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Guest post by Lucy Melvin

I love this idea of the 21st century version of mixtapes, even though I am still sufficiently old-school not to subscribe to a streaming service, and I still own a casette player and possibly even have my old mixtapes stored somewhere.

I often get swept up in the nostalgia of Desert Island Discs, and like to think which music would tell my narrative were I to be on my own desert island, so here is my list and some of the reasons behind them.

Most of these choices are not classical. In my interview with The Cross-Eyed Pianist for the Meet the Artist series, I mentioned a musical memory of the Schubert Quintet performed at St Endellion; I haven’t included this piece, although the memory will always stay with me, because no recording I have heard can match up to that memory. These memories can’t always be recreated out of context – of location – different performers – different interpretations, or in a recording studio. But with all of these choices, these are the specific recordings which hold the specific memories for me.

No. 1 will always be Bob Marley. No Woman No Cry.

I think this started as a teenage thing. I bought the cassette of Bob Marley’s Legend Album when I was a teenager. Songs on that album seemed to be able to capture all the emotions needed for being a teenager. Now my own children have grown up listening to the several Bob Marley CDs we would listen to on road trips (cars don’t even have CD players anymore, so even that is a past memory), and again, they each had their favourites, but they know that No Woman No Cry is my favourite.

No. 2 is Nina Simone’s Sinnerman

An incredible pianist, and vocalist, this is such a great song. Her own history of being a classically trained musician, but was denied access to further classical training at The Curtis Institute, and so instead funded her private tuition by playing in bars – where she was asked to sing as well as play the piano, and this is how her Jazz style developed. You can hear her skill in piano playing, and love of classical music coming through this track. It was used as the soundtrack to the more recent version (1999 – I suppose is recent to me, but maybe ancient history to others.) of the Thomas Crown Affair: Also a brilliant film.

No. 3 is Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl.

As this mix-tape/playlist is meant to tell the story of our life, this is one part of my life which many people might choose to gloss over, but I think that people come into our lives for long periods, or short periods, and we all take something of that time along with us, on the journey that we then continue to travel. I was married for 12 years, and before that, we were together for 7 years. We have 2 amazing children, who we now continue to guide through this world, and even though we are no longer married, our two children are full of inspiration, and hopefully we are doing an ok job at the guiding. In our more care-free times, he used to sing this song to me at Karaoke, and we also had it on a CD listening to it in the car. It is a great song, full of love. Now it is our children who are our Brown-eyed girls.

No. 4 – Cinema Paradiso. Sung by Monica Mancini

I am totally in awe of the output of Enrico Morricone and his contribution to film music. There are so many beautiful melodies which we know and love thanks to him (early on, he used a pseudonym because he still wasn’t sure if he wanted to be a classical composer or a film composer – so there are many other films which he composed music for which went by a different name.) This piece has a very special place in my heart though. When I was in my 20s I performed in Italy quite a bit. I had a duo with a pianist called Luca Verdicchio, and we would perform in the UK and Italy. He loved film music. I already knew and loved the film Cinema Paradiso, and had it on VHS, but he would sit down at the piano and play it, and somehow, hearing it played in Italy, by someone who I could quite easily imagine once looking like the little boy in the film, growing up watching old movies (he loved all of the Chaplin films and could also improvise sound tracks to them) – and in those town squares in Italy, hearing the music, I almost felt transported to part of the movie itself.

I have, since then arranged this piece for all sorts of different ensembles – taken it on tour with my pupils, and each time I tell them that it is one of my favourite pieces, and they can’t let me down by playing it badly. I arranged it during Lockdown for violin and piano and made a montage of the signs on Cinemas which were shut during the pandemic, and other symbolic images of that time. It was recorded remotely (with my own rather embryonic recording equipment) with David Bullen on the piano, and set to the images of photos around London which I had taken….

….but the one for the playlist will be this one: the voice of Monica Mancini accompanied by orchestra to the music of Morricone’s Cinema Paradiso. As I said in the previous song selection, it is really important to appreciate all of the people who come into our lives, but there are still some who like to be kept private. This piece was introduced to me by that private person. It was a piece which had such a strong and personal story for him, combined with my own personal memories of this piece, this is the one I am choosing to keep in my playlist/mixtape.

No. 5 Velvet Underground Sunday Morning

Who doesn’t love a nice Sunday Morning? Whatever it is you choose to do with your Sunday mornings. This piece is full of twinkly sounds, and mellow vocals. It is another teenage throwback for me, but I was especially reminded of it during lockdown when I needed some more feel-good songs to get me through each week. Lockdown was a big part of everyone’s recent history, and getting through it was a big thing for everyone, so this one is on the mix-tape.

