The Exeter Daily - concert

Leading musicians to perform at concert marking the Army Benevolent Fund’s 80th anniversary

News Desk — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 05:08:00 +0000

Devon residents are invited to show their support for soldiers of the past, present and future by attending the ABF80 Concert, taking place at Exeter Cathedral on Saturday 14th September in aid of the Army Benevolent Fund.

This concert will raise vital funds for the Army Benevolent Fund, the Army’s national charity, which for 80 years has supported soldiers, former soldiers and their families. It will feature music from stage, screen and the classical repertoire, performed by the Exeter Symphony Orchestra (ESO), and conducted by Arturo Serna, professional cellist, teacher and Musical Director of the ESO.

Also appearing are renowned guest soloist, Davina Hastings (soprano); internationally acclaimed harpist, Elizabeth-Jane Baldry, who is based in Devon; and concert pianist, Timothy Noon, who is currently Director of Music at Exeter Cathedral. Talented young singers from Centre Stage, the award-winning youth theatre company from Exmouth, will help raise the roof with a selection of tunes from popular shows such as Les Miserables and Pirates of Penzance.

The Army Benevolent Fund supports soldiers, former soldiers, and their families through life’s challenges – such as bereavement, injury, getting back to work and elderly care. The charity supported over 75,000 people last year through its grants for individuals and funding for other charities, including organisations offering services locally, such as Alabaré, which helps homeless veterans in Wiltshire, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Devon and Dorset.

Tickets are still available for the ABF80 Concert on September 14th, which will be compèred by popular broadcaster and former BBC Radio Devon presenter David Fitzgerald. Prices range from £10 to £35 per person, and £65 for access to a VIP reception and reserved seating. As well as talented musicians, concert-goers will hear from Army Benevolent Fund representatives and its ambassador, Alix Hale, who will share how the charity supported her family when her father died on active service.

Tilly Lambert-Lee, Regional Director – South West, Army Benevolent Fund, said: “We hope that as many Devon residents as possible will join us to celebrate the Army Benevolent Fund’s 80th anniversary at our ABF80 Concert at Exeter Cathedral.

"It promises to be a fantastic evening of musical entertainment in historic surroundings, thanks to our performers, speakers and the ESO.

"There is no better way to salute soldiers, veterans, and their families than by supporting this event, and helping ensure the Army Benevolent Fund continues to be there for soldiers, for life.”

Alix Hale, Army Benevolent Fund ambassador, said: “80 years of service to our Army family is no mean feat. For 15 of those years, the Army Benevolent Fund has been cheering on my own family. It is an honour to celebrate the great work this charity does for soldiers, former soldiers and their families.”

Over 500 people from across Devon are expected to attend the concert, which is one of several activities marking the 80th anniversary of the Army Benevolent Fund.

Since 2013, Exeter has hosted a bi-annual concert in aid of the Army Benevolent Fund, so far raising more than £55,000 to support soldiers, veterans and their families.

The charity hopes that September’s concert will build on previous years’ success.

Exeter Symphony Orchestra present a concert of music by Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky

Exeter News Blog — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 23:37:38 +0000

The Exeter Symphony Orchestra under conductor Arturo Serna is staging a concert of music by Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky on Saturday 20 July 2024 at 7.30pm in Exeter Cathedral.

This special concert – the highlight of ESO’s year – features the internationally distinguished cellist, Natalie Clein, performing great music in the fabulous setting of Exeter Cathedral.

The concert opens with the vivacious and effervescent Festive Overture (Opus 96) by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975). Described modestly by the composer as “just a short work, festive or celebrative in spirit”, its blistering pace and energy have ensured enduring success in the concert hall.

British cellist Natalie Clein, winner of both the BBC Young Musician of the Year and the Eurovision Competition for Young Musicians at age 16, regularly performs at major venues worldwide. She will play the Shostakovich Cello Concerto No 1 in E-flat major (Op 107), composed in 1959 and widely considered to be one of the most difficult concert works for the instrument.

The evening will conclude with Symphony No 4 in F minor (Op 36) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893). Completed in 1878, the symphony received a lukewarm reception at its Moscow premiere, but became a roaring success when conducted by the composer fifteen years later in Cambridge.

