Guildford Philharmonic Choir
NEWSLETTER
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GPC
Editor: Margaret Dentskevich
ISSUE 2 - MAY 1999
Introduction - John Trigg,
GPC Chairman
First of all | must congratulate the production t'eah‘i' of the
Newsletter on their splendid first issue, and | know that
we are all looking forward to reading this issue.
It comes after our enormous success with the Bruckner/
Mahler concert -- the first time | have seen a standing
ovation in the Cathedral. Obviously Jeremy must take
the credit for the success of the concert and nothing
must detract from this. It was wonderful, too, to sing with
the splendid Forest Philharmonic Orchestra.
Two weeks ago, along with Robin Onslow as the Presi-
dent of the Philharmonic Society, and with Rita Horton,
Chair of the Society, | met with the Chief Executive of
the Borough, David Watts; Jim Miles, Head of Leisure
Services; and Nicola Goold. The purpose of the meeting was to let the Chief Executive of the Borough hear at
first hand about the position in which the choir and the
Society find themselves,
because of the new Borough
policy.
| will not go into the details of the discussion at the
However, we must all remember that that much more
than the performance is needed to ensure success. All
the work that went on behind the scenes is another part
of the story, and that is where a large majority of the
choir, and others, all did their bit. It is this enthusiasm
and willingness to support our choir that will ensure we
are a force to reckon with in the Guildford music scene.
We were indebted to our friends in the Philharmonic Society for their help and their sponsorship of our young
soloists, Jeanette Ager and Katy Tansey. Their support
not only helped us, but also gave these two singers experience which will help them enormously at the start of
their careers. This is the third time that Jeanette has
sung with us, and she is booked again for the St Matthew Passion.
meeting except to say that, as far as the choir is concerned (I do not speak for the Society), David Watts said
that he wanted there to be a good relationship between
the Borough and the choir, as the Borough values us.
He said that we were now autonomous and separated
from the Office and the Orchestra, but that we should
enjoy a special relationship with them. We are guaranteed one concert per year with them.
| must say that | was able to attend the meeting with
confidence. | knew that, whatever the outcome, | was
representing a strong, efficient choir that does not need
Borough support; and, what is more, is well able to continue into the new Millennium standing on its own two
(three hundred!) feet.
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Treasurer wanted urgently
We desperately need a volunteer to come forward to fill this soon-to-be vacant position on the Committee.
If you feel that you might like to take this on, please contact
anyone on the present Committee
as soon as possible.
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Concerts
Review of Mahler and Bruckner concert on 13 March
- Linda Mowat, Surrey
Advertiser
For its concert at Guildford Cathe-
Mahler's second (Resurrection) symphony, which fol-
conductor, Jeremy Backhouse.
lowed, is music on a grand scale, lasting for some 85
minutes. In practical terms it needs a very large orchestra. Emotionally, Mahler's embodiment of his
struggle with human mortality is enormous.
Firstly, a fitting tribute was paid to
Yehudi Menuhin, who died the day
before the concert and whose famous music school is only a few
miles from the Cathedral at Stoke
d'Abernon.
Mahler's music needs more than accurate note getting. The diminution of dynamics and tempi contrasts
For what was ostensibly a choral programme, a great
deal of responsibility fell on the accompanying orchestra, the Forest Philharmonic, one of this country's best
community orchestras, which undoubtedly attracts
players of an. extremely high standard.
Bruckner's Mass in E minor is scored for only wind and
brass. The atmosphere of devotional sincerity was well
set by the chorus, but against the secure
instrumental ensemble the eight-part choral forces
sounded at times rather unwieldy. However, the final
plea for peace in the return of the Kyrie theme was
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most confidently and pleasingly achieved in Bruckner's
beautiful music.
in the opening movements allowed only a glimpse of
the composer’s outrage and grief at the omnipotence
of death. But in the climactic fifth movement, when the
chorus entered, we were able to share Mahler's vision
of another world where an overwhelming love would
illuminate our being.
