Friends of Cheltenham
Symphony Orchestra
Newsletter
September 2015
Notes from the Chair
The orchestra has had another fabulous season, starting
with three concerts in the Pittville Pump Room based on
the theme “Northern Lights” featuring Scandinavian
composers – Sibelius, Grieg and Nielsen. As this year is
the 150th Anniversary year of Sibelius' birth, his works,
including three of his Symphonies and his Violin
Concerto with Tamsin Waley-Cohen as soloist, were
performed. The orchestra also performed with the
Charlton Kings Choral Society and concluded the
summer season in the UK with the light-hearted Bredon
summer concert, this year called 'The Bard at Bredon'.
The orchestra has just returned from a wellreceived 'tournée' to Göttingen and Mönchengladbach in
Germany. Göttingen is twinned with Cheltenham and as
part of the 'twinning' events they gave two orchestral
concerts and a string ensemble performed in the “Altes
Rathaus” at the welcome meeting with the
“Bürgermeister” and other dignitaries from both twin
towns. The orchestral music performed included a
selection from this year's programmes: Sibelius’ 2nd
Symphony and Finlandia, Dvořák’s New World
Symphony and Elgar's Cello Concerto with Rachel
Howgego as soloist. All were very well received with
good audiences. The orchestra then moved on to
Mönchengladbach to give a third concert.
The tour involved considerable planning and
organisation led by Paul and Caroline Broekman and Ben
Lewis. Paul and Caroline also drove the van carrying all
of the instruments, cleverly avoiding Dover and Calais. A
report of the tour is included in this Newsletter.
We hope that many of the 'Friends' will come
to the next big concert at the Town Hall on November
28th with the pianist Peter Donohoe playing Brahms
Piano Concerto No 2. Please pass the word round!
Monica Ellis
Retirement of CSO Chairman and
Secretary
Earlier this year, Christopher Sturdy and Andrew
Chapman decided to hand over their responsibilities that
they had so diligently and effectively carried out for the
past 10 years or so. In recognition of their contributions
to the development of the orchestra, they were made
“Fellows of the Cheltenham Symphony Orchestra”.
Presentations were made at the Pump Room concert on
9th May.
Presentation by David Banks, the new Chairman of the
CSO, to Andrew Chapman and Christopher Sturdy with
David Curtis and Caroline Broekman
Andrew Chapman
To mark the occasion of his retirement as Secretary of
the CSO, Andrew Chapman agreed to be interviewed by
Michael St. John
Tell me about your early musical career
My mother was very musical – a piano teacher – and I
started on the piano but disliked it. At the age of about 14
I heard The Planets (I loved “Venus”) and decided that I
would like to play the cello. I had an excellent teacher for
the remaining few years at school and carried on playing
in orchestras as much as possible during my time as a
medical student at the Middlesex Hospital and since.
How did you come to join the Cheltenham Symphony
Orchestra
My wife Jill attended the Royal Ballet School for 2 years.
Being taller than most of the graduates, she decided to
become a physiotherapist rather than a ballerina. In
Cheltenham General Hospital she treated a chap with
tennis elbow – Jamie Adams – and as soon as she
discovered he played the violin, introduced us. I was then
training in anaesthetics. I went along to Douglas Smith’s
house and played with the group that was to become the
orchestra. We moved away to Winchester for a couple of
years, but no sooner had I moved back into the area
(Tewkesbury) to take up my post as a GP, than Douglas
was on the phone. That was in 1972 and the orchestra
was now being conducted regularly by Mark Foster. I
have never looked back!
When did you become Secretary of the CSO?
It was in 2002 when Robert McConnell resigned. No-one
else came forward and Christopher Sturdy was very
encouraging.
What have been the ups and downs as Secretary?
There have been a few tricky issues with personnel but
the successes have been very satisfying – culminating in
the large audience of 400 in the Town Hall in December
2014. I was also immensely pleased that the orchestra
performed my compositions, especially the cello concerto
played by Emma Denton in 2005. I was also happy that I
was able to support the performances of memorable
works such as Britten’s War Requiem and Mahler’s Das
Lied von der Erde. My violin concerto will be another
highlight, perhaps…………..!
How did you find time to do so much on behalf of the
orchestra?
