After the success of the Carlos Bonell concert, we thought things may be a little quiet for November's meeting. How wrong that turned out to be!! Considering we were up against Strictly Come Dancing, we had a creditable attendance!!
We had an excellent evening with quality solo performances and some great ensemble performance under the leadership of Rob Sellery and John Mann.
Our usual ensemble leader Ray Butcher is taking a quiet well earned rest for his long monthly journey from Enfield to Bromley to take up the baton for our ensemble practice. Indeed we were very fortunate to have Ray lead our sessions and in some respects we grew to depend on his contribution each month. Ray's indication of a desire for a break made us sit up and take note of our own resources.
And we are very fortunate to have some quality ensemble leaders among our team. Rob Sellery took us through a performance of a Sonata. He was very patient and authoritative in musical leadership and delivery. We spent some time concentrating on the dynamics of the piece which we managed to pull together very well.
John Mann also stepped up to the conductor's podium with a challenging piece Joporo by Andrew Forrest. This piece was a little more complex in its form but, under John's guidance, we managed to tie it together extremely well despite a few issues with the music notation.
Some great solo performances and duets were included- may have been inspired by Carlos Bonell last month!!
These included
Bach -Cello Gavotte No 1 (Andrew Ferrier)
Torroba -Fandanguillo (John Mann)
Ryan -Birds flew over the Spire
Brouwer-El Decameron Negro (Rob Sellery)
Sellery- Revery
Anon- Helston Floral Dance (Marion Davis)
Anon- The Rakes of Mallon
Lindsey Clark- Vals in Homage to Antonio Lauro (Jenny Wormald)
Cottam The Centaur (Trevor Pike)
Barrios Mangore Villancico De Navidas
Carulli- Et Nottorno Vince Chittenden /Larisa Lieberman)
As soon as Vince's sound pixies have rendered the music files we shall link them to the blog so you can listen for yourselves.
Update: Sound files have been added. Thanks Vince!
The Meeting was chaired (abley as ever) by our esteemed Chairman, Den Stockton who welcomed a new member David Wheeler. Den also thanked Ray and John on behalf of the group for their preparation and leadership of the ensemble performances. (I have a sneaking suspicion he was relieved to avoid having to run the ensembles himself!!) On a serious note, Den also reminded us that we need to start thinking about the Federation Guitar Societies meeting for 2012 as well as next year's Beckenham Festival. We were rather surprised about this until he reminded us that there are less than 9 meetings before the FGS event takes place....a sobering thought!! So we need to start thinking about a program!!
Special thanks to Trevor Pike for providing the refreshments!!The evening finished at 9:45pm.
Please note that the next meeting will be on December 10th (second Saturday in December)
Showing posts with label BGS Meeting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BGS Meeting. Show all posts
BGS Saturday meeting
Here we are back again ready for another vigorous pluck and strum workshop with more ensemble and solo performances….but there are some subtle changes.
The first change was a rather sneaky one……we used this meeting to host our Annual General Meeting (held over from August). In many ways it was a good thing to do as we had more input from members (nothing like having a captive audience!!!) and as a result it was much easier to canvass new ideas and at least get some reassurance in any decision making.
Denis presented his chairman’s report that outlined some of the successes and challenges we had in the 2010-2011 season. Among the highlights were the successful Federation Guitar Societies AGM by Bromley Guitar Society and the March visit from the Widmore Guitar group. Denis also paid tribute to the hard work of the executive members in his report.
Steve Pearson submitted a Treasurers report that indicated we are still travelling well financially despite the withdrawal of funding support from Bromley Arts Council due to financial cutbacks.
This is the start of a number of changes that will affect the society long term. And it’s not confined to financial viability either.
The main issue that needs to be considered is rejuvenation of support from all the members. For instance the BGS have been dependent on Ray Butcher’s outstanding leadership of the ensembles over the last couple of years. While we have been lucky to have Ray taking up the helm we cannot expect him to maintain such a high level of support. Ray (who travels from Enfield to Bromley every third Saturday in the month…a not inconsiderable feat!) has already indicated that he will not be available as often. In fact he will not be able to attend the next three meetings. Management of the ensemble side of the evening is now up to us as members!! Our first ‘Big Society’ challenge!
The executive was re-elected UN opposed which as secretary, I should be flattered. However the fact that all positions were filled by members who have been doing the same task for the last three to four years is not a healthy sign of a ‘ re juvenated’ society. Apart from the creation of a ‘Members Secretary’ post (ably filled by Shirley Russell) , the same faces are still there. While we are happy to perform the executive management tasks required by the committee, let me remind you all (as someone who has experienced the ‘joys’ of recent redundancy in the workplace) that circumstances can change dramatically and swiftly. A change in health, financial, family or employment circumstances could affect the BGS. That’s why it is important for all members to be involved in what happens to the BGS long term!
Gosh that was serious wasn’t it… Let’s leave this and get onto something more pleasant.
Carlos Bonell
Tickets are still available for the Carlos Bonell Concert. You can order tickets by downloading and completing the flyer on the blog site. If the newsletter has been delivered by post, the flyer has been enclosed
And last but by no means least here are the listing of performances
In the absence of Ray, our stirling conductor appeared in the form of Denis Stockton (David Rattle’s secret twin brother) who lead us through a range of pieces provided by himself and Dave Hampton who has been busy trawling the web for ensemble resources. This was followed by some great solos provided below
Performances
• Aria by Guiseppe Brescianello performed by Jenny Wormald. (A characteristic of Jenny’s performances is that she always chooses composers with names that are longer that the pieces she plays!!)
• ‘My Love is like a Red Red Rose’ and ‘Down by Sally Garden’ performed by Trevor Pike with a distinct Irish twinkle in his eye
• ‘A ray of light shines from my past’ original composition performed by Danny Kim in contemplative mode
• Melancolia and Cancion De Luna by Per Orlov Kindgren performed by Steve Pearson in Scandinavian mode
• Villa Lobos Prelude Number 5 and Bach performed by Miles Roberts successfully moving between Latin America and Germany in style and performance
• Carulli Nocturne Number 1 performed by Larisa Lieberman and Vince Chittenden
Click here to listen to them
Special thanks again to Trevor Pike for his work in the refreshment department! And a special thanks to Vince Chittenden for taking charge of the sound recordings
See you at the Carlos Bonell Concert on the 15th
The first change was a rather sneaky one……we used this meeting to host our Annual General Meeting (held over from August). In many ways it was a good thing to do as we had more input from members (nothing like having a captive audience!!!) and as a result it was much easier to canvass new ideas and at least get some reassurance in any decision making.
Denis presented his chairman’s report that outlined some of the successes and challenges we had in the 2010-2011 season. Among the highlights were the successful Federation Guitar Societies AGM by Bromley Guitar Society and the March visit from the Widmore Guitar group. Denis also paid tribute to the hard work of the executive members in his report.
Steve Pearson submitted a Treasurers report that indicated we are still travelling well financially despite the withdrawal of funding support from Bromley Arts Council due to financial cutbacks.
This is the start of a number of changes that will affect the society long term. And it’s not confined to financial viability either.
The main issue that needs to be considered is rejuvenation of support from all the members. For instance the BGS have been dependent on Ray Butcher’s outstanding leadership of the ensembles over the last couple of years. While we have been lucky to have Ray taking up the helm we cannot expect him to maintain such a high level of support. Ray (who travels from Enfield to Bromley every third Saturday in the month…a not inconsiderable feat!) has already indicated that he will not be available as often. In fact he will not be able to attend the next three meetings. Management of the ensemble side of the evening is now up to us as members!! Our first ‘Big Society’ challenge!
