Richard Strauss re-evaluated

Once again, we are privileged to start our new season with the music writer MICHAEL JAMESON. Michael has an unbounded enthusiasm for his subject, matched by an encyclopaedic knowledge. His subject this year is Richard Strauss, always a popular choice with SRMS members. An extra charge of £1 is payable for this meeting.

Aimez-vous Brahms?

JOHN COTTRELL, Chairman of the Forest Recorded Music Club, will not be leading us through the subtleties of Françoise Sagan's romantic novel. Instead, he will seek to persuade us that, despite his rather dour appearance in middle age (Brahms, not John!), the composer had a sunny musical nature and is one of the all time greats.

Note that our next meeting is on the following Friday

Elgar

TERRY BARFOOT is Senior Lecturer in Music at South Downs College and has long been welcomed as one of our regular guest speakers. This year he will be bringing his expert knowledge to bear on the music of Edward Elgar. An extra charge of £1 is payable for this meeting.

Kurt Atterberg

There must be few composers whose works do not find a place in SRMS Vice Chairman JIM NICOL's own collection of recorded music. Who better, then, to introduce us to the music of the Swedish romantic composer Kurt Atterberg (1887-1974), who trained as an engineer and whose working life was spent at the Swedish Patent Office.

More of those magical Magyars

SRMS Secretary DAVID CHEALE's enthusiasm for Hungarian music is well known. He gave us a programme devoted to Liszt, Dohnanyi, Bartok, Kodaly, etc, four years ago and now feels that it's time for us to hear some more.

President's night

Our distinguished President, Professor DAVID BROWN MA DMus PhD LTCL, makes his annual presentation tonight. We never know in advance what musical theme he will pursue, but we are always certain of a stimulating and entertaining evening. Not to be missed.

Music for a special occasion

SRMS Vice-President PETER POWELL will present an evening devoted to music that was written to mark various special occasions, from military victories to birthdays of kings and queens.

Note that our next meeting is on the following Friday

Christmas Social Evening

Once again, this social event follows the pattern of an ‘American Supper’ (i.e. everyone brings a contribution to the food and drink) combined with an entertaining Musical Quiz compiled by SRMS Chairman Roy Gage. It is guaranteed to bring the year to a very enjoyable conclusion.

Note that there will be a three week gap before our next meeting.

Random choices

ANN MATTHEWS has entertained us in the past with music from Australia, New Zealand and France. This year Ann has abandoned such geographical themes in order to give herself the freedom to make a more random selection from her music collection.

Breasts, savage, music for the soothing of

At a rumoured 129 years of age, HAROLD BAGUST is now one of our oldest members and he becomes more frisky with every passing day, but no one could accuse him of having a taste for discordant music. It's an odds-on bet that Schubert will feature in his programme, but no one is likely to complain. In fact, Harold's last presentation drew the largest audience of the year.

An alphabet of composers

SRMS Treasurer DAVID ANDERSON is planning to work his way through a list of composers with surnames beginning with every letter of the alphabet. This year's programme will start, not surprisingly, with the letter 'A' and will progress as far as time allows.

What else did they write?

GRAHAM BALMAIN thinks there's no such thing as a 'one-hit wonder' and will present a few examples to support this thesis. Defining a 'hit' is likely to be the first problem he will grapple with.

Czech into Shakespeare

JIRINA MILLER will be investigating music by Czech-born composers that was inspired by the works of William Shakespeare. This may include such works as Dvorak's Otello overture, Smetana's symphonic poem Richard III and Korngold's suite Much Ado About Nothing.

Rachmaninov

SRMS Chairman ROY GAGE has long carried a torch for Russian music and this year will present a programme devoted to Rachmaninov, the last of the great twentieth century Russian romantics.

From the river to the sea

NEVILLE GREEN's inspiration for his programme is a musical journey along the great rivers of the world, as they make their way down to the sea. Please remember to bring your wellington boots.

The life and music of John Rutter

John Rutter is a multifaceted musician of international repute, and one of the most popular and widely performed composers of his generation. DAVID HEWITT, Vice President of the Forest Recorded Music Club, takes a serious look at the man and his music.

Russian music

Balakirev had gone mad; Mussorgsky was dead; Borodin had retreated into his chemistry lab, but Rimsky-Korsakov's composition skills had truly developed. He had emerged as the ‘Young Turk’ because of his popularity with students. The authorities even briefly banned his works. In the second part of a trilogy, DAVID PEARCE continues his examination of the Russian nationalist school of music by looking at Rimsky-Korsakov and his pupils, and how another non-musician philanthropist influenced the birth of a modern musical era in Russia.

Eleanor Steber

The American prima donna, Eleanor Steber, made her name famous not only in the USA but the world over, performing on the operatic and concert stage. ALBERT-LAURITZ RASMUSSEN will introduce her to us with great moments from her career as Minnie, Margarete, Cio-Cio-San, Vanessa, Fiordiligi, Lucy and Tosca, to mention just a few, plus concert songs including the famous 'Knoxville' by Samuel Barber.

It does it for me!

For his inaugural presentation to the society, BRYAN VAUGHAN plans "an occasionally sentimental trawl through some memory-evoking music".

No music save that of Handel...

In his youth, JOHN STRAW's favourite composer was Handel and his enthusiasm remains undimmed by the passage of time. His programme title is presumably a quotation, but John has remained tight-lipped about its origin. We will have to attend this meeting to learn more.          

Music for smaller groups

For his first presentation to the society, NORMAN AMEY plans to offer a selection of music written for small groups of musicians. The main emphasis will be on classical chamber music, but some traditional jazz bands may also make an appearance.

An Evening with Derek Goodger

The President of the Southampton Choral Society, DEREK GOODGER, has been one of our regular presenters for many years. Derek is a professional musician and a very entertaining speaker. His enthusiasm always makes this meeting a highlight of our season.

Annual General Meeting

All members are asked to make their best efforts to attend the Annual General Meeting. Important decisions are made and votes taken which can fundamentally affect the future operation of the Society.

Note that our next meeting is on the following Friday

Members’ Social Evening

To end the season, SRMS Vice-President PETER POWELL invites all members to his home to enjoy an evening of music, wine and food (Peter will provide the first two of these, but members are asked to bring the food). 7:30 pm at ‘Amberley’, 192 Weston Lane, Woolston. There is a free public car park on the opposite side of the road. When last checked, there was a sign saying that the gates close at dusk - but there were no gates!

For further information, please contact

dcanderson@rowans88.freeserve.co.uk

Last modified: September 26, 2007