship and physical release. It
feels like such a divine responsibility in a
way, which is why it’s such a disaster for
the orchestra when you put a mediocre
conductor on the podium.’
By the end of her school years – she
grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania
– Hendrickson was leading an extremely
active musical life that culminated in being
given music directing responsibilities at a
small local theatre. ‘I was accompanying the
chorus at school anyway, so I did have quite
a bit of music going on. But it wasn’t fancy. It
was a – very blue-collar, actually – working
musician’s experience.’
That galvanised her into music studies at
Peabody conservatory in Baltimore and then
the Royal Academy of Music in London,
where she studied conducting with Gustav
Meier and Colin Metters respectively. She
then worked as Marin Alsop’s assistant at the
Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra and began
picking up concerts in the US before returning
to London on an Exceptional Talent visa.
‘I had started sensing that when you train
at the Royal Academy of Music for three
years, your network is built in London. To
rebuild that network in the United States
was going to be very difficult. I was granted
the visa in August of 2015, and I came back
to the UK with absolutely no work and just
a bit of savings I had from my work in the
previous year. And just started hustling and
hitting the pavement.’
 INTERVIEW

Her endeavour paid off with her
appointment in Gateshead last autumn. ‘It’s
kind of a junior music director position for
a period of time during which you are doing
all the things a music director would be
doing in terms of programming and curating.
And brainstorming with staff about how to
develop things that increase your audience
engagement, increase the learning and
participation parts of the work that you do.’
These areas are particular preoccupations
of hers. Speaking of the wider classical music
industry, she argues, ‘We know that in general
we have an audience that we can somewhat
rely on in terms of expectation and tradition.
But it’s all the rest, the other 94% of people
who don’t come to orchestral concerts: why are
we not curating something towards them?’
The risk is that we miss opportunities to
engage curious people through our adherence
to concert formulas that we may well enjoy,
but others don’t.
By way of analogy, she says, ‘I go to see
Monet’s Water Lilies because I love the
Water Lilies. On the flip side, going to see
Picasso, there’s something about him that I
love – I don’t understand yet what it is but I
know that it is there and if I keep searching
and if I have somebody help I think I would
discover what that is and draw me closer to
art in general.’
So it may not be enough to rely on the
mystique of ‘the big reveal’, as she calls it,
that captured her own attention as a child. ‘I
think at the end of the day we need to take
more time in developing the human element
of our concerts, whether that means letting
the conductor or some of the players engage
with audiences or showing a certain strand
or line of programming.
‘It might be wrapped around a single
poem that people connect to on a very
visceral level then showing that there’s some
music that reflects this poetry. So they’re
not coming to a concert to hear curated
museum pieces, they’re coming to a concert
to discover more about humanity, about
themselves and about somebody else.’ CM
www.karinhendrickson.com
BIOGRAPHY
XX2007 Conducting training begins at
Peabody Conservatory, Baltimore,
MD, USA
XX2010 Graduates Peabody
Conservatory; begins postgraduate
conducting masters at Royal Academy
of Music, London
XX2013 Graduates Royal Academy of
Music, Distinction
XX2013 Assistant conductor São Paulo
Symphony Orchestra, working with
Marin Alsop
XX2015-2018 Various projects
including Royal Opera House
(chorus master); Royal Ballet (cover
conductor); CBSO; National Youth
Orchestra of Great Britain; Southbank
Sinfonia; Garsington Youth Opera
XX2018 Appointed assistant conductor,
Royal Northern Sinfonia; associate
artist, The Sage Gateshead; music
director RNS Young Sinfonia

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EXCELLENT PROMOTION PROSPECTS
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GENEROUS SALARY

VS_RMBS_124x187_Tuba_MusicTeacher_21589.indd 1 JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 103

12/11/09 13:46:01

Eastern promises
Kirill Karabits’ Chandos disc marks a decade with the Bournemouth
Symphony Orchestra
‘Audiences remember most the edgy pieces’: Kirill Karabits
K
irill Karabits says it is coincidence
that his recording for Chandos
of Boris Mikolayovich
Lyatoshinsky’s third symphony and
symphonic ballad Grazhyna marks
ten years as chief conductor of the
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra – but
the choice of repertoire is also no whim.
‘Aside from the fact that he is probably
the most important Ukrainian composer
of the 20th century, my father – who was
also a composer – was a Lyatoshinsky
student,’ he says. ‘We knew the family
since I was a child.’
As to musical significance, Karabits
quotes the late Gennady Rozhdestvensky’s
verdict: had Lyatoshinsky lived in
Moscow during the Soviet era, he would
be ranked alongside Shostakovich.
Karabits adds: ‘He wasn’t a career maker,
RECORDING NEWS FROM THE STUDIOS BY PHILLIP SOMMERICH
he was happy at home and with his
students, he wasn’t looking to become
known abroad.’
His music has echoes of Shostakovich
but also of folk music. ‘Just as Walton
would be characterised as a British
composer, Lyatoshinsky would be
Ukrainian.’
The Chandos series, titled Voices from
the East, will focus on Gara Garayev
from Azerbaijan and the Armenian Avet
Terterian in future releases, the latter
requiring the recruitment of two duduk
players from Armenia.
While Karabits’ partnership with
the orchestra has explored many little-
known works, he says its foundation was a
Beethoven cycle.
‘I had conducted baroque orchestras so
my view was slightly different from how
© SASHA GUSOV
they were used to doing Beethoven in a
romantic tradition.’
The relationship with the audience
encouraged adventurous repertoire
choices. ‘When I came to Bournemouth
I thought it was the place to practise
mainstream repertoire. But audiences
remember most the edgy pieces we
have done, such as Shostakovich’s 14th
symphony or Prokofiev’s second.’ That
edginess was most recently evidenced by
the premiere of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s
Testament, a Bournemouth commission.
With his other orchestra, the
Staatskapelle Weimar, Karabits
has recorded another exploration,
Liszt’s recently reconstructed opera,
Sardanapalo, for release on Audite.
www.kirillkarabits.com ►
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 105
RECORDING NEWS FROM THE STUDIOS BY PHILLIP SOMMERICH

