Capital Horns, quartet, 1230 lunchtime, 24 May 2018,

Music on Thursdays at LMC

12.30 lunchtime
Thursday 24th May

Capital Horns
quartet
courtesy of the Royal Academy of Music

Venue: LMC - Leatherhead Methodist Church
please use the town's Swan Centre multi-storey or Church Street/Waitrose
car parks, about 5-7 minutes walk from LMC in Church Road

Season Sponsor:
Julie West Solicitor

Supported by:
Leatherhead Concert &
Arts Society

Programme

Lowell "Spike" E Shaw (b 1930)
from Fripperies Volume 1
    No 2

York Bowen (1884-1961)
Quartet for Four Horns in Bb major (1902)
    I Allegro Molto
    II Larghetto

Jan Koetsier (1911-2006)
Cinq Nouvelles pour 4 cors en Fa Op 34a (1947)
    Prelude
    Hymne
    Caprice
    Carillon
    Chasse

Peter Maxwell Davies (1934-2016)
arr Josh Bartram
from The Yellow Cake Revue (1980)
    3 Farewell to Stromness

Eric Maschwitz (1901-1969) & Manning Sherwin (1902-1974)
arr Stephen Payne
A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (1939)

Nikolai Nikolayevich Tcherepnin (1873-1945)
from 6 Horn Quartets Op 35 (1910)
    1 Nocturne Molto adagio
    3 La chasse Allegro giocoso
    4 Choeur dansé Andantino quasi allegretto. Grazioso

Steven Verhelst (b 1981)
arr Stephen Payne
A Song for Japan (2011)

the composer asks please visit www.trombones.jp

Concert duration: 35-45 minutes

Capital Horns, quartet, Royal Academy of Music, Stephen Payne, Elliott Howley, Timothy Doyle, Josh Bartram,

Free Concert, with a retiring collection to cover costs. Tea and coffee will be available after this concert.

Stephen Payne

Stephen Payne is currently studying with Richard Watkins, playing a Paxman Horn at the Royal Academy of Music. Having studied at Junior Guildhall and been a member of the National Youth Music Theatre, Stephen gained a great understanding of a broad range of genres with a keen interest in Musicals and French Impressionist Music.

After taking part in various LSO schemes, in 2012 Stephen was selected to play in the LSO Youth Orchestra at the Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics. Stephen has also performed at venues such as The Royal Albert Hall, Cadogan Hall, St. John's Smith Square, Birmingham Symphony Hall, The Barbican and The Royal Festival Hall, as well as recording at Air Studios and Abbey Road.

Stephen has played under conductors such as Semyon Bychkov and Edward Gardner OBE, as well as playing with Norma Winston in the National Jazz festival and performing with Radovan Vlatkovic in Duke's Hall. Stephen has performed in masterclasses with Amos Miller, Jeff Nelson, Tim Thorpe, Richard Bissil and Dave Lee.

Stephen enjoys playing in various Orchestras, namely London Mahler Orchestra, YMSO and the Docklands Sinfonia, performing in the Premiere of the musical "Men who March Away" by Mike Batt. Recent Performances include the Royal Opening of the Francis Crick Institute and an appearance on Channel 4's 'The Last Leg' .

Stephen's Quartet Capital Horns, were Highly Commended in The Worshipful Company of Musicians Brass Ensembles Prize 2017, and as such have a number of concerts lined up in the coming year.

Timothy Doyle

Timothy Doyle is a third year undergraduate horn player at the Royal Academy of Music. He began studying piano at the age of six and then the horn a year later. Timothy joined the Junior Royal Northern College of Music in 2012 and studied with Tom Redmond until 2015. During this time, he was involved in a number of youth orchestras, joining the Halle Youth Orchestra on their 2013 tour of the North East of England and being principal horn of the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.

Whilst with the LPYO, Timothy has been able to perform in projects with Vasily Patrenko and Christian Lindberg. Timothy has performed at venues such as the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, the Sage Gateshead, Cadogan Hall and the Martin Harris Centre. In October 2016, he joined the United Nations Orchestra on a tour of South Korea, performing in various concert halls in Seoul, Gwangju and Busan.

During his time in London, Timothy has performed in numerous Academy projects, performing under the baton of conductors such as Sir Mark Elder, Oliver Knussen and Semyon Bychkov. Outside the Academy, Timothy has performed with the University of London Symphony Orchestra and the Orion Orchestra. As well as orchestral playing, Timothy also enjoys performing as a chamber musician and soloist. He made his debut concerto appearance in 2015 with a performance of Mozart Horn Concerto No.2 at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.

Timothy has performed in several masterclasses with Radovan Vlatkovic, Froydis Ree Wekre, Marie-Luise Neunecker and Aleberto Menendez Escribano. He is now studying with Michael Thompson, Richard Watkins, Martin Owen and Roger Montgomery.

Josh Bartram ♦ Timothy Doyle ♦ Elliott Howley ♦ Stephen Payne

Elliott Howley

Elliott Howley is currently a third year student at the academy, having started playing at the age of twelve. Elliott is being taught by Richard Watkins having previously being taught by Michael Thompson and Stuart Bower.

During Elliott's time as a horn player he has played with a variety of youth orchestras and ensembles, one of the highlights having played Mahler's Ninth Symphony in the BBC Proms, under the baton of Sir Mark Elder as part of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.

More recently Elliott has been involved with projects with the Britten-Pears Orchestra - working with Semyon Bychkov, at the Snape proms - and the Orion Orchestra.

Elliott is also interested in chamber music being a member of several different groups and performing with them regularly, one of particular interest being this horn quartet, formed at the Academy.

