Roseland Music Society
Following a stunning concert by Clio Duo in March, one founder member of the Roseland Music Society sent me a message of thanks in which he wrote, ‘The Phoenix rising of RMS is a Jewel that must be nurtured and supported.’ The concert itself had already been worth the effort as well as the workshops led by Aneesah and Alexia which were enjoyed by Roseland Primary school children, but his comments really put the icing on the cake!
Five years on from the concert cancellations of Covid, we are still not getting the audiences we were in the past. Perhaps there’s a reluctance to ‘give it a go’, maybe an assumption that the music we programme is too high-brow. It really isn’t. You don’t have to dress up to come, our concerts are on your doorstep, and you will be made very welcome.
This month we have managed to entice the Brodsky Quartet to St Just Church. Krysia Osostowicz, their first violinist, offers this comment on one of their programme choices:
“Although Shostakovich's 8th quartet is the best known, we've chosen his 9th: one of the most exciting works in the entire repertoire, and one of our favourite ones to play. Audiences love it too, even those who fear they might not like Shostakovich.
Opening with a gentle, sighing melody, punctuated with mischievous marches and distant trumpet fanfares, the music travels through a varied landscape before culminating in a tsunami of energy which is both terrifying and exhilarating.
A friend wrote to me recently: "Shostakovich's music seems to be imbued with these bitter experiences and at the same time shows the most enormous resilience". Shostakovich's quartets represent his most personal utterances; and for us, working on them in these very worrying times, it is an inspiration to experience his courage in the face of tyranny, and the way in which he expresses so many aspects of the human condition.
I am delighted to be together with the Brodsky Quartet, which I had admired for many years before being invited to join them in 2021. It is now in its sixth decade and still going strong, travelling all over the world. Last year we visited Brazil, China and New Zealand, as well as playing in London and Dublin with Elvis Costello.”
Proms presenter, Rosamund Bartlett will give a free pre-concert talk at 5.30pm. Please see Notices for details.
Emma Campbell
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