Korros Ensemble Programme Notes, Wednesday 24th July 2024, 7:30pm
Spanish Dance Number 1 Manuel de Falla (1876 – 1946) arr. Ellis
Rumanische Melodie Max Bruch (1838 – 1920)
Trio Elizabeth Poston (1905 – 1987)
I: Piacevole II: Molto moderato III: Dolce delicate IV: Vivace scherzando
Tarantella Opus 6 Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 – 1921)
INTERVAL
On Butterfly Wings Eliza Marshall
Pavane pour une infante defunte Maurice Ravel (1875 – 1937)
Au Matin Marcel Tournier (1875 – 1951)
Carmen Rhapsody Georges Bizet (1838 – 1875) arr. Webster
After the solid fare of our previous five concerts (ranging from Vivaldi and Bach through Brahms and Mendelssohn to Fauré and Ligeti) we hope you will enjoy something rather lighter to round the season off, music from the 19th and 20th centuries composed or arranged for this unusual but very attractive trio of instruments. We have already encountered arrangements this season – you’ll remember hearing Bruckner motets played by a string quartet and the Fauré Trio with a horn taking the place of the cello – and the art of skilful arrangement is not one to be scoffed at. Composers as diverse as Bach and Brahms, Beethoven and Schoenberg have been happy to present their works through different instrumental combinations, differing versions being equally successful and enjoyable to perform and to listen to; one need look no further than the Brahms St. Anthony Variations for proof of this. I’m sure I’m not alone in listening to the two piano and the orchestral versions with equal pleasure. Much of the music we are to hear this evening is not in the form in which the composers first conceived it; but in the hands of skilful arrangers with deep understanding of instrumental timbre, has been given fresh life in different clothing.
Manuel de Falla’s musical language has deep roots in Spanish folk music, but his friendship with Debussy, Dukas and Stravinsky gave his later work a more cosmopolitan edge and won him international fame. This is the first of the Spanish Dances from his opera ‘La Vida Breve’ of 1905. If Max Bruch is now remembered mostly by one work only, at least it is a very fine one. But what a shame that large amounts of orchestral, choral and chamber music remain largely unperformed. The Rumanian Melody is taken from his ‘Eight Pieces’ Opus 83 of 1910.
Elizabeth Poston is another composer remembered today for just one work, the tiny exquisite carol ‘Jesus Christ the Apple Tree’. But there are some three hundred other works, many of them quite substantial, which remain largely unperformed and appreciated. An alumna of the Royal Academy of Music, she counted Ralph Vaughan Williams and Peter Warlock amongst her friends and musical mentors. She was deeply involved with work at the BBC during the Second World War – indeed it is thought that she was able to use the broadcasting of certain works to send coded messages to allied agents in Europe – and after the war she was much involved in the establishment of the Third Programme. Her trio for flute, clarinet and harp was composed in 1958 and has been described as her masterpiece. It is thanks to the Korros Ensemble that this fine work, believed to be the first written for this instrumental combination, has been reintroduced to the repertoire.
Camille Saint-Saëns was another versatile composer with a huge output, much of it displaying very Gallic qualities of elegance and charm. His Tarantella has an interesting history in that it was first performed at one of Rossini’s celebrated soirees when the aged opera composer let it be understood that he had written the work himself. Having received congratulations from many of the eminent musicians present on the excellence of the piece, Rossini revealed that it was actually the work of the comparatively unknown 22 year-old sitting next to him.
Eliza Marshall, tonight’s flautist, is one of this country’s most versatile composer/performers, equally at home on the stage of the Royal Opera House or Wembley Stadium, playing work showing influence of Scottish and African folk music and much else besides. Deeply inspired by nature, she describes her creative work as “driven by a profound desire for human connection and compassion”.
The small masterpiece from the French repertoire, ‘Pavane pour une infante defunte’, was written during Ravel’s time at the Paris Conservatoire, studying under Gabriel Fauré. Originally conceived for piano, the composer himself arranged it for small orchestra in 1910, a version first performed in Manchester under Henry Wood. Ravel gave various explanations for the title; at first he described it as “an evocation of a pavane that a little princess might in former times have danced at the Spanish court” but later, annoyed at the works huge popularity at the expense of other works he valued more highly, he coyly asserted that the title actually meant nothing – that it was no more than a succession of words he liked the sound of.
Marcel Tournier was one of the leading French players of, and composers for, the harp whose work expanded the technical and emotional range of the instrument’s repertoire. ‘Au Matin’ Is described as a ‘Concert Study’ and was written in 1913.
Bizet’s ‘Carmen’ at first aroused little enthusiasm in France, largely on account of what was considered the sordid nature of the plot rather than the quality of the music. It was performances in Vienna, London and New York that won for it the world-wide reputation which it has enjoyed ever since. Bizet himself made several orchestral suites from its memorable and emotionally charged melodies and it has subsequently proved a fruitful source of material for arrangers working in every conceivable medium.
The members of the Korros Ensemble came together in 2001, all then being students at the Royal Academy of Music. They have performed regularly together ever since despite all having parallel careers playing with leading British orchestras and in a wide variety of concert venues. The repertoire for their particular instrumental combination is tiny, but this has stimulated them not only to commission new works but also to explore widely in their search for suitable works to arrange.
This concert brings to an end a series in which we hope you will agree that a good range of music has been performed by some exceptionally talented players. We never forget our good fortune in having such a sympathetic room in which to hold our concerts and have been pleased that, although the number of regular subscribers is still not as high as in former seasons, individual ticket sales have led to good-sized audiences. We are most grateful for some sponsorship from society members who wish to remain anonymous and would ask you to consider giving something extra to enable us to meet the ever-rising costs of presenting concerts at this level.
We thank you for your support and hope that you will fell encouraged not only to join us again next season but to pass the word amongst your friends that concerts of a very high standard are to be heard on their doorsteps at a very reasonable price. Plans are well advanced for the 2025 season which will begin on Wednesday 26th February. As details are finalised our website will be regularly updated to keep you informed as to exactly what will be on offer.