Josh Bartram

Josh Bartram is a student at the Royal Academy of Music, studying the French horn under Michael Thompson and Richard Watkins, and conducting under Sian Edwards, Dominic Grier and Raymond Holden.

Having studied an eclectic mix of subjects at Wells Cathedral School (his A-levels include philosophy, Latin, music, maths and further maths), he eventually settled on his love for music.

Since starting at the Academy, he has played with ensembles such as the London Mahler Orchestra, the Britten-Pears Orchestra and the Notting Hill Film Orchestra, alongside playing in the Academy symphony orchestra, and he has conducted the Bartram Symphony Orchestra for its third concert now.

Josh particularly enjoys the works of lesser-known composers, such as those of Fibich, Dohnanyi and Tyberg. He believes that while they are not so popular, there is no reason why this ought to be the case, and so endeavours to make them better-known and more widely performed.

Since coming to London, he has become a member of King’s Cross Church, where he continues to grow in his love for Jesus.

Poetry Page

Capital Horns

French horns in quadruplicate –
they change positions, move around;
with intonation delicate
they blend, expand full-blooded sound.

Rich, harmonious mix of styles,
and octaves of astounding range,
from deepest bass to piercing heights,
enhance their roundness, hold the stage.

Individual parts unique,
with instruments identical,
explore the repertoire. They breathe
as one, with piquancy vital.

Syncopated hornpipe notes
begin the concert melody –
familiar nautical emotes
from Lowell “Spike” Shaw’s Fripperies.

Movements, five, from Koetsier,
A Nightingale in Berkeley Square,
three quartets penned by Tcherepnin;
fill range of colours textured there.

Peter Maxwell Davies theme,
adapted Farewell to Stromness,
gives contemplative Celtic feel
of seascapes, sheltered harbour blessed.

A Song for Japan, poignant, slow,
with resonance reverberates,
embellished triplets guide the flow
the simple melody relates.

Fourfold French horns move around
between each item; ensemble
of youthful players’ special sound
entrance in manner Capital.

Peter Horsfield 24/5/2018

Inspired by the lunchtime concert performed at Leatherhead Methodist Church on 24th May 2018 by
Capital Horns: Josh Bartram, Timothy Doyle, Elliott Howley, Stephen Payne.

Concert at Home

If you cannot be with us at the lunchtime concert
you can enjoy a similar Concert at Home by clicking through the buttons below:

Four horns? Well, yes, 4 horns, but inthis example, only one player. Watch the lady with the moustache in this quartet as they play Spike Lowell's Fripperies No 2 - on a familiar melody. The players are all called Steve Park:

Most of the examples of York Bowen's horn works are of solo pieces with orchestra or piano. So to give a flavour of his work we hear Ian Zook, horn and Eric Ruple, piano, performing in James Madison University, Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, USA, with the first movement of Bowen's Sonata in Eb for Horn and Piano Op 101:

The next recording is of Jan Kourtsier's Cinq Nouvelles pour Quatre Cors and the players are Sarah Viejou, Fiona Chisholm, Karly Stewart, and Thomas Staples.

Prélude - Hymne - Caprice

Carillon - Chasse

As one of today's performers - Josh Bartram - wrote the 4 horns arrangement of Peter Maxwell Davies' evocative Farewell to Stromness you will not be too surprised to read that I did not find a recording online. Let's listen instead to Matthew Onstad, trumpet, and Jason Kutz, piano, at the Madison site of the University of Wisconsin where Jason was completing his MMus Performance:

With another arrangement written by a member of the ensemble - Stephen Payne - we have to look elsewhere for our recording of A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square. Here are Quintasonic Brass performing at the University of Louisville:

What is it about these horn players and their multi-tracking!
Well, this is what our first performer says:
二十数年前に地元のホルンクラブで初めてこの曲を練習した時、その美しいハーモニーに惹き込まれました。また素晴らしいメンバーでぜひ演奏してみたいですが、今のところやるチャンスが無いため、一人アンサンブルで演奏してみました。田舎にある自宅での録音のため時折、小鳥のさえずりが聞こえます。
Which roughly translates as: When I first practiced this song for the first time at a local horn club twenty years ago, I was drawn to that beautiful harmony. I'd also like to play with a wonderful member, but since I do not have the chance to do for now, I tried to play with an ensemble. Occasionally, I hear the chirping of a bird because of the recording at my house in the country.

This is the first of Tcherepnin's Six Horn Quartets, entitled Nocturne:

Unfortunately, I could not work out the name of the Japanese performer above, but he goes under the nickname 'fdurkog' on youtube. His channel is a must for horn fans.

Another player building an online presence is Andrew Stump. Here he is with the second short Tcherepnin quartet, Ancienne Chanson Allemande - Old German Song.

There is a certain crispness to this recording by the horns of the Berlin Philharmonic.
The third quartet is called La Chasse, and the quartet comprises
Sarah Willis, Stefan Jezierski, Andrej Zust and Stefan Dohr:

The fourth quartet is titled Choeur Dansé, and the performers here are Tamkang University Wind Band, from Taiwan:

Here is the only recording of No 5 Un Chant populaire russe - A popular Russian song.
The players are East Ridge High School Horn Choir, Florida:

The last of Tcherepnin's six quartets is titled simply Un choral.
You will undoubtedly recognise it as Wachet auf, or the Advent hymn Sleepers wake:

And so our concert comes to a close with Stephen Payne's arrangement for 4 horns, of Steven Verhelst's
A Song for Japan, written in response to the earthquake and tsunami that hit East Japan in March 2011.
Steven Verhelst has made the score public and positively encourages arrangers to work with the piece: