Lunchtime concert by gifted music students
Young musicians from the Purcell School in Bushey – Britain’s oldest specialist music school -- gave a lunchtime concert in Rickmansworth on Wednesday, December 11.

The students performed works by Bach, Albinoni, Liszt and Elgar in their latest concert for Three Rivers Music Society.

The Purcell School holds a UNESCO Mozart Gold Medal in recognition of its unique contribution to music, education and international culture. It has nurtured some of the country’s most accomplished musicians, including three recent BBC Young Musician of the Year winners, Lara Melda (2010), Martin James Bartlett (2014), and Alexandra Ridout (Jazz Award 2016).

The popularity of these concerts continues to grow and grow both with our regular audiences and the schoolchildren who attend them. It forms a special relationship between the famous music school and the TRMS and each concert produces superb playing from these gifted young performers. The entitire year 6 class of 30 pupils from a local primary school - Chorleywood Primary - attended this concert.

The concert was held in the Baptist Church, High Street, Rickmansworth WD3 1EH on Wednesday 11 December at 1.00pm.

More concert info

Maggini String Quartet
Julian Leaper, violin, Ciaran McCabe, violin
Martin Outram, viola, Michal Kaznowski, cello

Maggini String Quartet returned to Rickmansworth for a sixth concert on Friday, November 29. 

The Quartet performedLudwig Beethoven String Quartet in F, op.18 no. 1 and Frank Bridge String Quartet no.1 “Bologna” as well as Mendelssohn’s moving musical farewel his String Quartet no.6 in F, op.80

This 1847 composition was written shortly after his sister Fanny’s death, and only months before his own at the age of only 38. It was one of three masterworks played at a concert given by the celebrated Maggini Quartet, whose first violinist, Julian Leaper, lives in Chorleywood.

The Magginis have won international prizes, such as the Gramophone Chamber Music Award and a Cannes Classical Award, and have twice been nominated for Grammy Awards. They recently recorded the complete Mendelssohn quartet cycle and they have made many critically acclaimed recordings of British composers’ works.

At this latest concert for Three Rivers Music Society the Magginis also performed the String Quartet No.1 by Brighton-born Frank Bridge, who was revered by his most successful student, Benjamin Britten.

In addition, they played to a very entusiastic audience the Beethoven’s String Quartet in F Opus 18 No 1, which was partly inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Beethoven revised the work substantially within a year of composing it but was content with the finished version, telling a friend that he had finally learnt how to write string quartets. As we now know, that was no exaggeration.

The concert was held at the Baptist Church, High Street, Rickmansworth at 7.30pm with a 15-minute pre-concert programme talk by Dr. Steven Halls from 7pm).

Programme Notes

	John Donegan - piano, Paul Jefferies - double bass, Greg McCarthy - drums, Tommaso Starace - alto & Soprano Sax, Steve Fishwick - trumpet & flugelhorn and Alex Hitchcock - tenor sax

On Tuesday, November 19, John’s sextet performed tracks from the album at a concert in Rickmansworth staged by Three Rivers Music Society. They also played pieces from Siamsa Vol.1, the album inspired by his native Ireland that John released earlier this year.
The sextet included some of the most outstanding talents on the British jazz scene. John and his regular playing partners, Paul Jefferies (double bass) and Greg McCarthy (drums), will be joined by Tommaso Starace (alto and soprano sax), Alex Hitchcock (tenor sax) and Steve Fishwick (trumpet and flugelhorn).
Tommaso Starace has recorded critically successful albums with his own quartet and has collaborated with the Oscar-winning composer Dario Marianelli. Alex Hitchcock is an award-winning saxophonist and composer. His quintet won the prestigious Conad Jazz Contest in Umbria, Italy, last year.
The sixth member of the group, Royal Academy of Music graduate Steve Fishwick, has been lauded by the great American trumpeter, Wynton Marsalis, who said: “I can't think of another trumpet player that can do what he does."
John himself plays regularly at one of London’s most popular jazz venues, the Café in the Crypt at St Martin’s in the Fields.
Prior to recording A Kite for Kate, John had dedicated three albums to his older daughters, Ciara and Jennifer, and his wife, Marie. “It’s no exaggeration to say that my family are my inspiration so naming these albums after them seemed like the most natural thing,” John said. “I am very glad that Catherine now has her own album. The set is complete.”

The concert held at the Baptist Church in Rickmansworth was a great success and a sizeable audience thoroughly enjoyed some of the lively jazz pieces along with contemplative composiotions by John himself.

A Saturday evening concert

	David Halls-piano, Caroline Halls-soprano, Steven Halls-cello and Daphne Moody-violin

For the first time ever, David Halls, Director of Music at Salisbury Cathedral, his daughter Caroline and his brother Steven came with their long-time friend and professional colleague, Daphne Moody to present a unique programme which included .....

J S Bach -  Nur ein Wink from Christmas Oratorio
J S Bach - Ich folge dir gleichfalls from St John Passion
Antonín Dvorák - Piano Trio No.  1 in B flat
Edward Elgar - Four popular songs with string obbligato
Edward Elgar -, Piano Trio movements
Iain Farrington – special arrangements

There also was an interesting pre-concert talk by Steven Halls before the concert.

Programme Notes

Musicians' bios

Another successful TRMS concert

Peter Nall's 18-17 Ensemble Sunday 13 October

One of the most remarkable musical compositions of the 19th century was performed in Chorleywood Memorial Hall on Sunday, October 13.

It was a huge success; so much so that overflow seating arrangement had to be provided at the packed to capacity Chorleywood Memorial Hall.