Mozart effect
A sudden desire to become immersed in Mozart’s early sonatas has led to pianist
Peter Donohoe’s departure from the norm

P
eter Donohoe imagines the choice
of Mozart’s solo piano works for
his latest recording on SOMM
will surprise many, although it is a project
evolved over a lifetime, as well as being
triggered by a snap decision.
‘I realise that I tend not to be associated
with this repertoire, partly because I have
tended to keep my fascination with Mozart’s
wonderful solo works very private until
now,’ says the disciple of Messiaen whose
discography is a roll call of 19th- and 20th-
century works. ‘I am extremely grateful to
SOMM for thinking outside the box and
believing in the Mozart project.’
He recalls the moment he decided to
tackle the six-volume series, when he
was preparing to give a performance of
Messiaen’s Vingt Regards in Medellin,
Colombia, several years ago. ‘It felt like
Mozart visited me that very afternoon,
and it hit me that I suddenly had a need
to immerse myself in the early sonatas,
because they are so bubbly and beautiful
and incredibly well written – and, most
importantly, seminal. The idea expanded
into my devoting five years to the
preparation for performance of the whole
cycle and for these recordings.’
His approach is different from that
for more recent works. ‘You can never,
ever rely on extremes in either tempo or
dynamic. It is the ultimate challenge to
one’s sense of taste, and emotionally it is
almost always multi-layered. The more
breathing space one can give to it, the
more it speaks; it is consistently operatic
and therefore vocal in style. That is the
ultimate challenge for a pianist and it is a
quality that can be reflected in almost all
music written since Mozart, if you can get
it right.’
The choice of instrument for the
recordings was also a departure. ‘I always
felt that the area used for most of Mozart’s
melody lines – middle C upwards for about
two octaves – is most difficult for piano
manufacturers, partly because it occurs at
an awkward spot in the construction of the
piano. I chose Bechstein; it has a certain
sound in that area which is wonderful for
this music – preserving the resonant singing
tone of the modern piano, while giving the
melody lines a pure transparency that suits
the music perfectly.’
Donohoe has also recorded more
expected repertoire – Mussorgsky’s
Pictures at an Exhibition, Ravel’s Miroirs
and Messiaen’s Cantéjodjaya due out
on Signum, as well as a recital disc of
Tchaikovsky to be released later.
www.peter-donohoe.com

Five years in the making: Donohoe’s Mozart project

106 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019


Poles apart
Foyle and Štšura compare the responses of two Polish composers, Lutosławski and
Penderecki, to the post-Stalin era
Responses to freedom: Foyle and Štšura
T
he impact of the post-Stalin era
on creative freedom in the Soviet
Union is dramatically evident
in the output of two Polish composers,
according to Michael Foyle and Maksim
Štšura.
Their debut recording for Delphian is of
the works by Lutosławski and Penderecki
for violin (Foyle) and piano (Štšura).
The two players met as students at
the Royal College of Music and, after
performing Lutosławski’s Partita in
their first concert and later delivering
Penderecki’s first sonata in the composer’s
presence, realised the two composers’
output for the instruments would neatly
fill one disc.
‘It is interesting seeing both composers
coming into maturity after Stalin’s death,’
RECORDING NEWS FROM THE STUDIOS BY PHILLIP SOMMERICH
Štšura says. ‘Suddenly composers could
actually interact with the rest of Europe,
incorporate influences from the Darmstadt
group. Lutosławski came out with the
idea of aleatoric music, which became his
trademark. In the partita he has this fixed
baroque structure alternating with ad
libitum sections into which both players can
weave elements as they wish.’
‘In the performances we have given of
the work over six years no two have been
the same,’ adds Foyle. ‘Penderecki went
in the other direction, going back to the
friendship he had with Shostakovich so the
second violin sonata, the most recent work
on the disc, sounds the most traditional
harmonically. His Three Miniatures from
the 1950s sound totally insane, and 50 years
later he has gone back to tonal music.’
© KAUPO KIKKAS
Štšura points out that Penderecki’s first
sonata of 1953 – the year of Stalin’s death
– already suggests ‘a student who rejects
the norms but has not yet found a style
that marks him out, which came with his
tribute to the victims of Hiroshima’.
Historic turning points are also the
focus of the duo’s other recent release,
The Great War Centenary, for Challenge
Classics, which combines works by
Debussy, Janáček and Respighi with
Inscrizione – A Lie to the Dying, by
Kenneth Hesketh.
The duo has a policy of performing from
memory. ‘It means you can really get deep
into the music,’ Foyle explains, ‘and it helps
with those aleatoric passages.’ CM
www.foylestsuraduo.com
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 107
Critically acclaimed releases on the LPO label

