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Ensemble 360, Priory Church, Doncaster, December 7, 2008
The wonderful sounds of 'music in the round' struck up once more last Saturday in the glorious splendour of Priory Place Church. The friendly, informal style and top-class musicality of Ensemble 360 was back with another great programme of music to delight those who were in on the well-kept secret that this performance was taking place.
First treat was a Berwald septet. Viola-playing Swede Martin Saving was kind enough to inform us that Berwald is Sweden's foremost nineteenth-century composer whose worldly experiences took in a variety of life's spices including, it is rumoured, orthopaedic surgery and running a sawmill and glass factory. Perhaps it's no wonder, then, that this septet in B flat is such a varied and beguiling piece that duly impresses. Having enjoyed soft, plush pluckings from cello and bass and sparkling contributions from clarinet, horn, flute, bassoon and smaller strings, the listener is left keen to hear more of Berwald.
Kammersinfonie Opus 9 was next, being one of pianist Tim Horton's Desert Island Disc choices. Some may think that a desert island is the best place for Schoenberg but this piece proved a splendid choice with its fiery, feverish aggression, its rounded heartfelt harmony where Marie Bittloch's cello was especially keen to sing its heartfelt notes, plus odd little dollops of screech and plonkitty-plonk. Though Shoenberg's pupil, Webern, arranged this scaled-down version for chamber group, the piece still retains the feel of a full orchestral piece. Nice one!
A pleasant Brahms piano quartet (Op 60) rounded off the evening, as Tim Horton's crisp, classy, captivating keyboard skills came to the fore, accompanied by the habitual swaying synchronicity and polish of the scintillating strings. Another triumph!
And now for something completely different! Oyez! Oyez! Roll up! Roll up! 'Allo! 'Allo! Beethoven and Schubert (yer actual Trout) are on the bill next time. So listen very carefully - I shall say this only once! Rendez-vous at 7.30pm on January 31st at Priory Place. Please 'pot it in your dairy'.
Eileen Caiger Gray
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Weather for Doncaster
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 1 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Light sleet
Temperature: -0 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South east
