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Saturday 31 January 2009, 8.00 pm, Great Hall, QUB
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Quartettsatz in C minor, D703
Seventeen quartets by Schubert survive, though a few only in fragmentary
form. More than half, however, are teenage apprentice works, written for
domestic performance.
The period around 1820 seems to have been a time of crisis for Schubert,
as it saw him begin a number of projects that he failed to complete. The
reasons for this are probably a mixture of medical, financial and musical
he had had problems with his operas, and was generally unsure about the
direction his music should take). Among the works abandoned were his
cantata, Lazarus, two symphonies, several piano works and, most famously,
the B minor symphony and the C minor string quartet (from December 1820),
of which only this remarkable opening allegro and 41 bars of a slow movement
were finished. In fact, it is hard to imagine how Schubert could have satisfactorily
followed this marvellously dramatic music.
W. A. Mozart (1756-1791)
String Quartet in D minor, K421
Allegro moderato: Andante: Minuet and trio (allegretto): Allegretto ma
non troppo
The early 1780s were a time of great change in Mozart's life; in 1781 his
dissatisfaction with his lot as an employee of the Archbishop of Salzburg
finally came to a head and he was ignominiously (and painfully!) dismissed.
In 1782, against his father's wishes, he married Constanze Weber. That year
Haydn published his opus 33 quartets, written, as he said, 'in an entirely new
and special style. This inspired Mozart to return to the genre after nine years,
and he completed a set of six quartets, composed in two groups separated
by a gap of over a year, and published in 1785 with a celebrated dedication
to Haydn, 'a very celebrated man, his best Friend'.
The D minor quartet was composed in the summer of 1783, around the time
of the birth of his first child (though this hardly explains the quartet's generally
turbulent and melancholy mood).
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Saturday 31 January 2009, 8.00 pm, Great Hall, QUB
Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884)
String Quartet no 2 in D minor
Allegro: Allegro moderato - andante cantabile : Allegro non piu moderato,
ma agitato e con fuoco: Presto
Smetana's two surviving quartets come from late in his life, when ill-health
was already seriously affecting his career. His health began to deteriorate in
1874; like Schubert half a century earlier, he was suffering from syphilis,
which led to his becoming deaf, and eventually to a complete mental breakdown
in the year before his death in the Prague asylum. The first quartet, 'From
my life (1876), is one of his best-known compositions. The second, completed
shortly before his breakdown, is less familiar, but is a worthy companion.
The opening movement takes over where the first quartet left off. It is stormy
and moody, with many changes of tempo, in a way that looks forward to the
music of Janacek, something that could be said, indeed, of the whole work.
The idiom, especially in the third movement, is remarkably modern for 1882!
The second movement is a miniature polka.
Franz Schubert
String Quintet in C, D956
Allegro ma non troppo : Adagio: Scherzo and trio: Allegretto
Even though his health was deteriorating rapidly in the last year of his short
life, Schubert continued to produce new works at an amazing rate - piano
works, including three great sonatas, choral works, songs, large portions of a
tenth symphony... The Quintet was completed by the beginning of October,
though it wasn't performed until 1850, or published until three years later.
Only then could it receive the recognition it deserved as one of the greatest
chamber works ever written. It is full of wonderful moments: the cello duet
presentation of the second main theme of the first movement, the rich
instrumentation and poetic vision of the second movement, the confident
vigour of the one-in-a-bar scherzo, with its elegiac trio, and the characteristically
jaunty second theme of the finale, attractively scored for violin and cello
against an interesting triplet accompaniment - another example of the great
variety of colours Schubert achieves with his instrumental forces.
The work as a whole is permeated by the so-called 'Neopolitan' relationship
that is, the juxtaposition of two keys a semitone apart. In the slow movement, this
relationship affects the key structure of the whole movement - E major outer
sections are contrasted with a turbulent F minor central section. Similarly, the
scherzo is in C, with its trio section in D flat. The finale brings the whole work
to a magnificent conclusion with a final neopolitan relationship, a great resolving
cadence, the note D flat settling emphatically on the home tonic of C.