No. 6. Oh Holy Night. Sung by Aled Jones and Malakai Bayoh

I have a complex relationship with religion. It was a big part of my upbringing, and therefore has contributed to much of who I am today, but I often think that as adults we need to take much more responsibility for our own individual actions, but sometimes the rituals of religion can seem to negate that element of individual responsibility. However, I still like to believe that there is an example of something mysterious that we can’t quite name, or articulate. Music can have that power to transcend, and especially at Christmas time, the magic and mystery can come alive. Malakai has made musical history for many reasons: Not being daunted by anything else whilst singing at the ROH for example, but most of all, I hope will be remembered for this beautiful recording he made in 2022, and whatever career he has ahead of him, this piece is beautiful and full of magic.

Now for my classical selections

The 1st and most importantly is Haydn’s Quartet op 76 no 2. “The Fifths”

This is my all-time favourite string quartet. Hartmut Ometzberger (lead violinist of Callia Quartet) and I played this together in August 1995 – and I still have the photographs. We both studied with the same teacher: Emanuel Hurwitz, and his quartet (Aeolian Quartet) was the 1st to record all of Haydn’s Quartets on LP. – They were then released on CD, which I have, so unlike many other classical music memories, this is one which I have as a recording. When we 1st played together in 1995, we were probably 18 and 19 years old, and straight away, we said this was the piece we wanted to play. We next played it together after a gap of many years, in 2017. This was at a performance in the Thames Tunnel in Rotherhithe. There were many friends of mine who had never been to a classical music concert before, who said that when they heard the opening bars of this piece, they had never heard anything quite so powerful. It is in D Minor, which all my pupils know is my favourite key. I see some keys in colours. Not all, but some of the more powerful keys have a colour for me. D Minor is a deep purple, which is my favourite colour. So many wonderful pieces are composed in D Minor, it is a beautiful, and dramatic key to compose in.

My 2nd classical piece is Mendelssohn’s Octet

I don’t have a specific recording in mind, so I have selected this one performed by the Melos Ensemble (also lead by Emanuel Hurwitz) . I was too young to remember a particular sound of the performance which I heard, but I can remember a visual memory of seeing this for the 1st time, and I guess this was what struck me as the brilliance of string chamber music. I was at a concert when I was probably about 5 or 6. I think I was sitting on the floor, like children often do, and I was looking up at each of the performers, and watching the interplay between all 8 of them, and how the melodies were passed from one to another, or who was playing with whom. It is a piece of sheer joy, and brilliance, and at that age, I was very aware of the magic of it (again, that power to transcend). Whenever I teach it to pupils, I tell them this story of how I have never forgotten that memory. I hope that they will remember just as much of the magical moments created for them through music.

And finally my last selection would be Jaques Loussier playing Bach’s Prelude No. 1 in C Major

Bach has to be on the play list. But, again so many different interpretations. What to choose? Solo violin? Solo cello? So, for something which encompasses something of all of my previous selections above, this is the one. That moment when he goes from Bach into Jazz is such fun – and then back again to Bach.

Lucy Melvin is founding Director of Chamber Players chamber music courses, which have been running since 2009. Chamber Players is quite unique in its ethos in that there are no audition requirements, and pupils are welcome from pre-grade 1 through to Diploma and above. Through experienced knowledge of the repertoire and care and attention to each pupil’s age and ability, every pupil is placed in an appropriate ensemble with their peers, according to their ability, age and previous experience, finding the most appropriate parts to suit them.

Previously a member of the Illyria Trio, with pianist Annabel Thwaite and cellist Sheida Davis, and duo with Italian pianist Luca Verdicchio, she has performed in concert halls, and intimate chamber music settings across Europe. 

Lucy’s interest in education and chamber music performance led her to coordinating Classical Collective: a diverse concert series organising exciting performances for audiences of all ages, in venues across South London, as well as managing the performance opportunities for the Callia Quartet.

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The words “salon concert” conjure up an image of a beautiful setting in nineteenth-century Paris, London or Vienna where a select few intellectuals and dilettantes gather to enjoy music, poetry, art and conversation – an exclusive event for like-minded individuals.

Today the spirit of the salon concert lives on in venues like the 1901 Arts Club (whose furnishings could have come straight from nineteenth-century Paris), the spacious Marylebone drawing room concerts of the highest order regularly hosted by Bob and Elizabeth Boas, or the more modern vibe of Fidelio Café on Clerkenwell Road, and in series such as …Petits Concerts or 7 Star Arts’ concerts at a convivial little Japanese café in Kew. But whatever the venue, the modern salon concert is about creating a special intimacy and connection between audience and musicians, and an ambiance of shared experience, and venues such as the 1901 Arts Club and Fidelio Arts Café have succeeded in reimagining the salon concert for the 21st century audience. Not only is it a wonderful way to experience live music, the modern salon concert breaks down the barriers normally associated with classical music in a formal concert hall and brings music-lovers together in a convivial, relaxed setting. The experience of enjoying music amongst friends is uplifting and inspiring.

