Summer Family Concert 2010

Saturday 10 July 2010

St Mary’s Church, Banbury

Music from the Movies

Programme £1

Welcome to our concert! Hello and welcome to our Summer 2010 concert.

This evening's exciting family concert features film music, ranging from

recent highly popular films such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter,

The Lord of the Rings plus The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ by Dukas, used in the

famous Disney film Fantasia, to other pieces of music that are extremely

well known but perhaps not immediately linked with the movies: such as the

soaring Barber's 'Adagio for Strings', which has been used in Oliver

Stone's Platoon, The Elephant Man and Amélie, and the familiar 'Young

Person's Guide to the Orchestra', which Britten wrote for a documentary

film, cleverly introducing each orchestral instrument that then knits together

in a rousing finale.

Ireland – The Overlanders Suite (5 movements)

Barber – Adagio for Strings

Dukas – The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Harry Potter

Interval

Britten – Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra

Lord of the Rings

James Bond Medley

Pirates of the Caribbean

Paul Willett – Conductor

Paul Willett studied violin, singing and piano as a

student but his main instrument was the French

horn. When Paul was 16, he gained his

Performance Diploma from The Royal College of

Music playing French horn. Paul then went on to

read music on scholarship at The Queen’s College,

Oxford, and studied for his teaching certificate in

Music and Physical Education at Reading

University.

For several years Paul combined teaching and freelance playing. He has given solo

recitals and performed concertos throughout the country. He was a member of The

Five Winds, a group that performed both at home and abroad, and also on BBC

radio. Paul also worked as a brass teacher for Oxfordshire Music Service and was

director of a Saturday Music School of 200 students.

Paul now combines class teaching with conducting various ensembles, both adult

and youth. He is also in demand as an adjudicator for both adult and student

competitions. Paul is currently acting deputy head teacher at Didcot Girls’ School.

Anna Fleming - Leader

Anna was born in South Africa where she started

playing the violin at the age of ten. While studying

music at secondary school, Anna became a

member of the South African National Youth

Orchestra. After successfully completing her music

degree, majoring in orchestral studies, Anna joined

the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra in 1992.

Anna moved to England in late 1996. Keen to continue her orchestral playing, Anna

joined the Banbury Symphony Orchestra in 1997 and became the leader of the

orchestra in 2000, a post that she has held ever since. As a committed Christian,

Anna plays an active role in church music. Focusing primarily on private violin

tuition, Anna particularly enjoys helping adults to learn to play and she can be

contacted on 01295 780017.

Ireland – The Overlanders Suite (5 movements)

During its heyday, Ealing Studios

produced five films in Australia, of

which this was the first and best. It

also provided them with one of their

biggest box office successes. It’s a

visually ambitious tale of a resilient

drover (played by the affable, sun-

dried Chips Rafferty), who, in the face

of a Japanese invasion of the Northern

Territories at the beginning of Australia’s involvement in World War II, elects to

drive a thousand head of cattle 2000 miles cross-country to Brisbane rather than

have them slaughtered. The Overlanders gazes in wonderment at the open spaces

of the outback landscape and marvels at its sunlit pockets of adventure. Leslie

Halliwell called it a ‘semi-western’, and that’s a fair description: it’s more a paean to

the trials of ‘frontier’ life than a war movie. There’s also a pervading sense of post-

war optimism, as if a victorious but battle-fatigued England is looking to the New

World in its hope for the future.

John Nicholson Ireland (13 August 1879 – 12 June 1962) was an English composer.

From Charles Villiers Stanford, Ireland inherited a thorough knowledge of the music

of Beethoven, Brahms and other German classical composers, but as a young man

he was also strongly influenced by Debussy and Ravel as well as by the earlier works

of Stravinsky and Bartók. From these influences, he developed his own brand of

"English Impressionism", related more closely to French and Russian models than to

the folk-song style then prevailing in English music.

Barber - Adagio for Strings

Barber's Adagio for Strings originated as the second movement in his String Quartet,

Op. 11, composed in 1936. The piece uses an arch form, employing and then

inverting, expanding, and varying a stepwise ascending melody. The long, flowing

melodic line moves freely between the voices in the string choir culminating in a

fortissimo-forte climax followed by sudden silence. The last section is a restatement

of the original theme; the piece ends with first violins slowly restating the first five

notes of the melody, holding the last note over a brief silence and a fading

accompaniment.

Barber's 'Adagio for Strings', has been used

in Oliver Stone's Platoon, The Elephant

Man and Amélie. The piece was played at

the funeral of Princess Grace of Monaco and

at the funeral of Albert Einstein. It was

broadcast over the radio at the

announcement of Franklin D. Roosevelt's

death. It was performed in 2001 at Last

Night of the Proms in the Royal Albert Hall

to commemorate the victims of the

September 11 attacks. In 2004, listeners of

the BBC's Today program voted Adagio the

"saddest classical" work ever, ahead of

"Dido's Lament" from Dido and Æneas by

Henry Purcell. Get your tissues ready!

