Heather Gordon-Redfearn & Eileen Guppy
(Clarinet & Piano)
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Heather Gordon-Redfearn (Clarinet) and Eileen Guppy (Piano) met when they were both tutors at the Royal Northern College of Music. They last played for us on Saturday 20th January 2024.
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 25th October)
Gabriel Pierné: Canzonetta Op.19
Saint-Saëns: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano Op.167
(4 movements)
John Green arr. Eileen Guppy: Body and Soul
Béla Kovács: Hommage à M. de Falla
Robert Muczynski: Time Pieces for Clarinet and Piano
(2 movements)
INTERVAL
Paul Reade: Suite from The Victorian Kitchen Garden for Clarinet and Piano
(3 movements)
Paul Jeanjean: Arabesques for Clarinet and Piano
Jule Styne arr. Eileen Guppy: Time After Time
Claude Debussy arr. Lionel Lethbridge: The Girl with the Flaxen Hair
Benny Goodman: A Smooth One + Stompin’ at the Savoy + Paganini Caprice XXIV
Béla Kovács: After you, Mr Gershwin!
Brief Report “on the night”
A really enjoyable concert, with lots of amusing anecdotes as well as great music. They began with a light welcoming piece by Pierne, followed by a more substantial Sonata from Saint-Saens. Next came a piano solo of Eileen’s own arrangement of Green’s Body and Soul. Heather’s following solo of Kovacs’ Hommage to Manuel de Falla was full of fire. The first half closed with some really fast and furious music by Muczynski.
After the interval we were treated to music from the TV series The Victorian Kitchen Garden, followed by an Arabesque by Jeanjean which was used as a feared test piece for Parisian music students. Then came another of Eileen’s own arrangements and a Debussy piece that Lethbridge arranged and dedicated to Heather. Jazz was now the theme with 3 fascinating pieces by Benny Goodman. Next came an interlude when Somewhere over the Rainbow was played on a “Nuvo DooD” (an instrument designed to be easier to learn than a recorder). Back to Jazz for the last fun piece dedicated to Gershwin. Finally came an encore; Jeanjean’s Guisganderie (as transcribed by Max Dubois) which just got faster and faster!
Press Report
The best word to describe this Middlewich and District Concerts Society concert must be flamboyant! Heather Gordon-Redfearn (clarinet) and Eileen Guppy (piano) produced another highly entertaining evening, with excellent playing and lots of personal anecdotes.
They opened with Gabriel Pierné’s “Canzonetta”, a charming piece. Saint-Saëns’ “Sonata for Clarinet and Piano” provided some gravitas and demonstrated the unexpectedly wide range of the clarinet, from the depths of a tuba to the heights of a flute. For the first solo of the concert Eileen played her own, jazzy arrangement of John Green’s “Body and Soul”. Heather followed with a piece she learnt as a student: Béla Kovács’ “Hommage à Manuel de Falla”, identifying the tunes being the challenge. Then came two brisk excerpts from “Time Pieces for Clarinet and Piano” by Robert Muczynski.
The second half began with three movements from the “Suite from The Victorian Kitchen Garden for Clarinet and Piano” by Paul Reade, evoking memories of the television series. The “Arabesques for Clarinet and Piano” by Paul Jeanjean was used as a difficult test piece for Parisian music students, but presented no problems here! Then came another of Eileen’s jazz-inspired arrangements, of Jule Styne’s “Time After Time”. Heather studied under Lionel Lethbridge and played his arrangement of “The Girl with the Flaxen Hair” (Debussy) dedicated to her. Magical! More jazz followed in the shape of three pieces by Benny Goodman. Heather introduced a “Nuvo DooD” (a one octave instrument easier to learn than a recorder) and played “Somewhere over the Rainbow”. The concert programme finished with another challenge from Béla Kovács – “After you, Mr Gershwin!”. There was an encore, promised as relaxing, tranquil music. In practice it was Jeanjean’s “Guisganderie”, which just got faster and faster!
For more information about Eileen visit her own website (in a new window), by clicking HERE.
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