Anniversary Concert
'Lollipops and Pearls'
Richmond upon Thames Performing Arts Festival was founded in 1929 by Mr. & Mrs. Tracy Arkell as the Twickenham and Richmond Musical Festival. (The Arkells were local musical worthies who also started Twickenham Operatic Society (TOpS) about the same time). Since those days and with a couple of changes of name, RPAF has gone from strength to strength and now annually boasts nearly 2000 entries, not only in music, but also in a very large Dance section and in Speech and Drama competitions which are very popular.
On October 21st at St. Anne’s Church, Kew Green, it was the turn of musicians, past, present and adjudicators, to demonstrate their considerable skills. The programme was opened by two very young violinists, Rio aged 8 and her sister Naori (12), accompanied by their mother with an arrangement of the Bach Concerto for two violins. The Takahashi family were the winners of the Family Music Making Section in the Festival in 2009.
Next up to the piano was Ken-Ee Choong. At eleven, Ken-Ee is already something of a Chopin specialist, having won the Chopin Cup for the past three years. His performance of the Berceuse, Op. 47, demonstrated just how he had done this and he then showed his versatility with an exciting performance of Copland’s The Cat and the Mouse.
Fenella Humphreys was the Young Musician of the Year in 1997 and since then she has gone on to an international professional career as a violinist. Fenella gave a moving performance of the Scenes from Hassidic Life by Ernest Bloch, followed by something completely different ,Vocalise. Another contrast followed with an exciting performance of Bartok’s Roumanian Dances – much appreciated by the audience. Fenella was accompanied by Andrew Pledge, the Festival’s most supportive accompanist for over 20 years and one of the most popular Adjudicators in the Piano and Instrumental Sections of the Festival.
After the Interval, it was the turn of the Lisney Family. The Festival was honoured that international concert pianist (and Festival adjudicator) , James, was able to accompany his daughters Joy (‘Cello’) and Emma (Violin). Joy was Richmond Young Musician of the Year in 2007, In 1999 she appeared on Carlton television as a potential high achiever for the new century and she is definitely fulfilling that promise! Her playing of the Suite Italienne by Igor Stravinsky was truly virtuosic. Younger sister, Emma, aged 13, also delighted the audience with her wonderful tone and sensitive playing especially in Aus der Heimat – obviously another young performer with a very bright future.
The highlight of the evening came when Joy and Emma joined their father in the slow movement of the Schubert Piano Trio in B flat. The tremendous rapport between the players shone through their performance making this a memorable event – in fact as one member of the audience remarked, it was the best live playing he had heard in 10 years – a truly magical performance at the end of a delightful evening of music making.
Further information about Richmond Performing Arts Festival and the syllabus for 2010 can be seen on www.richmondfestival.org.uk .