The chorus, with soloists Katy [Tansey] and Jeanette
Ager, the orchestra with its dramatic percussion, offstage band and organ, united in a swathe of glorious
sound in the embodiment of the Resurrection Ode text
"What thou hast fought shall lead to God'.
Notes on the composers of music for our May 29 concert
'g Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986) as a
boy was a chorister and student at
Rouen Cathedral, where he developed
his affection for Gregorian chant and
modal harmonies.
Paris, and also professor of composition at the Paris
Conservatoire, where his pupils included Maurice
Ravel.
In 1919 he went to Paris to study the
organ, and then entered the Paris
Conservatoire. He took first prizes for
organ, harmony, accompaniment,
counterpoint and fugue, and composition. In 1930 he
became organist at the church of Saint-Etienne-duMont, a post shared with his wife after 1953, and held
until his death. In 1943 he was appointed professor of
harmony at the Conservatoire.
He quickly gained a reputation as a virtuoso and
skilled improviser, touring throughout Europe, the Soviet Union and North America. His compositions number but 14, and he credited the scarcity of his output in
His numerous compositions are distinguished by daring harmonies and other innovations, all disguised by
an appearance of classical style and elegance. Deafness forced him to retire at the age of 75.
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) was well known as a
pianist and member of a group of French composers
known as Les Six, who included
H
Arthur Honegger and Darius Mil-
haud. (The cartoon shows Erik
Satie standing next to Poulenc.)
He decided on a musical career
while serving in the forcesinWorld |
War 1, and picked up most of his
part to a cripplingly over-critical nature developed from
years of teaching.
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musical education after the war
ended. He was an outstanding pianist and wrote a
number of works for the piano. His large output ranged
from opera to songs.
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) was an
organist and teacher, especially
known for his songs and his chamber
cal; his harmonic structure tends to the traditional.
music, though his larger scale works
are also often performed, especially
his Requiem Mass. In 1896 he became organist at La Madeleine, in
Maurice Joseph Ravel (1875-1937) brought to French
music an originality of thought that may have been due
in part to his ancestry -- a mixture of Swiss and
Basque. During World War 1 he served as an Air
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Poulenc’s music is at its best when it is witty and satiri-
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Force ambulance driver, but was
His music marks a reaction from the heavy, rich tex-
invalided out with a nervous dis-
tures of Richard Wagner and his followers. It includes
order which never left him. He
found some comfort in his hobby
of collecting mechanical toys.
some fine chamber music, The ballet Daphnis et
Chloé, written for Serge Diaghilev, and two operas.
Ravel's orchestral music, however, which included
such masterpieces as Bolero and Rapsodie espagnole
(both showing the influence of his Spanish connection), must be ranked among his greatest.
At the age of 24, Ravel made his
reputation with his piano solo
Pavane pour une enfante défunte.
He produced a stream of compositions, all characterised by a precise attention to detail, and to form and craftsmanship.
These notes were mostly taken from ‘Famous Composers’ by
Theodore Rowland-Enwhistle & Jean Cooke, published by David &
Charles
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Fund-raising
DON’T FORGET we have our own excellent, custom-designed GPC NOTE-CARDS
on sale each Monday night at rehearsal. By buying these you’ll be helping to support
the choir and advertising it to your friends and colleagues.
A choir for weddings - Christopher Robinson
singers prepared to give up the occasional Satur-
The committee would like to establish from amongst choir mem-
day. We’d need to be able to produce a balanced
bers a small group to be available
choir of 12-18 singers on each occasion. There
to sing at weddings at churches
within the Guildford area. There
would be a minimum of rehearsal, and so volun-
teers would need to be competent sight-readers.
is a demand for good choirs to
1.
provide this service, and it would
be a very useful source of income for choir funds.
This is a fun way of raising both
much-needed funds and the
choir’s public profile. If you’re
interested in joining such a group, 4§
We need volunteers to help get this off the ground.
