CHESTER MUSIC SOCIETY SHOWCASE CONCERT
Wednesday 23 November 2022, 7.30pm St Mary's Creative Space, Chester
An evening of guitar music performed by the members of the Chester Guitar Circle
The prestigious Chester Music Society invited Chester Guitar Circle to perform an evening of guitar music as part of their ‘Showcase’ series. The invitation was enthusiastically embraced by CGC members and an outline programme and date for the evening was quickly agreed. Performance details were offered by members and it was decided to divide the evening into three parts, the first and second consisting of soloists and duetists, with the finale completed by the Chester Guitar Orchestra. The Circle had arranged two rehearsals leading up to the concert, to ensure that the musicians would be familiar with the layout of St Mary’s and for the smooth-running of the evening. Generally speaking, musicians were pleased with their performances and the audience delighted with the end result. A provisional invitation has been offered by CMS for a repeat event next year.
You’ll see on this page photos all of the performers and a brief summary of the pieces they played.
Many thanks to Ian Hanson for his excellent photographs.
Bev & Ruth
Tarantelle in A minor (Johann Kasper Mertz,
1806-1856)
Johann Kasper Mertz, a Hungarian guitarist-composer from the mid 19th Century, was a virtuoso on the guitar and on the flute, hence he wrote a good proportion of his opus for this combination of instruments. His ensemble music extended to music for two guitars (which he performed with his esteemed duo partner, Napoleon Coste. Coste is well-known to classical guitarists as a famous pupil of Fernando Sor and author of an important didactic work, 25 Studies Op.38. A tarantelle is a traditional Italian dance in compound triple metre (6|8). Mertz’s music for two guitars has mostly been neglected since his death, principally due to the fact that one part is often written for the then-popular ‘Terz’ guitar, a guitar tuned a third higher than the traditional classical guitar and of a somewhat different design.
Mike
Siguiryia & Malagueña (Traditional)
Siguiryias are one of the oldest, most profound and passionate styles of flamenco. Their origins are associated with the Gitanos, or gypsies, of Andalucia. Typically associated with tragedy and sadness, they are usually sung but when played on the guitar they are full of yearning, and the
guitar can truly become ‘mortally wounded by five swords’ as written by Federico Garcia Lorca. Malagueñas derive from the Fandango in the Malaga region. Over the years, they have developed and the structure has become freer, with elements varying from ‘toque libre’ or free style, to strict 3|4 rhythm. In this version, the piece begins with a theme written by Matt Baker from the last cycle of the Chester Mystery Plays. He has kindly given permission to use it here.
Helen
Gavotte I & II (Johann Sebastian Bach, 1685-1750)
Bach is believed to have written his six cello suites during his ‘Cothen’ period of 1717-1723. The two Gavottes presented here are paired movements taken from the 6th suite in D Major (BWV1012). The traditional Baroque suite consisted of four traditional dances: Allemande, Courante, Sarabande & Gigue, to which were added additional ‘galanterie’ pieces - Bourrees, Minuets, Gavottes, Anglaises, Loures and the like, plus often an extemporised Prelude. These two gavottes from the 6th suite where often standard items in the repertoire of the great Spanish classical guitarist, Andres Segovia (in his own transcriptions and transpositions). The examples presented here are arrangements in their original key of D by the early C.20th guitarist Franz Casseus.
Peter
El Noi De La Mare (Traditional arr. Miguel Llobet)
A traditional Catalan Christmas song, the title translates as ‘The child of the mother’. Though it was arranged by the great Catalan guitarist Miguel Llobet, it is largely known as being popularised by Andres Segovia in early gramophone recordings. A lovely plaintive lilting song, perhaps originally conceived as a lullaby, the lyrics talk about gifts for the Mother’s Child, presumably the baby Jesus. “What shall we give to the Mother’s Child?, What shall we give that He will find tasty?, Raisins and figs and nuts and olives, Raisins and figs and honey and mato.” Mato being a traditional Catalan sheep or goat’s milk cheese with no added salt.
Rob
Fly Me To The Moon
(Bart Howard, 1915-2004)
Fly Me To The Moon was written in 1954, and received its first public performance in that year in the ‘Blue Angel’ night club in Manhattan in New York. Originally entitled In Other Words, it was first recorded by Kaye Ballard on the Decca record label, while Frank Sinatra’s 1964 recording
received a boost by being associated with the moon landing of 1969. Curiously the piece was originally written in 3|4 time, but when Sinatra and Quincy Jones worked together on the album It Might As Well Be Swing, Jones decided to increase the tempo and re-write the piece into the now-familiar 4|4 time-signature version. By that time the song had been recorded by more than 100 other artists around the world.