Jurowski conducts Tchaikovsky

Orchestral and symphonic

Choral masterpieces

Discover the full catalogue

lpo.org.uk/recordings

Haydn Piano Sonatas, Volume 1
Roman Rabinovich (pf)
First Hand Records FHR 71 – 2 CDs
    
Spread over two generously filled discs,
this first volume promises much. It is not
too grand a claim that Rabinovich is up
there with Jean-Efflam Bavouzet in this
repertoire. Sonata No 36 is exquisite;
Rabinovich pitches the exploratory side of
the central Adagio perfectly. Decorations
are consistently in style throughout,
yet it is in Rabinovich’s understanding
of structure that he triumphs. He also
understands that Haydn’s fragile textures
(often only two parts) have an eloquence
all of their own.
The spread of invention in the Haydn
sonatas presented here is remarkable,
and Rabinovich seems to delight in
each and every turn, from the harmonic
delights of the first movement of No
29 to the sweet yet almost exploratory
manner of CPE Bach in the Divertimento.
Delightful.
COLIN CLARKE
Tchaikovsky Symphonies Nos 2 & 3
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Vladimir
Jurowski
LPO 0109
    
Vladimir Jurowski’s tenure with the LPO
has been one of ferocious imagination and,
sometimes, greatness. This disc finds him
on his home turf in two of the undeservedly
lesser-known Tchaikovsky symphonies,
released here in single-disc format a year
after the complete set was issued.
Jurowski is known for his swift
approach, and No 2, nicknamed ‘Little
Russian’ (a reference to the Ukrainian
materials used in the work) begins with
a first movement as bracing as a walk
in the snow. The recording is detailed,
if a touch lacking in depth, but the
gossamer lightness and balletic stance
of the Scherzo is irresistible. The finale
oscillates suave phrasing with tangible
excitement, all embraced by fine
structural integrity.
The third symphony shares these basic
ideals of onward tread (first movement),
balletic grace (woodwind in the Alla
tedesca) and verve (the finale, a gritty
Polacca). Superb all round.
CC
Parry Symphony No 4 in E minor;
Proserpine; Suite moderne
BBC NOW/Rumon Gamba
Chandos CHAN 10994
    
Parry’s fourth symphony is heard here
in its 1889 five-movement version, in
which a short Intermezzo that hints of
Elgarian nobilmente is inserted between
the first and second movements. Parry’s
links to Brahms are evident in the warm
textural generosity. The performance is
magnificent, BBCNOW’s strings full-
bodied in the Lento espressivo. This is
an impeccably directed performance by
Gamba, caught in demonstration sound –
at times the orchestra is positively aglow.
The ‘short ballet’ Proserpine, inspired
by Shelley, is scored with a light touch.
Gamba’s performance brings a sense
of joy to the score. Easy on the ear, the
Suite moderne is given a finely crafted
reading, though its first movement
has been omitted. The whole disc
is a valuable addition; all pieces are
premiere recordings.
CC
Bernstein Symphony No 2, ‘Age of
Anxiety’
Krystian Zimerman (pf); Berliner
Philharmoniker/Sir Simon Rattle
Deutsche Grammophon DG 483 5539
    
CD REVIEWS
Despite the low playing time, this
is an important release. Zimerman
himself had a close relationship with
Bernstein, the two recording Brahms and
Beethoven together. Also, like Bernstein,
there is an immediacy to Rattle’s
conducting that is electric.
Based on Auden’s poem of the
same name, the Age of Anxiety is for
orchestra with obbligato piano but
often sounds like a piano concerto,
particularly in the hair-raising virtuosity
of the Masque section. Even considering
Bernstein’s own recordings of the work,
this performance must have a special
place. The Berliner Philharmoniker is on
scintillating form throughout.
A snippet of an interview with Bernstein
prefaces the performance. For the
symphony, the DG engineers capture
the piano sound peerlessly, enabling
appreciation of Zimerman’s perfect
delivery. The BPO plays with great
subtlety and flexibility – Rattle seems to
have opened the players out to a whole
new repertoire in which they can be
convincing (contrast, say, Karajan’s DG
recording of the Planets).
CC
Bernstein Three Symphonies; Prelude,
Fugue and Riffs
Orchestra dell’Accademia Nationale di
Santa Cecilia/Antonio Pappano
Warner Classics 0190295651588 –
2 CDs
    
Pappano’s Proms performance with this
orchestra of the Jeremiah Symphony
felt swift and direct. His reading here,
recorded several months earlier,
leaves a similar impression. While the
central Prophanation fizzes brilliantly,
contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux is
overbearingly over-vibratoed in the
final Lamentation. ►
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 109
CD REVIEWS
The Age of Anxiety features the
superb Italian pianist Beatrice Rana; is
there higher praise than to state she
loses little to Krystian Zimerman with
Rattle? (Bernstein’s own pianists in his
three recordings, incidentally, were the
thoughtful Entremont, and Lukas Foss,
twice). Rana takes Pappano’s performance
to a higher level, always incredibly
sensitive, though her ‘jazz’ is a bit careful.
Pappano conducts well if not radiantly.
The Kaddish, heard here in its original
version, is the most emotionally powerful
performance, Josephine Barstow
blistering as narrator, Nadine Sierra as a
truly pure-voiced soloist and with superb
choral contributions from the Accademia
Nationale di Santa Cecilia. It is a pity that
the filler, the Prelude, Fugue & Riffs, fails to
take off.
CC
Panufnik Hommage à Chopin; String
Quartets Nos 1-3
Dóra Ombódi (fl), Sławomir Rozlach (db);
Apollon Musagète String Quartet
Frédéric Chopin Institute NIFCCD 059
    