The executive was re-elected UN opposed which as secretary, I should be flattered. However the fact that all positions were filled by members who have been doing the same task for the last three to four years is not a healthy sign of a ‘ re juvenated’ society. Apart from the creation of a ‘Members Secretary’ post (ably filled by Shirley Russell) , the same faces are still there. While we are happy to perform the executive management tasks required by the committee, let me remind you all (as someone who has experienced the ‘joys’ of recent redundancy in the workplace) that circumstances can change dramatically and swiftly. A change in health, financial, family or employment circumstances could affect the BGS. That’s why it is important for all members to be involved in what happens to the BGS long term!
Gosh that was serious wasn’t it… Let’s leave this and get onto something more pleasant.
Carlos Bonell
Tickets are still available for the Carlos Bonell Concert. You can order tickets by downloading and completing the flyer on the blog site. If the newsletter has been delivered by post, the flyer has been enclosed
And last but by no means least here are the listing of performances
In the absence of Ray, our stirling conductor appeared in the form of Denis Stockton (David Rattle’s secret twin brother) who lead us through a range of pieces provided by himself and Dave Hampton who has been busy trawling the web for ensemble resources. This was followed by some great solos provided below
Performances
• Aria by Guiseppe Brescianello performed by Jenny Wormald. (A characteristic of Jenny’s performances is that she always chooses composers with names that are longer that the pieces she plays!!)
• ‘My Love is like a Red Red Rose’ and ‘Down by Sally Garden’ performed by Trevor Pike with a distinct Irish twinkle in his eye
• ‘A ray of light shines from my past’ original composition performed by Danny Kim in contemplative mode
• Melancolia and Cancion De Luna by Per Orlov Kindgren performed by Steve Pearson in Scandinavian mode
• Villa Lobos Prelude Number 5 and Bach performed by Miles Roberts successfully moving between Latin America and Germany in style and performance
• Carulli Nocturne Number 1 performed by Larisa Lieberman and Vince Chittenden
Click here to listen to them
Special thanks again to Trevor Pike for his work in the refreshment department! And a special thanks to Vince Chittenden for taking charge of the sound recordings
See you at the Carlos Bonell Concert on the 15th
Saturday May 21st Meeting
Unfortunately your correspondent was not available for the meeting of May 21st. However we have an excellent report provided by Steve Pearson which is reproduced below:
Another enjoyable and well attended meeting at St Mark's. The evening was divided into ensemble rehearsal for the FGS meeting and members solos and duets.
Ray, as usual, showed great patience with us and progress of sorts was made with both Los Palmeros and Carnavalito. As for the mass ensemble Shostakovitch pieces, the Waltz was recognisable although the March can definitely be regarded as 'work in progess'. With only one full rehearsal left before the big day could all participants put in as much practice as possible - and yes that includes me! As always a big thanks to Ray for his continued and invaluable help.
The Society would also like to extend a warm welcome to new member, Paul Yates. Paul was reluctant to get out his guitar for the first ensemble (despite the odd 'comment' from Ray) but proved later that he should have no doubts about ability. As usual members performances were varied in content - as follows;
Vince and Larrisa - La Rossignol (anon) and Interludio (Brouwer)
Vince - Prelude (Weiss)
Marion - Nostalgia (anon)
Paul - Lagrima (Tarrega) and Julia Florida (Barrios)
Tommy - Fantasia (Mudarra) and Choro De Venezuela (Page)
John - Lettre a soi-meme (Dyens) and Tango en skai (Dyens)
Special thanks to Vince for recording the performances. Click here to listen
Tommy's Choro De Venezuela was written by him and was excellent. It also meant a world premiere for St Mark's Church hall. I should also highlight Paul's performance, not many have the courage to play Julia Florida from memory at their first meeting. Finally, this review would not be complete without a special mention of John's interpretation of Dyen's Tango en Skai which was brilliant and breathtaking. I cannot imagine how much practice must be required to play this piece to this standard - well done!
Larrisa was unavoidably delayed so for a while we thought we'd be nipping off to Costa Coffee at the interval. Luckily she arrived in time to save the day. Thanks.
See you all in June
Another enjoyable and well attended meeting at St Mark's. The evening was divided into ensemble rehearsal for the FGS meeting and members solos and duets.
Ray, as usual, showed great patience with us and progress of sorts was made with both Los Palmeros and Carnavalito. As for the mass ensemble Shostakovitch pieces, the Waltz was recognisable although the March can definitely be regarded as 'work in progess'. With only one full rehearsal left before the big day could all participants put in as much practice as possible - and yes that includes me! As always a big thanks to Ray for his continued and invaluable help.
The Society would also like to extend a warm welcome to new member, Paul Yates. Paul was reluctant to get out his guitar for the first ensemble (despite the odd 'comment' from Ray) but proved later that he should have no doubts about ability. As usual members performances were varied in content - as follows;
Vince and Larrisa - La Rossignol (anon) and Interludio (Brouwer)
Vince - Prelude (Weiss)
Marion - Nostalgia (anon)
Paul - Lagrima (Tarrega) and Julia Florida (Barrios)
Tommy - Fantasia (Mudarra) and Choro De Venezuela (Page)
John - Lettre a soi-meme (Dyens) and Tango en skai (Dyens)
Special thanks to Vince for recording the performances. Click here to listen
Tommy's Choro De Venezuela was written by him and was excellent. It also meant a world premiere for St Mark's Church hall. I should also highlight Paul's performance, not many have the courage to play Julia Florida from memory at their first meeting. Finally, this review would not be complete without a special mention of John's interpretation of Dyen's Tango en Skai which was brilliant and breathtaking. I cannot imagine how much practice must be required to play this piece to this standard - well done!
Larrisa was unavoidably delayed so for a while we thought we'd be nipping off to Costa Coffee at the interval. Luckily she arrived in time to save the day. Thanks.
See you all in June
Meeting Saturday 16th April
Had a great turnout for the meeting. Tonight's meeting was a combination of ensemble practice under the baton of Maestro Ray Butcher plus some great solo performances. Special welcome to our newest members Shaun Gilmore and Liam Fitzpatrick (who both must have be wondering what they have walked into!!)
Ray pushed us all into the deep end of the pool with another hearty burst at Los Palmeros- which saw Den banished to the back of the room all in the aid of acoustics balance and I stress NOT for any behaviour misdemeanour...well if there was I certainly didn't see it!! Seriously I think we will have a pretty good handle on Los Palmeros well in time for the FGS Meeting. Our second piece Carnavalito is also showing signs of great promise- all we have to do now is concentrate on starting and finishing on time!!
Ray also introduced us to Cornlieus's arrangements of Shostokovich's March and Waltz. The waltz arrangement I liked- mainly because I recognised the tune!! The March???? Hmmmm- well at least we have May and June in order to get to grips- Gulp!! Only two more meetings!!!???!!
The solo performances were up to the usual high standard. The following performances were provided
Siciliana (Messioner) performed by Jenny Wormald
Packington's Pound (Anon) performed by Liam Fitzpatrick
My Lord Willoughby's Welcome Home (Dowland) performed by Larisa Lieberman and Vince Chittenden
Minuet in D Minor (De Visee) and Waltz in D (Tarrega) performed by Steve Pearson
Study in A (Tarrega) performed by Freddy Carvalho
Confused Mind (Kim) performed by Danny Kim
I Dream of You (Per Orlov Kindgren) performed by your correspondent.
As soon as Vince sorts out the sound pixies you will be able to listen to the pieces online.