Alec Macdonald Ⓒ
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Saturday 31 January 2009, 8.00 pm, Great Hall, QUB
Wihan String Quartet
The Wihan Quartet, formed in 1985 and heirs to the great Czech musical
tradition, continues to this day with its original four members. The Quartet's
outstanding reputation for the interpretation of its native Czech heritage and
of the many classical, romantic and modern masterpieces of the string quartet
repertoire is widely acknowledged.
They have developed an impressive international career, which includes visits
to major festivals in Europe and the Far East. They visit the United States
and Japan regularly and have had highly acclaimed tours of Australia and
New Zealand. They are frequent visitors to the UK and can often be heard
on BBC Radio 3 as well as in concert at Wigmore Hall, Bridgewater Hall,
the South Bank and many other venues throughout the country.
The Quartet has made many recordings and full details of their discography
of over 25 CDs, and also the DVD of their 20th Anniversary concert in
Prague, can be found on their website. Their recordings of all the Beethoven
String Quartets, for Lotos, Prague, are now available a boxed set. Their
most recent release of Smetana Quartets on Arco Diva has attracted many
excellent reviews. Musicweb said: "The music making on this disc has a feeling
of "rightness" that makes comparisons largely superfluous"
From October 2007 to March 2008, the Wihan gave the first ever series of
all the Beethoven Quartets in Prague, and this series was repeated in the UK
at Blackheath Halls during May and June 2008.
The Wihan are 'Quartet in Residence' at Trinity College of Music, London,
and for several years have taught many of the UK's gifted young Quartets
at Pro Corda in Suffolk. The Quartet are great supporters of the work of the
CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust, giving inspirational concerts and master
classes to young people in many parts of the country.
Leos Cepicky plays on a 2003 prize-winning violin by Jan Spidlen, owned by
the violin dealer Mila Strnad. Jan Schulmeister plays on a Stefano Scamparella
violin (Brescia 1893) and Jiri Zigmund's viola is a 1659 Andrea Hieronimus
Amati, on permament loan from the Czech State collection. Ales Kasprik's
cello was made in 1887 by Karel Boromejsky Dvorak (no relation).
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Raphael Wallfisch
With a discography of over 60 CDs and concert appearances with many of
the world's greatest orchestras and conductors, Raphael Wallfisch is at the
height of his powers as a performer. With a masterful technique and a soaring,
singing sound that evokes a tradition continued from his teacher, Piatigorsky,
he is among the most celebrated cellists performing on the international stage.
Most recently he has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, Budapest
Festival Orchestra and Bournemouth Symphony as well as the London
Symphony, London Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Los Angeles
Philharmonic, Warsaw Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic and many others.
A popular visitor to major music festivals worldwide, he has played at the
BBC Proms, the Edinburgh International, Aldeburgh, Spoleto, Prades, Bergen
International, Montpellier, Pablo Casals and Schleswig-Holstein Festivals.
Raphael Wallfisch's extensive discography explores both the mainstream
concerto repertoire and countless lesser-known works by Dohnanyi, Respighi,
and Martinu, as well as Richard Strauss, Dvorak, Kabalevsky and
Khachaturian. Perhaps more than any other cellist he has championed British
composers, with recordings of works by MacMillan, Finzi, Delius, Bax, Bliss,
Britten, Moeran and Leighton.
Britain's leading composers have worked closely with Raphael Wallfisch,
several having written works especially for him. These include Sir Peter
Maxwell Davies, Kenneth Leighton, James MacMillan, Paul Patterson, Robert
Simpson and Sir John Tavener.
www.raphaelwallfisch.com
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RAPHAEL WALLFISCH Cello
CATHAL BRESLIN Piano
Sunday 1 February 2009, 11.30 am
Harty Room, QUB
Masterclass on Schubert's 'Arpeggione Sonata'
featuring David McCann and David Sloan
RAPHAEL WALLFISCH
Raphael Wallfisch is committed to and passionate about teaching,
and devotes a significant amount of his time to this activity. He is
professor of cello at the Zürich Winterthur Konservatorium in
Switzerland and at the Royal College of Music in London.
