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Friday 12 Oct 2012

7:30 pm • £12

Ursula John

viola

Joy Farrall

clarinet

Tim Carey

piano

(Min-Jung Kym is indisposed)

Brahms, Finzi, Rachmaninov, Clarke & Mozart

Ursula John, Joy Farrall and Tim Carey
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Programme:

Brahms

Sonata for Viola and Piano Op.120 No.1

Finzi

Bagatelles Op.23 for Clarinet and Piano

Rachmaninov

Elegy Op. 3 No. 1

Rachmaninov

Prelude in G minor Op.23 No. 5

Clarke

Sonata for Viola and Piano

Mozart

Trio for Clarinet, Viola and Piano K498 (Kegelstatt)

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Review

The recital given on the 12th October at Guildford U.R.C. Church featuring the combination of viola, clarinet and piano had been eagerly anticipated and the performance by the artistes Ursula John - viola, Joy Farrall - clarinet and Tim Carey - piano, did not disappoint. The latter artist was substituting at short notice for Min-Jung Kym who was unfortunately indisposed and his fine pianistic skills were apparent throughout the concert.

Joined by Ursula John they produced a powerful performance of the Brahms' Sonata for Viola and Piano with four movements of contrasting moods typical of this composer. However, they really came into their own in Rebecca Clarke's wonderful. dramatic Sonata with its impetuous first movement followed by a virtuosic Vivace played with consummate musicianship by both artistes and concluding with a passionate Adagio. Such a Sonata composed by a highly distinguished violist showing influences of Debussey and Ravel, but alternating throughout with grand passions, must have created a stir when first heard at the beginning of this 20th century, especially coming from the pen of a woman!

Gerald Finzi's 5 Bagatelles are always a joy to hear and they were superbly played by Joy Farrall and Tim Carey. Fine phrasing and tone control gave a masterly quality to each miniature and it was difficult to decide which one was the most delightful!

As a solo pianist Tim Carey played Rachmaninov's early Op.3 Elegy and the famous and technically demanding Gminor Prelude Op.23. Both were played with finely graded and expressive tone, excitement and passion and gave a great contrast to the other ensemble works.

The final Trio was Mozart's K498, known as the "Kegelstatt" Trio, apparently incorrectly ascribed to the influence of the skittle alley to which Mozart was rather partial. A very well-known piece this sonata is unusual in that it starts with an Andante instead of an Allegro. Written in 1786, Mozart was the first composer to write for this combination of instruments. The second and third movements follow the usual pattern of Minuet and Trio and ending with a Rondo. Again, each artiste played their part in producing a joyful and spirited rendition of this fine work.

PB

Biography:

Ursula John

Ursula John started playing music at the age of four. She made her solo debut aged six in the Usher Hall, Edinburgh. At the age of fifteen, she was offered a place at the RNCM to study Viola with Simon Rowland-Jones.

While at the RNCM she won all prizes for Viola and for Chamber Music, then, amongst other awards, a Countess of Munster Musical Trust Scholarship for further study in Amsterdam.

She has played at international venues including Vienna's Musikverein (Grosser Saal), Conservatorio di Milano, in Europe and the USA with the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Barbican, and has regularly performed at the Royal Albert Hall in the BBC Proms. Ursula has worked with artists including Seiji Ozawa, Claudio Abbado, Mstislav Rostropovich, Sir Colin Davis, Steven Isserlis, Sir Andrew Davis.

Ursula performs as a solo recitalist and chamber musician, most recently in London and the South-East. She has also worked with many of London's top orchestras, particularly the BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and London Sinfonietta. Being a versatile musician she has been a member of Jane's Minstrels and Brith Gof - the audience-inclusive music theatre company, and currently The Chamber Music Company (directors: Mark Troop and Patricia Rozario) exploring rare Romantic music.

Joy Farrall

Joy Farrall is one of Britain’s most successful and highly respected wind soloists. Her career is diverse and fascinatingly eclectic. She has performed as concerto soloist with orchestras such as the Philharmonia, the English Chamber Orchestra, the City of London Sinfonia, the London Mozart Players, the Ulster Orchestra and the Britten Sinfonia, with whom she recently made her second recording of the Mozart Concerto for BMG Conifer which went straight into the classical charts in its first week of release and is now a best seller.

Joy is a founder member of the Haffner Wind Ensemble with whom she has broadcast and toured widely. This ensemble has broken down many barriers with both its education work , always led by Joy Farrall, which has introduced many thousands of children to hands-on music making.

As a recitalist with Pianist Julius Drake she appeared at music societies and festivals all over Britain, at the Purcell Room and the Wigmore Hall in London, as well as in Spain, Australia, Finland, and Norway. With Graham Johnson, Joy has performed Schubert’s Shepherd on the Rock all over the country as well as at the Wigmore Hall. In addition to this she has appeared as guest soloist with the Vanbrugh, Kreutzer, Medea, Brindisi, New Leipzig, Schidloff and Pellegrini String Quartets. Festival appearances include Aldeburgh, Cheltenham, Kuhmo Finland, Stockholm, Leicester and Cambridge.