Update
Here are the soundfiles (Cheers Vince)
In his relentless drive to ensure that we look at least like a cohesive unit, Ray took a leaf out of Captain Mainwaring's book and made us practice the gentle art of bowing to the audience. Stand 1-2-3 Bow 1-2-3 Site 1-2-3. Unfortunately our response was more Corporal Jones ....still two more sessions to go so we get it right!!
We missed Trevor but his role as quarter master was well and truly handled by Larisa for which we were very grateful (as always).
See you back in May!!
Ray pushed us all into the deep end of the pool with another hearty burst at Los Palmeros- which saw Den banished to the back of the room all in the aid of acoustics balance and I stress NOT for any behaviour misdemeanour...well if there was I certainly didn't see it!! Seriously I think we will have a pretty good handle on Los Palmeros well in time for the FGS Meeting. Our second piece Carnavalito is also showing signs of great promise- all we have to do now is concentrate on starting and finishing on time!!
Ray also introduced us to Cornlieus's arrangements of Shostokovich's March and Waltz. The waltz arrangement I liked- mainly because I recognised the tune!! The March???? Hmmmm- well at least we have May and June in order to get to grips- Gulp!! Only two more meetings!!!???!!
The solo performances were up to the usual high standard. The following performances were provided
Siciliana (Messioner) performed by Jenny Wormald
Packington's Pound (Anon) performed by Liam Fitzpatrick
My Lord Willoughby's Welcome Home (Dowland) performed by Larisa Lieberman and Vince Chittenden
Minuet in D Minor (De Visee) and Waltz in D (Tarrega) performed by Steve Pearson
Study in A (Tarrega) performed by Freddy Carvalho
Confused Mind (Kim) performed by Danny Kim
I Dream of You (Per Orlov Kindgren) performed by your correspondent.
As soon as Vince sorts out the sound pixies you will be able to listen to the pieces online.
Update
Here are the soundfiles (Cheers Vince)
In his relentless drive to ensure that we look at least like a cohesive unit, Ray took a leaf out of Captain Mainwaring's book and made us practice the gentle art of bowing to the audience. Stand 1-2-3 Bow 1-2-3 Site 1-2-3. Unfortunately our response was more Corporal Jones ....still two more sessions to go so we get it right!!
We missed Trevor but his role as quarter master was well and truly handled by Larisa for which we were very grateful (as always).
See you back in May!!
BGS Meeting: Saturday 15th January
Hi Folks
Just a quick catch up on the news front.
After a bout of confusion regarding dates for this event which I can only put down to the snow, influenza, travel back to Australia, jet lag and probably excess drink (the latter the more obvious cause!!), the BGS managed to roll out a meeting for the correct date!!
Your correspondent wasn't on hand unfortunately for the event as he was suffering a bad case of jet lag but I understand from Shirley and Den that the meeting was a great success!!
The meeting was well attended with Ray keeping all the troops on task with our performance of Lo Palmeros (and Ray I HAVE been practising and I can almost play the whole thing! Well.... almost!!
Some great solos were performed including
Marion played Cubana by Patrick Benham
Freddy played L'Oiseau by Philips
Danny Kim played September by Robin Pearson
Vince Chittenden played Milonga Maximo by Diego Pujol
Ron performed Rondo by Carulli
Trevor performed Villancio de Navidad by Barrios
John performed Su Cosa by Alfonso Montes
Just a quick catch up on the news front.
After a bout of confusion regarding dates for this event which I can only put down to the snow, influenza, travel back to Australia, jet lag and probably excess drink (the latter the more obvious cause!!), the BGS managed to roll out a meeting for the correct date!!
Your correspondent wasn't on hand unfortunately for the event as he was suffering a bad case of jet lag but I understand from Shirley and Den that the meeting was a great success!!
The meeting was well attended with Ray keeping all the troops on task with our performance of Lo Palmeros (and Ray I HAVE been practising and I can almost play the whole thing! Well.... almost!!
Some great solos were performed including
Marion played Cubana by Patrick Benham
Freddy played L'Oiseau by Philips
Danny Kim played September by Robin Pearson
Vince Chittenden played Milonga Maximo by Diego Pujol
Ron performed Rondo by Carulli
Trevor performed Villancio de Navidad by Barrios
John performed Su Cosa by Alfonso Montes
Update
Make sure that you have pencilled in the following information in your 2011 diaries! Bromley will be hosting the Federation Guitar Societies meeting at Hawes Down Junior School on Sunday 26h June 2011. More information about the event will be forthcoming- Watch this space!!
December Meeting 2010
Well, what have we here? Who is that jolly chap in the gold hat?Is it Good King Wenceslas conferring with his faithful chamberlain? Or Catweazle with his familiar Touchwood? Or Saint Nick (not Old Nick) spreading gifts to one and all?
Actually you would be close if you went for the latter. It is none other than our favourite ensemble leader Ray Butcher sharing a few Christmas jokes with our chairman Denis Stockton.
Like St Nick, Ray came prepared with Ensemble gifts for the rest of us including Carnavalito and Los Palmeros which the BGS will be performing for next years Federation Guitar Society Meeting, which will be hosted by the BGS. (Keep visiting the blog site for more news about the event. Keep late June 2011 free in your diaries!!)
As it was our final meeting for 2010, we marked the occasion with a Christmas party spread. The port was flowing freely as you may judge when you listen to some of the solo performances enclosed.
The solo program included the following
Irish Folk Songs
The Belle of Barking Creek
I'd wish they'd do it now
Both performed by Trevor Pike (and I suspect the latter song really came from the heart!!:)
The second performance saw a return to Christmas theme with a rendition of Silent Night and Joy to the World performed as a guitar duet by Trevor Pike and Larissa Liebermann.
This was followed with a piece performed by Vince Chittenden called Milongue del Ayer by Abel Fleury.
And finally a delightful rendition of Pachabel's Canon in D performed by Steve Pearson
It was a very Merry Christmas turnout for the BGS and special thanks should go to our Chairperson Den Stockton, Ray Butcher and our BGS Quartermaster Trevor Pike for their efforts. God Bless us all and Tiny Tim!!
On behalf of the BGS let me wish all members a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for 2011!
Update
If any one found a black scarf/headband on Saturday night, please let Larissa Lieberman know as it belongs to her?
November 20th Meeting
I have just finished frantically searching through my sheet music, along with other odds and ends from my BGS Music Bag to find my notes from the last meeting. As it contains all the notes on the solos and performers it was just as well! However I have found them and hopefully my nearest and dearest will overlook the paper chaos left on the carpet (no such luck!!) while I complete the meeting report.Bromley in November!! It was a very cold evening so we weren't really surprised to see an Eskimo appearing at the door with a large guitar (didn't have my camera quite ready...Damn!!) Lo and behold it was our BGS 'chair', Denis doing his impression of Earnest Shackleton.
We were all very pleased to welcome our favourite Enfield maestro, Ray Butcher back from his holidays in the Emerald Ilse. As a present for us all, he brought back more tricky and challenging ensemble performance pieces for us all!! We started the evening with a warm up with a piece called the Mermaid which lulled us all into a false sense of security. Then he sprung Ian Gammie's Los Palmeros on us all. Our new piece for next year's Federation Meeting!! With your correspondent on Guitar 1!! It is a delightful piece and I can only say how glad I am that we have about eight months to get it sorted!! (As soon as this report is done I will need to get back to the piece and practice!!!)
Obviously word had got around that Ray was attending as we had a very strong turnout that evening with a varied range of solo performances. These included
- Trilogy -Entracte, Chorale, Pastourella- by (Peter Nuttall) performed by Marion Davies.
- Siciliana (Messioner) and Bouree (Grafbergen) performed by Jenny Wormald.
- My Dream of You composed and performed by Danny Kim.