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Sunday 1 February 2009, 11.30 am, Harty Room, QUB
Cathal Breslin
Cathal Breslin was born in Derry, Northern Ireland. An exciting international
career has taken him to critically acclaimed performances in Concert Halls
throughout Europe, U.S.A. and Asia. Recent concerto performances have
been with orchestras such as the Turin Philharmonic in Italy, National
Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Ulster Orchestra, Camerata Ireland and
the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland, and with such prestigious conductors
as Vladimir Altschuler, Christian Gansch, Barry Douglas, Giovanni Battista
Rigon, Niklas Willen, and Gearoid Grant.
Recent solo recitals have been in Florida, Ohio, California, Michigan and
Texas, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Hamamatsu in Asia, and throughout Europe.
Upcoming solo recitals in the 2008/9 Season include a Carnegie Hall Recital
in New York, El Ateneo in Madrid, Spain, Palacio Foz in Lisbon, Portugal,
Zala Bulgaria in Sofia, Bulgaria, and throughout Ireland, Italy and the U.S.
Cathal has been awarded top prizes in some of the most prestigious
International Piano Competitions in the World, such as "Viotti" in Vercelli/
Milan, "Carlet" in Valencia, "Grand Konzerteum" in Athens, and "Iowa"
in the U.S.
He has broadcast regularly for BBC Radio 3, RTE Ireland, RTVE Spain,
and has performed on Japanese, Spanish and Irish Television. His Mozart
recording for the European Broadcasting Union "Mozart Project 2006" has
been broadcast on National Radio Stations in over 30 countries throughout
the world.
Studies were in London with John Barstow, in Manchester with Kathryn
Stott, and in Madrid with Joaquin Soriano. He recently received the Doctor
of Musical Arts Degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where
he studied with Arthur Greene. During this time he was a Fulbright Scholar
and a Bank of Ireland Millennium Scholar.
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David McCannn
David McCann was born in Belfast and attended the City of Belfast School
of Music where he was a recipient of the Marguerite Swann Memorial Award,
the Stephen Parker Memorial Award, the Leonard Pugh Prize and an ABRSM
Silver Award. He has worked with the Ulster Orchestra, Camerata Ireland
and Manchester Camerata, and has recently completed the BBC Philharmonic
Orchestra's Professional Experience Scheme. David is now a third year
undergraduate student at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester
where he studies with Gregor Horsch, principal cellist of the Royal
Concertgebouw Orchestra.
David Sloan
David Sloan is currently studying Mathematics and Music at the University
of Edinburgh. He is principal cello of the National Youth Orchestra of Great
Britain and also the Chamber and String Orchestras at the University of
Edinburgh and a member of the Ulster Youth Orchestra. He has performed
live on BBC Radio Ulster's Sounds Classical and recently gave a recital at
the Ulster Bank Belfast Festival. David is currently studying cello with Robert
Irvine at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. In 2006 David
was awarded a Playing for Peace Scholarship to the Apple Hill Center for
Chamber Music, New Hampshire, USA. In April 2008 he won the Catherine
Judge Memorial Award. As part of winning this award, David recently
performed the Elgar Cello Concerto with David Brophy and the DIT
Symphony Orchestra in Dublin and Belfast.
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CHRISTIANNE STOTIJN Mezzo Soprano
JOSEPH BREINL Piano
Sunday 1 February 2009, 3.00 pm
Great Hall, QUB
SCHUBERT
Lieder on texts by Mayrhofer
Schnsucht, D516
Beim Winde, D669
Trost, D671
Auf der Donau, D553
Heliopolis I, D753
Heliopolis II, D754
Freiwilliges Versinken, D700
Fahrt zum Hades, D526
Auflösung, D807
Interval
GRIEG
6 Lieder, op 48
SCHUBERT
Im Walde (Waldesnacht), D708
An den Mond, D193
Nachtstück, D672
Der Zwerg, D771
Nacht und Träume, D827
Erlkönig, D328
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Ocr'd Text:
Sundlay 1 February 2009, 3.00 pm, Great Hall, QUB
Schubert and Mayrhofer
Johann Mayrhofer (1787-1836) studied for the priesthood at the famous
abbey of St Florian, but soon discovered this wasn't his true vocation.
