Mozart, The Bird Catcher Aria from the Magic Flute,
Soloist Robert Clark
Papageno appears, arrayed entirely in bird feathers. He sings of his job as a bird catcher and
the fact that he is longing for a wife, or, at least, a girlfriend (Aria: "Der Vogelfänger bin ich
ja").
Mozart, The Queen of the Night Aria from the Magic flute, Soloist Michelle Martin
The Queen of the Night appears, she wakes Pamina and gives her a dagger, ordering her to
kill Sarastro with it. (Aria: "Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen" / "Hell's vengeance
boileth in mine heart").
Mozart, Violin Concerto No 5,
Allegro Aperto - Adagio - Allegro Aperto
Soloist Tamsin Waley-Cohen
Adagio
Rondo - Tempo di Minuetto
The aperto marking on the first movement is more common in Mozart’s operatic music and
is quite rare in his other compositions. The scale of this concerto is greater than the other 4
violin concertos and its highly dramatic content suggest an opera rather than a show piece for
the violin. After an initial statement by the orchestra the soloist enters with an adagio
passage accompanied by the orchestra. There then follows glorious interplay between soloist
and orchestra which is truly majestic in character. The adagio is an extended aria for the
violin in Mozart’s true operatic style. The highly original Rondo Minuetto has several
exciting Turkish sections. Overall a wonderful concerto which takes the violin concerto form
to a new level.
Tamsin Waley-Cohen. Tamsin was born in London in 1986. She became a Foundation
Scholar at the Royal College of Music where her professor was Itzhak Rashkovsky. At the
RCM she won all available awards, including, twice, the concerto competition, and was their
String Player of the Year. Numerous competition successes include winning the 2005 Royal
Overseas League String Prize, and the 2007 J&A Beare Bach competition.
Tamsin Waley-Cohen began her 2010 season with a solo violin recital in the Southbank
centre, opening the Park Lane Group series, to high critical acclaim. Described recently by
the Guardian as a performer of "fearless intensity" and by the Times as a violinist who "held
us rapt in daring and undaunted performances", she performs as a soloist with orchestras
including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of St John's, London Concert
Orchestra and London Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of the Swan, and Brighton
Philharmonic. She has played at Cadogan Hall, Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Bridgewater
Hall, Manchester, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Barbican, Liszt Academy Hall, Budapest and in
venues across the UK and Europe.
In demand as a recitalist, her partners include Huw Watkins and Simon Crawford-Philips, she
also regularly plays with cellist Gemma Rosefield, and has worked with artists such as
Andreas Haefliger, Heinz Holliger and Anssi Kartonnen. She has performed in numerous
festivals, including Cheltenham, Academia San Felice, Florence Chamber Music, The Red
Violin, The Two Moors, Stift and Presteigne and two years ago made her American debut
playing Mendelssohn Concerto in the Bowdoin Festival.
This season will see performances at Wigmore Hall and King's Place in London,
as well as concerto and chamber music concerts in Switzerland, Austria, Italy and Holland,
Germany, and Belgium.
Since 2007 Tamsin has played the 1721 ex-Fenyves Stradivarius violin.
Mahler Symphony No 4 in G Major,
Soloist Michelle Martin
First Movement:
Gemächlich (Leasurely), ‘’The World as Eternal Now.’’
Second Movement:
Scherzo, Gemächlicher Bewegung (Unhurried)
‘’Dance of Death-Friend Death is Striking up the Dance.’’
Third Movement:
Ruhevoll (Peaceful), Poco adagio, ‘’The Smile of Saint Ursula.’’
Fourth Movement:
Finale: Das himmlische Leben (The Heavenly Life)
The song cycle Des Knabenwunderhorn (The Youth’s Magic Horn) had a great influence on
the first 4 Symphonies of Mahler. In one the songs, Das irdische Leben (The Earthly Life) a
child cries out to its mother for food, but too late the bread is not baked in time and the child
dies. Das himlische Leben (The Heavenly Life) is a complete contrast, a child describes life
in heaven where all food is plentiful and everything is wonderful. Clearly this latter song was
in Mahler’s mind as he composed the first 4 of his symphonies, he first tried to include it in
No 3 but there were just too many movements. When he came to No 4 he decided to base the
entire work on Das himlische Leben and the song was used as the last movement. The first
sketches of Symphony No 4 we entitled (Humoresque), clearly a symphony based on a
child’s view of heaven was going to be very different to all of the other Mahler symphonies.
In No 4, Mahler returns to the classical symphonies of Haydn and Schubert using an
orchestra without trombones and tuba to produce his own individual parody of the classical
age.
The first movement starts with the sound of sleigh bells which leads to a violin melody rich
in figures that can be developed throughout the movement. The full power of Mahler’s
imagination then takes over to produce of tight classical structure but always the impression
of great freedom.
The solo violin in the second movement is tuned up a tone to produce a screechy, rough
sound like a street fiddle. Death comes as a friend and strikes up a dance which becomes a
mellow waltz in the trio sections.
Mahler was particularly proud of the third movement in double variation form reminiscent of
late Beethoven in the breadth of its wonderful melodies. Just towards the end the gates of
heaven open and we see the splendour that awaits us.
The Finale is the heavenly life, butcher Herod awaits the little lamb, St Luke slaughters the
ox, wine costs not a heavenly penny and angels bake the bread while St Peter looks on.
Finally there is no music on earth that compares with the heavenly voices.
Michelle Martin is a very well known singer in Leicester where she has sung Donna Anna
(Don Giovanni) and Susanna (Marriage of Figaro) for Knighton Opera as well as many other
roles for opera groups in Leicester and in London.
Robert Clark has recently performed The Count (Marriage of Figaro) and a few years ago
The Flying Dutchman for Leicester Opera along with wonderful performance of Beethoven’s
9th Symphony for the Bardi Orchestra.
A message from Mr Vladimir Ashkenazy, President Knighton Chamber
Orchestra
“It is a pleasure for me to act as President of the Knighton Chamber Orchestra. The British
tradition of community music making is unique; it contributes in no small way to keeping
music alive in this Country. I wish the KCO well in all its activities in Leicester.”
Knighton Chamber Orchestra
1st Violin
David Russell
Molly Cummins
Alan Medrow
Jenny Freeman
2nd Violin
Michael Sackin
Kate Slip
Susan Alleyne
John Wakefield
Steve Hall
Nan Ingrams
Linda Kelly
Jane Dhonau
Fiona Hunt
Flute
Dana Morgan
Jo Conquest
Oboe
Linda Backhouse
Rosie Curtis
Clarinet
Christine Taylor
Robert Calow
Bassoon
Jo Wood
Rebecca Aylmer
Viola
Stephanie Fraser
Malcolm Jones
Lindsay Calow
Gill Hadland
Horn
Mark Penny
Roz Saunders
David Hull
Julian Haslam
Cello
Anne Mee
Claire Parr
Vaux Cairns
Jenny Hand
Trumpet
Alan Tompkins
Alicia Spinks
Jef Downes
Timpani
Alex Kyte
Double Bass
David Parr