Felix Mendelssohn was only 16 when he wrote his String Octet in E flat major, opus 20, in the autumn of 1825.

He produced other astonishing compositions by the age of 18 – Fingal’s Cave and the Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream among them. But nothing surpassed this octet, which displays a level of maturity and invention that arguably exceeds that of any other teenage musical prodigy, Mozart included.
The octet will feature in a concert being given by the newly-formed Ensemble 18-17, which is led by the renowned Chorleywood-based violinist, Peter Nall, a former member of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

The ensemble also performed Tchaikovsky’s much-loved Serenade in C major for Strings, opus 48. Tchaikovsky composed this music in 1880, and as he later admitted, he wrote it “from inner compulsion. It is a heartfelt piece”. Perhaps that is why it is now seen as one of his most successful works.
The third piece played in this afternoon concert organised by Three Rivers Music Society was Malcolm Arnold’s Concerto for Two Violins and String Orchestra. This work was commissioned by Yehudi Menuhin and was premiered at the Bath International Music Festival in 1962.

Interestingly, it was the award of a Mendelssohn Scholarship in 1948 that enabled Malcolm Arnold to become a full-time composer. He subsequently wrote a huge number of compositions -- symphonies, concertos, ballet scores, chamber and choral music, and works for wind and brass bands.
He also composed scores for many popular films of the 1950s, such as The Inn of the Sixth Happiness and The Bridge on the River Kwai. The latter earned him an Oscar in 1958.

Peter Nall directed the début performance of the
18-17 ENSEMBLE
15 expert string players from Peter’s wide range
of professional colleagues in the surrounding district

VIOLINS
Peter Nall •(Director/soloist) 1
Ruth Schulten •(assistant leader)
Charles Tait • 2
Olivia Tan (soloist •) 1
Karin Nash 2
Becks Shorrock • 1
Dafydd Williams 2
Simon-Phillpe Alard. 2

VIOLAS
Stephen Shakeshaft •
David Way •
Martin Fenn

CELLI
Nicola Tait Baxter •
Emma Black •
Judith Fleet

BASS
Owen Nicolaou

* those who played in this concert

The programme included

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
String Octet in E flat, op.20
1. Allegro moderato, ma con fuoco
2. Andante
3. Scherzo:  Allegro leggierissimo.
4. Presto

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Serenade in C major for Strings, op.48
1. Pezzo in forma di sonatina: Andante non troppo - Allegro moderato;
2. Valse: Moderato - Tempo di valse
3. Élégie: Larghetto elegiaco;
4. Finale (Tema russo): Andante - Allegro con spirito

Programme Notes

Bios

Another successful evening concert

Louise Thomson on Friday 3 May

Louise Thomson's Harp Recital on Friday 3rd May 2019 at 7.30 pm at the Baptist Church in Rickmansworth was not only the unique first of this type but was a huge success with the full audience thoroughly enjoying the whole programme including in particular, Theme from Tchaikovsky's Opéra Eugène Onégin.

The programme incloded -

Nocturne - Mikhail Glinka
Sonata in F minor K.466 - Domenico Scarlatti, arr. Louise Thomson
Fantasie Sur Un Thème de Joseph Haydn, op.31 - Marcel Grandjany
Sarabanda - Nino Rota
Jazz Band - Marcel Tournier
Fantaisie Sur Un Thème de l’Opéra Eugène Onégin par Pyotr Tchaikovsky - Ekaterina Walter-Kühne
Interval
Estampes no. 2, La Soirée Dans La Grenade - Claude Debussy
Une Châtelaine en sa Tour, op.110 - Gabriel Fauré
Impromptu Caprice - Gabriel Pierné
Adagio Cantabile from Three Welsh Dances - Dalwyn Henshall
Cruit Gun Cheis Ceall Gun Aba - Mary Ann Kennedy
Letter from Home - Pat Metheny, arr. Louise Thomson
Rhapsodie - Marcel Grandjany

The concert took place at the Baptist Church, High Street Rickmansworth
at 7.30 pm on Friday 3rd May 2019

Another successful Jazz evening

John Donegan	Tommaso Starace

TRMS welcomed back the John Donegan Jazz Quartet to Rickmansworth with John himself on the piano, highly-regarded Italian Saxophonist, Tommaso Starace, Steve Riddle (Bass) and Greg McCarthy (Drums) on Wednesday 3rd April 2019 at 7.30 pm.

John Donegan Jazz Qurtet John Donegan (piano), Steve Riddle (bass), Tommaso Starace (saxophone) & Greg McCarthy (drums)

More than 20 years ago, John wrote “My Gentle Dream”, which symbolised his relationship with Ireland. But he has now recorded another 21 original compositions that reflect his Celtic roots.

The tracks will appear on two albums – Siamsa Volume 1 and 2 – these will be released shortly.

At the Rickmansworth concert, John was supported by Steve Riddle on double bass and Greg McCarthy on drums. They were joined by Tommaso Starace, a highly-regarded Milan-born saxophonist who has collaborated with the Oscar-winning composer Dario Marianelli.

“The inspiration for Siamsa, which is the Irish word for entertainment or amusement, is the places and people that are dear to me,” John explained. “But the project also grew out of my musical partnership with Tommaso, who suggested that we do an album of my original compositions.

“I spent four months writing the suite of 21 new pieces and in October 2018 we travelled to France to record the project. I hope people will enjoy the results of this musical journey.”

The Three Rivers Music Society concert will also include music from three of John’s other albums, Song for Ciara, Jen’s Progress and Amarie, which were all named after members of his family.

The concert was held in the Baptist Church, High Street, Rickmansworth WD3 1EH at 7.30pm.