Mozart and Mr Jones – A weekend of Concerts in Contrasting Settings

Rehearsals for last week's concert 

 By Chris Billingham 

As many of you know a week ago today Southern Sinfonia performed with up and coming soprano Sarah-Jane Lewis and our Patron Sir Roger Norrington. The concert took place at St. Nicolas Church in Newbury and was without a doubt, a fantastic way to start the weekend. The orchestra played both Mozart and Beethoven beautifully and Sarah-Jane Lewis stunned the packed crowd with her fantastic voice. As stated in the Newbury Weekly News, “the applause was rapturous with many cheering and stamping”.

A weekend of live music continued with a trip to Birmingham on Saturday to see American rock band Counting Crows at the city’s 02 Academy. Whilst this evening juxtaposed Friday in a number of ways (a little louder perhaps!) it was an equally thrilling concert with every instrument complimenting each other and playing in a harmony that matches the musicianship needed in an orchestra. Whilst the genres were different, for me the performances sat together in terms of excitement and spectacle.

The one unavoidable contrast that was apparent however was the venues, one a parish church built in the 16th century and one a music venue built in the 1970’s and recently renovated to hold concerts and act as a nightclub. Arguably both of these buildings are perfect for the concerts they held but why is that? If it’s the performances that matter the most why is a concert venue so important?

American rock band Counting Crows

First and arguably foremost are logistical reasons; because of the way crowds commonly react to classical music (discussed in last weeks fantastic blog by Richard Brewer) they are less likely to disrupt a church building. At rock/pop concerts however a crowd is more likely to be on their feet and moving, actions that can be dangerous in historical buildings! 

Surroundings create a certain atmosphere and that atmosphere can often lend itself to the pieces being performed. An example of this could be seen on Friday night, the captivating images of both the crucifixion and miracles of Christ featured on the stained glass windows reflecting the dramatic themes of Beethoven’s Aria: Ah, Perfido! Whilst the themes in the piece (the despair of a woman abandoned by a Greek hero) aren’t necessarily religious, the intense images created by the music become amplified when surrounded by dramatic images. In the same vein the sing along chorus of Counting Crows hit Mr Jones matches the atmosphere created by an audience of silhouettes directed to spotlights on the stage singing lyrics such as “Smilin' in the bright lights, Comin' through in stereo, When everybody loves you, You can never be lonely”. 

This connection between music venues and their impact on the music being performed doesn’t mean that certain genres have to be tied to certain venues. It also doesn’t mean that venues can’t be both. Brixton 02 Academy and Oxford Town Hall are two locations used for rock/pop concerts that I would love to see classical music performed in. The interiors of both buildings are incredibly striking and would compliment the power of Mozart and Beethoven brilliantly. It’s fantastic to see that classical music is already being performed in a number of venues that wouldn’t be seen as traditional venues for the genre. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment have taken ‘The Night Shift’ to a number of contemporary locations including pubs such as The George Tavern and The Vauxhall Green.  The Multi-Story Orchestra have also been true to their name and performed in a number of car parks throughout the country! 

There is definitely a place for venues to both compliment the atmosphere of the pieces being performed and be unique and create a new and existing experience for concert attendees. The only think that should never happen is when a venue distracts from the music for negative reasons (whether its being trapped in the mud at Glastonbury or bad acoustics distorting certain movements!). Luckily for me, both of last weekend’s venues and performers were on amazing form, creating a fantastic few days that will be hard to beat tomorrow and Sunday! 

The interiors of Brixton 02 Academy (left) and Oxford Town Hall (right) 

Southern Sinfonia’s next event is our café concert ‘Brass Unwrapped’ on Friday November 21st. A continuation of the popular 'Secrets of the Orchestra' series, this concert focuses on the convivial yet complex brass section. To find out more including ticket details please click here. 

You can also find out more about Southern Sinfonia by visiting our website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Clap, Rustle, Cough, Sneeze....and repeat?

By Richard Brewer

Last week, conductor Marin Alsop was on Desert Island Discs on Radio 4. She was fascinating to listen to, and had some really interesting choices of music – not just classical! I urge you to listen to it online if you haven't already.