Dukas - The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

The Sorcerer's Apprentice is the English

name of a poem by Goethe, Der

Zauberlehrling, written in 1797. The

poem is a ballad in fourteen stanzas. Paul

Dukas composed his L'apprenti sorcier (a

symphonic poem) in 1897. Subtitled

"Scherzo” after a ballad by Goethe, the

poem begins as an old sorcerer departs

his workshop, leaving his apprentice with

chores to perform. Tired of fetching water by pail, the apprentice enchants a broom

to do the work for him — using magic he is not yet fully trained in. The floor is soon

awash with water, and the apprentice realizes that he cannot stop the broom

because he does not know how.

Not knowing how to control the enchanted broom, the apprentice splits it in two

with an axe, but each of the pieces becomes a new broom and takes up a pail and

continues fetching water, now at twice the speed. When all seems lost, the old

sorcerer returns, quickly breaks the spell and saves the day. The poem finishes with

the old sorcerer's statement that powerful spirits should only be called by the

master himself.

The acclaimed animated dialogue-free 1940 Disney film Fantasia popularized the

story from Goethe's poem, and the Paul Dukas symphonic poem based on it, in one

of eight animated shorts based on classical music. In the piece, which retains the

title "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," Mickey Mouse plays the apprentice, and the story

follows Goethe's original closely. The segment proved so popular that it was

repeated, in its original form, in the sequel Fantasia 2000.

Harry Potter

Jerry Brubaker has captured all the excitement from the Patrick Doyle film score of

the box office hit, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire™. This medley-style

arrangement not only includes John Williams' "Hedwig's Theme" from the first three

films, but incorporates the brand new "Foreign Visitors Arrive," "Potter Waltz,"

"Harry in Winter," "The Quidditch World Cup (The Irish)," "Voldemort!/Hedwig's

Theme" and "Hogwarts' Hymn." A medley that is sure to please.

Britten - Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra

The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, opus 34, is a musical composition by

Benjamin Britten in 1946 with a subtitle "Variations and Fugue on a Theme of

Purcell". It was originally commissioned for an educational documentary film called

The Instruments of the Orchestra, directed by Muir Mathieson and featuring the

London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Sargent. The work is one of the

best-known pieces by the composer, and is one of the three popularly used scores in

children's music education, together with Saint-Saëns' The Carnival of the Animals

and Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf.

The work is based on the Rondeau from Abdelazar, written by Henry Purcell, and is

structured, in accordance with the plan of the original documentary film, as a way of

showing off the tone colors and capacities of the various sections of the orchestra.

In the introduction, the theme is initially played by the

entire orchestra, then by each major family of

instruments of the orchestra: first the woodwinds,

then the strings, then the brass, and finally by the

percussion. Each variation then features a particular

instrument in depth, in the same family order, and

generally moving through each family from high to

low. So, for example, the first variation features the

piccolo and flutes; each member of the woodwind

family then gets a variation, ending with the bassoon;

and so on, through the strings, brass, and finally the

percussion.

After the whole orchestra has been effectively taken to pieces in this way, it is

reassembled using an original fugue which starts with the piccolo, followed by all

the woodwinds, strings, brass and percussion in turn. Once everyone has entered,

the brass are re-introduced with Purcell’s original melody while the remainder

continue the fugue theme until the piece finally comes to an end after building up to

a fortissimo finish.

Lord of the Rings

The music of the The Lord of the Rings film trilogy was

composed, orchestrated, conducted and produced by

Howard Shore. Shore wrote many hours of music for The

Lord of the Rings.

Shore composed the music in an emotional, operatic way,

threading through the scores over 80 specific leitmotifs,

which are categorized by the Middle-earth cultures to

which they relate. Shore began his work on the music for

The Fellowship of the Ring in late 2000 and recorded the

first pieces of music (the Moria sequence) in spring of

2001. Additional music for the extended DVD version was recorded in March, 2002.

A similar pattern was followed for The Two Towers and The Return of the King, with

the final sessions taking place in London on March 20, 2004.

The music was performed primarily by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the

London Voices, with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra contributing some of the

early Moria music. A wide variety of instrumental and vocal soloists contributed to

the scores as well.

James Bond Medley

In his James Bond Medley arrangement,

Victor Lopez shows that the 007 agent is

alive and well. The medley features five

classic hits, the "James Bond Theme," "For

Your Eyes Only," "Goldfinger," "Live and Let

Die," and "Nobody Does it Better."

