Music on Thursdays
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Thursday 29th August 2024
12.30 lunchtime
Venue: Leatherhead Methodist Church KT22 8AY
Parking: Swan Centre multi storey KT22 7RH
Theo Kalorkoti
xylophone
Jeanne Kalorkoti
piano
Programme
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
from The Carnival of the Animals (1886)
XII Fossiles Fossils
Georges Bizet (1838-1875)
Suite from Carmen
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
arr Charles-François Gounod (1818-1893)
Ave Maria
J S Bach
arr Jeanne Kalorkoti
from Concerto for Two Violins BWV 1043 (c1730)
1 Vivace in D minor
Darius Milhaud (1892-1974) arr JK
from Scaramouche Suite (1937)
1 Vif et joyeux
3 Brasileira
Arthur Leslie Benjamin (1893-1960) arr JK
Jamaican Rumba (1938)
Scott Joplin (1868-1917)
Scott Joplin's New Rag (1912)
Sean Montgomery
Toccata Giocosa (1986)
Concert duration approx: 45+ minutes
side panel images: inside the cello
Please donate to help fund these concerts at: cafdonate.cafonline.org/14455
Theo Kalorkoti & Jeanne Kalorkoti
Now aged 25, Theo Kalorkoti was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2. He has always loved music and, while late to talk, he sang before he spoke, and drummed rhythms on nearby objects (or people!) At the age of 12 he began percussion lessons with Surrey Arts, and the whole exciting world of music opened up.
Six years later he passed his Grade 8 in orchestral percussion. This requires musicians to perform on timpani, snare drum and a tuned instrument such as the xylophone or marimba. For several years he was a member of the South West Surrey Youth Orchestra, but orchestral playing requires much counting of rests, and he always preferred an instrument on which he could play a melody.
For many years he was a member of the Surrey County Percussion Ensemble (SCPE), where he enjoyed playing diverse musical arrangements written for a group of tuned percussion instruments.
After leaving school Theo attended the Orpheus Centre in Godstone. This is a college for young disabled adults, founded by Sir Richard Stilgoe. With SCPE and also with Orpheus, Theo has played in a number of interesting venues – including the home of Prince Edward and a prison!
He is accompanied by his mum, Jeanne, who studied piano at Trinity College of Music. Jeanne has always enjoyed accompanying her four children on various instruments. She has a few piano pupils and is also on the organ rota at St Saviour’s Church in Guildford. Together, Theo and Jeanne have taken the xylophone into schools and care homes, telling the audience a bit about the instrument as well as playing it, and also enjoy entering local music festivals.
Hans Christian Anderson said “Where words fail, music speaks”, and Theo says he likes music because it makes him feel emotions. Jeanne adds: "We do hope to communicate our enjoyment of music to you, and that you will enjoy listening."
Six years later he passed his Grade 8 in orchestral percussion. This requires musicians to perform on timpani, snare drum and a tuned instrument such as the xylophone or marimba. For several years he was a member of the South West Surrey Youth Orchestra, but orchestral playing requires much counting of rests, and he always preferred an instrument on which he could play a melody.
For many years he was a member of the Surrey County Percussion Ensemble (SCPE), where he enjoyed playing diverse musical arrangements written for a group of tuned percussion instruments.
After leaving school Theo attended the Orpheus Centre in Godstone. This is a college for young disabled adults, founded by Sir Richard Stilgoe. With SCPE and also with Orpheus, Theo has played in a number of interesting venues – including the home of Prince Edward and a prison!
He is accompanied by his mum, Jeanne, who studied piano at Trinity College of Music. Jeanne has always enjoyed accompanying her four children on various instruments. She has a few piano pupils and is also on the organ rota at St Saviour’s Church in Guildford. Together, Theo and Jeanne have taken the xylophone into schools and care homes, telling the audience a bit about the instrument as well as playing it, and also enjoy entering local music festivals.
