The Blue Flash Music Trust was given a welcome boost by the visit of their Patron Julian Lloyd Webber to Horsham's Capitol Theatre Saturday 12th May 2012. Meeting representatives from the Trust before the 70th Anniversary Concert staged by the Horsham Music Circle Julian said that he had been “delighted” to become Patron of the Trust as he had played in the Old Town Hall back in the early seventies soon after he had graduated from the Royal College of Music and had remembered the Town Hall because of its acoustics.

Review

Julian Lloyd Webber had also performed to a similarly packed theatre at the Horsham Music Circle's 50th anniversary concert in 1992. Many members of the audience were back again and just before the performance, one couple explained how they had accompanied their daughter to the front row twenty years ago saying "she gazed in awe throughout the concert and following that night, immediately went on to play the cello."

Tonight's concert was no exception, from the opening captivating melody of Bach's Adagio in G to some of the frenzied bars of Rachmaninov at the end.

The second and third pieces were Scherzetto and Elegy for Cello and Piano by Frank Bridge. Julian explained that Bridge had never played the cello himself but quipped that he seemed to understand the instrument completely. In fact, Bridge had taught Benjamin Britten, the composer of the next piece 'Scherzo-Pizzicato from Sonata in C'.

The first half of the performance was given a fitting climax with 'Sonata for Cello and Piano in one movement' by Delius.  Julian had previously further amused the audience by saying that cellists in orchestras didn't usually like playing Delius because he normally ends quietly. However, this particular piece ended fortissimo, so cellists could take comfort in the fact that they would not be overshadowed by a stark and rapturous applause for the conductor!

On this occasion at the Capitol however, we had a simple set up; the very talented piano accompaniment of Pam Chowhan, and a man perfectly at one with his instrument, plus the extremely rare Stradivarius cello known at the ‘Barjansky’ Strad (1690). Not even a music stand to obscure the view!

The audience departed for the interval buzzing with questions. "How does he remember all that music, let alone play it like that?" was a common observation. One member joked with me: "He will be a truly great cello player once he learns to read music!"

"How do two totally acoustic performers fill a packed theatre with sound like that" was another well discussed puzzle. In fact, Julian later went on to explain that he bought the Stradivarius for a tidy sum in order that he could cut through the orchestra.

Back from the interval Julian paid tribute to his father William Lloyd Webber with 'Nocturne'. His father had composed many melodious pieces after the war, but this was an even earlier composition from 1941.

And then to the grand finale of Rachmaninov's 'Cello Sonata in G minor', by far the biggest piece on the programme. Again the warmth and humour of the artist further captivated the audience when he quipped that cello players didn't normally like playing the piece because it gave the piano accompanist a chance to shine. However, he comforted himself that for every note he played on the cello, the piano had to play a hundred! And shine they both did. Wonderful exchanges and stunning harmonies between the two instruments penetrated every soul in the auditorium. The pace and complexity of the second and fourth movements particularly left one awestruck. However, somehow, you sensed that you could still 'feel' every single note.

And so to the end. All that passion and skillful musicianship was amply rewarded by an appreciative Horsham audience with four curtain calls in all. The encore was Oblivion by Astor Piazzolla. Again, emotion purred from every string, with the instrument speaking to you like a voice.

Such is the sound of a cello in the hands of a master.

Martin Jeremiah

Julian replied to this review with this email;
  Thank you Robert for this HUGELY nice review!!

Saturday 20th September 2008 at St Mary’s church was a remarkable occasion and saw a very substantial audience gathered together in celebration of the lives of RV Williams, Lucy Broadwood, and Henry Bustow thanks to the efforts of Horsham Museum, Horsham Folk Club and Andrew Bernardi’s Chamber Orchestra, and the String Academy.

John Byng of Horsham Folk Club said “We were thrilled by the success of the evening and by the congratulations received. Our aim was to celebrate the connection between Ralph Vaughan Williams and the folk music of the Horsham district, to provide enjoyment to our audience, to help in the development of young musicians and to grow the audience for classical and folk music in the area.  We achieved all this and had a good time too.

We were glad that the support of Horsham District Council enabled us to involve 20 young musicians of the String Academy and to allow young people free entry to the concert.”

The programme included four pieces performed by the Bernardi Chamber Orchestra and String Academy including the hugely popular Lark Ascending. 

2006 
Horsham Community Festival

Sunday September 3rd

 Whilst the Trust is grateful to a number of small local business for sponsoring
the event we have to say a big thank you to SEFAN (South East Arts Network)
for the generous grant of £100 towards the Town Hall Campaign
and the first ever Horsham Community Festival.

September 3rd was a great day of celebration for the first ever Horsham Community Festival.
That the event was staged at all was something of a miracle because in the space
of a month people of many different talents and abilities had put their heads together
and conjured the rabbit out of the hat!

There was everything on display. There was classical, blues, jazz, and folk music
and many different forms of dancing. Shirley Collins MBE gave a fascinating
talk on Sussex and its folk traditions. Throughout the day there was a plentiful helping
of generosity, of good humour and a strong community spirit,
which underlined the message that this is the real Horsham. There were artists, painters,
poets, writers and a whole host of other skills in evidence. The three sites held
audiences of all ages; some stayed for a few minutes but others stayed
as long as they possibly could and enjoyed what turned out to be a very delightful day.
Come 6pm the stages at the Forum and the Bandstand were closed down,
but Horsham Town Hall continued with musical performances until 10.30 pm.

Julie Roberts and Gary Holder; great stalwarts of events for the Trust since 2003, appearing at the Sunday morning concerts, the Community Festival, and both music festivals.