Pirates of the Caribbean

Klaus Badelt (born 1967) is a German composer, best known for composing film

scores. One of his more famous and popular scores is the score to the 2003 film

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Pirates of the Caribbean is a series of

adventure films directed by Gore

Verbinski, written by Ted Elliott and

Terry Rossio and produced by Jerry

Bruckheimer. They are based on a

Walt Disney theme park ride of the

same name, and follow Captain Jack

Sparrow (portrayed by Johnny

Depp), Will Turner (portrayed by

Orlando Bloom), and Elizabeth

Swann (portrayed by Keira

Knightley).

All programme notes taken from Wikipedia

Banbury Symphony Orchestra

Management Committee:

Jonathan Rowe (Chair), Kathryn Hayman (Secretary), Jenny Maynard (Treasurer)

Emma Callery, Estevan Ellul, Anna Fleming, Helen Payne, Andrew Waite

Conductor - Paul Willett

Violin I

Anna Fleming (Leader)

Jenny Maynard

Geoff Kent

Kathryn Hayman

Penny Tolmie

Marianne Robinson

Trish Evans

Emma Blunt

Norman Filleul

Graham Buckner

Violin II

Ian Smith

Conrad Woolley

Andrew Waite

Imogen Mead

Emma Callery

Rachel Sansome

Gill Walker

Bryony Yelloly

Rachel Greene

Kim Williams

Viola

David Bolton-King

John Maksinski

Catherine Smith

Jonathan Rowe

Cello

Miranda Ricardo

Sarah Turnock

Janet Parsons

John Pimm

Ruth Mankelow

Paul Morley

Alice Hill

Jennifer Hubble

Rosi Callery

Double Bass

Robert Gilchrist

Jo Hammond

Jane Martin

Flute

Rachel McCubbin

Nick Planas

Sue Wain

Piccolo

Nick Planas

Oboe

Lyn Gosney

Diana Lewis

Clarinet

Helen Payne

Alice Palmer Jo Williams

Bassoon

Ian McCubbin

Rachel James

Horn

David Settle

Simon Mead

Richard Hartree

Edward Bolton-King

Trumpet

Tony Chittock

Ron Barnett

Trombone

Paul Macey

Gary Clifton

Malcolm Saunders

Tuba

James Bolton-King

Percussion

Justin Rhodes

Sue Woolhouse

Dave Martin

Dave Hadland

Harp

Karina Bell

Dates for your diary…

Saturday 20 November 2010 Autumn Concert

7.30pm St. Mary’s Church Banbury

• Balakirev Overture on 3 Russian Themes

• Bruch Violin Concerto No.1

• Brahms Symphony No.4

Sue Lynn: violin

The highlight of Banbury Symphony Orchestra’s autumn concert is Bruch’s ever-

popular violin concerto, performed by talented Oxford-based violinst, Sue Lynn. Sue

is a soloist with the esteemed Academy of St Martin’s in the Fields as well as playing

with the English Chamber Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra, so BSO is

delighted to welcome her to Banbury for what will no doubt be a thrilling

performance of this concerto. Topped and tailed by Balakirev’s Overture on Three

Russian Themes and the mighty symphony no. 4 by Brahms, this is a concert

guaranteed to provide that tingle factor.

Website

Please visit our website for more information

www.banburysymphony.org

Patrons of Banbury Symphony Orchestra

S. E. Corsi, Esq. Mrs H. M. W. Rivett Lady Saye and Sele

We are very grateful to our patrons for their financial support.

If you would like to make a donation, please send a cheque made payable to

Banbury Symphony Orchestra to the treasurer Jenny Maynard, The White House,

Hill, Leamington Hastings, Rugby, CV23 8DX or email her on

j.maynard@coventry.ac.uk

Please also fill in a Gift Aid declaration that can be obtained from Jenny, which

enables the orchestra to claim an additional 25p for every £1 donated by taxpayers.

Our Sponsors

Banbury Symphony Orchestra has welcomed Spratt Endicott as sponsors since the

start of 2006. Spratt Endicott is pleased to be associated with Banbury Symphony

Orchestra.

“We place particular emphasis on delivering effective legal solutions to the

problems faced by businesses and private clients alike. Our approach is proactive

and we listen to our clients and take pride in our efforts to achieve their objectives.”

Spratt Endicott

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Friends of the Banbury Symphony Orchestra enjoy the following benefits:

• Regular updates on the orchestra

• Information about forthcoming concerts

If you would like to become a friend or would like to know more, please visit our

website, or contact Emma Callery on 01608 737249 or e-mail her:

emma@caller.demon.co.uk.

Are you interested in joining the orchestra?

If you play an instrument to a standard of Grade 7 or above and would like to play

with the orchestra, find out more by contacting Anna Fleming on 01295 780017. All

rehearsals take place at Banbury School during term time on Tuesday evenings,

7:30–9:30pm.