One point she made really stuck out to me, about the etiquette of audiences at classical concerts. It's a heavily discussed topic, sometimes discussed in the form of a 'tut' and a disapproving look from an audience member, or  discussed in long newspaper articles online. Where the belief that we must sit up straight, arms folded, in complete silence and not make any sort of noise at all during a concert began, I do not know. What is interesting, however, is the difference in audience etiquette between different concerts; it is extremely dependant on many aspects of a concert, for example the venue, the repertoire and also the age of audience members.

I still vividly remember my first ever live classical concert. I was 16, and it was in Nottingham Royal Concert Hall, which really is a lovely venue. The Hallé orchestra were playing, with Sir Mark Elder conducting Rachmaninov Piano Concerto no. 2 and Rachmaninov Symphony no. 2 (what a start to my classical concert career, by the way!). I went with my best friend and his dad, and came away following one of the best concerts of my life with a list of 5 unwritten rules for attending a concert...

1. Do not cough, or sneeze, or blow your nose during the performance
2. Do not whisper to anyone around you
3. Do not hum the tune, however recognisable or lovely it is
4. Sit still at all times
5. Finally, and most importantly, do NOT under ANY circumstances clap between movements

I learnt the hard way, by doing just about all of these 5 things and getting more than 5 surly looks, quiet 'tuts' and a lot of head turns during the concert. As a first timer, it was a very odd experience. To think that I had to literally sit there silent and motionless for nearly two hours was a daunting task, but I went with it and have done ever since – all because of the unwritten rules. This is the case for pretty much all classical music concerts I have been to in the past 5 or 6 years since then, except for a few very special ones...

The BBC proms. Without doubt, in my mind, one of the most special music festivals worldwide. What an amazing 2 months it is; everyone coming together to watch some of the world's best orchestras blow us away with brilliant performances of the best-loved classics, along with some genre-setting world premieres. The audience at the proms are a special breed. Some sit there asleep, some read, some lie down, some cough, some sneeze, they do it all. The most noteworthy thing they all do (and I'm being extremely general here) is clap between movements. If they hear a rousing, loud movement of a symphony, they respond in the way they see fit – they clap. And why shouldn't they?! 

The other day I was chatting to our patron, Sir Roger Norrington (who conducts an evening of Mozart and Beethoven with Southern Sinfonia next Friday) who noted that he absolutely loves the audience to respond in the way they want to after hearing a wonderful movement. It almost feels unnatural to sit there silently after hearing something as rousing as the final moments of the first movement of Tchaikovsky's fourth symphony. Marin Alsop was also a firm believer in clapping after a movement if the situation merits it, stating that in Beethoven's time they would even clap mid-movement if a phrase was good! 

I'm not in anyway suggesting we should begin to clap in the middle of a movement if there is a really special moment (so please don't do that when you come to our concert next week)! I am also not meriting an outbreak of applause at the end of the slow movement of Mahler's fifth symphony, either, because that would just be awful. I also do know how annoying it can be when people make lots of noise, and I'm not suggesting we all hum along to every tune in the piece. What I do think, though, is that we should feel more relaxed during concerts; we are there for pleasure, after all. 

So, next Friday, when you are sat there in the second half listening to the mighty Beethoven's Eighth Symphony, remember this blog. Remember that if you feel like clapping at the end of a rousing movement, by all means, go for it. On the other hand, of course, if you want to stay silent, do it!

There shouldn't be such a set of unwritten rules for behaviour at a classical concert. Live classical music should be what you make of it. You can react in the way you want to, it affects people in numerous different ways, and that is a hugely powerful asset. Let's not go too mad, though; we don't want to see our beloved performers walk off stage like Michael McIntyre did in a recent gig, after a lady consistently talked and made loud noises all the way through - I'm not sure Sir Roger would approve of that! 

Click here to find out more about next Friday's concert in St. Nicolas, Newbury. There are still tickets available and it really is an evening not to be missed! You can also find out more about Southern Sinfonia by visiting our website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

A New Team Member and a New Season

By Richard Brewer

Hello and welcome to the first blog of our exciting 25^th Anniversary season! I am the new intern here at Southern Sinfonia, and I am thrilled to be writing the first entry in the blog at the start of a very special, celebratory year.  