Panufnik’s day deserves to come. He was
a fine composer, based in the UK from
1954 and knighted in 1991 (the year
of his death). This disc goes some way
to atonement. The hauntingly beautiful
Hommage à Chopin, originally written in
1949 for wordless soprano and piano,
speaks of his attachment to his homeland
via Mazovian folk music and a reference
to Polish Lenten church music. It is heard
here in a beautiful performance scored
for flute, string quartet and double-bass.
The imagination over the span of these
quartets is remarkable. For the first, a
Prelude introduces four ‘characters’; the
ensuing Transformations is a study in
musical shadows. The second quartet
(1976) was inspired by ‘whispers’ heard
110 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
by the composer as a boy putting his head There’s a place for us
against a telegraph pole. The slow, gradual Nadine Sierra (sop)
build of the piece is honoured here. The Deutsche Grammophon DG 483004
third quartet (1990), subtitled ‘Wycinanki’     
after the polish paper-cut technique and Nadine Sierra’s debut album reveals the
mirroring this in symmetrical structures, soprano to be an intelligent and exciting
offers intense, searing music. artist. Hers is not the most gorgeous
CC voice – it is always accomplished and
rich, though sometimes strident, perhaps
Cutler Elsewhereness; McNulty; even a little blowsy – but in this recital
For Frederic Legnau; Akhmatova she doesn’t sing a word that she doesn’t
Fragments; Sikorski B; Karembeu’s mean; she really makes one sit up and
Guie to the Complete Defensive listen. Singing in English, Spanish and
Midfielder Portuguese, Sierra covers a wide range,
Various artists including Sarah Leonard from Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress to
(sop) Bernstein, from I Dream of Jeanie with
NMC D246 the Light Brown Hair to contemporary
     pieces by Theofanidis and Golijov. It is
Joe Cutler, head of composition at a cleverly balanced programme offering
the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, many delights, and is presented with
has an exciting voice of kaleidoscopic confidence and some bravura. CM
vocabulary, as the variety of modes of FRANCIS MUZZU
expression on this disc amply reveals.
A celebration of the newly built
Confident debut: Nadine Sierra
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
and performed by its orchestra,
Elsewhereness is full of brilliantly
achieved flamboyance, while McNulty for
piano trio (titled after a character from
The Wire) invokes a kind of fractured
minimalism, containing much beauty
in its textures. Beauty also surfaces in
For Frederic Lagnau (performed by the
Workers Union Ensemble).
The Akhmatova Fragments mix
Stravinskian influences with grinding,
grungy moments and features the
superb soprano Sarah Leonard on top
form, perhaps most memorable is the
haunting, saxophone-drenched Sikorski
B (performed by the group Nosferatu).
Finally, Karembeu’s Guide to the Complete
Defensive Midfielder, a witty combo of
© MERRI CYR
contemporary, jazz and post-minimalism
performed by the Emulsion Sinfonietta.
CC
 SUBSCRIBE TO
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BLACKHEATH HALLS
A NEW LIGHT
The recently refurbished Blackheath Halls in south-east London is looking to expand
its programming and broaden its appeal. Toby Deller spoke to director Gemma Okell
to find out more
F
rom the outside, Blackheath Halls may
look no different from a year ago. It is
still the handsome redbrick building
that William Webster, a scientist who was
also an amateur musician and artist, built
for the local population in 1895. It is inside
that changes have been made – work on the
exterior is for another time – thanks to a £3m
refurbishment (£500,000 of which came from
Arts Council England and £1.5m from the
Hearn Foundation).
The improvements are noticeable the
moment you walk through the front doors
and into the redesigned bar area. ‘We want
it to be a warm, welcoming space where
people will want to spend time both before
events and after,’ explains Blackheath Halls
director Gemma Okell. ‘Most of the work
has been to make it lighter: we have raised
the ceiling so you can see the stained glass.
Warm and welcoming: Blackheath Halls
© JANINE HOWLETT
36 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
CM0119_036-037_F_Blackheath Halls 2811KC_ok.indd 36
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The history of the building has influenced
the refurb: respecting the heritage but
thinking more about the people who are
going to use it now rather than reinstate it
to how it would have been.’
One of the major impediments had been
the raked stage, highly impractical for
orchestral performances, in the building’s
barrel-ceilinged main hall. That has now
changed: the stage is now flat and therefore
suitable for certain kinds of dance as well.
Moreover, the side walls have been removed,
giving the stage space a much more open
feel, and improvements made to the room’s
acoustics through the addition of curtains
and screens. Audiences will now sit on
retractable raked seating, rather than rows of
chairs on the floor. Backstage facilities, which
at Blackheath means below the stage, have
been opened up and made more flexible.
‘I’m really looking forward to getting
through this phase and then looking at the
programming in a bit more detail,’ says Okell,
who arrived as director in the spring of 2017.
‘There will be an element of trying things out
and getting to know the space, but the idea is
that we’ll be able to do a much wider variety of
things than we’ve been able to do.’
A major feature of the programming at
Blackheath is the particular balance between
professional productions and community
work. The latter include activities that the
venue itself puts together: there is an orchestra,
choirs and an annual community opera that
is led by professional performers (its patron is
tenor Nicky Spence) and directors but with
the substantial involvement of local people in
all departments of the production.
‘We are just in the process of finalising a
young people’s Easter musical theatre,’ adds
Okell, ‘a musical-theatre-in-a-week kind of
thing. The other thing we are hoping to do is to
broaden our community remit and look at our
audiences, and be a multi-art form venue not
just a music venue. We are going to look at doing
some large-scale children’s theatre – touring
theatre – which before we’ve had to pass over.’
The commitment to community
performance is not only a reflection of the
institution’s origins but an acknowledgment of
the part that local supporters played in saving
the building from demolition and returning it
to community use after a period when it was
used as government offices. This is embodied
in the Friends of Blackheath Halls.
‘They are a separate organisation, so they are
not overseen by us. There’s about 500 of them
at the moment. Historically they grew out of
the people who, when the halls were being
used for other purposes, wanted it back as a
community performance space. So historically
they have been very engaged in what happens
here. As part of the fundraising we’ve been
doing, they’ve been running their own
11/12/2018 15:27:05
We want it to be a warm, welcoming space where work,
people will want to spend time both beforeBlackheath
and after
fundraising campaign. They’ve raised well over
£100,000 so far and they’ve been doing that
really enthusiastically.’
The third strand to the hall’s activity, after
professional and community work, straddles
these two. The principal user of the facilities
is Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music
and Dance – members of the community
themselves by virtue of having headquarters
in Greenwich, at the Old Royal Naval
College, and in neighbouring Deptford at the
Laban Building.
‘Blackheath Halls is a charity and a
company but we are a wholly owned subsidiary
CM0119_036-037_F_Blackheath Halls 2811KC_ok.indd 37
CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG
WHAT’S THE
SCORE?
Putting Dorico’s
notation software
to the testOn the up: Raked seating is one of the hall’s improvements
NEW LIGHT
the moment, certainly in the largest-scale
they make up a substantial proportion
events Breaking Halls
of what we do here. There’s things like the
Barriers festival earlier in the year:
reopen after
apparently the Halls were used for suffragette
refurbishment
with argumentative debates about women’s
suffrage. So we did a weekend celebrating that
of Trinity Laban, so effectively Trinity Laban
is our parent company. One of the things I
was tasked to do was to look at maximising
the relationship between the Halls and
Trinity Laban. Obviously it makes sense if
you have a venue that is hosting a lot of your
performances but at the same time is running
a wider programme. About 400 rehearsals and
performances happen here during the year
by Trinity Laban students – almost entirely
music students at the moment because the
dance is at the Laban building.’
The halls give the college a public front,
meaning that students get to perform as
GUEST EDITOR
Southbank Centre
director of music
Gillian Moore MBE
SEE PAGE 53
PLUS STRINGS FOCUS | JENNIFER PIKE | PLAYING THE HARP | EARLY MUSIC TODAY
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TWO MONTHS’
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MEMBERSHIP
TURN TO PAGE 13 We shouldn’t be too surprised that folk are
fighting in our concert halls
ANDREW MELLOR
part of a venue’s public programming. ‘At
S
ixteen hundred Swedes settled down
for an evening of ferocious, unbridled
passions at Malmö Live Concert Hall
on 11 October. And that is what they got. First
rallies – I have images of the hall filled
came Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s trumpet
concerto Nobody Knows de Trouble I See See,
but few could have guessed what trouble our
audiences of orderly Scandinavians would
actually see unfolding a little over an hour
anniversary of women getting the vote, and the
later. After an apparently fissile rendition of
idea was that it included Trinity Laban staff,
Mahler’s fifth symphony from Andris Nelsons
it included students, alumni, the community;
and the Gewandhaus Orchestra, fisticuffs
it had a talk event with Harriet Harman, broke out between two punters in the stalls.
who’s now chair of the governors, and those Yes, that’s right: an actual fight.
kind of things. So building links between all No journalist likes to miss out on a good
the things that are happening within that story, but I regrettably wasn’t present to
Blackheath Trinity Laban connection.’ CM witness this, the first classical music event on
my patch for years to attract international
Blackheath Halls hosts ‘The First Waltz: Tales from tabloid press attention (or a few paragraphs
Independent). But 11 October was a
in the Independent
Vienna’, featuring Emma Johnson and John Suchet
with audience tuition in Viennese waltz and polka tricky one for Greater Copenhagen music
with Natasha Hubert, on Saturday 12 January fans, as local resident Lise Davidsen was
www.blackheathhalls.com singing Strauss’ Four Last Songs at the Danish
Broadcasting Corporation (you’ll forgive me
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 37 for choosing to attend that).
Still, I was in Malmö a few weeks later for
a performance of Verdi’s Requiem from the
11/12/2018 15:27:22 Malmö Symphony Orchestra and Robert
Trevino. The same hall was sold out twice
over, which may or may not have been down
to a smart move from the orchestra’s PR chief,
GOING
who had been interviewed a couple of weeks
Independent In
earlier for that story in the Independent.
the article, Anna-Maria Havskogen was asked
if there were any upcoming concerts ‘that
might cause emotions to run wild.’ Sensing an
opportunity, she responded cannily: ‘Verdi’s
GLOBAL
Requiem on 1 and 2 November.’ All she left
out was the box office number.
Personally, I would deem any orchestral
concert that doesn’t cause emotions to run
wild to be something of a let down (unless
01>
it consisted exclusively of restful Fauré and
Pärt). But that’s not the way we have been
Oxford Philharmonic turns
conditioned to see things. The Independent’s
269105
headline – ‘Classical Music Concert
Descends Into Brawl’ – was intended to
20 with a series of new
sound like some sort of contradiction
in terms. Naturally, the journalist who
770961
international partnerships
9
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Stirring: Andris Nelsons conducts the Gewandhaus Orchestra
wrote it was reluctant to explore the idea
that Mahler’s fifth symphony is actually
preoccupied with violent confrontation.
Why? First, because that’s a non-story.
Second, because it’s other music, not classical
music, that prompts strong emotional and
physical reactions. Or so we are told. There are
complicated reasons why we tend to think along
the same lines as that journalist and the readers
he was titillating. Many of them are rooted
in certain ideas about tradition and etiquette
that have varying degrees of validity. What’s
undeniable is that a significant proportion of
the repertoire orchestral works from the last
100 years from Bartók to Adès are filled with a
violent rage that few other genres ever get near.
Their anger is genuine, written-in and often
born of extraordinary situations.
Of course, you don’t have to be confronted
with those works, in particular, to be put
through the emotional ringer at a concert.
Perhaps that’s why the Metropolitan Police
found themselves investigating a scrap that
took place in the amphitheatre at Covent
Garden after the second of the Royal Opera’s
recent Ring cycles. It is not accepting or
AVAILABLE IN
PRINT & DIGITAL
FORMATS
OPINION
© JENS GERBER
endorsing violence to argue that much of
the music we present is the very opposite
of relaxing, despite some very effective
marketing to the contrary.
What actually happened in Malmö was
this: someone in the audience had become so
frustrated by someone else’s rustling of a sweet
wrapper during the slow movement of the
Mahler – who wouldn’t? – that they simmered
for half an hour before boiling over after the
ovations and executing an effective left hook.
But the whole sorry saga ends on a positive
note if we consider Havskogen’s revealing
comment to the hack from the Independent.
Of course Verdi’s Requiem contains music
strong enough to release emotions inside us
that we maybe didn’t even know we had. That
is a powerful message considering the number
of people who have still allowed themselves
to be persuaded that classical music is boring.
It is something we all know is true, but are
hopelessly bad at anchoring, embracing and
communicating while our colleagues in the
parallel universes of extreme sports, rock music
and even film would see it as a virtue worth
shouting (loudly) about. CM
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 19
CM0119_112_R_Reviews Books 1 page 1312KC_ok.indd 112
11/12/2018 15:13:19
*
BOOK REVIEWS
The Notebooks of Alexander
Skryabin
Translated by Simon Nicholls
and Michael Pushkin;
annotated by Simon Nicholls
Oxford University Press
    
