Music on Thursdays
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Thursday 1st August 2024
12.30 lunchtime
Piano à Deux
Linda Ang Stoodley
Robert Stoodley
piano 4 hands
A Birthday Programme
Georges Bizet (born Alexandre César Léopold Bizet 1838–1875)
Selections from Carmen
arr Ang/Stoodley
Georges Bizet
from Jeux d'Enfants Children's Games (1871)
1 L'Escarpolette The Swing Rêverie
6 Trompette et Tambour Trumpet and Drum March
2 La Toupie The Spinning Top Impromptu
Eric Francis Harrison Coates (1886-1957)
By the Sleepy Lagoon (1930)
A Reading
Little Red Riding Hood
Gabriel Urbain Fauré (1845-1924)
from Dolly, a suite for four hands, Op 56 (1894-7)
Kitty-Valse (1896)
Robert Craig Wright (1914-2005)
George Forrest Chichester Jr (1915-1999)
melody from Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin (1833–1887)
Polovtsian Dances, in the opera Prince Igor (1890)
arr Ang/Stoodley
Stranger in Paradise (1953)
Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
arr Ang/Stoodley
from Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Op 43 (Summer 1932)
Variation 18 Andante cantabile in Db major
Kurt Julian Weill (1900-1950)
lyrics: Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz, 1896-1983)
arr Ang/Stoodley
Tschaikowsky (and Other Russians) (1941)
Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880)
arr Ang/Stoodley
Overture to the operetta Orpheus in the Underworld
Concert duration approx: 45+ minutes
Please donate to help fund these concerts at: cafdonate.cafonline.org/14455
Piano à Deux
Contrary to expectations, Robert and Linda did not meet through music, but on a dating website. They discovered much in common, and married in 2008. Piano à Deux was formed in 2010.
Unexpectedly, their research has both informed their playing of the standard repertoire and led to their discovery of neglected composers like George Onslow. Their latest CD: France Revisited recorded for the Divine Art label, includes his Op 7 Duo Sonata, his six solo pieces, Debussy’s Petite Suite and songs by Poulenc (arranged by Linda).
Their first CD was released in 2011 to glowing reviews. Through this, Piano à Deux and their audiences, have raised £2,000 for charities like WorldVision. In 2015, they were on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune with the award-winning violinist Erzhan Kulibaev.
Their charisma, comedy and virtuosity, set in scintillating original arrangements, has won them a large following on land and sea.
Unexpectedly, their research has both informed their playing of the standard repertoire and led to their discovery of neglected composers like George Onslow. Their latest CD: France Revisited recorded for the Divine Art label, includes his Op 7 Duo Sonata, his six solo pieces, Debussy’s Petite Suite and songs by Poulenc (arranged by Linda).
Their first CD was released in 2011 to glowing reviews. Through this, Piano à Deux and their audiences, have raised £2,000 for charities like WorldVision. In 2015, they were on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune with the award-winning violinist Erzhan Kulibaev.
Their charisma, comedy and virtuosity, set in scintillating original arrangements, has won them a large following on land and sea.
Linda Ang Stoodley
Singapore-born pianist Linda read a BMus at Edinburgh, and obtained several diplomas before relocating to London’s Guildhall School of Music. She became a prizewinner with awards like the Royal Overseas League Accompanist’s Prize and was harpsichordist of the Guildhall String Ensemble when they won the Internationales Jeunesses Musicales Competition (Belgrade). Their European tour ended in Spain where Linda performed Bach’s Fifth Brandenburg Concerto with world renowned flautist Jean-Pierre Rampal.
Linda has since focused on the piano and performed extensively in the UK, Europe, Mauritius and Singapore; on Dutch and Mauritius television, Radio Scotland, Radio Oxford, Radio 3; and live on Classic FM and Premier Radio. She has recorded with several artistes and has released seven CDs of her own.
Linda was featured in the Singapore “Straits Times” and the Singapore Airlines In-flight Magazine and as cover girl for Woman Alive magazine.
In 2002, Janet Fairlie and Linda created Diva, Diva delighting cruise line passengers on Crystal, Cunard, Holland America & Regent Sevenseas. Then, in 2005, each Diva stepped out, Janet into London’s West End, and Linda to touring with her solo shows which have met with critical acclaim on land as well as on luxury cruise lines like Silversea & Seabourn.
Linda has since focused on the piano and performed extensively in the UK, Europe, Mauritius and Singapore; on Dutch and Mauritius television, Radio Scotland, Radio Oxford, Radio 3; and live on Classic FM and Premier Radio. She has recorded with several artistes and has released seven CDs of her own.
Linda was featured in the Singapore “Straits Times” and the Singapore Airlines In-flight Magazine and as cover girl for Woman Alive magazine.
In 2002, Janet Fairlie and Linda created Diva, Diva delighting cruise line passengers on Crystal, Cunard, Holland America & Regent Sevenseas. Then, in 2005, each Diva stepped out, Janet into London’s West End, and Linda to touring with her solo shows which have met with critical acclaim on land as well as on luxury cruise lines like Silversea & Seabourn.
