Music on Thursdays
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Thursday 26th October 2023
12.30 lunchtime
Phil Hopkins
classical harmonica
Lindsay Bridgwater
piano
Programme
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)
West Side Story suite (1957)
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Recorder Sonata in F (1712) [8:00]
1 Larghetto
2 Allegro
3 Siciliana
4 Gigue
Franz Peter Schubert (1797-1828) [3:00]
Auf Dem Wasser Zu Singen (1823)
Ennio Morricone (1928-2020) [7:00]
from Nuevo Cinema Paradiso (1988)
Main theme and love theme
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) [9:00]
Flute Sonata in Eb Major (BWV 1031)
1 Allegro Moderato
2 Siciliano
3 Allegro
Achille Claude Debussy (1862-1918) [4:00]
Cakewalk from Children's Corner (1906)
Concert duration approx: 40 minutes
Please donate to help fund these concerts at: cafdonate.cafonline.org/14455
WELCOME WESTMINSTERIANS
Today we welcome to our concert local members of The Westminster Society, alumni & former staff of Westminster College, Horseferry Road London SW1, and North Hinksey, Oxford.
Westminster trained teachers, some of whom became ministers. Indeed, Ian Howarth, former Minister at LMC, completed his PGCE at Westminster College, Oxford. Peter Steadman is the Concert Society's link with Westminster. The College is now part of Oxford Brookes University.
Phil Hopkins
Phil Hopkins was a music scholar at King’s School Canterbury, graduated from Oxford University and studied chromatic harmonica with the great classical harmonica player, Tommy Reilly.
In a thirty-eight year career as a professional musician playing percussion and/or harmonica, Phil has played for more than 120 London theatre productions spanning over 4500 performances across the West End, Royal National Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe and Royal Shakespeare Company.
Chromatic harmonica performances include: the BBC Concert Orchestra, London Sinfonietta at St John Smith’s Square, and West End musicals such as The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess (Savoy Theatre), Sir Tim Rice’s From Here To Eternity (Shaftesbury Theatre), the London premiere of Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins, and Gone With The Wind (New London Theatre).
Phil has toured the USA many times with various artists including performances at Carnegie Hall, New York’s Lincoln Center, and Symphony Hall, Boston. In 2018 he played the percussion part in the worldwide cinema broadcast of the Broadway production of The King and I from the London Palladium. He has recently been working on the Broadway production of Anything Goes at the Barbican Theatre.
Other West End shows Phil has played for include The Phantom of the Opera, Blood Brothers, Miss Saigon, Matilda, Oklahoma!, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. He has been performance musical director for 21 productions at Shakespeare’s Globe.
Phil has recorded for films such as Iris, Anonymous, The Merchant of Venice and Dance of the Steel Bars, as well as many TV productions including Only Fools and Horses, Wolf Hall and Allo Allo, along with a harmonica solo on This Morning with Phillip Schofield on live TV.
Phil’s harmonica recording of the theme from the film Midnight Cowboy has had more than 127,000 plays on the streaming service Spotify.
Phil has coached many actors to play harmonica for London theatre shows including The Night of the Iguana, Peter Pan, Girl from the North Country, and Assasins. He has played harmonica at many private parties for celebrities including Cameron Mackintosh, Victoria Wood and Sir Mark Rylance.
In a thirty-eight year career as a professional musician playing percussion and/or harmonica, Phil has played for more than 120 London theatre productions spanning over 4500 performances across the West End, Royal National Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe and Royal Shakespeare Company.
Chromatic harmonica performances include: the BBC Concert Orchestra, London Sinfonietta at St John Smith’s Square, and West End musicals such as The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess (Savoy Theatre), Sir Tim Rice’s From Here To Eternity (Shaftesbury Theatre), the London premiere of Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins, and Gone With The Wind (New London Theatre).
Phil has toured the USA many times with various artists including performances at Carnegie Hall, New York’s Lincoln Center, and Symphony Hall, Boston. In 2018 he played the percussion part in the worldwide cinema broadcast of the Broadway production of The King and I from the London Palladium. He has recently been working on the Broadway production of Anything Goes at the Barbican Theatre.
Other West End shows Phil has played for include The Phantom of the Opera, Blood Brothers, Miss Saigon, Matilda, Oklahoma!, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. He has been performance musical director for 21 productions at Shakespeare’s Globe.
Phil has recorded for films such as Iris, Anonymous, The Merchant of Venice and Dance of the Steel Bars, as well as many TV productions including Only Fools and Horses, Wolf Hall and Allo Allo, along with a harmonica solo on This Morning with Phillip Schofield on live TV.
Phil’s harmonica recording of the theme from the film Midnight Cowboy has had more than 127,000 plays on the streaming service Spotify.
