Bournemouth Sinfonietta
Encyclopedia
The Bournemouth Sinfonietta was a chamber orchestra founded in 1968 as an off-shoot of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
.
, who acted as artistic adviser, and Nicholas Braithwaite
, in order to perform the classical repertoire in the smaller venues of the south and west of England.
In the first months of its existence players interchanged between the Symphony Orchestra and Sinfonietta, some of them having to consult a chart to find out which orchestra they would play with the following week (leading occasionally to players going for the wrong rehearsal).
The 'pool of players' idea was scrapped and the Sinfonietta became independent of the BSO, with more players moving across from the BSO in 1969.
in a concert of Seiber, Milhaud, Webern and Varèse conducted by Edgar Cosma.
Among premieres given by the orchestra were:
During its existence the Bournemouth Sinfonietta gained a national reputation, appearing at The Proms in 1977, 1988 and 1992 and also undertook short overseas tours, including Germany (1987), Italy and Turkey (1992), Romania (1994), Spain (1995), Brazil (1996) and France (1997). Venues in the south and west of England varied from small church halls, often in places which otherwise would get no live professional orchestral music, to larger concert halls.
From 1974 until 1986 the Sinfonietta was the orchestra for Glyndebourne On Tour.
The educational and outreach work of the Sinfonietta was recognised by a Prudential Award and a Sainsbury's Arts for All award.
The Bournemouth Sinfonietta Choir was founded in 1972, and continues to give concerts in Dorset and beyond. The Director in 2008 is David Gostick, organist at Wimborne Minster.
, Conductor/Director 1971-73
Kenneth Montgomery
, Principal Conductor, 1973–77
Volker Wangenheim, Principal Conductor 1977-1980
Ronald Thomas, Musical Director 1980-85 (Leader from 1976)
Roger Norrington
, Principal Conductor 1985-1989
Tamás Vásáry
, Principal Conductor and Artistic Director 1989-1997 (Conductor Laureate 1997-99)
Alexander Polianichko, Principal Conductor 1997-99
(soloist/director or conductor)
Recording venues included Southampton Guildhall, Christchurch Priory
, Poole Arts Centre
and the Bournemouth Winter Gardens
.
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra is an English orchestra. Originally based in Bournemouth, the BSO moved its offices to the adjacent town of Poole in 1979....
.
Formation
The orchestra was initially conducted by George HurstGeorge Hurst
George Hurst is a British conductor.-Biography:Born in Edinburgh in 1926, Hurst studied at Bishops College School in Lennoxville, Quebec and the Royal Conservatory in Toronto Canada....
, who acted as artistic adviser, and Nicholas Braithwaite
Nicholas Braithwaite
Nicholas Paul Dallon Braithwaite is an English conductor. He is the son of the conductor Warwick Braithwaite.Braithwaite studied at the Royal Academy of Music, at the Festival masterclasses in Bayreuth, and with Hans Swarowsky in Vienna. In the 1960s, Braithwaite was associate conductor of the...
, in order to perform the classical repertoire in the smaller venues of the south and west of England.
In the first months of its existence players interchanged between the Symphony Orchestra and Sinfonietta, some of them having to consult a chart to find out which orchestra they would play with the following week (leading occasionally to players going for the wrong rehearsal).
The 'pool of players' idea was scrapped and the Sinfonietta became independent of the BSO, with more players moving across from the BSO in 1969.
Concert repertoire
The Sinfonietta made its London debut on 9 January 1969 at the Queen Elizabeth HallQueen Elizabeth Hall
The Queen Elizabeth Hall is a music venue on the South Bank in London, United Kingdom that hosts daily classical, jazz, and avant-garde music and dance performances. The QEH forms part of Southbank Centre arts complex and stands alongside the Royal Festival Hall, which was built for the Festival...
in a concert of Seiber, Milhaud, Webern and Varèse conducted by Edgar Cosma.
Among premieres given by the orchestra were:
- Rutland BoughtonRutland BoughtonRutland Boughton was an English composer who became well known in the early 20th century as a composer of opera and choral music....
Concerto for String Orchestra (composed 1937 fp 1997) - Gavin BryarsGavin BryarsRichard Gavin Bryars is an English composer and double bassist. He has been active in, or has produced works in, a variety of styles of music, including jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, historicism, experimental music, avant-garde and neoclassicism.-Early life and career:Born in Goole, East...
The Green Ray (1991) - Sadie Harrison So in Darkness (1993)
- Richard HarveyRichard HarveyRichard Harvey is a BAFTA Award–winning British musician and composer. He is best known for his film and television soundtracks...
