Chipping Sodbury Music Society review (From Gazette Series)

Chipping Sodbury Music Society review

12:38pm Wednesday 14th January 2009 in Search

Review by Michelle Cook: Chipping Sodbury Music Society.

THE first concert of 2009, by Ian Clarke – flute and Tim Carey - piano, was a resounding success with a wonderful turnout on an extremely cold evening! In a new venture for the Society, Flutissimo, a group of young local flautists from the South Gloucestershire Council Music Service and BANES, and their teachers, were invited to join in the concert Ian Clarke is acknowledged as one of the leading player/composers in the flute world and his compositions have been performed across five continents on stages ranging from London’s South Bank to the Glastonbury rock festival. He and Tim put together a thoughtfully designed programme, which included several of these exciting pieces. The concert started with Clarke’s ‘Hypnosis’, a piece that had a naturally expressive, free and organic quality and which moved from hypnotic opening figures to more intense and perhaps slightly intoxicating climaxes.

This was followed by John Rutter’s Suite Antique with its light, splendidly melodic, traditionally harmonic and energetically rhythmic style. The audience was left with some delightfully shaped melodies which lingered long after the music had ended.

Ian then played his own composition for solo flute ‘The Great Train Race’ subtitled ‘The Flute As You Don’t Usually Hear It!’. Its breathtaking style proved extremely popular with the audience – young and old alike.

The teachers took to the stage with Ian and played his composition ‘Within’ for seven flutes. This showed the true versatility of the instrument and led the way for the young artists who were then given the opportunity to show off their talents in a piece called ‘Walk Like This’. The children, aged eight upwards, played the piece as it should be played - with a sense of fun and attitude!!!

Following the Interval, Ian and Tim played three more of his compositions: ‘Sunstreams’, ‘Spiral Lament’ composed for amateur flautist Hannah Money for her giant African Snails, and the second movement from one of his newest pieces 'Blue Alien/Alien Chill Out' from 'Hatching Aliens'.

Tim then delighted the audience with his playing of the ‘Sonetto del Petrarca No. 104’ for solo piano by Franz Liszt. This work reflects the passionate poem by Petrarch, telling of a lover's hopes and fears, of his peace and war, of his smiling and grief and the mainly slow tune threaded its way through the piece, interrupted by a succession of brilliantly executed cadenza-like passages.

The finale was Poulenc’s Sonata for flute and piano and the quick first movement was played with a sad wistfulness about it. The slow movement was ideally suited to the flute and the fast-paced finale was full of cheerful joy. The evening ended with well-deserved, tumultuous applause for all the musicians.

The Society's next concert featuring the London Bridge Ensemble will be in Chipping Sodbury Town Hall on Tuesday, 10 February at 7.30pm.