Instead, he changed to law. Writing poetry was an important sideline for
him: so important, in fact, that for a time he tried to carn his living purely
from his writing. Not surprisingly, this didn't work out, and he was obliged
(a strange and stressful choice of career, one would have thought, for a man
to become a civil servant, working in the unpopular Office of Censorship
who was a passionate advocate of freedom of speech!)
Mayrhofer and Schubert first met in 1814. A close friendship soon developed;
indeed, from 1819 to 1821 the pair shared lodgings. Their fruitful collaboration
resulted in nearly fifty songs, including some of Schubert's finest. That is not
to say that Mayrhofer was a particularly 'good' poet, though he was probably
the best of Schubert's amateur collaborators (it could be argued that really
top notch poetry neither needs nor benefits from musical setting). However,
the composer obviously found inspiration in the often melancholy lines of his
friend. Tragically depression more and more became a part of Mayrhofer's
world, leading finally to his suicide at the age of 48.
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Songs to texts by Mayrhofer
Sehnsucht (Longing) (1817?)
Beim Winde (Windy Weather) (Autumn 1819)
Trost (Consolation) (Autumn 1819)
Auf der Donau (On the Danube) (1817?)
Heliopolis I (In the cold, raw North)
Heliopolis II (Rock piled upon Rock)
Mayrhofer wrote his sequence of poems, Heliopolis, in 1821. Schubert
set two of the poems the following year; probably the poet hoped
he would have set the complete cycle.
Freiwilliges Versinken (Free Fall) (1817?)
Fahrt zum Hades (Journey to Hell) (January 1817)
Auflösung (Dissolution) (March 1824)
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Sunday 1 February 2009, 3.00 pm, Great Hall, QUB
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Six Songs, op 48
As a young man, Grieg was a student in Leipzig, and it isn't surprising, then,
that at that time he set a number of German poets in the original language,
eg. His opus 2 songs to poems by Chamisso and Heine (1861) and his opus
4 songs, to words by the same two poets plus Uhland, dedicated to his new
fiancée, Nina Hagerup (1864). After this the composer concentrated on Danish
and then, when his nationalism took root, Norwegian words. However, in the
1880s, as a mature composer, with most of the works by which he is best-
known already composed, Grieg returned to German poetry and set six,
dedicated to the Swedish-born Wagnerian soprano, Ellen Gulbranson. The
first two songs were written in September 1884, while the remaining four
songs followed in August 1889.
Gruss (Greeting), words by Heine.
Dereinst, Gedanke mein (One day my thoughts), words by Geibel.
Lauf der Welt (The way of the World), words by Uhland.
Die verschwiegene Nachtigall (The discreet Nightingale). The words are by
the 12th century Walther von der Vogelweide, and the song is reminiscent of
a folk-song, a pastoral love song, some of whose original earthiness has been
'refined' in its modern German translation!
Zur Rosenheit (At Rose-time), words by Goethe.
Ein Traum (A Dream). One of the most often performed of Grieg's songs,
the words are by Friedrich Bodenstedt who, like Geibel, was a popular member
of the Munich literary circle in the mid 19th
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Franz Schubert
Six Songs
Im Walde (In the Forest) (December 1820, poem by Schlegel).
An den Mond (To the Moon) (poem by Holty). This is an early song, dated
May 17, 1815. The accompaniment has an (unconscious?) resemblance to
Beethoven's Moonlight sonata.
Nachtstück (Nocturne) (October 1819, poem by Mayrhofer)
Der Zwerg (The Dwarf) (1822? Poem by Von Collin)
Nacht und Träume (Night and Dreams) Like the previous song, this sets a
poem by Von Collin, and possibly dates from 1822.
Erlkönig (The Erl King) This famous setting of Goethe's dramatic ballad was
composed in 1815. The galloping triplets, which the composer was apparently
unable to play, only cease at the song's tragic conclusion.
Alec Macdonald Ⓒ
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Sunday 1 February 2009, 3.00 pm. Great Hall, QUB
Christianne Stotijn
Christianne Stotijn started out playing violin, and gained a solo diploma in
2000 at the Amsterdam Conservatoire. She then pursued her vocal studies
in Metz, London, and Amsterdam where, under supervision of Udo
Reinemann, she graduated in 2003 with the highest distinction. Since then,
Christianne's vocal coaches have included Noelle Barker, Udo Reinemann,
Jard van Nes and Dame Janet Baker.