Concerto Antico for guitar and orchestra (1994) - David MatthewsDavid Matthews (composer)David Matthews is an English composer of mainly orchestral, chamber, vocal and piano works.- Life :He was born in London into a family that was 'not especially' musical; the desire to compose did not manifest itself until he was sixteen, and for a time he and his younger brother Colin Matthews,...
Cantiga, Op 45 (1988) - John MayerJohn Mayer (composer)John Mayer was an Indian composer known primarily for his fusions of jazz with Indian music...
Shanai-Awaz (1982) - Dominic MuldowneyDominic MuldowneyDominic Muldowney is a British composer.-Biography:He studied at the universities of Southampton and York , and took private lessons with Harrison Birtwistle. From 1974 to 1976 he was composer-in-residence to the Southern Arts Association...
Percussion Concerto (1991) - Michael NymanMichael NymanMichael Laurence Nyman, CBE is an English composer of minimalist music, pianist, librettist and musicologist, known for the many film scores he wrote during his lengthy collaboration with the filmmaker Peter Greenaway, and his multi-platinum soundtrack album to Jane Campion's The Piano...
Where The Bee Dances (1991) - Colin Riley The song should never be silent, Side by side, The sleep of reason (1997)
- Howard SkemptonHoward SkemptonHoward Skempton is a British composer and accordionist. Since the late 1960s, when he helped organize the Scratch Orchestra, he has been associated with the English school of experimental music...
Concerto for Hurdy Gurdy and Percussion (1994) - Giles SwayneGiles SwayneGiles Oliver Cairnes Swayne is a British composer.- Biography :Swayne is a cousin of Elizabeth Maconchy. He spent much of his childhood in Liverpool, and began composing at a young age...
The Song of the Tortoise, a cautionary tale for narrator, voices and orchestra (1992) - Mike WestbrookMike WestbrookMichael John David 'Mike' Westbrook is an English jazz pianist, composer, and writer of orchestrated jazz pieces.-Early work:Mike Westbrook grew up in Torquay...
Bean Rows and Blues Shots - Saxophone concerto (1991)
During its existence the Bournemouth Sinfonietta gained a national reputation, appearing at The Proms in 1977, 1988 and 1992 and also undertook short overseas tours, including Germany (1987), Italy and Turkey (1992), Romania (1994), Spain (1995), Brazil (1996) and France (1997). Venues in the south and west of England varied from small church halls, often in places which otherwise would get no live professional orchestral music, to larger concert halls.
From 1974 until 1986 the Sinfonietta was the orchestra for Glyndebourne On Tour.
The educational and outreach work of the Sinfonietta was recognised by a Prudential Award and a Sainsbury's Arts for All award.
The Bournemouth Sinfonietta Choir was founded in 1972, and continues to give concerts in Dorset and beyond. The Director in 2008 is David Gostick, organist at Wimborne Minster.
Closure
Increased difficulties in obtaining funding from the local councils led to the decision to disband the orchestra in November 1999 and concentrate government funding towards the larger ensemble.Principal Conductors
Maurice GendronMaurice Gendron
Maurice Gendron was a French cellist and teacher. He is widely considered one of the greatest French cellists of the twentieth century....
, Conductor/Director 1971-73
Kenneth Montgomery
Kenneth Montgomery
Kenneth Montgomery OBE is a British conductor, the only child of Lily and Tom Montgomery. His upbringing was in Wandsworth Parade and he attended the Royal Belfast Academical Institution. His musical studies were at the Royal College of Music...
, Principal Conductor, 1973–77
Volker Wangenheim, Principal Conductor 1977-1980
Ronald Thomas, Musical Director 1980-85 (Leader from 1976)
Roger Norrington
Roger Norrington
Sir Roger Arthur Carver Norrington, CBE is a British conductor. He is the son of Sir Arthur Norrington and his brother is Humphrey Thomas Norrington....
, Principal Conductor 1985-1989
Tamás Vásáry
Tamás Vásáry
Tamás Vásáry is a celebrated Hungarian concert pianist.- Biography and career :Vásáry made his debut at the age of 8, performing Mozart's Piano Concerto in D major, K.107 in the city of his birth, where he gave a solo recital the following year. He then began to concertize regularly as a child...