This lucid translation helps
piano lovers to understand
the literary expression of a
major keyboard composer.
Scriabin (1871-1915) was to
some extent a wounded soul,
partly due to an injury to his
right hand when he was 20.
The English pianist Nicholls
notes in an introduction that
some of Scriabin’s subsequent compositions reflect this trauma,
including the Prélude et nocturne pour la main gauche seule Op
9 and the Prelude in A minor Op 51/1, entitled ‘Fragilité’. In the
latter, Nicholls points out, the ‘left hand carries both a melodic
line and an accompaniment, as in Op 9’.
Scriabin adopted writing as a form of therapy to help himself
and others. His favoured format was windy verse, possibly
influenced by Nietzsche, a French translation of Walt Whitman,
or ancient Sanskrit texts known as the Upanishads: ‘I am God!/ I
am nothing, I am play, I am freedom, I am life.’ Although Scriabin
praised the Russian occultist Helena Blavatsky, he avoided her
tendentious didactic style. Scriabin wrote of himself as piano
composer and performer: ‘I have come not to teach but to caress
(but to torment). I bring not truth but freedom.’
If music indeed is uneducational, Scriabin makes up by
offering advice to encourage his readers, presumed to include
legions of ungifted people: ‘If a lack of talent torments and
depresses you, this is a sign of a seed of talent; cultivate it
and do not despair.’ His Poem of Ecstasy (1906) uncannily
prefigures the trench warfare of the first world war, with
mention of ‘pitted/ Paths covered in corpses’. A somewhat
perfunctory foreword by Vladimir Ashkenazy, a much-praised
interpreter of Scriabin’s works, bafflingly asserts that the
composer believed that ‘once he ceased to exist, the world
would also come to an end’.
BENJAMIN IVRY
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV AND HIS WORLD
Edited by Marina Frolova-Walker
Princeton University Press
In this collection, Rimsky-Korsakov’s
major operas are explored and
contextualised within the wider Russian
culture of the era. Other essays examine
the composer’s legacy as a professor of
composition and orchestration, including
his impact on his pupil Igor Stravinsky.
112 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
The Classical Revolution:
Thoughts On New Music In
The 21st Century
John Borstlap
Dover
Revised and expanded
edition
    