Christianne's greatest passion is for the Lied repertoire. An enthusiastic
chamber musician, she has appeared at many Chamber Music festivals and
regularly performs with pianists Joseph Breinl and Julius Drake. Christianne
has recorded CDs of Schubert, Berg, Wolf + Mahler and, most recently,
Tchaikovsky, for Onyx. Her CD of Frank Martin music for MDG label won
the Echo Klassik Award 2008.
Christianne has sung in the world's premier concert halls such as the
Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Musikverein Vienna, Carnegie Hall New York,
Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Théâtre du Châtelet Paris, Mozarteum Salzburg
and Palais des Beaux Arts Brussels, Teatro alla Scala Milan, Wigmore Hall
and at The Proms in The Royal Albert Hall, London.
On the operatic stage, Christianne has appeared at the Aix en Provence
Festival, Monnaie, Netherlands Opera and Paris Opera and is due to appear
at Covent Garden, Monnaie, Bilbao Opera and Teatro Municipal de Santiago
in Chile.
Christianne has worked with celebrated conductors such as Bernard Haitink,
Rene Jacobs, Gustavo Dudamel, Sir Andrew Davis, Jaap van Zweden, Gennadi
Rozhdestvensky, Philippe Herreweghe, Hartmut Haenchen, Frans Brüggen,
Marc Minkowski and Mark Wigglesworth, and has performed with leading
orchestras such as Melbourne and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, Boston
Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Die Akademie für Alte
Musik, Orchestre des Champs Elysées, Orchestre National de France, Concerto
Köln, Sinfonietta Amsterdam, Orchestra della Scala, and the Combattimento
Consort Amsterdam.
Christianne has won several prizes including the 2005/06 ECHO Rising
Stars Award, the 2005 Borletti Buitoni Award, 2008 Dutch Music Prize and
was a BBC New Generation Artist.
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Joseph Breinl
Joseph Breinl was born in Munich. He studied piano in Munich with Karl-
Hermann Mrongovius and Gitti Pirner and gained his diploma in 2001. As
a scholarship holder of the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes he continued
his studies at the Amsterdam Conservatoire, studying both solo piano and
song accompaniment with Willem Brons and Rudolf Jansen. He graduated
in 2003 with the highest distinction.
During his studies he attended masterclasses with Roger Vignoles, Sarah
Walker, Paul Badura-Skoda and Graham Johnson. After his masterclass
Graham Johnson invited the young accompanist to come to London to work
with him more intensively. Graham Johnson awarded him also the scholarship
of the Klavierfestival Ruhr 2002 and became his teacher and mentor.
Joseph Breinl is currently employed as an accompanist and vocal coach at
the Musikhochschule München. He was a prize winner at the Wigmore Hall
International Song Competition, 2003, and with the Dutch mezzo-soprano
Christianne Stotijn he also was awarded the ECHO Rising Star prize 2005.
Joseph Breinl works together regularly with Christianne Stotijn and Mattijs
van de Woerd and recent performances also include recitals with Michelle
Breedt and Udo Reinemann. Since June 2004 he is also the song accompanist
for the German soprano Kammersängerin Waltraud Meier.
Joseph Breinl has appeared as an accompanist at the Munich Opera Festival,
Klavierfestival Ruhr, Richard-Strauss-Festival Garmisch and at the Schleswig-
Holstein Music Festival. He performed at the Munich Opera House,
Beethovenhall Bonn, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Wigmore Hall London
and at the Schubertiade in Schwarzenberg / Austria. He also appears in
recital at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees in Paris, Mozarteum Salzburg,
Santory Hall Tokyo and at the Delft Chamber Music Festival.
Under the auspices of the ECHO Rising Star prize he and Christianne Stotijn
have performed at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Megaron Athen,
Philharmonie Cologne, Carnegie Hall, Vienna Konzerthaus, Stockholm
Konzerthaus, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Palais des Beaux Arts Brussels,
and Symphony Hall Birmingham and undertook their first recital tour of
North America.