, Principal Conductor and Artistic Director 1989-1997 (Conductor Laureate 1997-99)
Alexander Polianichko, Principal Conductor 1997-99
Recordings by the Bournemouth Sinfonietta
In under 30 years, the orchestra recorded a large range of music from Baroque to contemporary on various record labels including EMI, CRD and Naxos; some of those recordings are listed here.- Eduardo Angulo: Guitar Concerto No 2 (Rafael Jiménez/ Terence Frazor)
- Thomas Arne: Symphonies 1, 2, 3, 4 (Kenneth Montgomery)
- Malcolm Arnold: Concertos for flute, horn, clarinet, oboe and trumpet (Norman Del Mar)
- J C Bach: Sinfonias Op 6.3, Op 9.2, Op 18.2&4 (Kenneth Montgomery)
- C P E Bach: Cello Concertos (Tim Hugh/ Richard Studt)
- Granville Bantock: Pierrot of the Minute (Norman Del MarNorman Del MarNorman Del Mar CBE was a British conductor, horn player, and biographer. As a conductor, he specialized in the music of late romantic composers; including Edward Elgar, Gustav Mahler, and Richard Strauss. He left a great legacy of recordings of British music, in particular Elgar, Vaughan Williams,...
) - Bela Bartók: Divertimento for Strings (Richard Studt)
- Richard Blackford: Mirror of Perfection (Ying Huang, Bo Skovhus/ Richard BlackfordRichard BlackfordRichard Blackford is an English composer.- Biography :Richard Blackford studied composition with John Lambert at the Royal College of Music and conducting with Norman del Mar. He spent a number of years as Henze’s assistant in Italy, where he received his first commissions while immersed in the...
) - Frank Bridge: Suite for Strings, Summer (Norman del Mar)
- George Butterworth: The Banks of Green Willow (Norman del Mar)
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Concerto & Romances 1 & 2 (Ronald Thomas)
- Luigi Boccherini: Cello Concertos (Frederic Lodéon/ Theodor GuschlbauerTheodor GuschlbauerTheodor Guschlbauer is an Austrian conductor.-External links:*...
) - William Boyce: The Eight Symphonies (Ronald Thomas)
- Benjamin Britten: Variations on a Theme of Frank BridgeVariations on a Theme of Frank BridgeVariations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10, is a work for string orchestra by Benjamin Britten. It was written in 1937 at the request of Boyd Neel, who conducted his orchestra at the premiere of the work at that year's Salzburg Festival. It was the work that brought Britten to international...
, Simple SymphonySimple SymphonyThe Simple Symphony, Op.4 is a work for string orchestra or string quartet by Benjamin Britten.It was written as a piece for string orchestra and received its first performance in 1934 in Norwich, with Britten conducting an amateur orchestra....
(Ronald Thomas) - Gavin Bryars: The Green Ray (John HarleJohn HarleJohn Harle is an English saxophonist and composer.-Biography:John Harle - SaxophonistJohn Harle is one of the world’s leading saxophonists, and the most significant performer of the saxophone in the concert hall today...
/ Ivor Bolton) - Frederick Delius: On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, A Song before Sunrise, Late Swallows (Norman del Mar)
- Georg Druschetzky: Partita for 6 Timpani and Orchestra, Concerto for Oboe, 8 Timpani & Orchestra (Jonathan Haas, Gordon Hunt/ Harold FarbermanHarold FarbermanHarold Farberman is an American conductor, composer, and percussionist.-Biography:Farberman studied percussion at Juilliard and composition at the New England Conservatory and at Tanglewood with Aaron Copland...
) - Edward Elgar: Chanson de Matin & Chanson de Nuit, Dream Children, Contrasts, Soliloquy, Three Bavarian Dances (Leon GoossensLéon GoossensLéon Jean Goossens CBE, FRCM was a British oboist.He was born in Liverpool and studied at the Royal College of Music...
/Norman Del Mar), Serenade in E minor, King Arthur Suite, Starlight Express Suite (George HurstGeorge HurstGeorge Hurst is a British conductor.-Biography:Born in Edinburgh in 1926, Hurst studied at Bishops College School in Lennoxville, Quebec and the Royal Conservatory in Toronto Canada....
) - Johann Christian Fischer: Symphony for 8 timpani & orchestra (Jonathan Haas/ Harold Farberman)
- Percy Grainger: Youthful Suite, Blithe Bells, Green Bushes, Country Gardens, Youthful Rapture, Shepherd's Hey, Molly on the ShoreMolly on the ShoreMolly on the Shore is a composition of Percy Aldridge Grainger. It is an arrangement of two contrasting Irish reels, "Temple Hill" and "Molly on the Shore" that present the melodies in a variety of textures and orchestrations, giving each section of the band long stretches of thematic and...