Joy is a famous exponent of new music and has had many new works written for and dedicated to her, most notably Simon Bainbridge’s Double Concerto and Clarinet Quintet, works by Oliver Knussen and John McCabe and most recently Edward Cowie’s Elysium.

As a recording artist Joy has had special critical success for her CD releases. They include the complete Mozart Clarinet works on three discs on Meridan, the Strauss Duet Concerto for EMI, the Mozart Concerto on BMG Conifer, which she performs on the Bassett Clarinet, and various chamber music works for both Chandos and Hyperion. Her most recent release is a disc of virtuoso Italian Clarinet Concertos with the Britten Sinfonia on ASV.

Joy Farral is a dedicated teacher who has done a great deal to influence the shape of British clarinet playing in the last seventeen years, both through her work as professor at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama as well as in her frequent master classes both at home and abroad


Tim Carey

Tim Carey, who lives in Chelmsford, enjoys a career full of variety, as solo performer, chamber-music player, orchestral keyboard player and teacher. His early studies were with Harold Parker, Louis Kentner, and then at the Royal College of Music, with Kendall Taylor, David Parkhouse and Bernard Roberts. He was awarded many prizes and scholarships during his time there, both in and outside college.

He now spends his time partnering many different instrumentalists, especially flautists, in a large variety of chamber-music combinations, as well as giving the occasional solo recital or concerto performance. He is the regular pianist for many flute events and courses in England, America and elsewhere, and has worked at all of London’s music colleges. As orchestral keyboard player he has worked in the past with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Bournemouth Orchestras, the Philharmonia, the Ulster Orchestra and the BBC Con cert Orchestra. He has recently formed a professional orchestra in Chelmsford, and is much in demand as a teacher.

Piano playing has taken Tim all over Britain and Europe, as well as to Israel, Malta, Russia, Scandinavia, Australia, Japan, and regularly to the USA, where he has become the pianist for the Wildacres flute course in Noth Carolina and the Cincinatti Flute Symposium, as well as several other flute events. He is also one of the pianists for the British Flute Society biennial conventions.

When not actively involved in musical pursuits, Tim finds time for his other interests, which include languages, collecting and restoring cars, flying, and boats!


Min-Jung Kym

British pianist Min-Jung Kym has acquired a widely recognised reputation for her diverse range of styles and repertoire as a soloist, duo and chamber musician.

A former Purcell School scholar, Min-Jung made her London solo concert debut at the age of twelve with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall. Her numerous prizes and awards include the British Young Pianist of the Year, Ettlingen International and the YMFE competitions.

A scholar at the Royal Academy of Music, Min-Jung graduated with the Eric Brough and Elsie Horne prizes. Further recognition was given in 2009 when Min-Jung was awarded the Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM), an honour bestowed to alumni of the Royal Academy of Music, who have distinguished themselves in the music profession and made a significant contribution to it in their particular field.

Min-Jung's performances have been enjoyed in the USA, Europe and throughout the UK. She has played at venues including the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall, Purcell Room, St John Smith's Square, De Montfort Hall, Brighton Dome, and the Queen's Theatre. She has also appeared at the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, the Cheltenham Festival, Broadwood International Piano Festival and as well as at the Chichester Festivities. Her performances of Beethoven Concerto No.4 were received to great critical acclaim with the world-renowned Philharmonia Orchestra.

Min-Jung is the 'pianist of choice' for the masterclasses by the legendary violinist Ruggiero Ricci, and has enjoyed successful collaborations with (amongst others) the Haffner Ensemble, Pierre Amoyal and Adrian Brendel. With the Royal Opera House Concert Master, Sergey Levitin, Min-Jung gave a Wigmore recital which was followed by a critically acclaimed performance of the Mendelssohn Double Concerto under the baton of Barry Wordsworth where her performance was described as 'impeccable ... there seems no doubt that young pianist Kym is destined for the big-time'.

Last season's highlights have included an invitation to play at Al Bustan, Lebanon, under the auspices of the British Embassy, a concert tour in Germany with the Concert Master of The Philharmonia, Zsolt-Tihamer Visontay, and the performance of the world premiere of Stuart MacRae's Poems for Angus, with the principals of the Royal Opera House and soprano Susan Bickely. Engagements for this season will include performances at the Salerno Opera House (Italy), Gran Canaria in Spain with the Covent Garden Soloists and Alison Balsom as well as solo performances throughout including France and South Korea.

A Steinway artist, Min-Jung Kym is regularly invited to music festivals and societies up and down the country, where her versatility and subtleties of technique are widely appreciated.