Hans Christian Anderson said “Where words fail, music speaks”, and Theo says he likes music because it makes him feel emotions. Jeanne adds: "We do hope to communicate our enjoyment of music to you, and that you will enjoy listening."
Theo Kalorkoti, with accompanist and arranger Jeanne Kalorkoti
Recordings of the works in today's concert
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
from The Carnival of the Animals (1886)
XII Fossiles Fossils
Let's go full orchestral with Lang Lang and his wife Gina Alice at the pianos, the Gewandhaus Orchester, with conductor Andris Nelsons. It's only short though, so be ready for Fossils:
Georges Bizet (1838-1875)
Suite from Carmen
Here are a couple of items from the opera, performed in Sidney by the Orchestra for Life, conducted by Roger Benedict:
Suite from Carmen
Here are a couple of items from the opera, performed in Sidney by the Orchestra for Life, conducted by Roger Benedict:
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
arr Charles-François Gounod (1818-1893)
Ave Maria
Probably a "lockdown" video, these members of the Waynesboro Symphony Orchestra are their Music Director, Peter Wilson, violin, with Principal Percussinist Charlie Nesmith, on Marimba
J S Bach arr JK
from Concerto for Two Violins BWV 1043 (c1730)
1 Vivace in D minor
It isn't easy to match these works to xylophone recordings, so this item is played by Ewa Bieżan as 1st violin on xylophone, Tomasz Nowak as 2nd violin, on vibraphone, with Wiesława Worożańska, piano. The recording comes from Łódź, Poland:
Darius Milhaud (1892-1974) arr JK
from Scaramouche Suite (1937)
1 Vif et joyeux • 3 Brasileira
Vif et Joyeux: for this piece we have chosen the Duo Adentro, who are Saskia Van Herzeele, piano and Maarten Vandenbemden, guitar. The combination retains the persussive nature of two pianos (for which it was written).
Then for Brasileira: our choice is the pianist brothers Víctor & Luís del Valle, who have two percussionists to add to the mix - Enrique Llopis and Raúl Benavent:
Arthur Leslie Benjamin (1893-1960) arr JK
Jamaican Rumba (1938)
We have found an under-appreciated duo for this recording. They go (or went) under the name HK DUO. Beijing born Hui Ling met Hong Kong born Julie Kuok in 2000 and the duo was formed, in Hong Kong, but HK is also their surname initials. Enjoy, Jamaican Rumba on two pianos:
Scott Joplin (1868-1917)
Scott Joplin's New Rag (1912)
At last a xylophone recording! This is Fabrizio Bartolini, but the pianist gets no credit on the recording.
Sean Montgomery (b c1964)
Toccata Giocosa (1986)
We have been unable to trace the final work, its composer or its publisher, Lewis Dyson, on google, YouTube, wikipedia, or using CHAT GPT AI. Many hours of searching UK and US sources have left us stumped. So if we record the piece at the concert, that could be its premiere recording.
Online extra !
This video has over 15 million views on YouTube. And for sheer enthusiasm it absolutely deserves that, and more. It is the full version of 'Drive' performed at the 2019 International Steel Pan & Marimba Festival, by the Hilton College Competition Marimba Band. Hilton is in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Here are some quotes from appreciative viewers on YouTube:
This is why is important to keep music in the schools. Kids always play from their souls; and it's a beautiful thing to see!
The best part was how much the kids enjoyed playing and swaying to the rhythm. Talented kids. Bravo
. . . guy number 14 nailed it with passion!
@Sky-vw1ji I was actually there when they did this! It was so amazing that we all couldn’t wait to shake their hands! I loved this performance so much.️
Following on from all that praise, your job now is to resist a smile as you listen to Drive:
Previous concert
22 August 2024 - RAM: Anson Wong, piano - click here
Next concert
5 September 2024 - Ibrahim Aziz, bass & treble viola da gamba, &
Toby Carr, theorbo/lute - click here
Toby Carr, theorbo/lute - click here