We’ve already found a good professional organist
who would act as the group’s Musical Director.
have a word with either Eliza-
Initially we’d aim to establish a group of about 30
Robinson.
beth-Claire Bazin or Christopher
100 Club — Noreen Ayton
Here are the winners and their ticket numbers for 1999 so far:
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JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
87
2
100
10
£20
Joy Hunter
Jean Munro
Andrea Dombrowe
Rosalind Plowright
£15
24
54
79
44
Stephen Jepson
Margaret Dentskevich
Margaret Parry
Peter Herbert
The 100 Club is open to all past and present members
of the Guildford Philharmonic Choir and the Philharmonic Society. Numbers are renewed annually for £12,
payable on 1* April, and profits go to Choir funds. New
£10
28
22
96
66
Graham Barwick
Chris Robinson
Jeremy Backhouse
Christine Wilks
numbers for the whole season.
A draw is made early in each month. June and July each
year are special: there is a single prize of £100.
shareholders are welcome, as we’d like to sell all 100
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Please talk to me at a rehearsal, or phone 01932221918 if you're interested. You've a far higher chance
of winning a prize here than in the National Lottery!
(In the January Newsletter, the winners of the June and
December 1998 special draws were inadvertently transposed. The winner in June was Susan Norton, and in
December Constance Spivey.)
And now WZW to new & returning members!
Andrea Bathory Nemeth, Alto |
Sonia Guscott, Alto |
Last September Andrea came to
England from Hungary with her husband and two young children — Mr
Bathory is working here for a few
months. Andrea is taking advantage
of her time here by doing a course in
Tourism and Marketing at college,
adding to the good knowledge of this
field that she has back home. Her two children, aged 6
and 8, are attending the local school.
It wasn’t a surprise to discover that her favourite composers are Kodaly and Bartok, but she says that
singing Carmina Burana last November was a great
experience.
Sonia came to England from Australia over two years ago and has
been living in the Guildford area
since last December.
She’s a music teacher, having
gained a Music degree at Melbourne University. However, at
the moment she is filling in with office work.
In her spare time, Sonia enjoys playing the piano,
reading and tennis. She likes pop and classical music,
but her favourite group is “Corrf’, from lreland.
Sonia found out about GPC from an ad at Surrey University. She enjoys the weekly rehearsals very much,
as well as the performances.
In Hungary Andrea belonged to a ladies’ chamber
choir with a high standard. After looking everywhere
for a choir to join in the Guildford area, she found GPC
on the information computer in the Guildford library
Jill Scott, Soprano Il
Jill recently moved back into the
Guildford area. In the past she sang
with the Guildford Singers and Guilford Choral Society, but decided to
join GPC now because a friend was
already a member.
and decided to join.
Andrea is enjoying the choir very much and says that
everyone is very kind and helpful.
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Neil Burton, Bass Il
Neil is studying music at Surrey University and was
recommended to the GPC by Richard Austin. In the
past he has sung with the Bournemouth Youth Choir,
Gli Amici Della Musica (Bournemouth) and the Surrey
When asked what kind of music was her favourite, Jill
said she found it almost impossible to choose, but it
would have to be Classical. She has greatly enjoyed
singing in the last two concerts, but was completely
bowled over by the Mahler.
University Choir.
Jill enjoys sports, theatre, music and outdoor activities.
Neil’s interests include Ianguagesand playing the flute
Rosey Storey, Alto Il
ers such as Poulenc and Duruflé. He says he’s having
a great time in GPC and really enjoyed the Mahler
Rosey is a full-time management assistant for the
Thomson Corporation. She and her husband moved to
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Guildford from London last August to
get away from the City. They celebrated their first wedding anniversary
on May 2 - our warmest congratulations to them both!
and piano. He particularly likes 20" Century composconcert.
