This Spring, Penarth Pier Pavilion is working in collaboration with RWCMD on a new RWCMD-in-Residence programme. The Residency will involve music workshops and performances for all ages and audiences!

Little Concerts

Discover the wonderful world of the harp and classical guitar in this joyous and interactive chamber music concert.

Perfect for families and specifically designed around the learning styles of under-5’s. Little Concerts are hour-long events, with no segment longer than four minutes. Children participate with movement and art which expand their understanding of the music and instruments.

The first Little Concert is on Sunday 12th February 2023, 2pm to 3pm (doors open 1.30pm). Tickets are £5.95 per child + booking fee. Children to be accompanied by a maximum of 2 adults. You can find out more information and book here

What parents are saying about Little Concerts: 

I loved how the children were just so captivated by the music. I really wasn’t expecting that. She spent the whole time just transfixed. It was really accessible for them. It was gorgeous – that song towards the end. Could we just have that every evening at our house?  

I really liked the interactive activities on top of the music. I kind of assumed that we would be just listening to the music. It was really nice, that other level of engagement and stimulation. 

I like the interactive new composition where the children pointed out what they wanted to hear. That was good. Instant feedback! 

Really different. It’s lovely that its tailored completely for the children and they can do whatever they want and get completely involved. He loved it. 

Really thoroughly enjoyed the concert and lovely to have a relaxing afternoon with the children. 

I thought it was wonderful, all the interactive things for the little ones. My daughter really loved listening to that piece with the lights on the ceiling. Oh, she was so relaxed all the way through. 

It was really nice to watch her be still and listen to the music. 

It was really, really good from the point of view of the children but also the adults. 

I really enjoyed all of it and had I lovely time. I’ve never done anything like this before. 

I enjoyed the entire thing. It was quite miraculous. It was done at such a wonderful level for the children and the participation from the children was just lovely to watch. They soaked it up. 

The different activities to involve the children in the different pieces were really well thought through. The activities really complimented the pieces. 

For my older daughter, it is really nice for her to see older young people who are studying different instruments in Cardiff, coming from different places. And my younger child enjoyed being able to get involved with different activities while listening to the music. 

Introducing children to a more classical side of music and some Welsh, was fantastic. And having that interaction with it. Brilliant. 

This event is part of the RWCMD-in-Residence programme, a series of creative projects from Royal Welsh College musicians and recent graduates, presented in partnership with Penarth Pavilion.

This Spring, Penarth Pier Pavilion is working in collaboration with RWCMD on a new RWCMD-in-Residence programme. The Residency will involve music workshops and performances for all ages and audiences!

Quartet Draig will be performing ‘Romantic Works for String Quartet’ for their inaugural concert at Penarth Pavilion on Fri, 10 February 23, 19:30 – 20:30. You can book here

The Quartet is formed of current and past scholarship students from Royal Welsh College of Music Drama, Royal Northern College of Music and Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

As a quartet they have performed at the Wigmore Hall in the CAVATINA Competition, and in 2021 were Junior Quartet in Residence at the ESTA Conference. During their time at RWCMD they were recipients of the Albion String Quartet and the Bridgewood & Neitzert prizes, and they will also be returning to the Wigmore Hall in February 2023 to compete in the Musicians’ Company competition.

Quartet Draig have been described as “An ensemble with energy, a wholly appropriate volatility within its interpretation, and buoyancy of tutti sound” by acclaimed music critic, Richard Bratby. On an individual basis, between the quartet they also play with orchestras including BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Welsh National Opera, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Sinfonia Cymru, and London Philharmonic Orchestra (Foyle Future Firsts). Alongside this they all regularly engage in education and outreach work, as well as other chamber music settings.

For this performance, the Quartet will be playing music from Elgar, Schumann, Borodin and Blake.

Borodin’s String Quartet No.2 is one of the most popular and enduring works by the Russian composer and is known for its lush melodies and rich harmonies. It is an excellent example of the romantic style of music that was popular in the late 19th century. It is dedicated to Borodin’s wife, with some scholars believing that it was written as a gift for their 20th anniversary, and that we can hear within the music the moment that they first met.

The intermezzo from Schumann’s String Quartet in A minor is a beautiful and expressive movement that showcases Schumann’s unique style; characterised by its dynamic, expressive power and rich harmonies.

A concert of Romantic works would not be complete without the charming “Salut D ‘Amour” by Elgar, (“Love’s Greeting”) which is one of the composer’s best-known short pieces, dedicated to his then-fiancé, Caroline Alice.

Howard Blake composed the score for the film adaption of the famous novel, “A Month in the Country” in 1987. The novel explores themes of love, loss, and redemption, and it is known for its evocative and poetic descriptions of the English countryside.

(4 / 5)

My first venture to St John Smith Square remained a dazzling afternoon concert from flutist Anna Kondrashina, with Pavel Timofeyevsky as the finest accompanist.

The spirit of the flute lived in this fine hour of music. Be it their new arrangements of old classics or some of the finest pieces in the flute and piano repertoire, everything worked so well. Clara Schumann got a lot of love with her Three Romances originally for violin and piano. She simply has to be better seen as one of the early Romantics, her husband Robert established well in that regard. The piece was very touching, Anna making it her own with its resplendence and insight. More Clara!

The Concert Fantasy on Rimsky-Korsakov’s ‘Golden Cockeral’ from Efrem Zimbalist held up as a sparkling delight from the Russian composer’s last opera. Very Russian sounding in nature, fine melodies and sonorities lingered around the space, Pavel on piano also getting a lot out of the score with dramatic flair, proving the composer’s clever orchestration even in just the piano reduction.