I retired from being a GP at age 52. I had developed a
depressive illness that came out of the blue and which
stopped me in my tracks. It was inexplicable to me, I
loved my job, I had a happy marriage and a wonderful
family, there seemed to be no explanation. I suffered for
four years from the illness which was accompanied by
incessant compulsive suicidal thinking. That was the
worst aspect but thanks to an excellent psychiatrist and
drugs, I recovered enough to return to life and to take up
work for the CSO. Jill was hugely supportive, literally a
life saver during this difficult period.
People often ask me whether I miss being a GP
and the honest answer is no. I have always been a strong
advocate for general practice which has been, I believe,
undervalued in the past and is under serious attack in our
reformed NHS. Yet strangely I do not miss it, something
that I do not really understand. These are issues that are
explored in my first novel 'Beyond the Silence'. The
responses that I got to that book suggest to me that many
people, doctors and patients, share my thoughts on this.
Do you have any favourite composers?
Not really – I tend to have favourite pieces of music,
widely spread across composers, though I do love
Britten. Mahler too – I would love to play Mahler’s 9th
Symphony. Perhaps my most favourite is the violin
concerto of Alban Berg.
You have already published two books. How did you
get into writing?
In my last year at school, having passed A Levels in
Biology, Physics and Chemistry, I stayed on for a further
year to do A Level English and to study Music (which
included some composition.) I had an inspirational
English teacher who stimulated my interest in
Shakespeare and other Eng. Lit., and who gave me
confidence in writing. He memorably told me “You will
write your first book before you are 50”. He was out by a
few years – it was hard to write much while I was
working full time except whilst on holiday – and that was
never long enough to finish anything. My first book
‘Beyond the Silence’ was published in 2010 and the
second “Ikon” in 2012. Another is under way and is set in
a remote part of Scotland. Research in Scotland for this
latest book has been a wonderful experience.
Have you been on any writing courses?
Yes, two – in the South of France. Very convivial they
were too!
What about your family?
While studying in London I produced Oklahoma and a
friend recommended someone to be choreographer. It
was Jill! We have four children now aged between 38
and 46, and 9 grandchildren aged between 4 and 22. The
family is spread between Newcastle, Somerset, London,
Estonia and New Zealand!
Any other hobbies or interests?
Walking! Jill and I did a marathon four-day hike – the
Milford Track - when we were in New Zealand last year.
It was a huge achievement for us especially as we were
by far the oldest in the group.
As you hand over the reins of CSO Secretary to
Simon Cox, how would you like to see the orchestra
develop?
I feel that the CSO has established itself as THE
Cheltenham Symphony Orchestra and can only go from
strength to strength, given the much greater involvement
of so many talented and conscientious people on the
committee, especially with Carole Wrightson and Dave
Todd beavering away at publicity. We need to build a
bigger, regular audience and I would love to see the
Town Hall in December 2016 completely full – that
would justify all the effort that has been put in by so
many people.
Any final remarks?
I must say that I am profoundly grateful for the privilege
of being able to play for so many years with the orchestra
and to serve it in one way or another. It has meant a great
deal to me.
Farewells
Sally Boyd (Double Bass) and Sue Adlard (Violin) both
decided to hang up their instruments during the past
year. They had played with the orchestra since its early
days and presentations were made to them at this year’s
AGM.
Sally: I joined the Cheltenham Sunday Players when I
moved to Gloucestershire in 1986. Mark Foster put me
between two very elderly gentlemen bass players, one of
whom sold me his bass when he retired.
An early memory was the tour to Barcelona
which was like being back in boarding school again with
five of us sharing a room. The conductor, Denise Ham,
inveigled herself into a single room and complained that
we in the dorm disturbed her with our nighttime jollity.
Another recollection was arriving in Cheltenham
just in time for the coach to take us all to a concert in
Wales. I have often forgotten a bow, music stand, or
music for rehearsals, but this time I actually managed to
leave my bass at home in Cirencester! Disaster was
averted by an incredible coincidence: the father of a
young girl who was to play bass with me drove her up to
the coach but said that she wasn't well and would be
unable to play. I let just a few moments elapse before
asking if I could borrow her bass. He agreed and off I
went with the borrowed instrument that saved the day.