INTERVAL
Matthew
Lachrimae Pavan (John Dowland, 1563-1626)
The only piece on tonight’s programme written in the 16th Century (1596). Also known as Flow My Tears in its vocal/lute duo form, this Renaissance Ayre is Dowland’s typical exploration of life and death, specifically death ! Dowland was one of Elizabethan England’s most famous, and infamous, musicians and a prolific composer. During his career he served as court musician to King Christian of Denmark, and to King James I of England, but never achieved his most fervent desire – that of being court musician to Elizabeth herself. He left a legacy of pedagogical material for the lute, and an enormous body of published works for many combinations of instrument and voice. Between The Whole Book Of Psalms of 1592 and 1612’s A Pilgrim’s Solace this energetic but melancholic European entrepreneur produced over 150 commercially available compositions.
Ian
Wild Mountain Thyme
This is an adaptation from 1957 by the Belfast musician Francis McPeake, of a Scottish folk song first published in Scottish Minstrel in the 1820s. The lyrics/music were written by the poet Robert Tannahill and composer Robert Archibald Smith respectively. The song is also popularly
known by the titles Purple Heather and Will Ye Go, Lassie, Go? The lyrics and melody of the original song, The Braes Of Balquhither, depict the hills and countryside around Balquhidder, near Lochearnhead, and Francis McPeake declared he first heard it whilst travelling in Scotland. The title may allude to the old custom of young women wearing a sprig of thyme or mint or lavender. The version presented here has been arranged for solo classical guitar by the English guitarist-composer Vincent Lindsay-Clark.
Steve
Granada (Isaac Albeniz, 1860-1909)
Originally for piano, this dramatically descriptive work is one of several pieces written to evoke the character of Spanish towns and cities. Arranged for guitar by Andres Segovia (a re-edited version of an arrangement by Francisco Tarrega) it is the first movement of Suite Espanola No.1
(1886, Op.47). Albeniz was a child prodigy who at the age of nine, along with his sister, travelled the world with his father (a customs agent) giving performances. They are recorded as having visited Buenos Aires, Cuba, San Francisco, New York, Liverpool, London and Leipzig. He studied in Leipzig, Brussels and Budapest, and during the 1890s lived in London and then Paris, finally settling in south-west France.
Tim & Tony
The Cambridge Suite (Nikita Koshkin b. 1956) (excerpts)
The Cambridge Suite was written following the occasion of the Koshkin’s first visit to England for the Cannington Guitar Summer School in 1992 and dedicated to the late Chris Kilvington and Lorraine Eastwood, both prominent teachers at that School. The Russian guitarist-composer came to attention in the 1980s with his character suite The Prince’s Toys Suite (1980) for solo guitar. His declared musical influences were fellow Russians Stravinsky, Shostakovich and Prokofiev, but also heavy metal rock music ! Other notable works for solo guitar include The Usher Waltz of 1984 and 24 Preludes & Fugues.
Ed
Concerto in D, Op.3 No.9. (Antonio Vivaldi, 1678-1741).
Vivaldi’s Op.3 is a set of 12 concerti, collectively called L’estro Armonico, which translates as The Harmonic Inspiration. They were written for solo violin and orchestra (basso continuo) and were published in 1711, initially in Amsterdam, and dedicated to Grand Prince Ferdinand of Tuscany. The success across Europe of the pieces was a watershed for Vivaldi as a composer, and he went on to publish the equally-popular La Stravanganza (Opus 4) in 1714. Between 1723 and 1733 he composed a further 140 commissioned concerto scores. These concerti, like many from composers of the time, are scored for 5-7 instruments, making them rich pickings for guitarists who arrange reductions to play on anything from 1 to 4 guitars.
INTERVAL
Chester Guitar Orchestra, conducted by John Arran.