Down in a pretty part of West Sussex, not far from Petworth, another salon concert series takes place, organised and generously hosted by Neil and Debbie Franks. Neil is chairman of The Petworth Festival, a keen amateur pianist, passionate music lover, and supporter of other musicians.

An elegant music room-cum-library, which boasts two fine grand pianos, (including possibly the best Steinway B I’ve ever played!) and seats around 70 people, is the setting for Neil Franks’ salon concerts. Initially, these house concerts were very much “music for friends, with friends” – he’d gather together a few talented piano friends and we’d play solos, duos, 6-hands, 8-hands and more – and mingle with audience during the interval and afterwards. Lately, his house concerts have transformed into a modern salon where young talent is showcased and celebrated. For Neil it is also an opportunity to support musicians in their careers and to recognise the “great value derived by the musicians in performing their own very personalised and precious repertoire to small audiences in intimate settings, and the huge enjoyment realised by audiences. In the right settings, the combination generates some absolutely wonderful and passionate performances. The same was true in the British and European salons of the 19th and early 20th centuries and much was written by composers and musicians at the time about the tremendously important and inspirational value they took from those evenings” (Neil Franks)

For the January concerts, he assembled a group of very talented musical friends, including established as well as up-and-coming, talented young pianists, namely Anthony Hewitt, Emanuil Ivanov, Florian Mitrea, Olga Stezhko and Julian Davis, Neil’s regular piano-duo partner. The jointly-held ambition of the concerts was to promote and re-invigorate the whole idea of salon concerts, to invite friends including local concert series organisers, with the objective of showcasing the talents of these musicians which would hopefully lead to further engagements at other regional concerts (this objective has already been successfully realised as some of the pianists will perform again in West Sussex venues later this year).

“Between us, we very much enjoyed putting the programme together that I think I can say came together quite naturally as each pianist had something special to offer that led to a perfect combination of solos, duets, 2-piano duos, and even 8-hands pieces. The solos were almost mini, individually-curated recitals, and the multi-handed pieces offered contrast to the solos in which the individuals were in the spotlight.

Each pianist also gave short but informally presented introductions to their pieces – a far more welcoming practice than the paper-consuming lengthy, and usually rather dry and inaccessible essays of programme notes. The result was 2 hours of absolutely absorbing music: not just absorbing the notes, but really feeling the very vibrations of the music in the salon environment, something that is a rarity in a concert hall however magnificent the pianos might be. One of the notable advantages of the salon is the total elimination of any physical barrier between performer and audience.” (Neil Franks)

Anthony Hewitt & Emanuil Ivanov
Florian Mitrea
Anthony Hewitt, Emanuil Ivanov & Olga Stezhko
Anthony Hewitt
Of course, one of the added attractions of the salon concert is the opportunity to mingle with friends and other music lovers, and also the musicians, and enjoy drinks and canapés. Debbie and Neil are warm, generous hosts and, as an expert networker, Neil has a knack of bringing people together which encourages new connections and friendships. And at these concerts, there was also a good age range represented amongst the guests – a mix of the “usual” classical music concert-goer and younger people who would have little interest in sitting in a formal concert hall, church or town hall for 2 hours, but who were delighted to be welcomed into Neil and Debbie’s lovely home.

“It is abundantly clear that classical music is in need of a lot of tender loving care, just like so many forms of cultural activities where consumption patterns have changed in recent years – and would have changed even if Covid didn’t happen, but Covid concentrated the disruption in a very short period. We are all very aware of the options available now, very much including the opportunity to “consume” our music online. We are equally aware that the majority of classical music takes place in formal settings of concert halls in major cities, town halls and churches in smaller towns. I think it’s reasonably safe to say that there will always be a hardcore audience of passionate music-lovers who will look for what they want to hear and travel to the concerts of their choice, but music needs to attract new and younger audiences, many of whom are not so likely to be attracted to these formal settings, especially as they may not be fully familiar with what’s on offer. So I think the key is to make music in interesting venues that already go some way to removing the formality barrier. The venues themselves can generate interest in attendance. So let’s all think outside the box and bring new ideas, new and interesting venues to make concert-going an experience for many more. Include art exhibitions, gardens, lovely food and drink and anything else you can imagine! ” (Neil Franks)

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PRESS RELEASE

This is an exciting and important addition to RSCM’s catalogue. Authoritatively edited, clearly laid out, and handsomely presented, this volume is ideal for every choir performing this classic work.