(Ed. Sally hopes to continue her association with
some of the CSO members through playing chamber
music. Schubert’s Trout and Beethoven’s Septet have
already been played since her retirement).
Sue: It is 15 years since, with justified trepidation, I
slipped into the back desk of the second violins in the
hope that with a change of conductor this could happen
virtually unnoticed. Having only started playing at the
age of 40, I had not applied myself to achieving the
normally required credential of Grade 8. However, with
the encouragement of my husband Philip (librarian at the
time), Pam Jarrett-Kerr and Gill Tomlinson I decided
take the plunge. My enjoyment both through the music
and friendships over the years has been great and I have
so many to thank; in particular the tolerance of others in
my section, David's apparent ability to overlook my
difficulty in overcoming the many technical challenges in
the repertoire, and also of course the encouragement of
all other orchestra members.
For the first few years I hope I was able to be
of value to the orchestra as 'assistant' to Philip, as
librarian. He was really conscientious (maybe too
conscientious?) with the preparation of markings for the
strings bowing, and many hours were spent around our
dining room table with rubbers and pencils before getting
the parts along to the first rehearsal. Also some years
earlier, in the late 80s, he had attempted to join the (now
famous!) viola section which had been rather oversubscribed so he had been playing in the seconds.
However we both felt that the CSO couldn't really
tolerate two Adlards in one section so to his great
pleasure he was allowed to switch over!
I now need to accept that because of
increasing arthritis and limited stamina, playing in
concerts is not a realistic option. However I shall
continue to enjoy chamber music and singing and I hope
to continue to support the CSO as a member of the
Friends. I continue to treasure the beautiful orchid given
to me on leaving as a playing member - thanks to you all
for this and so much else!
CSO Tour July 2015
“There’s nothing worth the wear of winning like laughter
and the love of friends.” When he wrote those lines,
Hilaire Belloc had in mind fresh-faced students starting
out in the world. But the words seem just as apt for the
group of 53 CSO musicians, aged 18 to ageless, who took
off to Germany this summer for what would prove a
week of great music, merriment and friendship.
Our tour began in Cheltenham’s twin town of
Göttingen, noted for its top-notch university and cluster
of medieval buildings that recall the city’s history as a
member of the wealthy Hanseatic league.
The orchestra’s main party of players and
travelling companions had arrived by early morning
flight from Birmingham to Hanover, then onwards 90
minutes south to Göttingen by coach. This short hop
would supply the eventual winner of “quote of the week”,
when cellist Hilary Vallance, sitting upfront with her
clipboard, sleepily observed how strange it was to find
the Germans driving on the same side of the road as us.
When a fellow player told her the British didn’t drive on
the right, Hilary replied: “Well, I do!”
It wasn’t long before the instrument van, driven
from Cheltenham via Harwich by our first-class tour
organisers Paul and Caroline Broekman — and always on
the correct carriageway — rolled in to the hotel car park.
Like Mary Poppins’ handbag, this modest-sized transit
gave up its seemingly impossible cargo of timps, double
basses, cellos, bassoons, and other large instruments, plus
a podium, an electronic keyboard, bi-lingual concert
programmes, music stands and more.
Unloading the van at Göttingen
Cheltenham’s twinning with Göttingen is as old
as the current Bürgermeister, Rolf-Georg Köhler,
himself: both turn 64 this year. But if anyone questioned,
“will you still need me, will you still feed me”, all doubt
was erased by the enthusiastic welcome — and excellent
buffet — provided at a packed reception in the Rathaus.
The mayor’s words on the enduring importance of
international friendship were echoed by his Cheltenham
counterpart, Duncan Smith, who reflected on “how we
could so easily have gone our own separate ways in
1945”, before praising the amity and unity twinning had
brought.
An ensemble of nine CSO string players
performed extracts from suites by Grieg and
Cheltenham’s own Holst at this event before the
orchestra boarded a bus for the nearby town of Dransfeld,
venue for our first full concert. The performance drew
rapturous applause from the audience and an appreciative
review in the local press.
The following day, during an intense rehearsal of
Sibelius’s second symphony in Göttingen’s lofty
Johanniskirche, conductor David Curtis was mystified by
the silence from the bassoon section where there should
have been a bassoon solo. An investigation by Peter Kerr
revealed the squeaky “silence” to be caused by a cleaning
brush stuck down one of the instruments, earning second
bassoon Katie McClure the nickname, “Basil”. Boom!