This book is a polemic, a
tirade against avant-garde
music, modernist music,
atonal music, etc. Borstlap
himself is a composer of
‘new traditional classical
music’ (his violin concerto
has won prizes) but the
sound of axe-grinding in this
book might well qualify as musique concrète. A more balanced
discussion of the wonderfully diverse types of music being
written this century would have been more attractive. What
happened to pluralism? (Borstlap’s use of this very same
word in his Chapter 7 heading simply draws attention to
his own narrowness.) Relentless polemic, especially when
as vitriolic and extended as this one (about 130 pages), is
tedious. Calm, clear, reasoned argument is more constructive
and persuasive.
To quote from p61: ‘Is it possible, is it conceivable, that
so many seemingly intelligent, educated people spend their
entire professional lives on a nonsensical subject – sound
art as music …?’ On p80 Borstlap claims, ‘As we have
seen, atonal music is not music but sonic art’, but what he
really means is ‘as I have asserted’. Of course, Schoenberg
preferred ‘pantonal’, but we know what he meant, whereas
Borstlap’s proposed term ‘sonic art’ (appearing as early as
his Introduction) is vague and generalised, applicable to any
music. If he wishes to be insulting, he should dispense with
the word ‘art’ altogether.
Another of the author’s more extravagant contentions is
that music which is not organised on the ‘gravity force of
tonality’ is ‘not music at all’. On p83 he writes: ‘The break
with the past not only destroyed a living tradition’. The
young, savagely iconoclastic Boulez urged the destruction of
musical traditions, but fortunately this is impossible. Equally
implausible is Borstlap’s statement: ‘Where modernism
is institutionalised, civilisation disintegrates.’ Finally, as
an example of the author’s gratuitously offensive manner
– ‘[Magnus Lindberg] developed into something like an
almost musical Boulez’. This book’s tiresome bigotry, circular
arguments, faulty reasoning and question-begging disqualify
it from serious attention, let alone recommendation. I suspect
that the author’s hectoring attitude is based on resentment
at the Dutch government for what he sees as misplaced
funding. CM
PHILIP BORG-WHEELER
14/12/2018 11:48:36
BOOK REVIEWS
The Notebooks of Alexander
Skryabin
Translated by Simon Nicholls
and Michael Pushkin;
annotated by Simon Nicholls
Oxford University Press
    
