Thursday 8 November 2012

BSB and Bach

A lovely review of The Brook Street Band's Bach Trio Sonatas CD in Gramophone Magazine. The disc is picked as 'the Gramophone Choice' in this particular genre.

Louis de Bernieres "Mr. Handel"

Apologies for radio silence, but the past few months have been spent gearing up for the Band's forthcoming Wigmore Hall performance with amazing author Louis de Bernieres. This takes place on 7 Decemeber, featuring a newly commissioned stage-play about Handel, that Louis has written for the Band. Louis himself plays Mr Handel.

Thursday 6 September 2012

Handel Cello Sonatas

After a busy summer (more about that to come) it's always nice to come back to a good review. America's Listen Magazine has published an article on AVIE Records' 10 years in the CD industry, and the article picks one of the Band's CDs (Handel Cello Sonatas) out as a highlight. http://www.listenmusicmag.com/looking-back/savvy-and-serendipity.php?page=all

Friday 13 July 2012

Handel in Somerset

I am finally recovering from the most wonderful weekend with The Band, giving concerts and talks for Cossington Concerts in Somerset. This series was set up in 2002 by the late great Stanley Sadie and his wife Julie Anne, and has continued since Stanley's passing in 2005. The Band performed the trio sonata from Bach's Musical Offering, preceded by a talk about the piece. The following day The Band gave a programme called Eccentric Englishmen, inspired by some of Stanley's doctoral research into English chamber music in the 18th century. In between, Julie's amazing cooking kept us all going, not to mention talks about Handel. A huge thank you to David and Julie Anne from The Brook Street Band! A most inspiring weekend, which culminated with the Nancy Carr competition, awarded to a promising young Somerset musician. It was a real privilege to judge this and hear some amazing upcoming talent.

Tuesday 26 June 2012

The Handel project

Very much looking forward to the start of The Band's 3 year Handel education project. Taster day tomorrow at Rhodes Avenue Primary and next week at Bealings Primary.

Thursday 17 May 2012

Burlington, Brook Street, Hanover Square...

Just a few of my favourite Handel stomping grounds, and I get to visit them all imminently. I wonder if Handel would approve of Crossrail? Or trains, come to think of it! I like to think that he's just around the corner, slightly out of vision, always one step ahead of me, but there nonetheless.

Friday 11 May 2012

The opera

I went to the opera last night, not to see a Handel production, but ENO's beautiful Madame Butterfly. The production was stunning, and in the intervals I indulged in a bit of people-watching. This past-time easily dates back to the 18th century, and as I spied a smattering of supermodels, celebrities and familiar faces, I was again reminded of how little things have changed since Handel's time. Luckily the vogue for fruit-throwing has gone out of fashion (though I doubt many could have found fault with this production), but people still talk through the performance (sadly) and munch away on sweets and snacks, though not full-blown banquets in the 21st century. No capon for dinner, at least not in the middle of Act 2.

Friday 4 May 2012

Describing Handel

I had a meeting yesterday with a potential director for a staged Handel offering. I had one hour to win him over to the project, so I decided to tell him what it is I love about Handel and his music. Why is it still so important and relevant, over 250 years after his death? What is his universal appeal? Well - I'm not going to list everything here, but in a nutshell, I believe that one of the reasons he is still so popular and admired is that he translates beautifully into the present day, like any great artist. He was clearly of his time in mid 18th century London, but equally, I can imagine him today, programming a website, trading stocks and shares and exploring new musical possibilities. He'd feel totally at home with the London coffee culture too!

Wednesday 25 April 2012

Apologies to Handel

I found myself at the National Portrait Gallery on Monday, and went to see Handel. I hadn't noticed before quite how elegant his fingers are - nothing like the fat piggy fingers, described as being too big to fit on the keys of the keyboard. I did feel the need to apologise to him though, due to some rather severe cuts made in a performance of Jephtha that the Band had given. These were totally out of our control and most were understandable and necessitated by making a 3 hour piece into a 2 hour piece. BUT...The Angel Symphony? That was too much!

Monday 16 April 2012

Handel's Jephtha

How dark, O Lord, are Thy decrees,
All hid from mortal sight...

Preparing for Jephtha this coming week. What a privilege to play this amazing piece of music.

Wednesday 4 April 2012

On Tour

We're at Repton in Derbyshire en route for Ilkley. After a great day of rehearsals and a lovely meal at Nicki's, we woke to snow. Lost for words...Let's hope we can all get up to Yorkshire. The sunglasses we packed seem somewhat superfluous.

Anyway, British comments about the weather aside, its been a great few days so far and a real privilege to make music together again. At times like this I am reminded of how wonderful my job is, and how much I need Handel (and Bach) in my life!

