PrettyInScarlett

A few further notes relating to a previous post about female composers : music website Sinfini Music has a summary article of recommended contemporary female composers  providing an insightful introduction to a vast (and sadly often overlooked) sector of classical music.

With the arrival of the annual Christmas Festival this past weekend, the city started to feel (even) more festive. Walking around the centre after visiting the seasonal food market, there were plenty of carols being performed by choirs, brass bands, big bands...at one point I heard 2 different carols simultaneously at each end of Silver Street!   Some of the hardier groups were still out playing when I returned later for one of the weekend's festive concerts (clearly organised to tie in with the Festival but who can go to different concerts at the same time?), A German Christmas by the Caritas Ensemble , raising money for Diabetes UK. The concert had a seasonal theme but avoiding the more popular end of the carol repertoire.   About 16 of us sat in the very intimate setting of  St Chad's College Chapel for an evening of song and instrumental music for soprano, flute, cello and piano. A very peaceful atmosphere developed with the opening work, Schumann's 'Lang

A piano acquaintance alerted me to the sixth Young Pianist of the North competition which finished on Saturday. Unable to get to any of the competition rounds, I did make the masterclass in Newcastle on Saturday 30th November featuring pianists from the main category with teaching from Pascal Nemirovski , Bernd Gretzke and Françoise Thinat .   Each teacher in turn provided feedback to the young competitors, who played repertoire including sonata movements by Beethoven and Mozart, interspersed with some Chopin. It was interesting to see how the young pianists operated under pressure - those who could successful deconstruct and reinterpret based on teacher suggestions, and those who couldn't!   I didn't purchase a programme so sadly don't have detailed notes of the pieces performed. The standout performer - one to watch, indeed - for me was 17 year old Elizaveta Klyuchereva, who had Pascal Nemirovski in beaming smiles!   The broad themes from comments and sugges