Its opening fanfare renders it instantly recognisable as one of the greatest of Tchaikovsky symphonies, brim-full of broad, memorable tunes.

The concert is raising funds for the Exeter Chiefs Foundation, a charity that exists with the sole purpose of helping other charities. The foundation donates money to worthy causes in and around Exeter, such as Exeter Leukaemia Fund and Children's Hospice South West.

So please join Exeter Symphony Orchestra for a performance of wonderful classical music raising money for a great cause! Tickets start from £15 (£5 for under 18s) and are available atwww.exetersymphonyorchestra.co.uk.

An Evening at the Opera with Exeter Philharmonic Choir and soloists

Sharon Goble — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 17:05:59 +0000

Exeter Philharmonic Choir with tenor Rhys Batt and soprano Camilla Harris serves up a feast of much-loved arias and choruses from operas spanning four centuries, including Puccini’s La bohème, Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, Bizet’s Carmen and Verdi’s La traviata.

Well-known Exeter musicians Stephen Tanner and Andrew Downton will accompany the singers on piano.

The season finale at St. David’s Church in Exeter will be a comparatively intimate affair with just 200 tickets available.

The £25 ticket price includes interval drinks and canape.

Tickets available at www.exeterphilharmonic.org.uk

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Event Date

Saturday, May 18, 2024 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm

Venue

St. David’s Church, Exeter

The Piano and Me: Jazz giant in rare one man show

Exeter News Blog — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 09:56:53 +0000

A Devon-wide organisation is presenting its third event this Winter, to usher in the coming of spring. Anyone with a love of jazz will find a rich tapestry of music, woven by a master of the genre.

The Piano and Me will feature Mike Westbrook and is being produced by the Devonshire Association’s Music and Folklore Section (DAMFS) which is a new organisation amalgamating two established groups. It is hosted in association with The Bridge Inn, Topsham which is a recognised venue for high quality music events.

Mike is taking a break from his larger gigs to present an up close and personal experience, talking us through his lifelong relationship with the piano and providing copious illustrations. You are invited to come and spend some time experiencing the skill of this extraordinary musician in a beautifully informal and intimate environment.

The venue is The Bridge Inn, Topsham, who are providing a selection of excellent real ales and bar facilities.

The event was initiated by DAMFS committee member Robin Wootton who said: “We are delighted Mike has agreed to play for us: the wonderful quality of the piano at The Bridge Inn together with this genius jazz musician makes a fantastic partnership.”

In this performance Mike improvises on themes from his musical history with references across the spectrum of genres: jazz classics, pop music and the Blues.

Mike says about the process of arranging music “You don’t have too much respect for the material. You use it. You find harmonies that interest you more than the original. You layer one chord on top of another to make it more magical, or more beautiful, or even to throw a spanner in the works. But it’s not random. It’s logical.”

Describing a Westbrook solo piano event at the Kings Place in London in 2016, jazz journalist Richard Williams writes: “this was a carefully focused performance in an optimum listening environment, in front of a rapt full house. As always with Westbrook, a massive authority was lightly worn, but its presence was never in doubt, and the result was unforgettable.”

Paul Wilson chair of the DAMFS committee said “we’re so excited that this giant of a jazz composer has agreed reveal some of the process and thinking behind his extraordinary work.”

The Piano And Me takes place on Saturday 9 March 2024, starting at 7pm (doors 6.30pm) and running till around 9pm at The Bridge Inn, Bridge Hill, Topsham, Exeter EX3 0QQ.

The bar in the Malthouse shall be open for drinks before and in the interval, but no meals are available in the evening.

Tickets are £13 available from thelittleboxoffice.com/thebridgeinn/ advance booking is essential.

My Heart was a Tree: Join Michael Morpurgo and friends for an afternoon of poetry and classical music

News Desk — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 21:31:54 +0000

Join Michael Morpurgo and friends for an afternoon of poetry and classical music, celebrating our countryside.