Robert Stoodley
Robert studied with Dorothea Law, who was a student of Paul Baumgartner and Alfred Brendel (Vienna). He has performing and teaching diplomas from the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music.
Robert, a linguist, studied Hindi instead of Chinese, not knowing that he would one day marry a Mandarin speaker. Combining linguistic and musical studies, he gained the Premier Prix at the Conservatoire de Lyon (France), has broadcast on BBC Radio 4, and given recitals and concerto performances throughout the UK.
Some of Robert’s songs have been published and are sung throughout the world. Some have been recorded, the most recent recording being St Michael-le-Belfrey – the Vinyl Years.
Robert, a linguist, studied Hindi instead of Chinese, not knowing that he would one day marry a Mandarin speaker. Combining linguistic and musical studies, he gained the Premier Prix at the Conservatoire de Lyon (France), has broadcast on BBC Radio 4, and given recitals and concerto performances throughout the UK.
Some of Robert’s songs have been published and are sung throughout the world. Some have been recorded, the most recent recording being St Michael-le-Belfrey – the Vinyl Years.
Recordings of the works in today's concert
Georges Bizet (born Alexandre César Léopold Bizet 1838–1875)
Selections from Carmen
arr Ang/Stoodley
We open with Piano à Deux themselves playing their selection of melodies from Bizet's opéra-comique Carmen:
Selections from Carmen
arr Ang/Stoodley
We open with Piano à Deux themselves playing their selection of melodies from Bizet's opéra-comique Carmen:
Georges Bizet
from Jeux d'Enfants Children's Games (1871)
1 L'Escarpolette The Swing Rêverie
6 Trompette et Tambour Trumpet and Drum March
2 La Toupie The Spinning Top Impromptu
For The Swing we hear the duo Gerwig & González, playing for a children's audience at the Kölner Philharmonie. Christine Gerwig and Efraín González Ruano met at students at the Mozarteum University, Salzburg, Austria:
Here's the same duo playing Trompette et Tambour for the children:
And here they are with The Spinning Top:
Eric Francis Harrison Coates (1886-1957)
By the Sleepy Lagoon (1930)
We've all heard this tune before as we prepare to hear the choices of the week's BBC Desert Island guest. This is a much loved arrangement, by Stephen Hough, for piano solo. The pianist styles himself simply "thewayup" on youtube:
We suspect there is more going on here than a straight reading of Little Red Riding Hood, so we'll skip the text on that one and move onto . . .
Gabriel Urbain Fauré (1845-1924)
from Dolly, a suite for four hands, Op 56 (1894-7)
Kitty-Valse (1896)
We've all heard this tune before as we prepare to hear the choices of the week's BBC Desert Island guest. This is a much loved arrangement, by Stephen Hough, for piano solo. The pianist styles himself simply "thewayup" on youtube, but we reckon the one nearer the camera is Morris Hendrickson, whether the other really is his brother is not at all certain. We asked a Large Language Model but it could not find the name:
Robert Craig Wright (1914-2005)
George Forrest Chichester Jr (1915-1999)
melody from Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin (1833–1887)
Polovtsian Dances, in the opera Prince Igor (1890)
arr Ang/Stoodley
Stranger in Paradise (1953)
This lovely tune taken from Borodin, and amended for Prince Igor, is played here by the Stoodleys:
Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
arr Ang/Stoodley
from Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Op 43 (Summer 1932)
Variation 18 Andante cantabile in Db major
In this recording we hear Peter Rhodes taking the orchestral part (of say 50 to 60 musicians) and Valentina Seferinova as the 'soloist'.
If you are listening with headphones you should be able to enjoy the fact that each piano has its own channel:
Kurt Julian Weill (1900-1950)
lyrics: Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz, 1896-1983)
arr Ang/Stoodley
Tschaikowsky (and Other Russians) (1941)
The great Danny Kaye gives us the full run-down on 56 Russian composers in this recording. We've dared Robert Stoodley to attempt the same feat, possibly while playing the piano. He probably won't though! Or will he?
Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880)
arr Ang/Stoodley
Overture to the operetta Orpheus in the Underworld
We bring you two versions of this as a duet. The first comes from Irvine (and not the one in Scotland). It features the talents of Tsubaki (7) and Ray (8).
The second video - well, it seems they have a great deal more fun in Vietnam these days than they used to.
TRANSLATION: Saigon classical music lovers group was established in 2005 with the goal of enriching artistic activities in HCM City, through organizing classical music nights close to the public, helping to connect the community of music lovers, at the same time, creating conditions for the development of new talents, increasing the influence of classical music on the tastes and awareness of Vietnamese people, especially young people.
Previous concert
25 July 2024 - Kenny Fu, piano, plays Haydn, Schumann, Rachmaninoff - click here
Next concert
8 August 2024 - Ye Bon Jeong, violin, Leon Chen, piano click here
