Programme

Friday 16th

6.00-6.45 pm A WARM WELCOME TO TMW 43

Meet your Torbay friends, old and new, at a welcome party in the Sun Lounge, next to the main ballroom, where wine and soft drinks will be served before dinner. Please wear or carry your badge so the hotel staff will know that you are a Friend of Torbay.

6.45-8.15 pm Dinner

8.30-10.00 pm CHARLOTTE de ROTHSCHILD: “A Rothschild Soirée”

Charlotte de Rothschild, an international lyric soprano, has put together a celebration of songs and a collection of delightful anecdotes and takes the listener on an aural journey through the Rothschild musical vaults, including some previously unknown works by various famous composers. These were either friends, teachers or relatives, such as Liszt, Poulenc, Rossini, Mendelssohn, Sir Arthur Sullivan and her ancestors, Meyerbeer and Mathilde de Rothschild. Charlotte is a director of Exbury Gardens in Hampshire and will accompany her talk with slides of the family homes, of the Garden and with excerpts from her CDs.

10.15-11.15 pm COLIN STANLEY: “The Tingle Factor”

Colin Stanley believes that the language of music can arouse feelings in us all, which words alone cannot express. We have all experienced this, not perhaps with our hair literally standing on end, but the lump in the throat, the shivery goose pimples, the pricking behind the eyes which are all physical responses to that “tingle factor” which is the subject of a wide ranging programme of entertaining and emotive music.

TORBAY MUSICAL WEEKEND

Saturday 17th

7.30-9.00 am Breakfast

9.30-10.45 am TIM PORTER: “The Three Choirs Festival - and its mysterious origins”

Tim Porter will introduce a fascinating detective story. The Three Choirs Festival is the world’s oldest music festival and is still going strong! But how did it begin? - that is a matter which is shrouded in mystery. No one truly knows why, or when, the cathedral choirs of Worcester, Gloucester and Hereford took to joining forces for a yearly musical extravaganza, but it was certainly during the 17th century. This lecture will examine the various theories. The Festival’s success was confirmed in 1788 by a visit from King George III. The music involved is a patchwork of classic perennials and compelling rarities. The story is a raffish slice of 18th century social history.

10.45-11.15 am Coffee/Tea

11.15-12.30 pm ROBERT REID: “The Piano in Jazz”

Robert Reid’s talk is intended essentially for people whose main interest is classical music but with some interest in jazz, although not needing any specialist knowledge of jazz piano. Robert deals with the development of the piano in jazz from the 1920s up to now. He shows how it has grown harmonically and technically to the point where today’s top artists have skills that can stand comparison with those of the best classical pianists. His talk will be illustrated with extensive selections from CDs.

1.00-2.15 pm Lunch

2.30-3.45 pm INFORMAL AUDIO/VISUAL SESSION

Ladies and Gentlemen, Miss Renée Fleming

This is a film directed by Tony Palmer, presenting the first major exploration of the life and career of the great American soprano, Renée Fleming – the epitome of the modern-day diva. She is seen performing works by Verdi, Strauss, Mozart, Korngold, Rachmaninoff and Bernstein’s “West Side Story”. Several world-class artists are also featured. The film lasts 68 minutes.

3.45-4.15 pm Coffee/Tea

4.15-5.30 pm JOHN J DAVIS: “Leopold Stokowski in Philadelphia - a Centenary Celebration”

John J. Davis, whose two musical passions are Sibelius and Stokowski, has chosen to speak about Stokowski in Philadelphia. This great man changed the course of orchestral history after he joined the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1912. John has a comprehensive collection of Stokowski’s recordings from his first in 1917 up to his last in 1977, so, with these and John’s enthusiasm for his subject, we are guaranteed an entertaining presentation.

6.45-8.15 pm Dinner

8.30-10.00 pm TERRY BARFOOT: “Maurice Ravel: Two Masterworks”

Terry Barfoot will explore the nature of Ravel’s genius by examining two of his finest scores: Mother Goose and the Piano Concerto for the Left Hand. “All music, after Ravel’s, seems imperfect”: (Claude Debussy).

10.15-11.15 pm PETER LYMBERY: “Hidden Delights”

Peter Lymbery believes that some of the greatest pleasures from listening to music come from hearing pieces that at first sight seem obscure or even off-putting but turn out in the event to be very enjoyable. Over some programmes given by Peter at Torbay, the audience has commented to this effect, and the recollection of these occasions may still give pleasure to those who were there, and perhaps with any luck to those who were not!

Sunday 18th

7.30-9.00 am Breakfast

9.30-10.30 am THE FRIENDS OF TORBAY AGM

Everyone is invited to attend the Annual General Meeting in the Main Ballroom. This is your opportunity to hear what is happening within the TMW, to raise questions and to put forward comments and suggestions.

10.30-11.00 am Coffee/Tea

11.00-12.30 pm LYNNE PLUMMER: “Conductors - who needs ‘em?”

Lynne Plummer poses the question “Conductors – who needs ‘em?”, to some respected conductors, a soloist and an orchestral player in a bid to prove, in no uncertain terms, that we certainly do need ‘em! Amongst other things, we’ll discover why it’s better to be a conductor than a composer, how to divide the responsibility where music-making is involved, how to exert authority over a group of strong-minded musicians – a few tricks of the trade, so to speak. The music that goes with her talk ranges from the time of Mozart to the present day, with rarities and well-loved favourites to enjoy.

1.00-2.15 pm Lunch

2.30-3.45 pm ADRIAN FARMER: “‘Great” pianists - how do they become great?”

Adrian Farmer has worked at the Nimbus studios since 1979 with several pianists deserving the epithet “great”. He concludes that there may be as many ways of playing the piano as there are notes on the keyboard, but thinks there are some common features of “greatness” He will illustrate his talk with unpublished film from the Nimbus archive.

3.45-4.15 pm Coffee/Tea

4.15-5.30 pm PETER YEMAN: “Musical Ramblings of a Common Man”

Peter Yeman has chaired over 250 pre-concert interviews at the Colston Hall, Bristol. In his presentation he talks about many of the musicians he has had the privilege to meet over the years and plays recordings of some of their performances. In his own words, “it is a glorious name-dropping session!” and will also give an insight into the lives of these artists and what goes on behind the scenes.

6.45-8.15 pm Dinner

8.30 pm

THE TORBAY RECITAL

THE NEW SCORPION BAND

“DRIVE THE COLD WINTER AWAY”

For further details, click here