- Duet (Carulli and Handel) performed by Larissa Lieberman and Trevor Pike.
- Moon River performed by Trevor Pike.
- Why (Per Olov Kindgren) and Sonata (Domenico Cimmarosa) performed by Steve Pearson
- Passacaglia from the Levantine Suite (Bogdanovich) performed by Andrew Ferrier
- Le quartier Latin (from Le Tango parisienne) by Lee Sollory and Fantaisie by Sylvius Leopold Weiss performed by John Mann
- Asturias (Ibeniz) performed by Tom Page
- Castles of Spain :Manzanares el Real, Siguenza, Torija, and Turegano (Torroba) performed by Rob Sellery
Click here to listen to them (Thanks to Vince Chittenden for the link)
We were all very glad to see Shirley Russell back with us after her spell in hospital. Not even Ray's fiendish ensemble pieces could discourage her!! Which indicates that she is well and truly on the mend!!
Special thanks to Ray Butcher for the work an preparation on the ensemble part of the evening. And to Denis for his role as MC for the night. And to Trevor Pike for his work on the refreshment front!
See you all in December for Christmas
Meeting Saturday October 16th
Your correspondent learnt many things about himself at this meeting. His skills in multi-tasking (some unkind people such as his nearest and dearest would refer to it as 'floundering') reached new heights (or plummeted new depths) as he took on the role of Master of Ceremonies, Ensemble Leader, Refreshment provider for the evening.
However thanks to the patience and good will of those members who joined us, especially the timely assistance of Christina Dabrowa and John Mann with the ensembles, we managed to have a great evening. It was a small but nevertheless dedicated group who arrived!
We revisited some of the pieces played at the Federation meeting with a brave attempt at Valse Venezuelienne which didn't sound too bad, thanks to John taking the lead with it.
After a coffee break we launched into some great solo performances which included the following
Peter Nuttall's Nightpieces performed by Marion Davies
Weiss ' Passacaglia' performed by Dave Hampton
Dowlands 'Lord Zouches Masque' performed by Derek Carter
Weiss 'Fantasie' performed by John Mann
A performance of Pernambucos' Sounds of Bells, Tarrega's 'Tango' and Figueredo's Priva Resuello performed by Rob Sellery
Louise Walker's Ein Kleine Romanz' performed by Christina Dabrowa
And a Brouwer piece performed by Larissa Liebermann. (Sorry Larissa- I mislaid the name of the piece!)
(Your correspondent managed to murder Bogdanovich's Passacaglia which STILL continues to remains a work in progress!!)
It was a great evening and we all look forward to a return to normality in November when Ray Butcher returns from his Irish travels. And the other good news is that we gained a new member- Welcome to Ron Eaves from Sidcup!! We look forward to seeing you at the next meeting in November.
The not so good news is that I (or should I say the BGS Committee) owes Dave Hampton ten quid!!!
However thanks to the patience and good will of those members who joined us, especially the timely assistance of Christina Dabrowa and John Mann with the ensembles, we managed to have a great evening. It was a small but nevertheless dedicated group who arrived!
We revisited some of the pieces played at the Federation meeting with a brave attempt at Valse Venezuelienne which didn't sound too bad, thanks to John taking the lead with it.
After a coffee break we launched into some great solo performances which included the following
Peter Nuttall's Nightpieces performed by Marion Davies
Weiss ' Passacaglia' performed by Dave Hampton
Dowlands 'Lord Zouches Masque' performed by Derek Carter
Weiss 'Fantasie' performed by John Mann
A performance of Pernambucos' Sounds of Bells, Tarrega's 'Tango' and Figueredo's Priva Resuello performed by Rob Sellery
Louise Walker's Ein Kleine Romanz' performed by Christina Dabrowa
And a Brouwer piece performed by Larissa Liebermann. (Sorry Larissa- I mislaid the name of the piece!)
(Your correspondent managed to murder Bogdanovich's Passacaglia which STILL continues to remains a work in progress!!)
It was a great evening and we all look forward to a return to normality in November when Ray Butcher returns from his Irish travels. And the other good news is that we gained a new member- Welcome to Ron Eaves from Sidcup!! We look forward to seeing you at the next meeting in November.
The not so good news is that I (or should I say the BGS Committee) owes Dave Hampton ten quid!!!
September 18th Gary Ryan Masterclass
We had a great turn out for the third Gary Ryan Master Class Event last Saturday night! Delegates for the event included Jenny Wormald, Danny Kim and Rob Sellery. As you can see our resident waiter appeared to welcome everyone to the evening!!Jenny started the evening with a great performance of the Siciliana by Messionier which Gary deconstructed and reconstructed with a great deal of humour and sensitivity. Jean Antoine Meissonnier a famous guitarist, was one of many music publishers who established a business in Paris in the early years of the nineteenth century. He was also on nodding terms with Carrulli and Fernando Sor. (We could speculate whether he was on nodding terms with Jenny although I have been brought up to understand that it is bad manners to ask a lady about her age!!). I couldn't find any more information about this composer so if any one out there in virtual BGS land has some information about the Siciliana to share I would be obliged.
Rob Sellery performed an intriguing, rather sinister piece called the Usher Waltz by Nikita Koshkin which placed high demands on the performer's skill. In his introduction Rob stated that the composer was influenced by the Edgar Allen Poe's story of the Fall of the House of Usher. The rather dark tones of the piece were definitely in keeping with mood of the story.
Wikipedia describes the piece as "Cast in a single movement, it is a motoric waltz whose careering harmonic progression around A minor threatens, and ultimately succeeds, in tearing the music apart. Its climax is an extraordinarily effective sequence of pounded right-hand chords, 'Bartok pizzicato' (where the strings are deliberately snapped back against the fingerboard), and then ghostly harmonics. Like much of Koshkin's work it has an immediate appeal to a wide audience who are both astonished at the visceral impact of the piece, and at the range of sounds coaxed from the guitar, which sounds "bigger than it really is" "
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikita_Koshkin
Finally, Danny Kim performed 'Evocacion' by Juan Luis Merlin. The piece was delightful and we were amazed to learn that Danny based his performance on a tablature arrangement. Gary's comments on this led to some interesting insights about the merits and demerits of using tablature for Classical guitar. It could be argued that while tabs are useful in demonstrating where fingering should be applied they can be limited in trying to convey important information to the performer about technique and dynamics. Yet this doesn't appear to affect performances by lutenists. What do you think?
It was another great evening full of good humour as well as being instructive to us all. Denis summed up the evening well when he said that he always learns something new about the guitar and performance technique whenever Gary runs one of these classes.
Special thanks should go to Denis for organising the evening and supporting the ensemble session earlier prior to Gary's arrival. And to Trevor for keeping us all fed and watered during the break.
See you all in October!!
Federation Meeting July 18th
After a frantic but good humoured rehearsal on Saturday at St Marks (where Ray made a fashion statement by turning up to conduct the ensemble in shorts!!) all our hard work finally paid off at the FGS 'Big Gig' day on Sunday! No photo of Ray in his shorts though--women and children might be viewing this site!!
Special thanks to all BGS members who contributed to our orchestral offering. You can see them below hard at it with Signor Scarlattis Sonata.
The Federation Day was a great success despite the closures of the Blackwall tunnel and the curious attempts by the road maintenance at Enfield Council, who obviously so loved our performances that they were not prepared to let us leave ...at least that is the only explanation I can come up with for the traffic congestion. Mind you it was just as bad at Dartford!!!