, Handel in the Strand (Moray Welsh, Philip Martin/ Kenneth Montgomery) - Edvard Grieg: Holberg Suite (Richard Studt)
- George Handel: Opera overtures (Kenneth Montgomery)
- Joseph Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 87Symphony No. 87 (Haydn)The Symphony No. 87 in A major, Hoboken 1/87, is the last of the six so-called Paris Symphonies written by Joseph Haydn. It was written in 1786.-Movements:...
, 88Symphony No. 88 (Haydn)The Symphony No. 88 in G major was written by Joseph Haydn. It is occasionally referred to as The Letter V referring to an older method of cataloguing Haydn's symphonic output.The symphony was completed in 1787...
, 103Symphony No. 103 (Haydn)The Symphony No. 103 in E-flat major, Hoboken 1/103, is the eleventh of the twelve so-called London Symphonies written by Joseph Haydn.This symphony is nicknamed "The Drumroll", after the long roll on the timpani with which it begins....
and 104Symphony No. 104 (Haydn)The Symphony No. 104 in D major is Joseph Haydn's final symphony. It is the last of the twelve so-called London Symphonies, and is known as the London Symphony....
(Ronald Thomas), Cello Concertos (Frederic Lodéon/ Theodor Guschlbauer) - Joseph Haydn: Organ concertos 1-3 (Marie-Claire AlainMarie-Claire AlainMarie-Claire Alain is a French organist and organ teacher best known for her prolific recording career. She is particularly known for her ability to perform substantial works entirely from memory.-Background and education:...
/Theodor GuschlbauerTheodor GuschlbauerTheodor Guschlbauer is an Austrian conductor.-External links:*...
) - Michael Haydn: Symphonies, Nos 5, 14, 19, 21, 23, 26, 29, 37, 39, 41 (Harold FarbermanHarold FarbermanHarold Farberman is an American conductor, composer, and percussionist.-Biography:Farberman studied percussion at Juilliard and composition at the New England Conservatory and at Tanglewood with Aaron Copland...
) - Gustav Holst: St Paul's Suite (George Hurst)
- Arthur Honegger: Symphony No.4, Pastorale d'été (Tamás Vasary)
- John Ireland: Concertino Pastorale (George Hurst)
- Bohuslav Martinu: Sinfonietta Giocosa, Toccata e Due Canzoni, Sinfonietta La Jolla (Tamás Vasary)
- David Matthews: Cantiga, September Music, Introit (Jill GomezJill GomezJill Gomez is a Trinidadian and British soprano of Hispanic origin.She was born in Guyana to a Trinidadian father and British mother; was raised in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; and has made her career primarily in the United Kingdom. After studying briefly at St...
/ John Carewe) - E J Moeran: Sinfonietta, Cello Concerto (Raphael WallfischRaphael WallfischRaphael Wallfisch is a British cellist.Wallfisch was born into a family of distinguished musicians, his father the pianist Peter Wallfisch and his mother the cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who is one of the last known surviving members of the Girl orchestra of Auschwitz...
/ Norman del Mar) - WA Mozart: Symphonies Nos 36 & 39 (Terence Fragor), Four Horn Concertos (Michael ThompsonMichael Thompson (horn player)Michael Thompson is a British horn player.After studying at the Royal Academy of Music, Thompson was appointed Principal Horn with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra aged just 18 years...
), Piano Concerto No 21Piano Concerto No. 21 (Mozart)The Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K. 467, was completed on March 9, 1785 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, four weeks after the completion of the previous D minor concerto.- Structure :There are three movements....
(Tamás Vasary), Serenade in C minor K388 (Howard Nelson), Violin Concertos 3 & 4 (Jean-Jacques KantorowJean-Jacques KantorowJean-Jacques Kantorow is a French violin virtuoso and conductor.-Biography:Kantorow was born in Cannes, France. From the age of 13 he studied at the Paris Conservatoire with René Benedetti, and in 1960 won the first violin prize...
, Theodor Guschlbauer), Sinfonia Concertante (Richard Studt, Nodar Jvania), Clarinet ConcertoClarinet Concerto (Mozart)Mozart's Clarinet concerto in A major, K. 622 was written in 1791 for the clarinetist Anton Stadler.It consists of the usual three movements, in a fast–slow–fast form:# Allegro# Adagio# Rondo: Allegro...
(Joan Enric Lluna), Oboe Concerto (Andrew Knights / Richard Studt) - Carl Nielsen: Little Suite for Strings (Montgomery), (Studt)
- Michael Nyman: Where the Bee Dances (John HarleJohn HarleJohn Harle is an English saxophonist and composer.-Biography:John Harle - SaxophonistJohn Harle is one of the world’s leading saxophonists, and the most significant performer of the saxophone in the concert hall today...