Maura Dearden, Soprano |
Maura has recently returned to the choir after a break
of 4-5 years. Previously she sang with G.H.O.S.T.S
(Guildford Hospital Theatres) and Godalming Operatic
Society, and at church. Her interests include music,
swimming and reading.
She’s fond of many kinds of music, but likes classical
choral music the best. Lately Maura has given up work
to become a full-time carer, looking after her motherin-law. She says that she enjoys being back in GPC
and finds it a lot friendlier than it used to be!
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Previously Rosey sang in Ripon
School choir and with Durham University Choral Society. She likes music ranging from rock to Mozart, but is
particularly excited about our May concert because
Fauré is her favourite composer.
Rosey was introduced to the choir by Penny Baxter
(Sop 1) in January.
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Historical moments
“An Enterprising Concert” — Roger Penny
This was the headline to a review by William Mann in
The Times of 10 November 1975. This was the London Times, the Paper that Top People used to Take.
“An Enterprising Concert” was how the concert season
brochure labelled those concerts, in which Tod Handley introduced to the musical audiences of Guildford
and West Surrey the more obscure parts of the orchestral and choral repertoire. And some of it was
certainly obscure! Some of us remember the Requiem
by Boris Blacher, of which we gave the world premiere
(and possibly its only performance!) in the mid-1970s,
after several false starts. Peter Andrews thinks we
should be given a Philip Moore Bar to add to our
Blacher Requiem Campaign Medal, awarded for courage and commitment in the face of adversity and
hemi-semi-demiquavers!
But back to William Mann:
On Saturday | drove a few miles on the A3 to hear
Vernon Handley conduct the Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra in Holst's Hammersmith, Elgar's
First Symphony and, with the Guildford Philharmonic Choir, Delius’s Songs of Farewell. ... The
finest performance was of the Delius, whose muted
ecstasy was strongly conveyed by a secure, enthusiastic choir and by Mr Handley’s passionately
sympathetic conducting, scrupulous about melodic
line and harmonic detail and firmly-filled musical
structure, most uplifting ... It was a greatly enjoyable concert, which also included Parry’s Songs of
Farewell, and assured me that Guildford’s
“enterprising concerts” are worth any enterprising
concert-goer’s attention.
Felix Apprahamian of the Sunday Times was also
there, and said:
In the finest performance of Delius’s Songs of
Farewell of all those | can remember ... Vernon
Handley and his Guildford Philharmonic forces
made a Saturday excursion into Surrey unusually
rewarding.
This was typical of Tod at his most inspiring, days that
many of us still remember with great affection.
“First Concert in New Civic Hall” — by “A.L.” in the local press, 11 October 1962
A long-felt need of Guildford music lovers was fulfilled
on Sunday when the new Civic Hall made its debut,
filled with an enthusiastic audience. What a change it
made to listen to first-class music in more than firstclass surroundings.
chords, brought instant and prolonged applause, and,
by my reckoning, at least five recalls.
THE VOCALISTS
The Serenade to Music by Vaughan Williams was im-
The hall is modern in design, but not aggressively so and the acoustics are extraordinarily good. Any new
building has teething troubles, and naturally this hall
has one - a slight hum that disturbed a number of listeners. But | am assured that this, a mechanical difficulty, is being dealt with.
Orchestra and audience at this first concert stood in
silence in memory of Mr J Crossley Clitheroe on Sunday, and the programme included Mr Crossley Clitheroe’s Pastoral. ....
Undoubted high spot of the concert was Gary Graffman’s performance of the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor. .... The climax of the work was
maghnificent, with the full orchestra stating the theme
sharply, clearly and accurately, and Mr Graffman,
making his piano heard over the top with crashing
peccably performed .... The Festival Choir was on
form — words clear, balance good — and not a single
mistake that | could hear throughout the concert.
Pleasant to hear, if sometimes rather academic, was
Pastoral by Crossley Clitheroe. ... Miss Godfrey, Mr
Barrow and Father Nash gave polished performances.
