Music on Thursdays
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Thursday
29th June 2023
12.30 lunchtime
Aliara Duo
Sirius Chau, flute
Gwenllian Llŷr, harp
Programme
Paul Geoffrey Reade (1943-1997)
Suite from The Victorian Kitchen Garden (1987)
I Prelude
II Spring
III Mists
IV Exotica
V Summer
Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz y Pascual (1860-1909)
arr Geoffrey Lambert (1909-84) & James W Lee (1914-98)
from Suite Española No 1 for piano Op 47 (1882-89)
No 1 Granada
Alfred Zamara (1863-1940) & Albert Franz (Ferenc) Doppler (1821-1883)
Fantasia per flauto e arpa su motivi dell'Opera Casilda
Fantasia for flute & harp on themes from the opera Casilda
(Opera by Duke Ernest II of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 1818-1893)
Franz Peter Schubert (1797-1828)
arr Meinir Heulyn & Katey Thomas
from the song cycle Schwanengesang / Swan Song D957 (pub 1829)
No 4 Ständchen "Leise flehen meine Lieder" Serenade: Softly my songs plead
Skaila Kanga (b1946, India)
Six American Sketches (2000)
The Lonesome Traveller
Running Waters
Solitude
Grasshoppers
Night Stillness
Country Fayre
Concert duration approx: 45-55 minutes
Please donate to help fund these concerts at: cafdonate.cafonline.org/14455
Aliara Duo
The newly formed Aliara Duo debuts an exciting programme of flute and harp music at Leatherhead Methodist Church in a 12:30 lunchtime concert on Thursday 22nd June 2023.
Flautist Sirius Chau and harpist Gwenllian Llŷr have won numerous awards at national and international levels for their compelling solo performances.
As Artists with City Music Foundation, Aliara Duo was born out of a passion for collaboration and creative programming; this has inspired them to combine lesser played original works for flute and harp with a range of beloved melodies, demonstrating the versatility of this ever-popular instrument pairing.
Flautist Sirius Chau and harpist Gwenllian Llŷr have won numerous awards at national and international levels for their compelling solo performances.
As Artists with City Music Foundation, Aliara Duo was born out of a passion for collaboration and creative programming; this has inspired them to combine lesser played original works for flute and harp with a range of beloved melodies, demonstrating the versatility of this ever-popular instrument pairing.
Sirius Chau
Winner of the Royal Over-Seas League Competition, Hong-Kong-born flautist Sirius Chau is a City Music Foundation Artist. He was awarded a Philip and Dorothy Green Young Artist Award, and has previously been selected as an Artist by the Tillett Trust, Talent Unlimited, Manchester Mid-Day Concerts Society and Musicus Society in Hong Kong.
He received the *Tagore Gold Medal from HRH The Prince of Wales, and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Scholarship, in 2019 and made his solo debuts at the Wigmore Hall and Bridgewater Hall in the same year.
Recent orchestral experience includes working with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, English National Opera Orchestra and London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Sirius won the Best Performance Award at Hamamatsu International Festival and first prize at the Eugene Magalif’s International Competition, Eastbourne Soloist Competition, and Westbourne Orchestra Competition.
Sirius studied at the Royal College of Music in London for an Artist Diploma and Master of Music (Distinction) with Katie Bedford, Emer McDonough and Sue Thomas, generously supported by the Drake Calleja Trust and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Music and Dance Fund. More information: www.siriuschau.com
*The Tagore Medal, also won in her year by local pianist Lynda Chang, is a considerable achievement as it recognises the finest music student of the year at the Royal College of Music.
He received the *Tagore Gold Medal from HRH The Prince of Wales, and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Scholarship, in 2019 and made his solo debuts at the Wigmore Hall and Bridgewater Hall in the same year.
Recent orchestral experience includes working with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, English National Opera Orchestra and London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Sirius won the Best Performance Award at Hamamatsu International Festival and first prize at the Eugene Magalif’s International Competition, Eastbourne Soloist Competition, and Westbourne Orchestra Competition.
Sirius studied at the Royal College of Music in London for an Artist Diploma and Master of Music (Distinction) with Katie Bedford, Emer McDonough and Sue Thomas, generously supported by the Drake Calleja Trust and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Music and Dance Fund. More information: www.siriuschau.com
*The Tagore Medal, also won in her year by local pianist Lynda Chang, is a considerable achievement as it recognises the finest music student of the year at the Royal College of Music.