Two German Dances (Josef Haydn, 1732-1809)
Slick Trick and Hit This (Pieter van der Staak, 1930-2007)
Le Phénix Allegro - Adagio - Allegro, (Michel Corrette, 1707-1795)
Suite Française Bransle de Bourgogne – Pavane - Petite Marche Militaire. Francis Poulenc, 1899-1963)
Wednesday 23 November 2022, 7.30pm St Mary's Creative Space, Chester
An evening of guitar music performed by the members of the Chester Guitar Circle
The prestigious Chester Music Society invited Chester Guitar Circle to perform an evening of guitar music as part of their ‘Showcase’ series. The invitation was enthusiastically embraced by CGC members and an outline programme and date for the evening was quickly agreed. Performance details were offered by members and it was decided to divide the evening into three parts, the first and second consisting of soloists and duetists, with the finale completed by the Chester Guitar Orchestra. The Circle had arranged two rehearsals leading up to the concert, to ensure that the musicians would be familiar with the layout of St Mary’s and for the smooth-running of the evening. Generally speaking, musicians were pleased with their performances and the audience delighted with the end result. A provisional invitation has been offered by CMS for a repeat event next year.
You’ll see on this page photos all of the performers and a brief summary of the pieces they played.
Many thanks to Ian Hanson for his excellent photographs.
Bev & Ruth
Tarantelle in A minor (Johann Kasper Mertz,
1806-1856)
Johann Kasper Mertz, a Hungarian guitarist-composer from the mid 19th Century, was a virtuoso on the guitar and on the flute, hence he wrote a good proportion of his opus for this combination of instruments. His ensemble music extended to music for two guitars (which he performed with his esteemed duo partner, Napoleon Coste. Coste is well-known to classical guitarists as a famous pupil of Fernando Sor and author of an important didactic work, 25 Studies Op.38. A tarantelle is a traditional Italian dance in compound triple metre (6|8). Mertz’s music for two guitars has mostly been neglected since his death, principally due to the fact that one part is often written for the then-popular ‘Terz’ guitar, a guitar tuned a third higher than the traditional classical guitar and of a somewhat different design.
Mike
Siguiryia & Malagueña (Traditional)
Siguiryias are one of the oldest, most profound and passionate styles of flamenco. Their origins are associated with the Gitanos, or gypsies, of Andalucia. Typically associated with tragedy and sadness, they are usually sung but when played on the guitar they are full of yearning, and the
guitar can truly become ‘mortally wounded by five swords’ as written by Federico Garcia Lorca. Malagueñas derive from the Fandango in the Malaga region. Over the years, they have developed and the structure has become freer, with elements varying from ‘toque libre’ or free style, to strict 3|4 rhythm. In this version, the piece begins with a theme written by Matt Baker from the last cycle of the Chester Mystery Plays. He has kindly given permission to use it here.
Helen
Gavotte I & II (Johann Sebastian Bach, 1685-1750)
Bach is believed to have written his six cello suites during his ‘Cothen’ period of 1717-1723. The two Gavottes presented here are paired movements taken from the 6th suite in D Major (BWV1012). The traditional Baroque suite consisted of four traditional dances: Allemande, Courante, Sarabande & Gigue, to which were added additional ‘galanterie’ pieces - Bourrees, Minuets, Gavottes, Anglaises, Loures and the like, plus often an extemporised Prelude. These two gavottes from the 6th suite where often standard items in the repertoire of the great Spanish classical guitarist, Andres Segovia (in his own transcriptions and transpositions). The examples presented here are arrangements in their original key of D by the early C.20th guitarist Franz Casseus.
Peter
El Noi De La Mare (Traditional arr. Miguel Llobet)
A traditional Catalan Christmas song, the title translates as ‘The child of the mother’. Though it was arranged by the great Catalan guitarist Miguel Llobet, it is largely known as being popularised by Andres Segovia in early gramophone recordings. A lovely plaintive lilting song, perhaps originally conceived as a lullaby, the lyrics talk about gifts for the Mother’s Child, presumably the baby Jesus. “What shall we give to the Mother’s Child?, What shall we give that He will find tasty?, Raisins and figs and nuts and olives, Raisins and figs and honey and mato.” Mato being a traditional Catalan sheep or goat’s milk cheese with no added salt.
Rob
Fly Me To The Moon
(Bart Howard, 1915-2004)
Fly Me To The Moon was written in 1954, and received its first public performance in that year in the ‘Blue Angel’ night club in Manhattan in New York. Originally entitled In Other Words, it was first recorded by Kaye Ballard on the Decca record label, while Frank Sinatra’s 1964 recording
received a boost by being associated with the moon landing of 1969. Curiously the piece was originally written in 3|4 time, but when Sinatra and Quincy Jones worked together on the album It Might As Well Be Swing, Jones decided to increase the tempo and re-write the piece into the now-familiar 4|4 time-signature version. By that time the song had been recorded by more than 100 other artists around the world.