Boom!
There were no such problems for Rachel
Howgego who gave the first of two captivating
performances of Elgar’s Cello Concerto. “The maestro”
was clearly delighted, describing it afterwards as
“beautifully moving and poetic with some outstanding
supportive playing from the orchestra”.
Down time was spent sightseeing, cycling,
walking and swimming. But a social highlight of the trip
was a party thrown for the Cheltenham contingent at a
nearby lake – Kiessee. In a terrific display of versatility
John Stillman, Chris O’Riordan and Phil Cowley
produced a cracking jazz set. Rachel, guesting on vocals,
was utterly transformed from seraph to siren as she stood
in her sauciest heels to deliver numbers such as Black
Coffee and the Girl from Ipanema.
In the true spirit of reciprocity, the CSO jazz
combo was followed by Rathausrocker, an unlikely band
of civil servants from the town hall who filled the dancefloor with irresistible covers of the Rolling Stones, the
Who and Pink Floyd — the latter revealing chairman
David Banks to be the man with all the best moves.
From
Göttingen,
CSO
headed
for
Mönchengladbach, pausing for lunch en route at Kassel’s
famous monument to Hercules, which stands above a
dramatic mile-long waterfall. The gods, clearly
displeased with the mere 92,000 gallons of water
unleashed for this display, turned on the rain taps too. So
we all steamed somewhat in the coach after our
excursion, on to the tour’s final destination.
Ben Lewis (violin), whose maternal family hail
from Mönchengladbach, had gone out on a limb in
proposing this part of the tour but he had arranged the
perfect finale. Stephan Dedring, pastor of the wonderful
Evangelische Hauptkirche, could not have been a more
welcoming host, explaining how “communion” sat at the
heart of the design for his Jugendstil church. This feeling
transposed into the concert, with the critic from
Rheinische Post calling it an “astonishing performance”
and praising Rachel’s “sovereign virtuosity.”
In fact, Rachel announced at the after-party that
this had been the last time she would play the Elgar. It
added poignancy to the privilege of accompanying her
for this concerto and we were glad not to have known of
her decision in advance.
The concert and tour ended with Sibelius’
Second Symphony, which for our conductor was a
“musical highlight of the tour.” David said: “It was great
playing but more important than that we made music. To
quote Miro: ‘The spirit is everything’. This performance
really captured the spirit of the music and your passion
clearly reached and touched those listening. It was a
privilege to be part of this performance with you, sharing
such great music with the orchestra and our audience.”
Final concert – in the magnificent church at Mönchengladbach
Our only regret was that some regular CSO
members had not been with us on this tour but we forged
new friendships among local audiences, and especially
with guest musicians, including the three German brass
players, arranged by Dave Todd, who travelled many
hours each concert day just to rehearse and perform with
us.
At last Andy Murton counted us safely on to the
plane at Düsseldorf. Perhaps it was the music-making,
perhaps it was the camaraderie, or maybe some fairy-dust
left behind by the Brothers Grimm (both professors in
Göttingen) had attached itself to our excursion, but more
than once we heard the tour summed up in a single word:
“magical”.
Lis Ribbans (cello) and Michael St John (viola)
Forthcoming concerts
Saturday October 17th Pershore Abbey at 7.30p.m.
Concert in support of FOAG (www.foag.org)
Smetana: Overture: The Bartered Bride
Mozart: Clarinet concerto in A K622 (Soloist: Sally
Harrop)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 Op. 67
Saturday November 28th 7.30p.m. Town Hall,
Cheltenham
Verdi: Overture: The Force of Destiny
Brahms: Piano concerto No. 2 in B flat (Soloist: Peter
Donohoe)
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D minor Op. 47
For more information and details of future concerts, see
our website: www.cheltenhamsymphonyorchestra.info
www.facebook.com/cheltenhamsymphonyorchestra
If you enjoy our concerts, why not persuade your friends
to become Friends?
Editor of Newsletter and Secretary of Friends:
Michael St. John Tel: 01285 651463 Email:
mikestjohn@cotspur60.freeserve.co.uk