Erwin Schulhoff, a German Jew who’s life ended in a concentration camp, has one of the more interesting works in this canon: his Sonata for flute and piano. There was a lot of Stravinsky going on in this, denser moments haunted. This was a new discovery for me and I found it highly alluring and profound, the context of Schulhoff’s fate not leaving my head. Anna again, proved her mastery of the flute, you feel like these are sacred moments, the sweetness of her musicianship are always bright.

A well needed bit of cheering up was from Gershwin and his Three Preludes. Thanks to these arrangements, you fell as if they were written for flute originally. These spritely, considerate jazz delights never faltered in their tones, Anna even mimicking a drum kit in the second movements. An encore of Bach was a stunning offering we didn’t deserve, since we had been treated to an already stellar concert.

 

(3 / 5)

Bach is the greatest composer once declared Richard Wagner. Whilst few would dispute this in music circles, we wonder just how clever old Johan really was. Well known for his tricks and games in his own work, it’s taken centuries to truly penetrate just how dense his ideas really are.  

Through all this comes a concert form Academy of Ancient Music, who have made attempts to do a post-mortem on The Musical Offering, a piece he wrote during his time with Frederich the Great of Prussia, a well established musician in his own right. The King wrote a theme now known as the Royal Theme, which was then expect by Bach to transform into a world of music. 

Director and harpsichord player Laurence Cummings command the evening, address the audience as well as all things musical. The concert was framed by two sonatas, one for viola da gamba, the other for flute. These are wonderful additions to the offering, the soloists excelled here, as the lights were dimmed in the hall and a few, mock candles graced the stage. Though the concert featured a lot of The Musical Offering, it at times felt like The Musical Education. I love Bach, though can only really look at these as mere trifles. The clever use of the king’s theme is evident for most of the movements, yet is mutated in other instances.

I, as an amateur musician tried to learn the Crab Canon, one of the many parts. I found it two hard as one melody on one hand is then inverted for the other, a quite pleasing trick when played together. The canons which do feature are always rousing, even for how old they are. There is always something stimulating about them and you could never deny his brilliance. The musicians seemed to enjoy the music, even if a lot of this was fragmented and slight. The pre show talk did also go into a lot of context for Bach’s schemes, thought even that could have been longer. 

Academy of Ancient Music’s next concert is Locke’s Suite from The Tempest & Purcell’s Ode to Saint Cecilia in Cambridge and London, 8 & 9 March 2023.   

(3 / 5)

My last encounter with the Arditti Quartet was less than memorable, though I’d never let that hold them down. In a birthday celebration for its founder, Irvine Ariditti, Wigmore Hall had done all but put out the bunting. 

Their world premiers were an exciting prospect for this concert, first with Roger Reynolds and his imAge for solo violin. I like the smart format of the name of the piece though I held it in contempt a bit, its harshness seemingly defining the work. It did find some footing in its liberal look at the violin, Irvine proving he’s the man for the job, an esteemed musician who can do anything really.

Unsuk Chin from South Korea gave us the next new work: Gran Cadenza, Irvine being joined by Ashot Sarkissjan for this weird ping pong feat. Chin is a fascinating composer, though this was a bit dull, her intense nature not really present either.The real treat was Xenakis’ Ikhoor, for the full quartet who gave a stupendous outing of this chilling piece. If you cant get Xenakis you’d be wise to avoid a piece like this, its unwavering brittleness is a joy for some. 

Sven-Ingo Koch and his new piece: String Quartet No. 3 offered insight and a more subtle encounter, the third movement being noteworthy for its nuanced tenderness. This final premiere proved how versatile Irving and the quartet can be, yet the type of music is unrelentingly contemporary and heavy. Irvine’s wife Hilda Paredes took the Mexican poetry of Pedro Serrano and transformed it into a blazing triumph. Their step-son Jake Arditti joined forces as a sweet, soulful countertenor, some bizarre moments for him including whispering and a finger over the mouth to imply insanity (if that makes sense?). The fine, pastoral verse was well met, with the soft quartet writing as well.

Here’s to many more, Irving! 

(4 / 5)

An English singer who’s star has only risen is that of Elizabeth Watts. Seen at budding competitions prior, she now excels Mozart on stage and French repertoire, amongst other things. Starting with Debussy at her Wigmore Hall concert, here French sounds great in his Ariettes oubliées. Who else but Debussy could have written these? They are saturated in his watery gleam, the French way of course. Also of not is Watts acting, proving she can command both spears with ease, facial expressions change at break neck speed.   

In Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder, we see this charity she has, the German mode much more direct and formal, nature and romance as ever its trappings. We an brought exquisite voice to these songs, Im Treibhaus and Träume (both later recycled in his Tristan and Isolde). More intense emotions are wrought here and also bleed in the next set of Richard Strauss, who took a lot from this problematic composer. Highlights here were Cäcilie and of course, Morgen both equally sublime songs.. Simon Lepper on piano does not let down, a real roaring accompaniment never with a shadow of a doubt the wrong person to collaborate with Watts. 

It would be the Czech language that would wrap things up. As if her talents were not enough Watts then showed off in Czech hopefully taught well to master the tricky language. Bohuslav Martinů who had an affair with younger composer Vítězslava Kaprálová, who showed much promised, dying at a very young age. Her songs start off with the love of the Czech nation for folk music and wit, Martinů contuses this with his own deeply rooted love of everything folk about his country and it’s borders. Love, longing and just plain old fun permeate these songs, I love how frank and witty the translations were in the programme as well.

A puffy English song led us away, with little doubt over the power of this fine singer and always wonderful accomplice.