Still, despite those minor mishaps, it was a fantastic day and on behalf of all the Bromley Members I would like to thank Ray and his team at Enfield for organising the venue and the catering. I would also like to pay tribute to Cornelius Bruinsma's stewardship (and patience) in leading the mixed performance of all the FGS members- this was no mean feat! Cornelius did a great job in preparing us to tackle a few rather complex pieces such as the Valse Venezualean and a particularly tricky Canzon which for some members came as a bit of a surprise!! (Especially for your correspondent who only looked at it the night beforehand!!!).
I would also like to pay special tribute to the work that Ray Butcher put into getting us all ready for the event. The lengthy trip to Enfield and back yesterday reminded us all what a journey Ray makes every month to visit the BGS to cajole and encourage us to perfect our ensemble technique. His efforts are much appreciated by us all!
It was terrific to catch up with all the other Guitar Society Members yesterday and we look forward to seeing them again in 2011 when Bromley (and I can't believe that I am actually typing this, so I will say it again)...when BROMLEY BGS will be the host for the the Federation Meeting . Still we have time to sort out a few minor matters such as venues and catering- but I am aware that with Enfield GS we have a pretty big act to follow!
Keep the third week of June free in your diaries for 2011!!
Special thanks to all BGS members who contributed to our orchestral offering. You can see them below hard at it with Signor Scarlattis Sonata.
The Federation Day was a great success despite the closures of the Blackwall tunnel and the curious attempts by the road maintenance at Enfield Council, who obviously so loved our performances that they were not prepared to let us leave ...at least that is the only explanation I can come up with for the traffic congestion. Mind you it was just as bad at Dartford!!!
Still, despite those minor mishaps, it was a fantastic day and on behalf of all the Bromley Members I would like to thank Ray and his team at Enfield for organising the venue and the catering. I would also like to pay tribute to Cornelius Bruinsma's stewardship (and patience) in leading the mixed performance of all the FGS members- this was no mean feat! Cornelius did a great job in preparing us to tackle a few rather complex pieces such as the Valse Venezualean and a particularly tricky Canzon which for some members came as a bit of a surprise!! (Especially for your correspondent who only looked at it the night beforehand!!!).
I would also like to pay special tribute to the work that Ray Butcher put into getting us all ready for the event. The lengthy trip to Enfield and back yesterday reminded us all what a journey Ray makes every month to visit the BGS to cajole and encourage us to perfect our ensemble technique. His efforts are much appreciated by us all!
It was terrific to catch up with all the other Guitar Society Members yesterday and we look forward to seeing them again in 2011 when Bromley (and I can't believe that I am actually typing this, so I will say it again)...when BROMLEY BGS will be the host for the the Federation Meeting . Still we have time to sort out a few minor matters such as venues and catering- but I am aware that with Enfield GS we have a pretty big act to follow!
Keep the third week of June free in your diaries for 2011!!
Saturday Meeting June 19th
We had a great turnout on Saturday. With the lead up to the Enfield visit plus the performance from Gary Ryan's students, Manus Noble and Jadran Duncomb we had many players, members and visitors on deck. We also welcomed a new visitor, Ash, who we hope will become a regular .
The only person 'missing in action' was our esteemed chairman who was no doubt enjoying the 'delights' of the continent (and driving poor Theresa to near distraction in the process!!)
We gave Signor Scarlatti's Sonata in D another workout and we are confident that we will give a stellar performance in July!! Timing is everything!!
Ensemble performers include
Tom Page (Guitar 1)
John Mann (Guitar 1)
Nick Bell (Guitar 1)
Andrew Ferrier (Guitar 2)
Jenny Wormald (Guitar 2)
Dave Hampton (Guitar 2)
Shirley Russell (Guitar 2)
Larisa Lieberman (Guitar 3)
Trevor Pike (Guitar 3)
Denis Stockton (Guitar 3 )
Stephen Pearson (Guitar 4)
Vince Chittenden (Guitar 4)
Christine Dabowa (Guitar 4)
An orchestra indeed!!
We have the chance for a final rehearsal on Saturday 17th of July at St Marks. For those members who require transport, Steve, Shirley and I will be organising a car pool to transfer members from Bromley to Enfield. We will be leaving from St Marks at 8:30am on Sunday 18th. More information will be available at the Meeting on the 17th! If you require transport please email me at aferrier.305@lgflmail.org or email Shirley at shirley@therussells.eu
For more information and the program about the Federation Guitar Societies Meeting click here.
Student Performance
To break up the evening we were entertained to an outstanding performance by young, talented performers Manus Noble and Jadran Duncomb. A visit to their web site will confirm the experiences and achievements already made by these students. Definitely worth watching!!
For those who missed the meeting you can catch up with a few excerpts care of BGS TV below.
Here is Jadran performing a Schubert Lieder
And it was great to welcome Manus Noble back to Bromley. Here he is performing Yocoh's Sakura
Wealden Guitar Society Visit
It was a real smorgesbjord for the astute pluck and strummers out there!! The night's session began with the BGS practice of the Scarlatti Sonata under the gentle baton of Ray 'Don't Mess Me About' Butcher!!
While the turnout was quite good , we seeme to be missing some of the big hitters for Guitar 1 section of the Sonata which left poor Tom Page to carry the can for us all. (Which he did superbly). Unfortunately the speed issue was a problem with the result that I copped a musical 'speeding ticket' from the conductor for going too fast. I will have to spend more time between now and June in the slow lane with my metronome as punishment.
On the whole despite these few setbacks, the piece is coming on. However we will need the AWOL members of Guitar part 1 to be present next month (and more importantly) in July 18th when the Federation of Guitar Societies meets once more at Enfield. Ray has indicated that this time thre will be a small charge of £8 to cover costs for refreshments and other incidentals. Please note that more details about the Federation Meeting will be appear later on the blog site and in the BGS newsletter......as soon as I hear from Ray!! In the meantime keep watching this space!
The Wealden Guitar Society joined us later on inthe evening and presented a wonderful program of solos and ensembles. Special thanks to Ray Love and his team for providing such a great program for us all. There were some delightful pieces performed , much of which I captured on video (as you can see below)
Listen to this delightful version of Simone Molinaro's 'Passamezzo' performed by Eileen and Shalom Cohen.
Absolutely wonderful!!!
While the turnout was quite good , we seeme to be missing some of the big hitters for Guitar 1 section of the Sonata which left poor Tom Page to carry the can for us all. (Which he did superbly). Unfortunately the speed issue was a problem with the result that I copped a musical 'speeding ticket' from the conductor for going too fast. I will have to spend more time between now and June in the slow lane with my metronome as punishment.
On the whole despite these few setbacks, the piece is coming on. However we will need the AWOL members of Guitar part 1 to be present next month (and more importantly) in July 18th when the Federation of Guitar Societies meets once more at Enfield. Ray has indicated that this time thre will be a small charge of £8 to cover costs for refreshments and other incidentals. Please note that more details about the Federation Meeting will be appear later on the blog site and in the BGS newsletter......as soon as I hear from Ray!! In the meantime keep watching this space!
The Wealden Guitar Society joined us later on inthe evening and presented a wonderful program of solos and ensembles. Special thanks to Ray Love and his team for providing such a great program for us all. There were some delightful pieces performed , much of which I captured on video (as you can see below)
Listen to this delightful version of Simone Molinaro's 'Passamezzo' performed by Eileen and Shalom Cohen.
Absolutely wonderful!!!
BGS Meeting March 20th
Unfortunately I missed the March 20th Meeting but I am indebted to our chairman for taking the appropriate notes. The Widmore Consort provided another great performance
Here they are...(Thanks again Denis!)
Only eight members turned up to the March meeting, a somewhat disappointing turnout.
We welcomed Larisa Lieberman, who was making her first visit and enjoyed taking a full part in the ensemble rehearsal. We do hope that she will consider joining BGS at some future date.
