Junior RNCM
“Before They Become Famous XVII”
Another visit by students from the Junior Royal Northern College of Music. See their previous concert in March 2023 for an idea of the sort of entertainment they provide.
The artists (announced 8th February) will be Ella Hodgson-Laws (Violin), Heather Stark (Harp) and Minduli Vithanage (Voice).
Here is a PDF of the Poster for this Concert (click to VIEW or right click to SAVE). Please feel free to print and display the poster to help publicise this concert.
Programme (announced on the night)
Ella Hodgson-Laws (violin) with Pete Durrant (piano)
Edward Elgar: Violin Sonata in E minor Op. 82
i) Allegro
Minduli Vithanage (voice) with Pete Durrant (piano)
George Frideric Handel: Ombra Mai Fu
Pyotr llyich Tchaikovsky: Nyet Tolka Tot Kto Znal
Edward Elgar: Where Corals Lie
Heather Stark (harp)
Alphonse Hasselmans: Valse de Concert
Andre Caplet: Divertissements No. 2, ‘A l’Espagnole’
INTERVAL
Heather Stark (harp)
Claude Debussy arr. Henriette Renie: Premiere Arabesque
François-Joseph Naderman: Sonatina No. 2
Minduli Vithanage (voice) with Pete Durrant (piano)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Voi Che Sapete
Roger Quilter: Weep You No More
Sheldon Harnick and David Baker: Someone Keeps Sending Me Flowers
Ella Hodgson-Laws (violin) with Pete Durrant (piano)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Violin Concerto No 4 in D Major K218
ii) Andante cantabile (cadenza by Ella Hodgson-Laws)
Lili Boulanger: Cortege
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| Ella Hodgson-Laws | Heather Stark |
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| Minduli Vithanage | Pete Durrant |
Brief Report “on the night”
Another splendid concert attended by around 40 people. The highlights (for me personally) were:
- Ella Hodgson-Laws’ rendering of Mozart’s Violin Concerto.
- Minduli Vithanage’s beautiful voice singing Mozart’s Voi Che Sapate (from Marriage of Figaro).
- Heather Stark’s exquisite Debussy’s Premiere Arabesque
We have become accustomed to excellent performances by students from the Junior Royal Northern College of Music and, once again, were not disappointed. Perhaps that was because two of the three students, Ella Hodgson-Laws (violin) and Heather Stark (harp), had played in the corresponding concert last year. An example of the students guiding the staff? It was the first concert for new Head of the JRNCM, Aled Tudor, and we had a new accompanist in Pete Durrant.
Ella opened the concert with the first movement of Elgar’s violin sonata, quite complex and delivered with authority. Later she played the slow movement of Mozart’s 4th violin concerto with great delicacy, and finished with “Cortege” by Lili Boulanger.
The singer this year was Minduli Vithanage. What a voice! She sang arias by Handel, Tchaikovsky and Mozart, songs by Elgar and Quilter and brought the house down with an animated performance of “Someone Keeps Sending Me Flowers” (Harnick and Baker).
Heather demonstrated again the unique, ethereal sound of the harp and her mastery of it, with some challenging pieces by Hasselmans (Valse de Concert), Caplet (Divertissement No. 2) and Naderman (Sonatina No. 2). Perhaps the highlight was a delightful performance of Debussy’s first Arabesque.
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