Phil has coached many actors to play harmonica for London theatre shows including The Night of the Iguana, Peter Pan, Girl from the North Country, and Assasins. He has played harmonica at many private parties for celebrities including Cameron Mackintosh, Victoria Wood and Sir Mark Rylance.
Lindsay Bridgwater
Lindsay Bridgwater was born in Nottingham and studied Music at Cambridge University, acquiring a degree and various diplomas on the way. Whilst at Cambridge, he was Musical Director for the famous Footlights Revue.
He continues to perform in many diverse projects, and finds all genres both enriching and stimulating. He would tell us, however, that he is continuing his musical education at the 'School of Life' where he is constantly being stimulated by challenges from 'Rock to Baroque'.
Lindsay is well known as an organist and accompanist throughout London. He continues to travel widely and work regularly with the Philharmonia. He has completed another project with Pimlico Opera, in which he took part in a sequence of performances of ‘Les Miserables’ in Prison. This worthy project was attended by the Duchess of Cornwall, one of the sponsors, and involves professional musicians and actors working alongside inmates to stage performances.
Lindsay has also given an Organ and Harpsichord recital in Suffolk, and continues to give two-piano recitals with fellow musician Leslie Pearson.
His past is littered with performing credits from Ozzy Osbourne to Buckingham Palace and The Vatican. The diversity of his musical interests is underlined by his having performed on BBC Radios 1, 2, 3, and 4 !
He continues to perform in many diverse projects, and finds all genres both enriching and stimulating. He would tell us, however, that he is continuing his musical education at the 'School of Life' where he is constantly being stimulated by challenges from 'Rock to Baroque'.
Lindsay is well known as an organist and accompanist throughout London. He continues to travel widely and work regularly with the Philharmonia. He has completed another project with Pimlico Opera, in which he took part in a sequence of performances of ‘Les Miserables’ in Prison. This worthy project was attended by the Duchess of Cornwall, one of the sponsors, and involves professional musicians and actors working alongside inmates to stage performances.
Lindsay has also given an Organ and Harpsichord recital in Suffolk, and continues to give two-piano recitals with fellow musician Leslie Pearson.
His past is littered with performing credits from Ozzy Osbourne to Buckingham Palace and The Vatican. The diversity of his musical interests is underlined by his having performed on BBC Radios 1, 2, 3, and 4 !
Recordings of the works in today's concert
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)
West Side Story suite (1957)
Several people have produced arrangements and suites from the musical West Side Story. Here, the Dr Shirley Linzy Young Artists Orchestra Academy performs this medley by Robert Longfield with their music director Yunior Lopez. Performed live at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas.
West Side Story suite (1957)
Several people have produced arrangements and suites from the musical West Side Story. Here, the Dr Shirley Linzy Young Artists Orchestra Academy performs this medley by Robert Longfield with their music director Yunior Lopez. Performed live at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas.
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Recorder Sonata in F (1712) [8:00]
1 Larghetto • 2 Allegro
3 Siciliana • 4 Gigue
This lovely Handel work is performed here by David Antich, recorder flute. The viols player and harpsichordist are not credited, nor is the location shown.
Franz Peter Schubert (1797-1828) [3:30]
Auf Dem Wasser Zu Singen (1823)
Here is something a little out of the ordinary. Schubert's beautiful song is sung here by Christoph Prégardien (born 1956) and his son Julian (born 1984) at the 2018 Schubertiade Hohenems, in Vorarlberg, Austria. They are in the festival site's Markus Sittich Concert Hall, which has the feel of the Wigmore Hall, but is probably about half the size.
Ennio Morricone (1928-2020) [7:00]
from Nuevo Cinema Paradiso (1988)
Main theme and love theme
Here is the main theme, performed at a concert in St Mark's Square, Venice
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) [9:00]
Flute Sonata in Eb Major (BWV 1031)
1 Allegro Moderato • 2 Siciliano • 3 Allegro
Our recording here is going to sound quite different from the live performance with harmonica. This is probably how Bach heard his work performed, with the brilliant recorder flute player Michala Petri, Hille Perl, viola da gamba, and at the harpsichord, Mahan Esfahani.
The beautiful building is Garnisonen Kirke, or the Garrison Church. It is near Nyhavn in the heart of Copenhagen. It is just possible that Bach visited Copenhagen around 1719/20, although there is, apparently, no conclusive evidence. If he did, he may well have known this church as it was completed in 1706.
Achille Claude Debussy (1862-1918) [4:00]
Cakewalk from Children's Corner (1906)
Let's hear the Cakewalk in an unusual combination - four saxophones.
The recording comes from Sala 2, of the Auditori de Barcelona, the city in which these players originate.
Previous concert
19 October 2023 - Tailleferre Ensemble (woodwinds & piano) - click here
Next concert
2 November 2023 - Elena Toponogova, piano - click here
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