Your Chairman was feeling somewhat poorly, so asked John Mann to run the ensemble session, which he did extremely well and produced very good results. We rehearsed the Scarlatti Sonata to a standard which I think would please Ray Butcher.
Before the coffee break, Garth Pinkney, from The Widmore Ensemble, requested an opportunity to play two of his Grade Six pieces, as part of the preparations for his imminent grade examination. The chosen pieces were “Vals” by Jose Ferrer, and “The Wind of Change” by Lee Sollory.
Tom Page then played “Danza Brazilera” by Jorge Morel.
After the coffee break, we were entertained for half an hour by The Widmore Ensemble, directed by our Society’s sole surviving founder member, Paul Brown.
The chosen programme was:-
Canon J Pachelbel
2nd Act Tune from The Island Princess J Clarke
Spring – 1st movement from The Four Seasons A Vivaldi
Spanish Folk Song Suite (four pieces) arr. D. Burden
A Time For Us (from Romeo and Juliet) N. Rota
Michael Jackson Medley Jackson / Krohn
Here they are...(Thanks again Denis!)
Only eight members turned up to the March meeting, a somewhat disappointing turnout.
We welcomed Larisa Lieberman, who was making her first visit and enjoyed taking a full part in the ensemble rehearsal. We do hope that she will consider joining BGS at some future date.
Your Chairman was feeling somewhat poorly, so asked John Mann to run the ensemble session, which he did extremely well and produced very good results. We rehearsed the Scarlatti Sonata to a standard which I think would please Ray Butcher.
Before the coffee break, Garth Pinkney, from The Widmore Ensemble, requested an opportunity to play two of his Grade Six pieces, as part of the preparations for his imminent grade examination. The chosen pieces were “Vals” by Jose Ferrer, and “The Wind of Change” by Lee Sollory.
Tom Page then played “Danza Brazilera” by Jorge Morel.
After the coffee break, we were entertained for half an hour by The Widmore Ensemble, directed by our Society’s sole surviving founder member, Paul Brown.
The chosen programme was:-
Canon J Pachelbel
2nd Act Tune from The Island Princess J Clarke
Spring – 1st movement from The Four Seasons A Vivaldi
Spanish Folk Song Suite (four pieces) arr. D. Burden
A Time For Us (from Romeo and Juliet) N. Rota
Michael Jackson Medley Jackson / Krohn
Meeting February 20th
Another great turnout on Saturday with some cracker solos along with a pretty decent stab at Senor Scarlatti's Sonatina for Four Guitars in D.
Under the capable baton of Maestro Butcher Esq the piece manages to actually take form and shape. We are now at the stage of playing it adagio although much to our dismay, Ray pointed out that the tempo has to be quick....very quick!! This wasn't helped by our initial 'starts' and 'finishes' in which the poor old Sonatina resembled the main event at the Grand National with the speed getting faster and faster towards the finish, despite our conductor's best efforts to keep the reins in. A friend of mine who indulges in horse riding once commented that her horse always picks up speed when she is riding back to the stable. That's because the stable means
1. dismounting of the rider
2. a rub down
3. a full belly of hay
Our playing seems to share similar traits when we get to the homestretch of the Sonatina although in our case the sanctuary of the 'stable' for us in a cup of coffee and a biscuit from Trevor!! No rub down or a full belly of hay though...oh well!!
After a break we went straight for the solos.
Hoo Roo!
Under the capable baton of Maestro Butcher Esq the piece manages to actually take form and shape. We are now at the stage of playing it adagio although much to our dismay, Ray pointed out that the tempo has to be quick....very quick!! This wasn't helped by our initial 'starts' and 'finishes' in which the poor old Sonatina resembled the main event at the Grand National with the speed getting faster and faster towards the finish, despite our conductor's best efforts to keep the reins in. A friend of mine who indulges in horse riding once commented that her horse always picks up speed when she is riding back to the stable. That's because the stable means
1. dismounting of the rider
2. a rub down
3. a full belly of hay
Our playing seems to share similar traits when we get to the homestretch of the Sonatina although in our case the sanctuary of the 'stable' for us in a cup of coffee and a biscuit from Trevor!! No rub down or a full belly of hay though...oh well!!
After a break we went straight for the solos.
- Bagatelle 2 (William Walton) played by John Mann
- Sunburst (York)played by Will Punter
- Mertz's Nocturne (Kaspar Mertz) played by Trevor Pike
- Levantine Suite (Dusan Bogdanovich) played by Andrew Ferrier
- Prelude
- Dance
- Cantilena
- Postlude
- Preludio Triston (Pujol Maximo Diego) played by Miles Roberts
- Fandanguillo (Suite Castellana) [Moreno-torroba, Federico] played by Miles Roberts
- Senhorinha (Guinga) played by Steve Pearson
Click here to listen. Special thanks to all who contributed. And to Vince Chittenden for his excellent recording of the pieces
Thanks again to Ray Butcher for his leadership of the ensembles (and yes Ray...we'll promise to keep practicing!!) Thanks also to Denis for acting as MC for the evening and to Trevor for organising the refreshments!
Don't forget to contact Shirley so you can reserve your place for the Nora Buschmann Concert in April!
We have a video of the Scarlatti piece which shows how it SHOULD be performed. Click here to see for yourselves. (Thanks Dave for the link)......we have some serious work to do...!
Keep up the practice! Your correspondent will be missing out on the next meeting as he will be in Australia for three weeks. In the mean time Den and Steve will keep me updated. I'll bring you back a jar of vegemite if you are all good.....or two jars if you are not!!Hoo Roo!
Meeting Saturday January 16th
An absolutely great turn out that evening with a few new faces as well as some past friends returning. That's just what we are at the BGS!! One big happy family!!
Our musical paterfamilias, Ray Butcher, was on hand to lead us through the dreaded intricacies of Scarlattis Sonata in D for 4 guitars which we bravely blundered our way through. Still some harmony is starting to emerge- a feat that has been considerably improved since I cheated and swapped my piece from Guitar 1 to Guitar 2, thus saving myself a heap of embarrassment from battling 'at the deep end' of the guitar pool with the higher frets! Don't tell Ray!!! Special thanks to Shirley for organising the copies of all the parts.
We'll need to get cracking on this for the Federation Guitar Socities meeting at Southhampton (which now may be taking place in September)
A great round of solos as well. Vince has recorded them and will add them to the web site ASAP.
Only one slight snag...the paper I used to note the names of the pieces and players has gone missing so I you are reading this blog AND you performed a solo at the meeting please email me the name of the piece!! (aferrier.305@lgflmail.org )
UPDATE:
Christine Dabrowa played Sons De Carilhoes By Joao Pernambuco, 1883. (Without a G and T before hand for which she is very proud!!)
John Mann played Villancico de Navidad by Barrios.
BGS Concert Update
On a more positive front, ticket forms for Nora Buschmann's concert are now available on the blog site and will be sent out with the BGS newsletter. Get in quick with your booking as this looks like it will be a cracker of a concert!
On a more positive front, ticket forms for Nora Buschmann's concert are now available on the blog site and will be sent out with the BGS newsletter. Get in quick with your booking as this looks like it will be a cracker of a concert!
UPDATE 2:
Thanks to Vince Chittenden
In the absence of Trevor, our Chairman did an absolutely outstanding stint in the refreshments area, making sure that we were all fed and watered. He has our appreciation and thanks! And thanks to Steve for getting the hall prepared (and being generously forgiving when I arrived too late to assist!!)
Christmas Crackers at the Bromley Guitar Society
Ahh! That time of the year....December and all the joys and stress of dealing with Christmas!!
