Tuesday 11th January
Neil Roberts
How things change!
Neil Roberts, a concertgoer and opera enthusiast over 70 years, reflects on some of those shifts of fashion in the musical world.
Appreciation
Unfortunately, Neil was unable to give his talk, as he was self-isolating for Covid-19. It is a demonstration of the depth of musical knowledge in the Society that our two Davids, Fisher and Saunders, were able to step in and fill the gap at very short notice.
David Saunders led with a whistle-stop survey of mainly non-symphonic Czech music, taking in Smetana, Dvorak, Janacek, and Martinu. His love of this life-enhancing repertoire came over very clearly.
After the interval, David Fisher's presentation was prompted by the fast approaching 75th (platinum) anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth on the 6th of February 1952. David took us through an astonishing selection of the music performed at the Queen's coronation, with recorded illustrations from a concert he himself had conducted for the Queen's golden jubilee in 2002.
Playlist for David Saunders' talk
| Smetana | Vltava from Ma Vlast (1874-79) |
| Czech Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Rafael Kubelik live in 1990 on SUPRAPHON | |
| Dvorak | Wind Serenade (1878) |
| Chamber Orchestra of Europe on ASV | |
| Dvorak | Symphony No.7 (1885) |
| London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Antal Dorati in 1963 on MERCURY LIVING PRESENCE | |
| Janacek | Mladi (Youth) for Wind Sextet (1924) |
| Netherlands Wind Ensemble on CHANDOS | |
| Janacek | Sinfonietta (1926) |
| Czech Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jiri Belohlavek on CHANDOS | |
| Martinu | La Revue De Cuisine (1927) |
| Dartington Ensemble on HYPERION | |
| Martinu | Symphony No.6 Fantaisies Symphoniques (1951–53) |
| Czech Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jiri Belohlavek on CHANDOS | |
Playlist for David Fisher's talk
| Title | Composer | Performed By |
|---|---|---|
| I was glad | [DCU & KC] | |
| Let my prayer come up into thy presence | William Harris | [DCU] |
| Zadok the Priest | George F. Handel | [DCU & KC] |
| Confortare | George Dyson | [DCU] |
| Rejoice in the Lord always | Anon. (attr. Robert Redford) | [KC] |
| O clap your hands together | Orlando Gibbons | [KC] |
| I will not leave you comfortless | William Byrd | [KC] |
| Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace | Samuel Sebastian Wesley | [KC] |
| All people that on earth do well | arr. R. Vaughan Williams | [DCU & KC] |
| Sanctus [from "Mass in G minor"] | R. Vaughan Williams | [DCU & KC] |
| O taste and see how gracious the Lord is | R. Vaughan Williams | [KC] |
| Threefold Amen | Orlando Gibbons | [KC] |
| The National Anthem | arr. Gordon Jacob | [DCU & KC] |
| Derby Choral Union [DCU], Kingfisher Chorale [KC], Derwent Brass, Tom Corfield [organ], conducted David Fisher. Live performances recorded at Derby Cathedral, 2002. | ||