My Heart was a Tree

Come and enjoy the poetry of Michael Morpurgo, Ted Hughes, Rudyard Kipling and Dylan Thomas at Powderham Castle.

In a programme of poetry and music inspired by our beautiful countryside, Michael Morpurgo, Clare Morpurgo and Carol Hughes will be sharing their favourite poems, alongside the Iddesleigh String Quartet performing music by Elgar, Haydn, Max Richter and Vaughan Williams.

All proceeds to go to Devon Gardens Trust and Farms for City Children.

Musicians of the Iddesleigh String Quartet: Kerenza Peacock, Steve Doman, Josh Michaels, Joe Roberts.

There are two concerts - the 2pm concert has sold out but a second performance has been announced 4.30pm.

Book tickets here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/my-heart-was-a-tree-tickets-775883938747

Or visit the Powderham Castle website for more details.

Free parking is available and a bar will be serving hot and cold drinks before and after the performances.

Acclaimed choir and orchestra promise a night of high drama at Exeter Cathedral

Sharon Goble — Sat, 03 Feb 2024 06:51:07 +0000

Concert-goers are in for a night of high drama at Exeter Cathedral on Saturday 16th March when Exeter Philharmonic Choir joins forces with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and four world-class soloists to perform Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem.

Verdi’s choral ‘blockbuster’, also known as the Requiem Mass, is an opera in all but name and is one of the most dramatic large-scale choral works in the classical repertoire; any performance is a grand occasion.

First performed in 1874, the Requiem is a musical setting of the Catholic Funeral Mass. It was composed as a memorial to one of Verdi’s heroes - Italian poet, playwright and novelist Alessandro Manzoni, who died in 1873. Verdi conducted the premiere in Milan, to rapturous applause, on the first anniversary of Manzoni’s death.

Howard Ionascu, Musical Director of the Exeter Philharmonic Choir, says,

“The Verdi Requiem has it all – moments of exquisite beauty, as the soloists weave their vocal lines, contrasting with the power and drama of the chorus and orchestra. With well over 200 performers in the Cathedral, including the four world-class soloists, the magnificent Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the 120 voices of the Exeter Philharmonic Choir, the audience can expect a truly memorable performance of this choral masterpiece.

“The moment in the final movement as the soprano floats over the unaccompanied choir, pleading for peace, is one of my absolute favourites of any choral music…it’s as if time stands still.”

It’s fitting that the Requiem is being performed in the Cathedral because its premiere 150 years ago took place in a church. However, it was composed as a public tribute to Manzoni rather than an overtly ecclesiastical work.

‘Libera Me’, the seventh and final movement, was originally written as part of an intended collaboration with several Italian composers in honour of Rossini. That project came to nothing, and the stirring piece remained unperformed until Verdi included it in the Manzoni tribute.

Exeter Philharmonic Choir is delighted to be performing alongside the renowned Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and four experienced and talented soloists - Judith Howarth (soprano), Marta Fontanals-Simmons (mezzo-soprano), Oliver Johnston (tenor) and Tristan Hambleton (bass) - whose singing will draw out the intense beauty of The Requiem.

BSO Chief Executive Dougie Scarfe says, “We can’t wait to return to Exeter Cathedral to perform Verdi’s Requiem with Exeter Philharmonic Choir this March. Experiencing this magnificent work in the setting of Exeter’s iconic Cathedral will surely be a night to remember.”

Solo soprano Judith Howarth says: “It is always an honour to sing this particular work, and I have performed it many times around the world. I relish the vocal challenges of the piece, and it never fails to move and inspire me. I am so looking forward to performing it in Exeter Cathedral.”

Mezzo-soprano Marta Fontanals-Simmons says: “I’m so pleased to be singing with Howard and Exeter Philharmonic Choir again. I look forward to bringing this sumptuous alto part and incredible score to the Cathedral this Spring.”

The Lord Mayor of Exeter will attend this special concert, and there will be a leaving collection in support of his chosen local charity, FORCE.

The concert follows EPC’s two sell-out Christmas carol concerts at the cathedral in December and a packed Music of the Baroque performance in November.

Tickets are on sale now: www.exeterphilharmonic.org.uk