Fortunately for the BGS Members there was time to escape from the shopping rituals to spend a jolly Saturday evening at St Marks getting right into the Christmas Spirit....amply supported by a great buffet courtesy of the members.
Fortunately for the BGS Members there was time to escape from the shopping rituals to spend a jolly Saturday evening at St Marks getting right into the Christmas Spirit....amply supported by a great buffet courtesy of the members.
Denis and Christine kicked off the ensembles part of the evening, providing an array of Christmas Carols that in our somewhat less than reverent approach to the festive season. Still any passer by would have faintly recognised our rendering of 'Once in Royal David's City' culminating in a spirited if somewhat awkward rendition of 'Jingle Bells' which appeared to 'shift gears' in speed as the song progressed. All this without any accompaniment from Bromley's constabulary- which might have improved matters... Mind you I couldn't help feeling that Santa's reindeers would have had a bit of a fright!!
After a bit of convivial punishing of the buffet table we were then ready for the 'Christmas Cracker Awards' section of the evening- the SOLOS!!
Starting with Trevor's performance of 'Little Road to Bethlehem' finishing up with his rendition of the old Flanders and Swann favourite, 'In the Bath'. (For the benefit of ladies, children and members of the vice squad, I can assure you all that Trevor was fully clothed during his final number
!!)
Other Christmas Crackers Awards went to
Will Punter: Off the Rails
Christine Dabrowa: Walking in the Air (Blake) and Oh Come all ye Faithfull'
Dave Hampton and Tom Rimmer : Choral Prelude Von Himmel Hoch
Rick Frenkel, Tom Rimmer and Ray Butcher: We wish you a Merry Christmas and Deck the Halls
Rob Sellery : Romance Number 1 ( Brunning); Capriccio Arabe (Tarrega) and Bagatelle 3 (Walton)
Tom Page: Choro1 Villa Lobos
Once more Vince has his sound pixies on the job and you will be able to hear the pieces for your selves. Click here to listen
A thoroughly great evening with lots of fun and laughter as it should be!
To compliment the Christmas Season, here is an online card from BGS TV. Please forgive the poor sound quality-the fault lies with my mobile phone not the players!!!
On behalf of the executive I would like to wish all BGS Members, non members and blog visitors a very merry Christmas and a Happy Music Enriched New Year!
After a bit of convivial punishing of the buffet table we were then ready for the 'Christmas Cracker Awards' section of the evening- the SOLOS!!
Starting with Trevor's performance of 'Little Road to Bethlehem' finishing up with his rendition of the old Flanders and Swann favourite, 'In the Bath'. (For the benefit of ladies, children and members of the vice squad, I can assure you all that Trevor was fully clothed during his final number
!!)Other Christmas Crackers Awards went to
Will Punter: Off the Rails
Christine Dabrowa: Walking in the Air (Blake) and Oh Come all ye Faithfull'
Dave Hampton and Tom Rimmer : Choral Prelude Von Himmel Hoch
Rick Frenkel, Tom Rimmer and Ray Butcher: We wish you a Merry Christmas and Deck the Halls
Rob Sellery : Romance Number 1 ( Brunning); Capriccio Arabe (Tarrega) and Bagatelle 3 (Walton)
Tom Page: Choro1 Villa Lobos
Once more Vince has his sound pixies on the job and you will be able to hear the pieces for your selves. Click here to listen
A thoroughly great evening with lots of fun and laughter as it should be!
To compliment the Christmas Season, here is an online card from BGS TV. Please forgive the poor sound quality-the fault lies with my mobile phone not the players!!!
On behalf of the executive I would like to wish all BGS Members, non members and blog visitors a very merry Christmas and a Happy Music Enriched New Year!
Meeting Saturday 21st
What a cracker of an evening...full of surprises for us all!!
We were expecting a rather small turnout as our 'Batman and Robin ensemble leaders ie Ray Butcher and Denis Stockton were pre-occupied with other matters and couldn't attend. Which was a pity as we had a really large turn out of members!! We even managed to drown out the usual Saturday night accompaniment from Bromleys 'Boys in Blue', along with the choral performance in the Church next door (whose members were probably wondering what in God's name was happening in the room next door!!)
Fortunately for us Christina Dabrowa and Miles Roberts took up the cudgels and did an absolute sterling job! We made a pretty bold stab at Mozarts' Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" which was recognisable after a fashion even though we ran out of sheet music parts. Mr Scarlatti's piece was put on hold as we didn't have enough Music parts (Sorry Ray). However the good news is that Shirley has successfully purchased the music on behalf of the BGS and we will be distributing the part to all members ASAP- or at least those with an email account!
After a coffee break it was time for ensembles!!
Performances included
Glissaccatura (William Baulch) performed by Marion Davies
Pavan (Gaspar Sanz) performed by Dave Hampton
Pavan (Gaspar Sanz) performed by Dave Hampton
Prelude and Allegro (De Murcia) and Le Centaur (David Cottam) performed by Trevor Pike
Dream- (Everly Brothers) performed by Derek Carter
Leccion24 (Jose Ferrer) and Lammas Dance (David Cottam) performed by Jenny Wormald
Berceuse (Brouwer) performed by John Mann
(Rondo (Purcell) duet performed by Carol Whinnom and Georgina
Senhorinha (Guinga Escoba) , Grossiennes (Satie) , Sonata 483 (Scarlatti) and Warriors Harp (Brouwer) performed by Rob Sellery
Senhorinha (Guinga Escoba) , Grossiennes (Satie) , Sonata 483 (Scarlatti) and Warriors Harp (Brouwer) performed by Rob Sellery
Catalan Folk Songs -Rossignol ,Plany ,La Nit De Nadal performed by Miles Roberts
Please note that, in some browsers, you may have to wait while the file downloads before it plays. Do not navigate away from the page while the MP3 is downloading.
Or you can right-click on the play buttons and save the file to your own PC for playback later.
Special thanks to Christine Dabrowa and Miles Roberts for their assitance with the ensembles. Thanks Vince for the splendid sounds page as well. And to Shirley for organising the purchase of the Scarlatti Sonata on behalf of the BGS. And to Trevor Pike for his support on the refreshment front!!
And so the Christmas...
Afte much discussion we have decided on an informal meeting for the Christmas program on December 12th . We want to encourage all members to bring along and play at least ONE Christmas carol as part of a solo performance, along with some nibblies and some drinks.
Simplicity is the best approach!! See you at the next Meeting
Meeting Saturday 17th October
After a heavy session of culinary over indulgence at a Thai restaurant (its all Mae Pings fault!!- the food was delicious!!), your correspondent managed to 'roll up' (literally) with guitar and sundries to St Marks for a brisk aerobic workout for the fingers and the ear.
Ray Butcher (the Lord Coe of the ensemble aerobics) took as all through our paces with a bash at the Drunken Sailor, followed by a reprise of our Federation Guitar Society Hit- that's right...I am referring to our old buddy Mr De Witt which was a ploy to get us ready for the main act- Scarlatti's Sonata in D for four guitars. This nifty little number is a major challenge, especially if you have been allocated the part for Guitar 1 where you suddenly have to pay a LOT of attention to all the notes around the 8th to the 12th fret.
But Ray was kind. We only have to get this one ready for the Beckenham Festival for 2010 which is just as well as it will take your correspondent up to 12 months just to make a decent stab at it!!
To lighten the mood a little, Christine Dabrowa kindly brought along a lovely little piece (Ronde) by Pieter Van Der Stack for four guitars. We'll add this to our repertoire for next year's festival as well.
We were entertained with a number of Solos from members as well.
