Worcester Concert Club

Sunday 5 October 2003 at 3.00pm

Charles Owen – piano

Charles Owen wowed concert club audiences two years ago at Huntingdon Hall, and we are delighted to see him back again.

His musical education began at the Yehudi Menuhin School and continued at the Royal College of Music where he won all the major piano prizes, since when he has either won or been runner-up for several prestigious awards.

His work includes solo, concerto and chamber music, and he has performed in such leading concert halls as the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Wigmore Hall, and Symphony Hall, Birmingham, as well as at various festivals such as Bath, Cheltenham and the Three Choirs.

Internationally he has played in the Carnegie Hall, the Vienna Musikverein, with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, and at the Perth International Music Festival in Western Australia and the 'Homecoming Festival' at the Moscow Conservatoire. This last promptedthe reviewer to say: "a brilliant player with a fantastic touch, flair and sense of style." (Kultura, Moscow, 2002)

Review by Angela Richey

Owen's recital began with Haydn's Sonata in E flat Hob 49 which was played with great sensitivity and humour. It was followed by Janácek's On an Overgrown Path, a series of ten short pieces with the early ones depicting scenes from his childhood, the later pieces his grief at the death of his daughter. The performance was profoundly moving and the audience completely captivated.

A vivid and imaginative interpretation of Debussy's Estampes started the second half, followed by Melancholie and Napoli by Poulenc. Then, over to Spain with three pieces from Iberia by Albéniz, the concert finishing with Debussy's L'Ile joyeuse.

Owen showed himself throughout to have complete involvement in the music, making him a vivid interpreter and a virtuosic and exciting player.

Sunday 9 November 2003 at 3.00pm

The 18^th Century Concert Orchestra

The 18^th Century Concert Orchestra are a group of twelve musicians who concentrate on Baroque music on period instruments, and who complete the scene by dressing in 18^th century costume of wigs, tights and frock coats.

They began as Platform 4, which was music ensemble in residence at Staffordshire University from 1997, and in 2001 planned to give twelve concerts. Such was their success that since then they have given over 70 concerts all over the country, in stately homes, theatres, music clubs and festivals. They have made one recording, and have another planned, while they will tour Europe and America this year. The Oxford Times said: "The musical standard throughout was exceptional, demonstrating enthusiasm, dedication and technical excellence. Small wonder this chamber orchestra has earned a reputation as one of the finest exponents of baroque music in the country."

Tuesday 9 December 2003 at 7.30pm

Dec-Verse

All Saints Church, Deansway

The Cathedral Choir divides naturally into two groups, Decani and Cantoris, the first sitting on the Dean's or north side, the second on the Cantor's (Precentor's) or south side. Dec-Verse are the lay clerks of the Decani side, who sing as their own group, with the boys' treble voices replaced by two sopranos. They regularly give concerts in and around Worcestershire and are always well received. Their programme will consist of sacred and secular music for the season, with readings in between.

Sunday 18 January 2004 at 3.00pm

The Bochmann String Trio with Paul Arden-Taylor (oboe)

The Bochmann Quartet, who also play as a trio, are well known in Worcestershire, and play regularly at Huntingdon Hall. They tour frequently; they played recently at the Wigmore Hall and St John's Smith Square in London, and this year their tour programme includes Germany, Italy, Portugal and Scotland. They have made many recordings and broadcasts, and have commissioned several new works, including George Nicholson's Third Quartet and Francis Routh's Divertimento, while John Dankworth's work Dreams 42 was composed for them.

Paul Arden-Taylor played with Sadlers Wells Royal Ballet Orchestra and the BBC Midland Radio Orchestra, before joining the English Symphony Orchestra where he is principal oboe. He plays regularly with the Royal Shakespeare Company Orchestra and a number of other orchestras and ensembles. In 1997 he was awarded an honorary Associateship of the Royal Academy of Music.The concert commences with the first performance of a new oboe quartet by Mozart.

Review by Community News Extra

A crowded Huntingdon Hall enjoyed an excellent concert last Sunday afternoon. It was given by principals of the English Symphony Orchestra: Paul Arden-Taylor (oboe), Janet Masters (violin), Helen Roberts (viola) and Peter Adams (cello) who introduced the music. It was promoted by Worcester Concert Club which had created a warm and friendly ambiance such that quite a number of first-timers to these events remarked on how enjoyable they found it.

The first piece, its premiere. was a "new" oboe quartet by Mozart arranged by local resident Derek Smith from an early string quartet; this and a short Rondo from the same source launched the afternoon on some light & airy notes. The strings then gave Beethoven's Trio in G Op. 9 no. 1, a large-scale work which was played with tautness and rhythmic energy. After the interval came Malcolm Arnold's Oboe Quartet, a piece of fun using the language of film music, and finally the great Mozart Quartet K370 in which Arden-Taylor excelled both in expressiveness and virtuosity.

Sunday 15 February 2004 at 3.00pm

James Oxley – tenor and Caroline Dowdle – piano

James Oxley studied at the Royal College of Music, and won first prize at the International Vocalisten Concours at 's-Hertogenbosch.

Since then he has sung in the major London concert halls, Birmingham's Symphony Hall and Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall, and has toured all over Europe. He sings regularly in opera productions, and has performed several roles with the Opéra de Rennes, and in opera productions in Britain.

He has just returned from a very successful tour of Australia, where the review in the Melbourne paper Metropolitan began: "To put it simply, this was outstanding. Oxley had the rounded lyricism of a tenor and the rhetorical poise of an actor."

Caroline Dowdle was born in South Africa, and studied music at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. Since then she has played with many singers and instrumentalists; recital venues include the Wigmore Hall and Snape Maltings in Suffolk. Recently she has played with James in France and in Australia.

Sunday 15 March 2004 at 3.00pm

Sue Gill – clarinet and Karen Suter – piano

Sue Gill was principal clarinet of the National Youth Orchestra in 1986-87. She studied at the Royal College of Music where she won the Frederick Thurston Clarinet Prize and the Roger Fallowes Memorial Prize. She has played in numerous recitals and has performed a number of concertos, including the Clarinet Concerto by Anthony Smith Masters, which was dedicated to her.

Karen Suter studied at the Royal Academy of Music where she won all the major accompaniment and chamber music prizes. She has played at major London concert halls, and has broadcast on BBC Radio and Classic FM. Sue Gill has been her recital partner for many years, and they also play as part of the ensemble Erard.

They have both toured under the auspices of the Countess of Munster Trust and the National Federation of Music Societies