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Belfast Music Society
PRESIDENT
John Bryson
PATRONS
Elizabeth Bicker MBE
Leonard Pugh OBE
Sean Rafferty
CONCERTS MANAGER
Pamela Smith
BOARD OF MANAGEMENT
Sheila Sloan (Chair)
Richard Yarr (Vice-Chair)
Stephen Mungavin (Hon. Treasurer)
Jill Deacon (Hon. Secretary)
Piers Hellawell
Lauren Kerr
Nuala Shaw
The four celebrity concerts will be broadcast
on BBC Radio 3's Lunchtime Concert from
Tuesday 17 to Friday 20 February 2009.
BBC
RADIO
Friends of BMS
Friends of Belfast Music Society was formed in 1995 to support the work of
BMS and to provide additional financial assistance.
FRIENDS OF
BELFAST MUSIC SOCIETY
(3)
The social side of membership is very important; in our decade we have
visited all parts of Ireland in pursuit of good food and wine, interesting places
and associated music.
For more information please visit the BMS website at:
www.belfastmusicsociety.org
Friends of BMS are particularly interested in nurturing the talents of
young musicians.
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Tribute to Pamela Rogers
Before I knew Pamela Rogers she worked in the BBC as Personal Assistant
Havelock Nelson. Beyond the usual practicalities she excelled at writing
to two legendary producers in the Music Department, Billy Boucher and
programme notes and scripts. So, as well as being efficient she was original
and creative. This and her multi-tasking capacities made her a natural choice
for the post of Music Director at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
That would have been in 1972. By that time I was in charge of Literature
and the Traditional Arts. Pretty soon we became good friends and remained
so for thirty-five years. In those days the Arts Council initiated events. As well
as organising musical performances in Belfast, Pamela toured artists around
the Province. She was particularly good at talent-spotting young musicians
when she was in Britain or further afield - for instance, Felicity Lott and the
Songmakers' Almanac who are now world-famous. Thanks to Pamela,
musicians of this calibre willingly journeyed to any venue in Northern Ireland
that could provide a suitable space. Performance and repertoire were always
fresh and uncompromising.
Pamela's tours and concerts also highlighted home-grown talents from north
and south. Lawrence Glover and Charles Lynch come to mind. Lynch, a
modest Pickwickian figure, could play with astonishing power. Seriously
underrated, he was on his day a great pianist. Refusing to heed fashion or
celebrity, Pamela backed only what she would call "the real thing." From the
earliest negotiations she also made a crucial contribution to the future of the
Ulster Orchestra. The symphony orchestra is, she insisted, one of the greatest
achievements of the human mind. Pamela retired from the Arts Council in
1988, but continued to do valuable work for the Belfast Music Society.
Pamela was the embodiment of thoughtfulness and kindness. I often visited
her office to ask for advice. She was clear-headed, principled, loyal, imaginative
and often very funny: she was a fine mimic and teller of stories, usually with
a twist of lemon. She lived just around the corner from me. Over the years
I liked to call and listen to her own lovely playing on her cat-festooned baby
grand-mutual favourites such as Chopin, late Brahms (the intermezzi) and
above all Schubert. It was important for Pamela that she should read and
explore these masterpieces for herself. And, perhaps even more importantly,
she found it a huge spiritual experience to play in small ensembles with
her friends.
Pamela Rogers illuminated our cultural life. She was a marvellous colleague
and friend. I find it very difficult to imagine the world of music without her.
Michael Longley
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SUMMER CELEBRITY RECITAL
Thursday 21 May 2009, 8.00 pm
Belfast Harbour Commission
Tasmin Little Violin
John Lenehan Piano
KREISLER
Praeludium and Allegro
BACH
Sonata in E major, BWV 1016
MOZART
Sonata in C, K 296
GRIEG
Sonata No. 2 in G
TCHAIKOVSKY
'Melodie' from Souvenir d'un Lieu Cher
BARTOK
Romanian Folk Dances
Ocr'd Text:
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Belfast Music Society
World-class chamber music since 1921
www.belfastmusicsociety.org
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Belfast Music Society
World-class chamber music since 1921.
www.belfastmusicsociety.org