Monday 2 April 2012

Handel in the Spring

It's been glorious weather for Band rehearsals; what could be better than a bit of Handel interspersed with coffee and a spot of sunbathing. Longer days have meant The Band has the luxury of re-visiting lots of repertoire, and making a few new friends (pieces, that is, rather than people in this instance). This is all in preparation for a concert in Ilkley on April 4th, and also for an exciting project at Cossington in the summer. All fueled by fantastic home-cooking, thanks to Carolyn!

Monday 19 March 2012

Pleasure Gardens

I went to the Museum of London over the weekend and saw the fantastic recreation of the London Pleasure Gardens. It's very evocative, complete with dark corners, costumed people, sparkly lights, and the bust of Handel presiding over everything. The Dead March from Saul drew me in, as I approached from another part of the museum. A very successful new(ish) addition to the museum.

Wednesday 14 March 2012

1746

Whoops...I got my dates wrong. 1746 is the year in question, although the tough year Handel had previously doesn't seem to have knocked him off track (in my opinion). I guess it didn't seem that way at the time though. Performances were in March 1746, so exactly 266 years ago. I still can't get enough of this piece.

Tuesday 13 March 2012

The Occasional Oratorio

I don't often get the chance to sit down and listen to an oratorio just for pleasure, but a few travel days recently meant I had more uninterrupted listening time. I packed Handel's Occasional Oratorio, which I hadn't got off the CD shelf for a few years. What a piece! 1745 may well have been a bad year for Handel (as Robert King states in his sleeve notes) but looking at this piece from a distance of several hundred years, I can only conclude that the difficult year produced an AMAZING work. Yes, there are borrowings and re-heatings, but the music, not to mention the text is so strong. Many favourites reappear, including Zadok the Priest. What's not to like? Now to raise funds to put on a performance!

Monday 5 March 2012

Covent Garden

I cricked my neck and since I needed to be in playing condition again pretty quickly I sought help in London's Covent Garden, at Neal's Yard. Whilst lying on the table having deep tissue massage, I was struck by how little has actually changed in this area since the days when Handel knew it. The building I was in dated back to the 18th century, and the sounds of people chatting and drinking coffee in the courtyard below, enjoying the sunshine, were timeless. Sure, the shops are selling different things, but only modern updates if you think about it. At times like this it's easy to feel very connected with Handel's London, whilst enjoying the more modern concepts of decent plumbing and hygiene!

Friday 2 March 2012

The joy of buying music

Buying music always feels like an essential luxury, if such a statement isn't a contradiction in terms. Somehow I always want to own it rather than hire or borrow it. The latest acquisition is a facsimile score of Handel's Jephtha, a thing of great beauty. Handel's original manuscript is available on IMSLP, but it's pretty impossible to read. He made so many corrections and changes. The original manuscript does however have the famous words scrawled in 'How Dark O Lord are thy Decrees' (which roughly translates as 'stopped owing to poor sight') which the Randall copy from later in the 18th century lacks. Handel was actually losing his sight at this point.

Wednesday 29 February 2012

Handel v Sullivan

The Band is preparing for a forthcoming production of Handel's amazing oratorio Jephtha. I was due to meet the conductor yesterday to take delivery of the parts. Slight change of plan... it turns out he had been sent Arthur Sullivan's arrangement! A little bit of me was disappointed that we discovered this in good enough time to source the correct parts. It could have made for a 'fun' performance , if not historically accurate. Or rather, historically accurate to only one hundred years after Handel's death, the era of the great Crystal Palace Handel celebrations!

Monday 27 February 2012

More Handel

I enjoyed another opportunity to see the majestic Thomas Hudson portrait at the NPG last Friday night. I introduced him to two friends, who both remarked how different he looked compared to the image they'd had of him, just from hearing his music. They remarked how humble he looked in the flesh, despite the trappings of his successful life all around him in the portrait. Perhaps that's how he felt in the mid 1750s when he sat for the portrait, blind and heading towards the end of his life.

Thursday 23 February 2012

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Handel
Happy Birthday to you!

Handel is 327 today. I wonder if he could have imagined how well his music would survive the onslaught of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries? He was certainly aware of his popularity whilst alive and I am sure he would be absolutely chuffed (and not at all surprised) by his recognition today. One important question remains however. What kind of cake would he have preferred?

Tuesday 21 February 2012

Private audience with Handel at the Foundling Museum

It's not often that you get a private meeting with the great man. Last week I attended a 'do', hosted by London's Foundling Museum. Everyone was enjoying drinks downstairs, and I wandered up to look at the Handel manuscripts, his will and the Thomas Hudson portrait. What a privilege to have them all to myself.