Eyeing the future

Wesley runs a music scholars program.  I don't know much about the services it offers, but I do see the scholars once or twice a year and when they perform and I record and it's always quite fascinating.  This time was five performers of various instruments playing a range of musics, even into musical theatre.  A Handel harp concerto from Alex and a Bach sonata played by traverso Harry (a baroque wooden flute) and viola.  Then piano Harmoniche backing Santrix who I had met setting up who was a bass, meaning bass vocals, singing a lovely rendition of a lovely musical theatre tune, If ever I would leave you from Camelot by Fredrick Loewe.   Not sure if the original was sung by a bass, but this was nicely done, and with a presence that singers usually have more than do instrumentalists, voice being such a human expression.  Then bass and soprano voices on Mendelssohn with piano, then soprano Angel singing Brahms with cello and piano, then swapping to (modern) flute still with cello Ben and piano and then finally swapping to piano behind Ben on cello playing La Folia.  So it's a whirlwind of different composers and instruments. A pleasure and an indication of our upcoming professionals.

Wesley Music Scholars performed at Wesley.  They were Alex Munro (harp, viola), Harry Howard (traverso), Santix Redston (bass), Harmoniche Deng (piano), Angel Zheng (soprano, flute, piano) and Ben Munro (cello).

Popular B1 of 3B

Beethoven Septet Ebmaj op.20 was somewhat the most popular of his works, so a pillar of BBB admiration.  But he didn't like it.  Too early, too popular, too trivial against his more mature works.  Yeah, but pleasant, as the prorgam says "it masterfully blends classical grace with innovations that hint at Beethoven's own evolving style".  The program was another Wesley Wednesday lunchtime, but bigger than normal played by a seven players of strong competence, of CSO and NCO and perhaps otherwise and seemingly pulled together by my NCO principal bass, Henry South.  He did a great job, expressive and aware although the part wasn't too difficult.
  The seven parts were a string quartet of one violin, viola, cello and bass and a wind section of horn, bassoon and clarinet.  Just a lovely combination that could play and share and pass and alter melodies at will and settle with strong foundations in both sections.  A lovely and intriguing outing and so glad to record it.

Beethoven Septet Ebmaj was performed at Wesley by Michelle Higgs (violin), Lauren Davis (viola), Ben Munro (cello), Henry South (bass), Helena Maher (clarinet), Rebecca Rivera (bassoon) and Dianne Tan (horn).