John Mann reprised his performance of Sonatina from Masterclass. Rob Sellery played some wonderful Brouwer pieces while Tom Rimmer gave a tribute to Turlogh O'Carolan with Planxty Irwin, followed by a duet of easy Sor pieces with Rick Frenkel. Unfortunately we have no sound files or photos (damm)- in fact we have been a bit remiss in this area lately- I'll make sure that we have something ready for the next meeting.
It was a great evening as one normally expects. Special thanks to Shirley Russell for stepping in to take on Trevor's role as BGS 'Quartermaster' of refreshments (Or should that be Quartermistress???...no don't go there Andrew!!)
We were missing our erst while chairman who is rumoured to be wandering around the Bulgarian Countryside somewhere with a guitar in one hand and a bottle in the other. However we are confident that Theresa will keep an eye on him to make sure that he behaves! Hopefully we will see him emerge at the December meeting!!
Unfortunately Ray won't be available to lead us with ensembles at the next meeting as he has another commitment (and no, the rumour that he is in despair at our last performance is not true!!). However, Christine has kindly offered to step in and lead the ensemble practice for November.
Don't forget to keep February free as the Wealden Guitar Society will be entertaining us with some guitar performances
Ray Butcher (the Lord Coe of the ensemble aerobics) took as all through our paces with a bash at the Drunken Sailor, followed by a reprise of our Federation Guitar Society Hit- that's right...I am referring to our old buddy Mr De Witt which was a ploy to get us ready for the main act- Scarlatti's Sonata in D for four guitars. This nifty little number is a major challenge, especially if you have been allocated the part for Guitar 1 where you suddenly have to pay a LOT of attention to all the notes around the 8th to the 12th fret.
But Ray was kind. We only have to get this one ready for the Beckenham Festival for 2010 which is just as well as it will take your correspondent up to 12 months just to make a decent stab at it!!
To lighten the mood a little, Christine Dabrowa kindly brought along a lovely little piece (Ronde) by Pieter Van Der Stack for four guitars. We'll add this to our repertoire for next year's festival as well.
We were entertained with a number of Solos from members as well.
John Mann reprised his performance of Sonatina from Masterclass. Rob Sellery played some wonderful Brouwer pieces while Tom Rimmer gave a tribute to Turlogh O'Carolan with Planxty Irwin, followed by a duet of easy Sor pieces with Rick Frenkel. Unfortunately we have no sound files or photos (damm)- in fact we have been a bit remiss in this area lately- I'll make sure that we have something ready for the next meeting.
It was a great evening as one normally expects. Special thanks to Shirley Russell for stepping in to take on Trevor's role as BGS 'Quartermaster' of refreshments (Or should that be Quartermistress???...no don't go there Andrew!!)
We were missing our erst while chairman who is rumoured to be wandering around the Bulgarian Countryside somewhere with a guitar in one hand and a bottle in the other. However we are confident that Theresa will keep an eye on him to make sure that he behaves! Hopefully we will see him emerge at the December meeting!!
Unfortunately Ray won't be available to lead us with ensembles at the next meeting as he has another commitment (and no, the rumour that he is in despair at our last performance is not true!!). However, Christine has kindly offered to step in and lead the ensemble practice for November.
Don't forget to keep February free as the Wealden Guitar Society will be entertaining us with some guitar performances
Saturday 19th Sept Gary Ryan Masterclass
It was, with a great deal of nerves, that your correspondent trudged his way to St Marks last Saturday to take part in the Gary Ryan Masterclass. This was a far greater challenge than the usual 'pluck and strum' that normally takes place each month. Tonight the focus would be on just the five of us....in front of an audience. No pressure then!!
How was it going to go? Will I make a complete hash? Or will I get away with it...
I am sure that all these thoughts were roaming around the minds of each participant as we took our turns at the podium with Gary. And we needn't have worried. The warmth and humour that is generally characteristic of Gary's classes was well evident in his comments and advice to each of us. We were all put at our ease and, for my part, it was a great opportunity to gain a greater insight into my own technique as well as learning more about the music and the performance. It never ceases to amaze me how Gary can take a piece that he has just seen for the first time and play it flawlessly. Not only is he a great performer but an excellent teacher!
We had a terrific range of excellent and complex pieces such as Cardosa's Milonga (performed by Steve Pearson); Tarregga's Cappricio Arabe performed by Christine Dabrowa; Bach's Presto performed by Dave Hampton; Bogdanovich's Cantelina (Levantine Suite) performed by your correspondent and an ambitious performance of Torroba's Allegretto (Sonatina) by John Mann.
As usual our Chairman and Master of Ceremonies, Den Stockton carried out the necessary introductions with great aplomb and our audience were terrific in their support and appreciation. It was great fun and I definitely would recommend it to any member who is keen to improve their technique.
Thanks again Gary.
Once more thanks again to Trevor for organising the refreshments.
How was it going to go? Will I make a complete hash? Or will I get away with it...
I am sure that all these thoughts were roaming around the minds of each participant as we took our turns at the podium with Gary. And we needn't have worried. The warmth and humour that is generally characteristic of Gary's classes was well evident in his comments and advice to each of us. We were all put at our ease and, for my part, it was a great opportunity to gain a greater insight into my own technique as well as learning more about the music and the performance. It never ceases to amaze me how Gary can take a piece that he has just seen for the first time and play it flawlessly. Not only is he a great performer but an excellent teacher!
We had a terrific range of excellent and complex pieces such as Cardosa's Milonga (performed by Steve Pearson); Tarregga's Cappricio Arabe performed by Christine Dabrowa; Bach's Presto performed by Dave Hampton; Bogdanovich's Cantelina (Levantine Suite) performed by your correspondent and an ambitious performance of Torroba's Allegretto (Sonatina) by John Mann.
As usual our Chairman and Master of Ceremonies, Den Stockton carried out the necessary introductions with great aplomb and our audience were terrific in their support and appreciation. It was great fun and I definitely would recommend it to any member who is keen to improve their technique.
Thanks again Gary.
Once more thanks again to Trevor for organising the refreshments.
Reminder:Bromley Guitar Society Annual General Meeting
Notice is hereby given that the twenty eighth Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday 18th August 2009 at Kenwood Drive Beckenham at 7:30pm
Agenda
1. To receive apologies for absences
2. To receive and vote on the adoption of minutes from the 2007 Annual General Meeting .
3.To discuss any matters arising from the minutes
4.To receive the Chairman's report for the 2008-2009 season
5. To receive the Treasurer's report for the 2008-2009 season and the vote on the adoption of the accounts for the financial year ending June 2009.
6.To set the subscription rates and visitor's entrance fees.
7. To elect committee members for the 2009-2010 season.
8. To appoint auditors for the 2009-2010 season
9To appoint signatories to the Building society account for the 2009-2010 season.
10. To consider any other business
Update
Click here for AGM 2008 Minutes
Click here for the Chairman's report 2009 Report
Andrew Ferrier
Hon Secretary
Bromley Guitar Society
Agenda
1. To receive apologies for absences
2. To receive and vote on the adoption of minutes from the 2007 Annual General Meeting .
3.To discuss any matters arising from the minutes
4.To receive the Chairman's report for the 2008-2009 season
5. To receive the Treasurer's report for the 2008-2009 season and the vote on the adoption of the accounts for the financial year ending June 2009.
6.To set the subscription rates and visitor's entrance fees.
7. To elect committee members for the 2009-2010 season.
8. To appoint auditors for the 2009-2010 season
9To appoint signatories to the Building society account for the 2009-2010 season.
10. To consider any other business
Update
Click here for AGM 2008 Minutes
Click here for the Chairman's report 2009 Report
Andrew Ferrier
Hon Secretary
Bromley Guitar Society