Skip to main content
search
0
Tag

City of Peterborough Youth Ensemble

Mar 28
Love0

City of Peterborough Youth Ensemble

By fedora strings performance No Comments

Last Sunday Fedora Strings’ violinist – Roger Stimson – and myself  led the violin and cello sections of the City of Peterborough Youth Ensemble ( CPYE) in a concert of string orchestral music in Cambridgeshire. It reminded me of what a marvellous experience string orchestral playing can be. The repertoire is superb and every member of the ensemble is crucial: you play as part of a team – with no conductor – so trust and interdependence are vital.

I  used to love exploring  the great works for string orchestra when I was a member of the Scottish Baroque Ensemble and later, as artistic director of Peterborough String Orchestra.  I could name one superlative piece after another: Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings, Dvorak Serenade for Strings, Suk Serenade for Strings, Shostakovich Chamber Symphony, Britten Simple Symphony and Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Arensky Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky,   Bach Brandenburg 3, Grieg Holberg Suite, Stravinsky Concerto for String Orchestra, Rossini String Sonatas, Elgar Serenade for Strings and Introduction and Allegro, Handel Concerto Grossi, Purcell Chaconne in G minor, Mozart Divertimenti , Warlock Capriol Suite, Vivaldi The Seasons and Sinfonia in G…..

Yet  now, having played Roger’s  adaptations of more or less anything for string duo, and beginning to create  sheet music arrangements myself,  I realise that the string orchestral repertoire  could be widened far further. In fact, for its next Peterborough concert in Cambridgeshire, CPYE will be playing an arrangement of Monteverdi’s famous Beatus Vir – which was originally written for voices with string accompaniment. The title of this early baroque work means ‘Blessed is Man’  and you can hear the joy in every phrase; there’s an  excellent performance on You Tube by the Swedish group  Vox Scaniensis  which has some delightful string playing.

Isn’t it amazing to think this work was composed around four hundred years ago, yet  is still easy  and straightforward to understand ?  As  musicologist Robert Donington says:” We are of this modern age and much has changed which could not be changed back again, even if we so desired. But not our deeper human nature and not the essential musicianship so intimately bound up with our human nature: these do not change.”

Feb 07
Love0

City of Peterborough Youth Ensemble

By fedora strings performance No Comments

Last night Roger and I were coaching and leading the violin and cello sections of the City of Peterborough Youth Ensemble: two string groups with about eight members each which play without a conductor. It reminded me  of what a great experience it is for kids to work in an ensemble without a conductor. In a small string orchestra every individual player counts. You need to know your part extremely well and come in confidently at all the entries, yet you also have the pleasure of being  part of a group  responding to other people’s playing and ideas. For me it’s the perfect balance, and the professional string orchestra repertoire is truly  wonderful.

In the ensemble we’ve starting discussing ideas for interpretation, dynamics, character, different bowing techniques  with the aim of  achieving different sounds and more variety . We’re working on European Children’s Songs, Monteverdi’s Chiome D’oro and Roger’s arrangement of Over the Hills and Far Away and there’s a concert at the end of March. Each section leader has alot of responsibility – but that’s where the fun and excitement is. The group meets on Wednesday evenings between 5.30pm and 7.45pm at Werrington in Peterborough.