Glasgow

Pollok House Arts Society are delighted that UNESCO have recognised that Glasgow has such a strong musical heritage. In the fields of classical music we are home to the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, The BBC Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Opera, Scottish Ballet and smaller groups like the Scottish Ensemble.

Seville, Spain - 30 March 2006; Bologna, Italy - 29 May 2006; Glasgow, Scotland UK - 21 August 2008

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Tags: Glasgow

Katrina, Jack and I witnessed a tour-de-force performance of Mendelssohn’s Octet at Òran Mór on Monday 23 June 2008. As one of the highlights of the West End Festival, the Alba Quartet and the Fejes Quartet played a wonderful and mixed programme eventually teaming up to play Mendelssohn’s Octet.

Michael Tumelty awards the performance five stars. The Alba Quartet will be playing for us next season and it will be a crime if we do not persuade the Fejes String Quartet to play in the near future.
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Tags: String Quartet

Tuesday 12 August - Royal Albert Hall
Ashley Wass will make his BBC Proms Debut performing Vaughan Williams Piano Concerto with the BBC Philharmonic, conducted by Vassily Sinaisky. He will also be performing with the BBCPO again next season at Bridgewater Hall.

However he is not being allowed to rest up.

In June, Ashley has been invited to perform Messiaen’s ‘Oiseaux Exotique’ with the Orquestra Real Filharmonia de Galicia at the Festival Mozart, Coroña. Later this month commissioned by Naxos he will record Bax piano and orchestra works with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra .

Make a date on 13 August 2008 to go through to the Usher Hall and see Claire Debono, one half of ¡Canto vivo!, signing in Handel's "Israel in Egypt"

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra is reunited with baroque conductor Emmanuelle Haïm, having triumphed with their 2003 performance of Handel's Poro. The soloists are…

Soprano - Lucy Crowe, Claire Debono
Countertenor - Robin Blaze
Tenor - Mark Tucker
Bass - Matthew Brook, Henry Waddington

Tags: Claire Debono, Canto Vivo

Music societies in Scotland are strange places. I continue to be surprised by the depth of knowledge of some about artists that are on the cusp of greatness but not yet.

At Pollok House Arts society we have our fair share of people with "the knowledge". It might not get you around London but it can fair get you around some major but under recognised talent.

"Benjamin Grosvenor: teenage prodigy comes of age" is the heading from a recent article in the Telegraph. However the more I research Benjamin Grosvenor… Read More...

Tags: Benjamin Grosvenor, Piano

We are so pleased that Imogen Cooper, who has been to Pollok House Arts Society, is getting the recognition that she deserves.

Imogen Cooper's distinction as one of the most formidable musicians of her time is widely recognised. But the intellect, musicality and programming skills that she has demonstrated in her music-making in 2007 have, we feel, taken her to new levels. This award celebrates her achievements as a deeply thoughtful soloist, an inspirational keyboard director and a fastidiously accomplished chamber musician.

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Tags: Piano, Imogen Cooper

International violinist Ruth Waterman played for us a couple of seasons ago. Now we find that she has turned her hand to writing and by all accounts it is a fascinating and extraordinary story.

When Swan Lake Comes to Sarajevo
A Musician Journeys into the Aftermath of War

“A brave and extraordinary story . . . this book is a revelation” Anna Ford

War is always with us, and so is peace. This book is about the peace that comes after a war. It is one woman’s account of her experiences in the new country of Bosnia as guest conductor of a remarkable little orchestra, the Mostar Sinfonietta.

Publisher: Canterbury Press Norwich (30 April 2008) Read More...

Over the Summer our Steinway piano is having its innards removed and worked on in time for the start of our season in October 08. As we are to have two great pianists next season we need it in tip-top condition.

There have been a couple of pesky notes in the upper register that need to be tuned every couple of hours for the piano to stay perfectly in tune. After this planned work they will be as well behaved as all the other notes.

Steinway have been most helpful. It is one of their trained technician that will be doing the work.

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Tags: Piano

We are entering our 49th season (2008/09) and have already started plans for the 50th Anniversary celebrations. One of the ideas is to celebrate with the wonderful artists we have had over the years and the list is mighty impressive for a small music society in Glasgow, Scotland.

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Two violinist, four pianists, two cellists and an ensemble all set to do a bit of Russian at Paxton House. Ani Batikian, who will be playing for us at Pollok House later in 2008/09 season is one of the many talented musicians that will be entertaining us at Paxton House with a tightly-packed programme of 7 concerts celebrating Russian musical genius. Read More...

Tags: Ani Batikian, Music Festivals, Violin

If you do nothing else this Summer, make a date to schlep over to East Neuk as there is a musical treat to be heard - listening to Llyr Williams play as only Llyr can, at the East Neuk Festival. Last September we were so fortunate to hear Llyr play at Pollok House Arts Society.

Of course while there you should take in a couple of more concerts. Oh! Decisions, decisions - the Skampa Quartet or Sheila Chandra? Read More...

Tags: Llyr Williams, Music Festivals, Piano

Pollok House Arts Society was blessed with a wonderful concert from Cédric in November 2007. Scotland is to be blessed with another performance (actually two) from Cédric Tiberghien (Piano). On Friday 18 July he will be playing at Paxton House, Borders just a few miles from Berwick.

I mentioned two performances because on the very next evening, Saturday 19th he plays alongside another young musical genius - Alina Ibragimova (Violin).

More information at Music at Paxton. Read More...

Tags: Cédric Tiberghien, Music Festivals, Piano, Violin

Little did we know that only a few days before singing at Pollok House Arts Society, Clara Mouriz was a winner at the 7th Handel Singing Competition. We all know she is an artist to watch but it is nice to have the Times confirm this.

…this year's Audience Prize of £250 went to the Spanish mezzo-soprano Clara Mouriz. Hers is a classy act: a light, agile mezzo of great charm and elegant intelligence…
The Times

Also of note is that two of the adjudicators are past PHAS artists - John Mark Ainsley and Michael Chance. Read More...

Tags: Song, Competitions, Clara Mouriz

Harmonia Mundi has just released a new CD by Cédric Tiberghien - BRAHMS. Piano Concerto no.1. Haydn Variations

“[Tiberghien] is wonderfully restrained in music that is often hammered to death; he launches the finale with irresistible elan, and achieves a genuine sense of poetry in the slow movement”
The Guardian, 11 January 2008 Read More...

Tags: Cédric Tiberghien, Piano

Danny Driver, who played for us in our 06/07 season is turning out to be a champion for an almost unknown British composer - York Bowen, In doing so he has managed to get himself into the November/December edition of International Piano Magazine.

He has recorded Bowen's 3rd & 4th Piano Concertos with the BBC Scottish Symphony conducted by Martyn Brabbins, The CD will form part of Hyperion's Romantic Piano Concerto series and will be released in the Autumn of 2008.

It is also interesting that another artist to perform at Pollok House, Stephen Hough, has also recorded works by York Bowen. Read More...