Firstly, let me give you a few facts I'd tell you if we were on a first date...I recently graduated this summer from the University of Sheffield with a degree in Music, and now I'm hoping to begin a career in the big wide world of arts management. I am a first study flautist, and have a big interest in Shostakovich – writing a 15,000 word thesis on his String Quartets Nos. 8 and 15 last year. Aside from the musical world, I am a keen, if somewhat average, cricketer. If any of you are cricket fans, please come over and find me at one of our concerts this season! The way English cricket is going, however, it might be a short and depressing chat. Nevertheless, I'm tall and approachable so come and introduce yourself regardless of whether you like cricket! 

With this being Southern Sinfonia's 25^th Anniversary season, our first major concert is “Classical Celebration”. Held on 31^st October in the beautiful St Nicolas Church in Newbury, the evening will contain an eclectic mix of Mozart and Beethoven. We are thrilled that our patron, Sir Roger Norrington, will be conducting some wonderful music. Fresh from his two outstanding performances at the BBC Proms this year, Sir Roger will be joined by winner of the Hampshire Singer of the Year 2013 – Sarah-Jane Lewis. It promises to be a fantastic evening of music and tickets are selling fast, so get yours soon! 

You don't have to wait until 31^st October to see some brilliant music, however. Our Cafe Concert series begins on Friday 26^th September with “one of the greatest up and coming young piano talents in the music world”, Martin James Bartlett. This year's winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year, Martin will providing a wonderful repertoire including Bach, Liszt and Prokofiev. Looking further into the Autumn (uh-oh, depressing...think sunshine), Friday 17^th October sees the Villiers Quartet, our Quartet in residence, visit the Corn Exchange. Their programme promises to give a thrilling lunch hour for the audience members, including works by Delius, Britten and Bridge, as well as a multimedia performance of Chris Roe's 'Jetez!'. 

These concerts will be my first taste of Southern Sinfonia, and I am thrilled to be given the chance to work with such a diverse and exciting orchestra. Live classical music is something that I absolutely love, and feel everyone should experience. Over the summer I attended a number of the BBC Proms (as a Prommer, of course, as I'm still pretending to be a student). I really do love the atmosphere both in the Royal Albert Hall, and outside on the steps as the queue grows along with the anticipation for the evening's concert. A particular highlight for me was the performance of Mahler Symphony No. 5. The work is one of my favourite Mahler symphonies (along with 2, 6, 8 and 9, if you're interested!). Standing in the middle of a very warm, packed-out arena, I was completely transfixed from start to end. As the final chord of the powerful, sublime fourth movement died away, I looked around and saw nearly everyone staring intently, not making a sound. Everyone in the audience that night was mesmerised by what they saw and heard, and that is why live classical music is such a wonderful thing. 

@bbcproms

With this in mind, I can't wait for my first taster of Southern Sinfonia, and what an opening concert it will be! I look forward to meeting lots of you there on October 31^st as Sir Roger brings the baton down on Mozart and Beethoven. 

You can find more about Southern Sinfonia by visiting our website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more images and information! 

A summer afternoon with friends and supporters - in pictures

By Southern Sinfonia 

Continuing our summer theme, we wanted to share some pictures of a recent evening Southern Sinfonia spent entertaining supporters at Combe Manor...

Our Chairman John Horsey talks to guests

Managing Director Kay Lawrence entertaining guests

Close friends Mary and David Russell, who hosted the event 

James Sherlock and Benjamin Appl on stage about to perform

Hannah Medlam, Benjamin Appl and James Sherlock 

Click here to find out how you can become involved with Southern Sinfonia. You can also visit our website, Twitter, Instagram or Facebook pages to find out more. 

Let's Keep the Ukeleles and the Recorders

Guest Blog

This week's guest blog comes from Nick Stringfellow, talented Southern Sinfonia cellist and member of our Quartet in Association, the Villiers Quartet. 