/ Ivor Bolton) - Arvo Pärt: Tabula rasa, Summa, Festina lente, Cantus in memory of Britten (Tasmin Little/ Richard Studt)
- Henry Purcell: Overtures (Ronald Thomas)
- Respighi: The Birds, Il tramonto, Trittico Botticelliano (Tamás Vasary)
- Joaquin Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjüez (Rafael Jiménez/ Terence Frazor)
- Edmund Rubbra : Improvisations, Symphony No 10 (Hans-Hubert SchönzelerHans-Hubert SchönzelerHans-Hubert Schönzeler was a German-born Australian-naturalised English-resident composer, conductor and musicologist who became an authority on Anton Bruckner and Antonín Dvořák....
) - John Rutter: Requiem, Works for Choir and Orchestra (Stephen LaytonStephen LaytonStephen Layton is an English conductor.Layton was raised in Derby, where his father was a church organist. Layton learned the piano as a youth. He was a chorister at Winchester Cathedral, and subsequently won scholarships to Eton College and then King's College, Cambridge as an organ...
) - Camille Saint-Saëns : Cello Concertos 1 & 2, Suite Op 16 (Maria Kliegel, Jean-Francois Monnard)
- Charles Villiers Stanford : Symphony No 3 'Irish (Norman del Mar)
- Igor Stravinsky: Pulcinella (Ian BostridgeIan BostridgeIan Bostridge CBE is an English tenor, well known for his performances as an opera singer and as a song recitalist.-Early life and education:...
, Henry HerfordHenry HerfordHenry Herford is a Scottish baritone singer.He read Classics and English at Cambridge University, and studied singing at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester where he was awarded the Curtis Gold Medal. He is currently the RNCM's Tutor in French Song...
/ Stefan SanderlingStefan SanderlingStefan Sanderling is an orchestral conductor. His parents are the conductor Kurt Sanderling and the double-bass player Barbara Sanderling. His half-brother is the conductor Thomas Sanderling. His brother Michael Sanderling is a cellist and conductor.In his youth, Sanderling played the piano and...
), Concerto in D for string orchestra (Richard Studt) - Arthur Sullivan : Excerpts from operettas (Valerie MastersonValerie MastersonMargaret Valerie Masterson , is a retired English opera singer, a lecturer and Vice-President of British Youth Opera. After study in Italy, she began to sing opera in Europe...
, Robert TearRobert TearRobert Tear, CBE was a Welsh tenor and conductor.Tear was born in Barry, Glamorgan, Wales, UK, the son of Thomas and Edith Tear. He attended Barry Boys' Grammar School and during this period sang in the chorus of the first Welsh National Opera's production of 'Cavalleria Rusticana' in April 1946...
/ Kenneth AlwynKenneth AlwynKenneth Alwyn is an English orchestral conductor. He is principally known for his performances and recordings of film and ballet music...
) - Johan Svendsen: Icelandic Melodies, Norwegian and Swedish Folksongs (Richard Studt)
- Ralph Vaughan Williams: Overture 'The Poisoned Kiss', Two Hymn-tune Preludes, The Running Set, Sea Songs (George Hurst), Flos campi, Suite for viola and orchestra (Frederick RiddleFrederick RiddleFrederick Riddle OBE was an important British violist. He was considered to be in the line from Lionel Tertis and William Primrose, through to the violists of today such as Lawrence Power.-Biography:...
/ Norman Del Mar) - Heitor Villa-Lobos: Guitar Concerto (Rafael Jiménez/ Terence Frazor)
- Antonio Vivaldi: 12 Concertos Op 8 (Ronald Thomas)
- Peter Warlock: Capriol Suite (George Hurst)
- Samuel Wesley: Symphony in D (Kenneth Montgomery)
- Mike Westbrook: Bean Rows and Blues Shots (John Harle/ Ivor Bolton)
- Dag Wiren: Serenade for Strings (Kenneth Montgomery), (Richard Studt)
(soloist/director or conductor)
Recording venues included Southampton Guildhall, Christchurch Priory
Christchurch Priory
Christchurch Priory is an ecclesiastical parish and former priory church in Christchurch in the English county of Dorset .-Early history:...
, Poole Arts Centre
The Lighthouse (Poole)
The Lighthouse is an arts centre in Poole, Dorset, England. According to the Arts council of England it is the largest arts centre in the United Kingdom outside London....
and the Bournemouth Winter Gardens
Bournemouth Winter Gardens
Bournemouth Winter Gardens was a theatre in Bournemouth, England. Many artists have performed at this venue. It closed in 2002 and the building was demolished in 2006.- External links :*...
.