Welcome to our thirty second newsletter – designed to keep you informed about our activities, as well as other chamber music events.
2018/19 COFFEE CONCERT SEASON CONTINUES
The opening concert by the Marmen Quartet was magnificent. We were stunned by their expressive playing of the first quartet of Janacek and Beethoven’s Op. 131. Opinion was more divided on the performance of Haydn’s Op. 74 No. 1. Some found it “over-egged”, as one member put it, though the reviewers loved it. See the reviews on https://www.stringsattachedmusic.org.uk
The second concert of the new season will be given on 18 November at 11 am in the Attenborough Centre by the Jacquin Trio:
- Schumann Marchenerzahlungen Op.132
- Charlotte Bray ‘Blaze and Fall’
- Colin Matthews World premiere of a new work
- Mozart Trio in E flat major K.498 ‘Kegelstatt Trio’
- Charlotte Bray ‘Chant’
- Stravinsky ‘The Soldier’s Tale Suite’
- Bartok ‘Contrasts’ BB 116
You will have realised by now that this is no ordinary piano trio! The Jacquin Trio is comprised of clarinet, viola (or violin) and piano. It’s named after the dedicatee of the first work written for this combination, Mozart’s Trio in E flat major. He dedicated it to his 17 year old piano pupil Franziska von Jacquin. At the first performance Anton Stadler played clarinet, Franziska the piano and Mozart himself the viola. What an experience for a 17 year old! Inevitably, there are not a huge number of works for this combination; but that means we have the treat of more 20th and 21st century works than usual. Despite this paucity the Trio has been winning prizes in chamber music competitions since it won the St Martin in the Fields Competition in 2012.
For those who like to prepare for a concert, programme notes are available on https://www.stringsattachedmusic.org.uk .
We look forward to seeing you there.
PRACTICALITIES
The Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts (ACCA), formerly the Gardner Centre, is at the University of Sussex at Falmer. We are still using ACCA while the refurbishment of the Brighton Dome Corn Exchange enters its final stages.
There is free parking at the Sports Centre, near the Attenborough Centre, and at other car parks on the campus nearby (it being Sunday). There are also excellent public transport links:
- by train from Brighton or Lewes; or
- by bus: No. 25 from Hove and Brighton, No. 23 from Brighton Marina or No.s 28 and 29 from Brighton or, coming the other way, from Tunbridge Wells via Uckfield and Lewes.
Help with transport
A happy tradition is established whereby Strings Attached members offer lifts to others who would otherwise have difficulty with transport. If a lift has not already been arranged for you and you would like a lift, or if you would like to offer one, please email the secretary Margaret Polmear on m.polmear@btinternet.com . It will only be possible to find a lift for you if there happens to be someone in your area who is offering one.
Ticket prices for the coffee concerts have again been held at £18.50 (concessions £16). It’s too late to buy a season ticket for all six concerts but a half-season ticket for the three concerts in 2019 is available for £49.50 (concessions £42).
Tickets for all concerts are available from the Brighton Dome box office (01273 709709) or https://www.brightondome.org or from The Attenborough Centre on the day. Tickets for those aged 8 – 25 are free as part of the Cavatina Scheme. They can only be booked by visiting the box office in person. The Brighton Dome box office can issue these free tickets in advance; the ACCA box office will be open on the morning of the concert. Either the young person should be present at the time of booking, or the person booking for him or her must show proof of age, e.g. a passport. Under 14s must be accompanied to the concert by a paying adult.
MEMBERSHIP
Unless you have already done so, it is not too late to renew your membership of Strings Attached for the period 1 August 2018 to 31 July 2019. Membership renewal forms can be downloaded from https://www.stringsattachedmusic.org.uk/friends/ .Payment can be made by bank transfer or by cheque but the form still needs to be sent by post. For Gift Aid reasons please complete one form per person. You can also renew your membership at the membership stall at concerts. Paid-up members receive a membership card which, to save postage, is normally handed out at concerts, and which can be used to obtain a glass of sherry or fruit juice during coffee concert intervals.
We hope you will choose to renew your membership and support our work – and encourage like-minded people to join us too.
SPECIAL OFFER FOR STRINGS ATTACHED MEMBERS
We have been offered a £3 reduction per ticket for an extraordinary concert this Saturday (17 November) at St George’s Church, Kemptown. Called ‘Vote 100: Celebrating Women Composers’, it is being put on by Music Of Our Time (MOOT) and will be presented by Caroline Lucas MP. To celebrate the centenary of votes for (some) women, works by 18 women composers will be performed, including Alma Mahler, Avril Coleridge-Taylor, Rebecca Clarke and Judith Weir.
To take advantage of this offer go to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/vote-100-celebrating-women-composers-parliament-week-tickets-45652269166
Choose ‘tickets’, then ‘enter promotional code’. Enter COFFEE and select the tickets at the reduced price.
BUILD BRIGHTON DOME
Brighton Dome needs your help to create the more sustainable and dynamic centre for the arts envisaged for the city, including a totally refurbished and transformed Corn Exchange, the home to which we expect to return for the 2019/20 season. Over 90% of the funding is in place and The Roddick Foundation, co-founded by Anita and Gordon Roddick of The Body Shop fame, has agreed to a match fund grant of up to £250,000. If you are able to help Build Brighton Dome meet it’s target of £250,000 you can donate at https://our-future.brightondome.org . No amount is too small; and remember that every £1 you give will be matched by £1 from The Roddick Foundation.
OTHER CHAMBER MUSIC EVENTS
The series of chamber music concerts run by the Nicholas Yonge Society in Lewes continues. On 23 November the Martinu Quartet will play Haydn, Schulhoff and Dvorak. Tickets are available on http://www.nyslewes.org.uk or on the door.
Details of concerts in Brighton and Hove churches (including the relatively new venue of St Mary’s Kemptown) and those organised by other music societies in Seaford, Steyning and Chichester can be accessed via the Strings Attached chamber music calendar. Go to https://www.stringsattachedmusic.org.uk and choose “Calendar” from the menu.