INTERVAL
Matthew
Lachrimae Pavan (John Dowland, 1563-1626)
The only piece on tonight’s programme written in the 16th Century (1596). Also known as Flow My Tears in its vocal/lute duo form, this Renaissance Ayre is Dowland’s typical exploration of life and death, specifically death ! Dowland was one of Elizabethan England’s most famous, and infamous, musicians and a prolific composer. During his career he served as court musician to King Christian of Denmark, and to King James I of England, but never achieved his most fervent desire – that of being court musician to Elizabeth herself. He left a legacy of pedagogical material for the lute, and an enormous body of published works for many combinations of instrument and voice. Between The Whole Book Of Psalms of 1592 and 1612’s A Pilgrim’s Solace this energetic but melancholic European entrepreneur produced over 150 commercially available compositions.
Ian
Wild Mountain Thyme
This is an adaptation from 1957 by the Belfast musician Francis McPeake, of a Scottish folk song first published in Scottish Minstrel in the 1820s. The lyrics/music were written by the poet Robert Tannahill and composer Robert Archibald Smith respectively. The song is also popularly
known by the titles Purple Heather and Will Ye Go, Lassie, Go? The lyrics and melody of the original song, The Braes Of Balquhither, depict the hills and countryside around Balquhidder, near Lochearnhead, and Francis McPeake declared he first heard it whilst travelling in Scotland. The title may allude to the old custom of young women wearing a sprig of thyme or mint or lavender. The version presented here has been arranged for solo classical guitar by the English guitarist-composer Vincent Lindsay-Clark.
Steve
Granada (Isaac Albeniz, 1860-1909)
Originally for piano, this dramatically descriptive work is one of several pieces written to evoke the character of Spanish towns and cities. Arranged for guitar by Andres Segovia (a re-edited version of an arrangement by Francisco Tarrega) it is the first movement of Suite Espanola No.1
(1886, Op.47). Albeniz was a child prodigy who at the age of nine, along with his sister, travelled the world with his father (a customs agent) giving performances. They are recorded as having visited Buenos Aires, Cuba, San Francisco, New York, Liverpool, London and Leipzig. He studied in Leipzig, Brussels and Budapest, and during the 1890s lived in London and then Paris, finally settling in south-west France.
Tim & Tony
The Cambridge Suite (Nikita Koshkin b. 1956) (excerpts)
The Cambridge Suite was written following the occasion of the Koshkin’s first visit to England for the Cannington Guitar Summer School in 1992 and dedicated to the late Chris Kilvington and Lorraine Eastwood, both prominent teachers at that School. The Russian guitarist-composer came to attention in the 1980s with his character suite The Prince’s Toys Suite (1980) for solo guitar. His declared musical influences were fellow Russians Stravinsky, Shostakovich and Prokofiev, but also heavy metal rock music ! Other notable works for solo guitar include The Usher Waltz of 1984 and 24 Preludes & Fugues.
Ed
Concerto in D, Op.3 No.9. (Antonio Vivaldi, 1678-1741).
Vivaldi’s Op.3 is a set of 12 concerti, collectively called L’estro Armonico, which translates as The Harmonic Inspiration. They were written for solo violin and orchestra (basso continuo) and were published in 1711, initially in Amsterdam, and dedicated to Grand Prince Ferdinand of Tuscany. The success across Europe of the pieces was a watershed for Vivaldi as a composer, and he went on to publish the equally-popular La Stravanganza (Opus 4) in 1714. Between 1723 and 1733 he composed a further 140 commissioned concerto scores. These concerti, like many from composers of the time, are scored for 5-7 instruments, making them rich pickings for guitarists who arrange reductions to play on anything from 1 to 4 guitars.
INTERVAL
Chester Guitar Orchestra, conducted by John Arran.
Two German Dances (Josef Haydn, 1732-1809)
Slick Trick and Hit This (Pieter van der Staak, 1930-2007)
Le Phénix Allegro - Adagio - Allegro, (Michel Corrette, 1707-1795)
Suite Française Bransle de Bourgogne – Pavane - Petite Marche Militaire. Francis Poulenc, 1899-1963)