The choir also did exceedingly well. ...
Unfortunately the vagaries of the British climate made
themselves felt. The air conditioning was set by the
Town Clerk’s men for warm, and the sun by the
Weather Clerk’s men for hot. And so the Civic Hall
became like a Turkish bath. During the second half the
conditioning was set to cold, and an improvement was
noticed.
— Tony Macklow-Smith
Some lighter moments making music
| joined a choir as a 14-year-old schoolboy.
At my first rehearsal | found myself singing the
treble part of the Mozart Requiem, with Dr Henry
| was home only during leave periods, but
& | was determined to sing in the last con-
cert of Herbert Lodge's reign. He must have been at
least 70 years old. The Council offered him a gala
performance for his retirement and he invited Sir
Adrian Boult to conduct us in The Dream of Gerontius.
Sir Adrian was famous for using a very long baton and
for his eyes, that seemed somehow to be focused on
each individual member of the choir. It therefore
seems apt that his portrait in the Royal College of Music shows him with three heads, each facing in a dif-
George Ley conducting, and | was hooked. | also
started to learn to play the flute. At 17 %z years | joined
the Navy as a Cadet.
My first adult choir was the Worthing Municipal Choir.
The conductor was the elderly Herbert Lodge, who
chainsmoked cheroots and sat on a stool in rehearsal.
He made the two rehearsals available for the annual
Messiah performances interesting and demanding, as
he brought out hidden delights each year.
ferent direction.
During two stints with the Frigate squadron based in
Derry, | sang in the Cathedral Choir, which was the
most highly disciplined choir | ever sang in.
On one occasion he called for a dozen of the Choir to
attend a working-day afternoon rehearsal of Brahms'
Alto Rhapsody for orchestra and soloists. As | was on
Ieave I could attend, and was just behind Kathleen
Ferrier, who was sitting
-- or,
rather, lying -- in a corporation
deck chair. | thought that she
would leap to her feet for the Intro,
and indeed | thought she must be
about to miss her entry, when,
right on cue, she filled the whole
hall with that wonderful voice: |
thought ‘THAT is Singing'.
Whilst serving at a Naval Air Station at Nuneaton | was
first flute in the Nuneaton Symphony Orchestra. My
last performance as a flautist took place when | was on
the Naval staff at Portsmouth. The most memorable
occasion was when we played Bach’s fourth Brandenburg Concerto, when the other Flute was a midshipman, who had been in the N.Y.O. - he's just retired as
First Sea Lord!
Since leaving the Navy and coming to live in Farnham
I've continued singing with various choirs, including the
Waverley Singers and of course the GPC.
A few months later | had a chance to talk with her
when she was singing in the Three Choirs Festival.
She was having dinner with my Captain and his wife
and they invited me to join them.
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Patrons and friends - Susan Ranft
.
.
After a slow start -- we notified many former choir
members but had little response -- the list of our supporters grows weekly. The published lists certainly add
to our credibility and prestige: the money gained, always spent wisely, comes without strings attached.
Friends pay only £10 and for that sum have their
names printed in our programmes and, of course, receive that lovely warm glow of knowing their money
goes to a splendid cause! The list is heavily dominated
by my own family and friends, but I'm sure that all of
you know someone out there who would love to join.
Please let me know!
Patrons pay upwards of £25 per year. They are notified
of coming events, invited to our social events and may
reserve two seats of their choice at our own concerts.
(This particular privilege was much appreciated this
season at our Cathedral concerts.) Some Patrons like
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to appear under the names of their
firms or businesses to gain some advertising exposure.
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Dates for vour diary
7 June
Bring and Buy plant sale to raise money
for choir funds.
28 June
The Annual General Meeting,
followed by a party. Hilary will be organising
the food, as usual.
General items
Our logo
Apparently not everyone has worked out what our logo (see the top of page 1) represents. The brainchild of ace
designer Jeremy Backhouse, it shows three rows of choir members performing with their folders held in front of
them in the approved fashion, singing until they’re blue in the face ...
