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Thursday 9th October 2025
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Phil Hopkins
classical harmonica
Lindsay Bridgwater
piano
Programme
Gordon Percival Septimus Jacob (1895-1984)
Five Pieces (in the form of a Suite) for Harmonica and Piano (1957)
dedicated to the virtuoso harmonica player Tommy Reilly
1 Caprice
2 Cradle Song
3 Russian Dance
4 Threnody
5 Country Dance
Georg Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Recorder Sonata in C Major Op 1 No 7, HWV 365
1 Larghetto
2 Allegro
3 Larghetto
5 Allegro
Clara Josephine Schumann (née Wieck, 1819-1896)
Drei Romanzen für Pianoforte und Violine (arranged for harmonica)
1 Andante molto
2 Allegro
3 Leidenschaftlich schnell
Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla (1921-1922)
written for the Marco Bellocchio film Enrico IV / Henry IV
Ave Maria - Tanti Anni Prima Many years ago (1984)
Concert duration approx: 45+ minutes
Please donate to help fund these concerts at: cafdonate.cafonline.org/14455
Gordon Percival Septimus Jacob (1895-1984)
Five Pieces (in the form of a Suite) for Harmonica and Piano (1957)
dedicated to the virtuoso harmonica player Tommy Reilly
1 Caprice
2 Cradle Song
3 Russian Dance
4 Threnody
5 Country Dance
Georg Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Recorder Sonata in C Major Op 1 No 7, HWV 365
1 Larghetto
2 Allegro
3 Larghetto
5 Allegro
Clara Josephine Schumann (née Wieck, 1819-1896)
Drei Romanzen für Pianoforte und Violine (arranged for harmonica)
1 Andante molto
2 Allegro
3 Leidenschaftlich schnell
Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla (1921-1922)
written for the Marco Bellocchio film Enrico IV / Henry IV
Ave Maria - Tanti Anni Prima Many years ago (1984)
Concert duration approx: 45+ minutes
Please donate to help fund these concerts at: cafdonate.cafonline.org/14455
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
Gordon Percival Septimus Jacob (1895-1984)
Five Pieces (in the form of a Suite) for Harmonica and Piano (1957) 13'
dedicated to the virtuoso harmonica player Tommy Reilly
1 Caprice
2 Cradle Song
3 Russian Dance
4 Threnody
5 Country Dance
Gordon Jacob's music is rarely played these days - which is a shame. This suite shows him at his evocative best, here with a small orchestra instead of the original piano setting. Tommy Reilly is the performer in this recording with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields directed by Sir Neville Marriner. In his tribute to Tommy Reilly, Larry Adler remarked: He never even had a close second.
Five Pieces (in the form of a Suite) for Harmonica and Piano (1957) 13'
dedicated to the virtuoso harmonica player Tommy Reilly
1 Caprice
2 Cradle Song
3 Russian Dance
4 Threnody
5 Country Dance
Gordon Jacob's music is rarely played these days - which is a shame. This suite shows him at his evocative best, here with a small orchestra instead of the original piano setting. Tommy Reilly is the performer in this recording with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields directed by Sir Neville Marriner. In his tribute to Tommy Reilly, Larry Adler remarked: He never even had a close second.
Georg Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Recorder Sonata in C Major Op 1 No 7, HWV 365 12'
1 Larghetto
2 Allegro
3 Larghetto
5 Allegro
This is one of four recorder sonatas Handel wrote, possibly as practice works for his harpsichord pupils. They would be presented with a bass line and numbers under the notes indicating which chords to play on the particular note.
Handel was generally fairly sketchy with his figuring, but on these four works he is quite consistent. Hence the view that they were specially prepared for his pupils - principal among them George II's daughter, the Princess Anne.
Here the sonata is played on alto recorder by Marion Verbruggen. A renowned player herself, she is accompanied by Jaap ter Linden on cello and Ton Koopman, harpsichord. With players of such quality you can expect an excellent performance, which includes the 4th movement, a Gavotte:
Clara Josephine Schumann (née Wieck, 1819-1896)
Drei Romanzen für Pianoforte und Violine (arranged for harmonica) 10'
1 Andante molto
2 Allegro
3 Leidenschaftlich schnell
At last, a recording with players "in vision". From the Malyi Zal (Small Hall) of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, comes this performance by Levon Ambartsumian, violin and Evgeny Rivkin, piano:
Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla (1921-1922)
written for the Marco Bellocchio film Enrico IV / Henry IV
Ave Maria - Tanti Anni Prima Many years ago (1984) 5'
Here, we could not resist Phil Hopkins' own recent recording of Piazzolla's beautiful Ave Maria:
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Next concert 16 October 2025 - Tailleferre Ensemble - flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon, click here
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