Gwenllian Llŷr
Welsh harpist Gwenllian Llŷr is gaining international recognition for her charismatic and engaging performances. Gwenllian was twice a prize-winner at the USA International Harp Competition in Bloomington where she was highly praised for her musicianship. She has also won many prizes more locally, including the Len Lickorish Memorial Prize for a String Player of Promise at the Royal Over-Seas League AMC 2018, as well as becoming an Artist with City Music Foundation in 2017.
Gwenllian’s career has already taken her across the globe, with performances in prestigious venues such as Cardiff's St David’s Hall, Buckingham Palace, Carnegie Hall and the Royal Albert Hall, alongside renowned artists such as jazz legend Al Jarreau, pianist Imogen Cooper, and international opera singer Bryn Terfel.
Following the successful release of her debut solo album, Dusk to Dawn, in which her playing was hailed as “magnificent” and “powerful”, Gwenllian has recently released a CD of all-Welsh music with Tŷ Cerdd, featuring never-before recorded works alongside well-known gems.
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, The Juilliard School and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Gwenllian is currently based in London where she is enjoying a busy and varied freelance career.
Her love of the harp extends beyond the stage: Gwenllian’s private teaching studio is thriving, with students winning prizes in national and international competitions and gaining membership to prestigious schools and orchestral courses. In addition, Gwenllian’s published works are gaining popularity, and she looks forward to finding
more time to share more of her works in the coming years.
Recordings of the works in today's concert
Paul Geoffrey Reade (1943-1997)
Suite from The Victorian Kitchen Garden (1987) [11:30]
I Prelude • II Spring • III Mists
IV Exotica • V Summer
The suite was originally with clarinet in mind so before we hear flute and harp in the live concert, here is a performance with clarinet. The performers are Violaine Amsler, harp, and Jean-François Philipp, in the church of Chadenet, a village on the river Lot, near Mende, France.
Suite from The Victorian Kitchen Garden (1987) [11:30]
I Prelude • II Spring • III Mists
IV Exotica • V Summer
The suite was originally with clarinet in mind so before we hear flute and harp in the live concert, here is a performance with clarinet. The performers are Violaine Amsler, harp, and Jean-François Philipp, in the church of Chadenet, a village on the river Lot, near Mende, France.
Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz y Pascual (1860-1909)
arr Geoffrey Lambert (1909-84) & James W Lee (1914-98)
from Suite Española No 1 for piano Op 47 (1882-89) [5:15]
No 1 Granada
For this recording we shall move to Netherlands and to the village of Vessem in North Brabant, close to the Belgian border. This church consists of a 15th century tower, to which the church was added in 1882/3 ! The musicians are the Duo van den Bos, flautist Mariel van den Bos and harpist Inge Frimout-Hei.
Alfred Zamara (1863-1940) & Albert Franz (Ferenc) Doppler (1821-1883)
Fantasia per flauto e arpa su motivi dell'Opera Casilda [12:10]
Fantasia for flute & harp on themes from the opera Casilda
(Opera by Duke Ernest II of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 1818-1893)
And so we move to Germany for this performance by young players Ting-Wei Chen on flute and Christoph Bielefeld, on harp. This answers one of our questions - is it only in Wales that men play the harp too!
Franz Peter Schubert (1797-1828)
arr Meinir Heulyn & Katey Thomas
from the song cycle Schwanengesang / Swan Song D957 (pub 1829)
No 4 Ständchen "Leise flehen meine Lieder" [5:20]
Serenade: Softly my song pleads
Recorded in Schloss Brake, (Brake Castle) in the town of Lemgo - known to many Brits as Stornoway Barracks, and to Germans as Spiegelberg Kaserne, the home of various British Army infantry divisions from 1947 to 1993.
Here are the Queens Duo, Verena Beatrix Schulte, flute, and Hanna Rabe, harp.
Skaila Kanga (b1946, India)
Six American Sketches (2000) [15:00]
The Lonesome Traveller • Running Waters
Solitude • Grasshoppers
Night Stillness • Country Fayre
We have found a complete performance of the sketches by two young Dutch performers in a Chamber Music Festival in Hoorn, 35km north of Amsterdam. They are Jooske va Andel, clarinet, and Michelle Sweegers, harp. Here they are in November 2010, both aged 14:
Previous concert
22 June 2023 Alastair Penman, saxophone, & Jonathan Pease, piano - click here
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