Don’t try this at home .... — sent as an e-mail
to Rod Cuff
August, 1998, Montevideo, Uruguay
Paolo Esperanza, bass-trombonist with the Sim-
stomach of the conductor, driving
him off the podium and directly into
the front row of the audience.
phonica Mayor de Uruguay, in a misplaced moment of
inspiration decided to make his own contribution to the
cannon shots fired as part of the orchestra's perform-
ance of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture at an outdoor
children's concert.
In complete seriousness he placed a
large, ignited firecracker, which was
equivalent in strength to a quarter-
@ &= stick of dynamite, into his aluminium
straight mute and then stuck the
mute into the bell of his quite new Yamaha in-line dou-
ble-valve bass trombone.
Fortunately, the audience were sitting in folding chairs
and thus they were protected from serious injury, for
the chairs collapsed under them, passing the energy of
the impact of the flying conductor backwards into row
of people sitting behind them, who in turn were driven
back into the people in the row behind and so on, like
a row of dominoes. The sound of collapsing wooden
chairs and grunts of people falling on their behinds
increased logarithmically, adding to the overall sound
of brass cannons and brass playing as constitutes the
closing measures of the Overture.
Later, from his hospital bed he explained to a reporter
through bandages on his mouth, "l thought that the bell
of my trombone would shield me from the explosion
and instead would focus the energy of the blast outwards and away from me, propelling the mute high
above the orchestra, like a rocket.”
However, Paolo was not up on his propulsion physics
nor qualified to use high-powered artillery; and in his
haste to get the hern up before the firecracker went
off, he failed to raise the bell of the horn high enough
so as to give the mute enough arc to clear the orchestra.
What actually happened should serve as a lesson to
us all during those delirious moments of divine inspira-
Meanwhile, all of this unplanned choreography notwithstanding, back on stage Paolo's Waterloo was still
unfolding. According to Paolo, "Just as | heard the
sound of the blast, time seemed to stand still. Everything moved in slow motion. Just before | felt searing
pain to my mouth, | could swear | heard a voice with a
Austrian accent say "Fur every akshon zer iz un eekvul
un opposeet reakshon!" Well, this should come as no
surprise, for Paolo had set himself up for a textbook
demonstration of this fundamental law of physics.
Having failed to plug the lead pipe of his trombone, he
allowed the energy of the blast to send a superheated
jet of gas backwards through the mouth pipe of the
trombone which exited the mouthpiece, burning his
lips and face.
tion. First, because he failed to sufficiently elevate the
bell of his horn, the blast propelled the mute between
The pyrotechnic ballet wasn't over yet. The force of the
rows of players in the woodwind and viola sections of
blast was so great it split the bell of his shiny Yamaha
right down the middle, turning it inside out while at the
the orchestra, missing the players and straight into the
same time propelling Paolo backwards off the riser.
i,
And for the grand finale, as Paolo fell backwards he
lost his grip on the slide of the trombone, allowing the
pressure of the hot gases coursing through the horn to
propel the trombone's slide like a double golden spear
The moral of the story? Beware the next time you hear
| someone in the trombone section yell out "Hey, everyone, watch this!"
into the head of the third clarinettist, knocking him unconscious.
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Listening to music - serious moments!
Val Edwards
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| hope you've enjoyed reading this second edition of the GPC Newsletter. If you'd like to make a comment or a
suggestion for an item to be included in a future: edition, please don't hesntate to contact: me elther durmg
rehearsal or on 01483 768 789. -- Margaret Dentskewch (Editor)
o
You can find a colour version of this newsletter on the Chour’s InternetWeb site,
http:/lourworld..compuserve. comlhomepageslrodcufflgpc htm:Inthat versron many tOplCS in the text are
treated as cltckable" links that wull take you to other sites that may be of interest:
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