North Westmorland Arts 
Concerts in Appleby-in-Westmorland                           

John Mills and Cobie Smit.

 

PROGRAMME

 

Sonata No.84                                                                             Antonio SOLER  (1729-1783)

Soler was a Catalan composer who trained in the monastery school at Montserrat. He later studied in Madrid with Domenico Scarlatti the composer of over 550 harpsichord sonatas. Whilst Soler only wrote 120 such pieces, he has become known as the Spanish Scarlatti, and these beautiful single-movement compositions often contain elements of Spanish rhythm and melodic turn of phrase.

 

Suite in G Major, Op.17/2   (Arr. E. den Hoed)           Joseph B. de BOISMORTIER  (1689-1755)                                                                                                        

De Boismortier was a prolific French composer of the Baroque Era, a contemporary of Bach, Scarlatti and Handel.  Born in Perpignan, he moved to Paris around 1724, soon earning for himself a reputation as a prodigious composer and publisher.  His music is often noted for its immediate charm, clear and simple textures, and concise structure, being hugely successful with professional and amateur musicians alike.

There are six movements; Prelude - Rondeau - Passacaille - Bouree - Sarabande - Minuets 1 & 2.

 

Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring                                                                 J.S. BACH (1685-1750)

Continuing in the Baroque period, Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” is surely one of the most famous and instantly recognisable melodies in all music.  This wonderful piece appears in the composer’s celebrated Cantata No. 147.

 

Solo by Cobie Smit

Variations on a Theme of Mozart, Op.9                                       Fernando SOR (1778-1839)

 As with Soler heard earlier, Sor was also Catalan, and attended the school at Montserrat. Arguably the greatest guitar composer of the early 19^th century, his music is widely studied and performed today.  Having spent most of his life abroad, particularly London and Paris, he gained a huge reputation not only as a fine performer but also a great teacher of the guitar.  This charming set of Variations is based on a theme from Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute,” and consists of a majestic Introduction, followed by the Theme with 5 variations leading to a short and bravura Finale.

 

English Suite No.2                                                                    John W. DUARTE  (1919-2004)

John Duarte was a leading figure in the guitar world during the 2^nd half of the 20^th century. Coming from Manchester, he initially trained as a chemist, but his deep love of music prevailed and he eventually became a respected teacher of the guitar, composer, author, and music critic. The English Suite No.2 was first performed in 1980, and incorporates traditional folk melodies combined with original composed material.  There are three contrasting movements.

 Interval

  

L'Encouragement Op.34                                                                Fernando SOR (1778-1839)

  “L’Encouragement” was in fact the first work Sor composed for two guitars, but such was its success that he went on to write a number others.  The movements of the composition are; Cantabile, Theme & Variations, and Valse.

 

Bachianas Brasilieras No.5 (Aria)                                    Heitor VILLA-LOBOS  (1887-1959)

The Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos was himself a very good guitarist, composing a set of Preludes, 12 Studies and a Concerto, plus other smaller pieces for the instrument. His favourite composer was in fact Bach, and the set of Bachianas Brasilieras reflect his passion in a beautiful combination of Baroque-inspired writing with the colours and atmosphere of Brazil.  No.5 is perhaps the most famous of the set, written for soprano and eight ‘cellos, (he was also a gifted ‘cellist,) but was also arranged later by the composer for voice and guitar for the great Spanish maestro Andres Segovia.  Originally consisting of two movements, the first of these “Aria,” is featured this evening in a version for two guitars.

 

Solos by John Mills

Amanecer Sobre el Parana                                                     Vincente DEGESE (20^th Cent.)

Nortena                                                                                Jorge GOMEZ CRESPO (1900-71)

Danza Brasilera                                                                                     Jorge MOREL (b. 1931)

Argentina has a great guitar tradition, and in the 20^th Century produced a vast number of beautiful compositions, often influenced by its great folkloric heritage. Amanecer sobre el Parana (Dawn on the river Parana,) is a polka, whilst Nortena is in the style of a folk song from the north of Argentina. Jorge Morel is a celebrated guitar/composer who has performed in the United Kingdom on many occasions, and his lively and rhythmic Danza Brasilera is perhaps his best-known composition.

 

Chanson de Matin                                                                 Sir Edward ELGAR  (1857-1934)

Dusk                                                                                C. ARMSTRONG GIBBS (1889-1960)

Forgotten Dreams                                                                   Leroy ANDERSON (1908-1975)

 The works by Elgar, Armstrong Gibbs, and Leroy Anderson form a group of three pieces arranged from orchestra.  The celebrated “Chanson de Matin” exists in many versions, and although it is very often heard for orchestra it was conceived as a piece for violin and piano in March 1899.   Its charming melody is one of Elgar’s most famous, epitomising the turn-of-the-century era, beautiful, tasteful, and gracious.  The much lesser-known Armstrong Gibbs studied conducting under Sir Adrian Boult and composition with Ralph Vaughan Williams.  Although known mainly for his vocal works, he also wrote a substantial amount of music for orchestra, chamber and stage music, and sacred compositions.  “Dusk” originally for piano and orchestra, dates from the mid-1930s, and comes from his suite Fancy Dress.  Leroy Anderson was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, of Swedish parents, and studied composition at Harvard with Walter Piston and Georges Enesco.  He later became music arranger for the Boston Pops Orchestra.  His output of light music particularly for orchestra was vast, much of it written during the late 1940s and early 1950s., including his celebrated Blue Tango, Belle of the Ball, and The Typewriter.  “Forgotten Dreams” dates from that same period, but was in fact originally a song, though it is mostly heard today in its piano and orchestra version.

 

Recuerdos de la Alhambra                                                 Francisco TARREGA (1852-1909)

 The celebrated Spanish guitarist and composer Francisco Tarrega was largely responsible for the development of the modern style of guitar playing in the second half of the 19^th century.  Although a shy and retiring person, his passion for the guitar and for teaching, combined with his occasional performances, usually quite informal, were the inspiration for a number of players in the decades following his death.  “Recuerdos de la Alhambra” (Memories of the Alhambra) is perhaps his most famous piece, using the technique tremolo with fast repeated notes creating a mandolin effect in the melody line throughout. In 1917, the Argentinian guitarist Julio Sagreras added a second guitar part, and it is this duo version we hear this evening. The piece is a description of the Moorish palace in Granada, with its beautiful buildings, gardens and fountains.

 

                                                         

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