This lucid translation helps
piano lovers to understand
the literary expression of a
major keyboard composer.
Scriabin (1871-1915) was to
some extent a wounded soul,
partly due to an injury to his
right hand when he was 20.
The English pianist Nicholls
notes in an introduction that
some of Scriabin’s subsequent compositions reflect this trauma,
including the Prélude et nocturne pour la main gauche seule Op
9 and the Prelude in A minor Op 51/1, entitled ‘Fragilité’. In the
latter, Nicholls points out, the ‘left hand carries both a melodic
line and an accompaniment, as in Op 9’.
Scriabin adopted writing as a form of therapy to help himself
and others. His favoured format was windy verse, possibly
influenced by Nietzsche, a French translation of Walt Whitman,
or ancient Sanskrit texts known as the Upanishads: ‘I am God!/ I
am nothing, I am play, I am freedom, I am life.’ Although Scriabin
praised the Russian occultist Helena Blavatsky, he avoided her
tendentious didactic style. Scriabin wrote of himself as piano
composer and performer: ‘I have come not to teach but to caress
(but to torment). I bring not truth but freedom.’
If music indeed is uneducational, Scriabin makes up by
offering advice to encourage his readers, presumed to include
legions of ungifted people: ‘If a lack of talent torments and
depresses you, this is a sign of a seed of talent; cultivate it
and do not despair.’ His Poem of Ecstasy (1906) uncannily
prefigures the trench warfare of the first world war, with
mention of ‘pitted/ Paths covered in corpses’. A somewhat
perfunctory foreword by Vladimir Ashkenazy, a much-praised
interpreter of Scriabin’s works, bafflingly asserts that the
composer believed that ‘once he ceased to exist, the world
would also come to an end’.
BENJAMIN IVRY
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV AND HIS WORLD
Edited by Marina Frolova-Walker
Princeton University Press
In this collection, Rimsky-Korsakov’s
major operas are explored and
contextualised within the wider Russian
culture of the era. Other essays examine
the composer’s legacy as a professor of
composition and orchestration, including
his impact on his pupil Igor Stravinsky.
112 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
The Classical Revolution:
Thoughts On New Music In
The 21st Century
John Borstlap
Dover
Revised and expanded
edition
    
This book is a polemic, a
tirade against avant-garde
music, modernist music,
atonal music, etc. Borstlap
himself is a composer of
‘new traditional classical
music’ (his violin concerto
has won prizes) but the
sound of axe-grinding in this
book might well qualify as musique concrète. A more balanced
discussion of the wonderfully diverse types of music being
written this century would have been more attractive. What
happened to pluralism? (Borstlap’s use of this very same
word in his Chapter 7 heading simply draws attention to
his own narrowness.) Relentless polemic, especially when
as vitriolic and extended as this one (about 130 pages), is
tedious. Calm, clear, reasoned argument is more constructive
and persuasive.
To quote from p61: ‘Is it possible, is it conceivable, that
so many seemingly intelligent, educated people spend their
entire professional lives on a nonsensical subject – sound
art as music …?’ On p80 Borstlap claims, ‘As we have
seen, atonal music is not music but sonic art’, but what he
really means is ‘as I have asserted’. Of course, Schoenberg
preferred ‘pantonal’, but we know what he meant, whereas
Borstlap’s proposed term ‘sonic art’ (appearing as early as
his Introduction) is vague and generalised, applicable to any
music. If he wishes to be insulting, he should dispense with
the word ‘art’ altogether.
Another of the author’s more extravagant contentions is
that music which is not organised on the ‘gravity force of
tonality’ is ‘not music at all’. On p83 he writes: ‘The break
with the past not only destroyed a living tradition’. The
young, savagely iconoclastic Boulez urged the destruction of
musical traditions, but fortunately this is impossible. Equally
implausible is Borstlap’s statement: ‘Where modernism
is institutionalised, civilisation disintegrates.’ Finally, as
an example of the author’s gratuitously offensive manner
– ‘[Magnus Lindberg] developed into something like an
almost musical Boulez’. This book’s tiresome bigotry, circular
arguments, faulty reasoning and question-begging disqualify
it from serious attention, let alone recommendation. I suspect
that the author’s hectoring attitude is based on resentment
at the Dutch government for what he sees as misplaced
funding. CM
PHILIP BORG-WHEELER