My thoughts have been occupied this week by the impact of systematic cuts to the Arts, and its effect on music in schools. I have recently experienced this first hand after visiting a handful of primary schools in different parts of the country.

The first thing that hit me was just how little instrumental teaching was happening in some schools. It is not unusual for a school musical evening to now consist primarily of children performing to backing tracks. Don't get me wrong, the performances themselves are often very creative and sometimes in the case of the dance ensembles, choreographed by the children themselves. The small instrumental element is represented by those children who learn their instruments outside school, privately or with a parent. I don't mean to generalise about this and I should point out that there is another side to the coin.

I also visited a school where instrumental teaching still appeared to be thriving. This school was obviously managing to cling on to its peripatetic music service. The class teachers (who probably remember how instrumental music in schools used to be) seem desperate to keep the home fires burning. But what becomes evident in this situation is the difficulty to maintain standards as the instrumental lessons get squeezed. Most of the time, we're talking about a 30 minute group lesson with 3 children. That's 10 minutes each! In real terms, after spending 2 minutes getting the instrument out of its case (and putting it away), a broken string would mean the end of the lesson!

Another model for instrumental music in schools is the huge sticking plaster known as "wider opportunities." This, I imagine, started life as a box ticking exercise, and on paper it looks pretty good. Alerted to the fact that instrumental music in schools was becoming extinct, the solution was to get everybody in a classroom playing the same instrument for a year. As a result, it's not unusual to walk into schools and find an arsenal of trumpets ready to “lock and load”. Unfortunately, there are some schools which acquired the instruments for wider ops, but now don't have the resources to properly support it. Then you’re left with a Performing Arts space which now houses a tenor horn graveyard...

Allow me to transport you back to the early eighties and to my primary school in Rotherham. I started learning the recorder using tablature like a lot of kids my age did. I can't remember a time when I wasn't playing chamber music in some shape or form, even if it was sharing a music stand with a flautist as we battled through "Cherokee Chief"! I was asked on the strength of those experiences (even with my "goldfish" recorder technique) whether I'd like to play the cello...and the rest (as they say) is history.

Rotherham music service was a crack team of enthusiastic and exciting professional teachers. They would come into school en masse and give ensemble performances displaying an infectious camaraderie and communication. This rapport existed because the teachers spent a lot of time working together. There were at least two youth orchestra rehearsals every week, which the majority of instrumental teachers would attend and coach their particular sections. I remember my very first experience of string quartet playing, after I had only been studying the cello a couple of years. It was a weekend chamber music course and the initiative of one of the string teachers who was passionate about quartet playing and wanted to share his burning enthusiasm.

I know from talking to many of my colleagues that this situation was not unusual and there were other notable music services in Leicester and Bedfordshire for example, who are now sadly struggling against cuts in funding.

I have to say at this point that there is an abundance of great teachers out there right now. They still have all that burning enthusiasm that they're desperate to share. I've seen amazing things happen in response to these cuts.... individual instrumental teachers holding 60 children spellbound with their charisma and instrumental virtuosity. In some ways these teachers have had to evolve with the environment and now need a comprehensive "tool kit" to deal with anything that might get thrown at them.

The problem is, morale is low in many areas of the teaching profession. These amazing people are now under so much pressure to get results that their passion and enthusiasm is waning. Many teachers are under much scrutiny from regulating bodies and effectively encouraged not to teach in a creative way. There is no longer space to nurture individual talent. This system of box ticking is eroding the rapport that existed between the teachers and making our schools soulless. My only hope is that somehow we find a way to increase the resources and inject life back into our music services and schools again.

Let's keep the ukuleles and the recorders. They are an entry point for children to quickly find a musical voice, and can be introduced in the classroom by every teacher. There comes a point, though, when some of those children need a leg up to the next rung of the musical ladder--the watchful eye of that teacher who recognises their talent and can say “How about trying the cello now? There’s one in the music cupboard with your name on it.”

Thank you to Nick for his very insightful words! We will be back in a few weeks' time with our next article. In the meantime, if you want to find out more about Southern Sinfonia, you can visit our website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.