Aylesbury Lunchtime Music presents

Catherine Underhill & Daniel King Smith

4 May 2023

Starts: 12:45pm, Doors: 12:15pm

Duration: 1 hour (approx.)

£7 adults on the door (<18s & carers free)

  • Catherine Underhill
  • Daniel King Smith Piano

Programme

  • 1656-1728

    Les Folies d’espagne (Marais)

    i La réveuse ii L’arabesque iii Le badinage iv Sonnerie de Ste-Genevieve du Mont

    A French composer and viol player, he studied composition with Jean-Baptiste Lully, often conducting his operas, and with master of the bass viol Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe for six months. In 1676 he was hired as a musician to the royal court of Versailles and was moderately successful there, being appointed in 1679 as ordinaire de la chambre du roy pour la viole, a title he kept until 1725.

  • Oboe Sonata, Op. 166 (Saint-Saëns)

    i Andantino in D major ii Ad libitum – Allegretto – Ad libitum in B flat major iii Molto allegro in D minor – D major

    Camille Saint-Saëns’s Oboe Sonata in D major, Op. 166 was composed in 1921, the year of the composer’s death. This sonata is the first of the three sonatas that Saint-Saëns composed for wind instruments, the other two being the Clarinet Sonata (Op. 167) and the Bassoon Sonata (Op. 168), written the same year. These works were part of Saint-Saëns’s efforts to expand the repertoire for instruments for which hardly any solo parts were written, as he confided to his friend Jean Chantavoine in a letter dated to 15 April 1921: “At the moment I am concentrating my last reserves on giving rarely considered instruments the chance to be heard.” The piece is dedicated to Louis Bas, first solo oboe with the Societé du Conservatoire de l’Opéra.

  • 1862-1918

    Rhapsodie for Saxophone and Orchestra, L. 98 (Debussy)

    Around 1895 Debussy received an unusual commission for a new piece. An American patron of the arts, Mrs. Elisa Hall of Boston, played the saxophone-still a relatively new instrument at that time-and was trying to create a repertory for by commissioning new pieces. She commissioned a piece for saxophone and orchestra from Debussy and paid him for it; he promptly spent the money and forgot about the piece. Then, to his astonishment, Mrs. Hall showed up several years later in Paris, asking about her piece. The actual composition of the piece for Mrs. Hall was spread over several years, and it took some time to complete: Debussy appears to have worked on it from 1901 until 1908. At that point, he sent his version for saxophone and piano to her.

  • 1905-1991

    Fantasie Pastorale, Op. 37 (Bozza)

    Born to an Italian father and French mother, the reputation of Eugène Bozza (composer, conductor and professor at the École de musique à Valenciennes) rests largely on his significant contribution to wind chamber music. This substantial body of work demonstrates a melodic fluency, structural elegance and a sensitivity for instrumental capabilities. His single movement Fantaisie Pastorale from 1939 is dedicated to the principal oboist of the Opéra de Paris, Louis Bleuzet, and is a work that fully exploits the instrument’s potential. It begins with an improvisatory cadenza before making way for a lyrical Moderato section which bears some kinship to Debussy. A sparkling closing passage provides the soloist ample opportunity to showcase their virtuosity.

  • 1832-1881

    Solo de concours, Op. 33 (Colin)

    Charles Colin was born in Cherbourg, France on June 2, 1826. He entered the Paris Conservatory and won a First Prize in Oboe in 1852 and then studied composition, winning the Second First Grand Prix de Rome in 1857 (Bizet won the First Grand Prix the same year). In 1868, he became the Professor of Oboe at the Paris Conservatory. His series of eight Solos were written for the exams of his class.

Performers

  • Catherine Underhill

    Cor Anglais and Oboe

    Catherine is a British oboist and cor anglais player. Performances have taken Catherine across the UK and to Europe, in concert halls and theatres, including Cadogan Hall

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  • Daniel King Smith

    Piano

    Daniel King Smith is an experienced pianist who has given concerts all over the world as both soloist and accompanist.

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Key information for concert goers

When

Every Thursday at 12:45pm (except August & over Christmas). Performances last around 60 minutes. Please enter quietly as there is a noon service in the Lady Chapel.

How much?

Entry is £7 per adult (card or cash), under 18s and carers are free. The price includes a programme. Donations are welcomed to subsidise the larger ensembles.

Where?

Performances are at St Mary’s Church in the heart of Aylesbury Old Town. See directions for further details.

Do I need to book?

No, just turn up. Doors open at 12:15 pm. Make sure you arrive in good time to get a seat.

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