Bertie Baigent, Director of Music, St Marylebone Parish Church, Marylebone

 

The Royal School of Church Music announces the publication of a new Critical Edition of Sir John Stainer’s The Crucifixion, edited by the leading Stainer expert, Professor Jeremy Dibble, using Stainer’s original manuscript, recently given to the Durham University Library. This handsome new edition has comprehensive introductory, editorial and performance notes, uses state-of-the art music engraving, and includes facsimile pages from Stainer’s original autograph manuscript. The new edition is compatible, page for page, with existing editions, so can be used where others will be using other editions.

New state of the art music engraving

The Crucifixion: A Meditation on the Sacred Passion of the Holy Redeemer is an oratorio composed by John Stainer (1840–1901) in 1887. It is scored in 20 movements for a SATB choir and organ, and features solos for bass and tenor. The words were selected and written by Reverend William John Sparrow Simpson. Stainer intended the piece to be within the scope of most parish church choirs and it includes five hymns for congregational participation. Its structure is clearly modelled on the scheme of choruses, chorales, recitatives and arias of Bach’s St Matthew Passion, which in 1873 Stainer had introduced into the Music for Holy Week at St Paul’s Cathedral.

Written for St Marylebone Parish Church, Marylebone, London, where Stainer’s former pupil William Hodge was organist, The Crucifixion was premiered there on 24 February 1887, the day after Ash Wednesday, where a choir of boys and men was directed by Stainer himself with the organ accompaniment provided by Hodge. It received its first performance in the United States at St Luke’s Church, Baltimore, on Palm Sunday, 3 April 1887. Aided by positive press coverage (some of which is pasted into the front and back of the autograph manuscript), the work was quickly taken up by parish choirs throughout Britain, the Empire and the United States and soon became a fixture of Holy Week. There have been performances in St Marylebone Parish Church annually since then, and in its Good Friday performance this year, the choir will be using this new edition for the first time. Stainer envisaged that The Crucifixion should be available to as wide a range of church choirs and organists as possible and the work remains a staple of the repertoire of choral music for Passiontide and Easter.

£6.95 paperback

Publisher: RSCM Press

ISBN: 9780854023363

Available direct from the RSCM’s webshop https://www.rscmshop.com/books/9780854023363/stainer-the-crucifixion–new-critical-edition

For further press information/review copies, please contact Frances Wilson frances_wilson66@live.com

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Choirs are invited to join the RSCM’s Sing for the King project

The Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) announces ‘Sing for the King’, a special choral music commission from acclaimed British singer and composer Joanna Forbes L’Estrange to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III on 6 May 2023.

The Mountains shall bring peace uses words from the Psalms, including ‘Give the King they judge, O God’, ‘The mountains shall bring peace’; and ‘Sing to the Lord a new song’, and is suitable for all choirs in a range of settings. It has enough grandeur for large choirs to sing on formal occasions, while its accessible melodic sweep lends an intimacy that will be enjoyed by smaller groups and gatherings.

Following its very successful and popular Platinum Project to commemorate the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the RSCM is once again inviting choirs across the UK, the Commonwealth and beyond to join in song to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III by learning and singing The Mountains shall bring peace.

There are two versions of the music – one for SATBS choir and organ/piano and one for union voices with piano. The accompaniments are interchangeable and those choirs not wishing to learn the full five-minute piece can still join in the project by learning the broad, hymn-like melody of the closing section, making it appealing for young or less experience singers.

Choirs and choral groups are invited to share their rehearsals and performances on social media using the hashtag #singfortheking

RSCM Director Hugh Morris says: “We were delighted that in 2022 many hundreds of choirs were united in singing a piece specially written for the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Now, in 2023, we hope that even more will want to learn Joanna’s The Mountains shall bring peace and join with choirs from around the world to celebrate the first Coronation in 70 years.”

Composer Joanna Forbes L’Estrange says: “I was keen to find words which reflected not only King Charles’s faith but also something of his passion for the natural world and his love of the outdoors. When I think of our former Prince of Wales, I picture him walking in the Welsh mountains or in the Scottish Highlands. I’m also all too aware that this Coronation is taking place during a very turbulent time for our country and our planet and so I was searching for words which would in some way give us all hope for the future. Central to the commission brief was a big, singable tune, the kind of memorable melody which anyone and everyone can enjoy singing at the tops of their voices.”

The Mountains shall bring peace is available from the RSCM’s webshop (www.rscmshop.com) at £24.95 (RSCM members £19.95) for the downloadable music pack (this includes ALL versions, and is licenced to the purchasing choir/institution so can be shared with all choir members) and £2.95 for printed copies (£2.21 for RSCM Members). Full learning resources, including performance backing tracks, will be available from the RSCM’s dedicated Sing for the King website, which also includes further information about the project, a social media wall, and an interactive map showing where choirs can register their performance (www.rscm.org.uk/singfortheking)

Follow the project on social media using hashtag #singfortheking

Taster of the music here

www.rscm.org.uk

For further press information / interviews, please contact Frances Wilson  frances_wilson66@live.com