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NEXTFEBRUARY
ISSUE 2019
T he Symphony Orchestra of India brings Zakir Hussain’s
Concerto for Tabla to London
 PASSAGE FROM INDIA
The Symphony Orchestra of India on its first UK tour
 DIGNITY AT WORK
Deborah Annetts on the ISM’s in-depth report
 MUSIC AND ADDICTION
Supporting musicians in recovery
 JURY’S OUT
Key music competitions in 2019 including Cardiff
Singer of the World and Carl Nielsen Competition
 FOR THE RECORD
The pitfalls of online music copyright explained
 TRAVEL CLINIC
Trouble with cellos
 CHACHI TAKES CHARGE
Pioneering conductor and women’s champion
Odaline de la Martinez at 70
ON SALE 1 FEBRUARY
JANUARY 2019 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG 113
 MICHAEL WHITE
Extended Intervals
Our roving critic revels in Requiems and enjoys the festive spirit at Waddesdon Manor
T
he remembrance industry was
hyperactive at the end of last
year, thanks to world war one
commemorations; and I sat through such
a solemn battery of Ivor Gurney, Wilfred
Owen, Butterworth and RVW recitals that
I could have picked up trench foot. Or the
musical equivalent.
Some were outstanding – Roderick
Williams juggling military discipline with
warmth of heart (and pin-sharp diction)
in the Hampstead Arts Festival being
one that stood out for me with particular
prominence. He truly is the most engaging,
glorious and meaningful of singers. Every
word counts. Every gesture tells.
And on a larger scale there were an awful
lot of Requiems, including a surprisingly
good War Requiem at ENO staged by
Daniel Kramer: a director from whom
I’ve learned to fear the worst but on this
occasion armed with something powerful
and special. With no obvious sustaining
narrative, dramatised War Requiems – of
which I’ve seen a few, including Derek
Jarman’s slightly soft-porn film – tend
to come with standard images of swollen
bodies at the Somme and swarms of
onstage chorus members walking round in
circles looking anxious. At the start, this
Kramer staging seemed to follow suit. But
it turned out to be much more, with some
amazing visual imagery – not the least of
which was an enormous snow-bomb falling
from the sky and covering the stage in a
Emma Bell in the ENO’s War Requiem
© RICHARD HUBERT SMITH
© LA NUOVA MUSICA
114 CLASSICALMUSICMAGAZINE.ORG JANUARY 2019
tsunami of pure whiteness for the opening
of the Sanctus. A collective gasp came
from the audience, as it was clearly meant
to: this was one of the most dazzling
stage effects I’ve seen in years. And I was
dazzled too by the three soloists – David
Butt Philip, Emma Bell and Roddy
Williams (having a busy month) – who
were not just good but given memorable
things to do by Kramer that enhanced
their goodness. Britten would perhaps
have hated it, but a composer’s view isn’t
the only one that counts.
On a more cheerful note, I heard a Haydn
Creation in the Bath Mozartfest that
sold the pleasure of the piece – its fun, its
innocence, its crazy mistranslated texts
– with an exuberance and joy that came
as close as dammit to perfection. Done
in Bath Abbey by the joint forces of La
Nuova Musica and the Holst Singers (the
latter on loan from their usual director
Stephen Layton to LNM’s David Bates) it
danced, it sailed, it laughed. And how can
you not laugh, I always think in a Creation,
when it’s done in English with those
references to ‘finny tribes’ and ‘cheerful
roaring lions’ in ‘tufty groves’? Haydn’s
menagerie is like a toy Noah’s Ark. And
the sole disappointment in this fabulous
performance was that Bates’s baritone
soloist didn’t sink down on the last syllable
of ‘Creeps with sinuous trace the worm’ – as
you sit waiting for him to do – but went up
La Nuova Musica’s David Bates
© STUART BEBB/NATIONAL TRUST
instead. Talking to Bates afterward he told
me that there isn’t a single textual authority
for going down on the worm (as it were). But
authority be damned: there’s a tradition,
and it bathes the moment in a smile that’s
worth the licence.
I’d be interested to know how smiley the
performers were the following night when
they were doing the whole show again at
Smith Square, but in German. Switching
languages in 24 hours was I’m sure a mark
of versatility all round. But could it have
been so much fun in German? Answers on
a postcard.
Waddesdon Manor is an opulent Edwardian
palace built with no expense spared for the
Rothschild family and now owned by the
National Trust – who decorated it with
comparable extravagance for Christmas
with a sound and light show put together
by the Guildhall School of Music. Staff
and students from the technical and
composition faculties produced the whole
thing, which sprang into action after dark.
And it was magical. It turned me back into
a child, wide-eyed with wonder – though
I also wondered slightly at the irony of
making such a thing of Christmas in a
house where Christmas never happened in
the past. The Rothschilds were all Jewish.
So, as Waddesdon’s chief curator told me,
‘We are careful not to say we’re recreating
what the family did when they were here’.
Authority be damned again. CM
‘Magical’: Christmas at Waddesdon Manor
OUR UNIVERSE. SINCE 1919

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