This was certainly an evening that lived up to its title!
I’ve never heard a Chinese piano (or guzheng) played live to this standard before, and it was something of a revelation. Alice Wang is currently studying accountancy in Manchester, but has been learning the instrument from a young age and brought hers with her when she came to the UK; no mean feat in itself as it is both bulky and delicately beautiful. Alice explained the origin and meaning of each piece she played, and the audience certainly seemed to appreciate the complex and intricate music.
Luciano Gerber then expertly played and sang us a selection of contemporary Brazilian music. His explanations of the Portuguese lyrics and the different styles of music from various corners of his vast homeland certainly added to the enjoyment of the evening.
After some very welcome refreshments during the interval, the SSO took over, and attempted to cover the rest of the world in the second half of the concert. Here’s the programme we played:-- Tahiti Trot – Shostakovich arr. Gordon Robson
- Medley from ‘The Sound of Music’ – Richard Rodgers arr. Don Ashton
- Engine No. 9 – Les Hooper arr. Don Ashton
- Marigold – Billy Mayerl arr. Gordon Robson
- The Sheik of Araby – Ted Snyder arr. David Webber
- Moon River – Henry Mancini arr. Don Ashton
- African Waltz – Galt MacDermot arr. Gordon Robson
All in all, a very successful and enjoyable evening, which raised somewhere in the region of £1000 for WaterAid, End Polio Now and local Rotary Club charities.
Avril
/ November 25, 2012Glad it all went well! Kara really wanted to come and see you all again after seeing you at Buxton Fringe – she’s started alto sax since then, having lessons with Paul Freeman at school. Maybe see you all next time 🙂
HVS
/ November 26, 2012That’s great! Is that the Paul Freeman who plays with the North Cheshire Wind Orchestra? Some of us are are past, present or occasional members of the NCWO as well. (Their website is at http://www.northcheshire.org.uk.) Our next concert is in April 2013 on Anglesey, but if that’s a bit out of the way for you we are starting to think about Buxton again next year as well…
Thanks for the message, and best wishes to Kara with the saxophone lessons! 🙂