Concerto Fever!

I’ll be performing Mozart’s timeless concerto for clarinet next week with the Hull Camerata and @MusicHullUni and I’m working on my embellishments – refreshing my ideas, exploring some new twists and turns and asking…..just how long a cadenza might be in this piece. Working from the @BarenreiterUK edition which is looking lovingly worn these days, I’ve lost track of the drinks that have spilled on the front cover but at least the inside is intact! I’m reminded of the many possibilities this piece holds for clarinettists given that we don’t have a copy in Mozart’s hand and it’s interesting to listen to the solutions others have found (in recordings and in their editions) on regular clarinets and on instruments with a basset extension. Thanks to Daniel Bangham of @WWRReedsDirect for a wonderful boxwood instrument to play on and to @denotejohn for all the cups of tea.

Looking forward immensely to meeting the band. The concert also includes an example of a smaller scale concerto – the Piano Concerto K. 413 with string quartet. John Irving performs on his beautifully elegant McNulty fortepiano.

April 15th University of Hull, Lindsey Suite. Mozart Concertos (Clarinet Concerto, K.622 and Piano Concerto K. 413) with John Irving, Jane Booth and members of the Hull Camerata,  1.15pm. We’re really looking forward to it.

…and we’ll be working with students after the concert.

7 May Fundraiser for Lythe Chamber Music 2016

 

Sneaton Castle will once again be the venue for an all-Mozart Fundraising Concert for Lythe Chamber Music 2016. Saturday 7 May, at 7.30pm.

Following the successful concert there on 5 December last year, course founders Jane Booth and John Irving return to Sneaton to perform masterpieces by Mozart with a local string quartet led by Tony Mason (Chairman of Lythe Early Music Performance Group).

John said: “Jane and I are really looking forward to this concert, which gives us an opportunity to work with Tony in a different way. We’re used to him wearing his Chairman’s hat – and also, of course, being a huge supporter of Jamie Walton’s annual North York Moors Chamber Music Festival. But we’ve never encountered him as a player. We know he’s very active as an orchestral and chamber music Leader in the area, so this is a chance to develop our contacts in a different musical way. He’s certainly got his work cut out in this concert, as he’s playing viola as well as violin!”

John will be playing Mozart’s own arrangement of his Piano Concerto, K.413 for piano and string quartet (1782); Jane’s performance of the ever-popular Clarinet Quintet (a regular winner of the Classic FM Hall of Fame!) will be on a copy of an unusual basset clarinet played by Anton Stadler, for whom Mozart originally wrote the piece; Tony will join both of them for the extraordinary ‘Kegelstatt’ Trio for viola, clarinet and piano (1786).

Programme:

Mozart Piano Concerto in F, K.413 (John Irving)

Mozart Kegelstatt Trio, in E flat, K.498 (Tony Mason, Jane Booth, John Irving)

Mozart Clarinet Quintet in A, K.581 (Jane Booth)