Manawatu Sinfonia 13 November 2016

Date: Sunday 13 November 2016, at 2.30pm.

Venue: Speirs Centre, Palmerston North Boys High School, Featherston Street (opposite Mega Mitre 10).

Conductor: Andrew Atkins.

Programme:

Beethoven, Coriolan Overture

Mozart, Clarinet concerto (K622): soloist Stephen Wildbore

Arthur Honegger, Pastorale d’été

Haydn, Symphony No. 104 (London Symphony)

Andrew Atkins

Originally from Palmerston North, Andrew Atkins attended Central Normal School, Intermediate Normal School and Palmerston North Boys High School. Barry Jones was his first teacher and Guy Donaldson his second teacher in Palmerston North; he completed his ATCL recital diploma with Distinction under Guy's tuition. He went on to study at the New Zealand School of Music in Wellington, where he has just completed a Masters in Classical Performance Piano. He performed Beethoven's 2nd piano concerto with the Sinfonia in 2013. His conducting experience includes the Virtuoso Strings, the Tawa Local Orchestra, and the Wellington College/Wellington Girls College/Wellington East Girls College combined school orchestra. He recently conducted the Kapiti Concert Orchestra for their August concert with NZSO Oboe Soloist Peter Dykes.

Stephen Wildbore
Stephen's first introduction to playing music was learning recorder at primary school. He first learned clarinet at Saturday Morning Music, then learned privately from Ingrid Vlieg. He is a founding member of Manawatu Concert Band and played Second Clarinet in the Manawatu Sinfonia with Eldon Ormsby as Principal. Stephen currently plays First Clarinet with the Manawatu Sinfonia and with Manawatu Concert Band, the latter of which he also co-conducts. He is a software engineer working in Palmerston North.

Honegger, Pastorale d’été

During a holiday in Switzerland, Honegger was inspired by the Alpine surroundings to write his first notable orchestral piece, a tone poem on the theme of summer in the countryside. Prefaced by a quotation from Arthur Rimbaud – ‘J’ai embrassé l’aube d’été’ (‘I embraced the summer dawn’) – and using a small orchestra with single woodwind and one horn, the piece unfolds quietly from its subtly simple start. Rustling strings generate added notes in the firmly rooted harmony and feed them into the horn’s melody. Eventually the bass shifts, the activity steps up and a perky new theme sets off a general dance. When energy is spent, the opening music returns and memories of the dance float past, winding down and nodding off delightfully in mid-phrase. The Pastorale was premiered at the Salle Gaveau, Paris, on 17 February 1921.
Acknowledgements to http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on/2014/analysis/203

Reviews

Young talent at heart of stellar Manawatu Sinfonia performance

Reviewed by Stephen Fisher, 15 November 2016

Manawatu Sinfonia. Conductor: Andrew Atkins. Speirs Centre, Sunday November 13.

REVIEW: For their final concert of the year the Manawatu Sinfonia chose a programme of audience favourites with Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven billed together on this appealing programme.

The main work of the afternoon was Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A with soloist Stephen Wildbore.

Wildbore is active in local music circles, being a regular member of the Sinfonia for many years and also co-conductor of the Manawatu Concert Band which had presented a concert the night before.

It was, therefore, a great pleasure to see him given the opportunity to perform as soloist for this work – one of Mozart's masterpieces.

Wildbore proved to be comfortable with the work, performing with technical dexterity and warmly empathetic expression, ensuring the audience's enthusiastic appreciation of his undoubted expertise.

This performance was matched by an excellent performance of Haydn's London Symphony by the Sinfonia. This is a cheerful work, well captured by the Sinfonia in this confident, authoritative performance under the guidance of conductor Andrew Atkins.

Atkins, who grew up in Palmerston North, has recently completed his Masters in Classical Performance – Piano, at the New Zealand School of Music.

It was a great pleasure for the audience to see this young man have the opportunity to demonstrate his growth as a musician in this concert obviously enjoyed by audience and Sinfonia members alike.

The programme was completed by an atmospheric performance of Honegger's Pastorale D'Ete and a joyful performance of Beethoven's Coriolan Overture, both works given attractive and expressive readings.