SUNDAY, 20TH JULY – ALL SAINTS CHURCH, FORDHAM, ESSEX
6.30pm
Bach's Cantata BWV 105 for the 9th Sunday after Trinity Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht with the Jeremy Hughes and the Laurentian Ensemble Soloists: Daniela Bechly, Ed Leach and Tenor.
SUNDAY, 13TH JULY – ST. PETER’S CHURCH, COGGESHALL
5.15pm
Patrick McCarthy and members of the Colchester Bach Choir and Orchestra will perform one of Bach's Cantatas for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity, No. 45 Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch with contralto Elizabeth Stokes and John Upperton among the soloists.
A fundraising concert on Steven's Birthday
St Paul's Church, Covent Garden, London, 18th April 2008
Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante
Wagner: Siegfried Idyll.
Mozart Concert aria KV 505 Ch’io mi scordi di te.
Mendelssohn 4th Symphony The Italian.
Hayley Chisnall viola
Sian Philips violin
Daniela Bechly Soprano
Conductor Simon Joly
An Evening of Purcell, with the Laurentian Baroque Ensemble
Dido and Aeneas.
The Assembly Rooms, Dedham, Essex, 2nd Feb 2008
"The Assembly Rooms in Dedham provided an elegant setting for the first production by the Pimlott Foundation on 2nd February. “An Evening of Purcell” was an indulgent occasion from the start, starting informally with wine and sandwiches to the accompaniment of incidental music by the seventeenth century English composer Henry Purcell. A selection of Purcell’s most famous songs and other music followed, performed by a variety of singers supported in two items by the Laurentian Chorus which was small in number, but not in voice! Two items stood out – one a performance of Purcell’s delicate Evening Hymn by Laura Wright, who though only 17 filled the Assembly Rooms with a rich voice far more mature than would be expected, and the other a sensitive rendition by the countertenor Peter Crawford of one of Purcell’s most famous songs, ‘Music for a While’. "
"Purcell’s music, and the songs of the first half in particular, does not seem designed for large spaces, and the Assembly Rooms provided an intimate backdrop in which even the delicate sound of the lute, part of the accompaniment, could still be heard despite the room being full to capacity. The gallery at the back provided the ideal position for an unexpected trumpet voluntary – a much more engaging way to invite the audience back to the second half than the more usual bell!"
"The second half, and the principal focus of the concert, was a semi-staged performance of Purcell’s opera, Dido and Aeneas. Soloists made full use of the small stage, supported again from behind by an able chorus who appeared to enjoy the freedom of performing more dramatically than would usually be suggested by singers reading from the scores. As soloists maximising the drama of their roles Julie Roberts and Patrick McCarthy, and the young Charlotte Walters, were particularly believable, and Stephen Varcoe as Aeneas brought home the tension of being torn between the engaging Sorceress of Angela Bostock and the striking, impassioned Dido (Daniela Bechly). Themed colours for dress helped identify the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ roles, a fairly crude but effective mechanism. The Laurentian Baroque Ensemble, as before a string quartet with lute, guitar and harpsichord but now joined by two recorders, was positioned to one side but evidently still with good enough sight lines for the singers and players to play very tightly together. In this they were clearly aided by clear but discreet direction from the conductor, Jeremy Hughes."
"Dido’s lament is justly the best-known aria from this opera, and as with all very famous tunes brings obvious risks to the performer. Daniela Bechly, however, sang expressively and movingly, leaving the audience in no doubt as to Dido’s emotional torment at the end of the opera."
"One of the key aims of the Pimlott Foundation is to provide the opportunity for young musicians to perform alongside more established professionals. The three young singers – Laura Wright, Charlotte Walters and Anna Bashall, all of whom sang solo in Dido and in the chorus, were fully deserving of their roles, and of the audience’s attention. These singers, like almost all the performers, live in Essex or Suffolk, showing that it really should not be necessary to travel further afield to hear performances of a high calibre. It is to be hoped that the Foundation will continue as it has begun - putting on concerts which meet the Foundation’s aims and provide a musical delight for their audience. "
Jane Couchman
Evensong for Epiphany Sunday
St.Peters Church Colchester, Essex, 6th Jan 2008
Bach Cantata for the Third Day of Christmas
All Saints Church, Fordham, 31 Dec 2006
Canapč Choir, A Light Collation Soirče,
Old House Barn, Great Horkesley, 27 April 2007
Steven Pimlott A Celebration
National Theatre, London, 17 May 2007
Bach Cantata Mein Herze Schwimmt Im Blut
The Church of St Mary, Stoke by Nayland, 19 August 2007
Old House Recital, Old House Barn
Great Horkesley, 30 September 2007
Suffolk Memorial Concert for Steven Pimlott
Lavenham Church, 27 October 2007