Members' Evening Commemorates End of Forty-Seventh Season

Many thanks to all the performers and audience who took part in our season conclusion on Saturday; it was a well-attended occasion showcasing the diverse hidden talents within our community. We kicked off with a piano solo given by club member Jan Lewis, who delighted us with Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum on the piano, the first movement of Debussy's Children's Corner which he devoted to his then three-year-old daughter.

Jan was joined on stage by regular performer Rebecca, who sang (in-keeping with the summer title) A Green Cornfield and Foxgloves, composed by Michael Head and based on poems by Christina Rossetti and Mary Webb, respectively.

Louise Russell and Hilary Platts then took to the stage with (from Henry Purcell's 6 Vocal Duets) a suitably contrasting Lost in my quiet and Two Daughters of this Aged Stream. They were accompanied by Alison Blenkinsop on the piano, who then played Robert Schumann's Grillen ("Whims") from Fantasiestücke. It was said Schumann had hurt his right hand practicing; conversely, Alison explained to an amused audience she'd not long sustained a mild injury to her left hand before this performance!

We returned to the classical era with a performance of Paisiello's Nel Cor Piu Non Mi Sento by mezzo-soprano Akiko Ross, accompanied by Jack Adams; interestingly, a piece the subject of a set of six variations by Beethoven in later years.

The first half concluded with a rousing Chopin Waltz (Op. 18, No. 1) by Jack Izatt, followed by a cooling Jeux d'eau ("games of water") by Ravel, known for its cascading piano figurations emulating the trickling of water and which Jack Adams played from memory.

The second half of the concert saw Akiko Ross perform Se Tu M'ami (att. Pergolesi by Parisotti), followed by Louise Russell with (from Gilbert & Sullivan's The Mikado) The Sun Whose Rays Are All Ablaze (which they certainly were in Bognor) before she took to the piano with Debussy's Serenade for the Doll (a return to his Children's Corner). Yuriko and Jack A followed with a pair of Brahms' Hungarian Dances (No. 3 and 5), the latter having one of the most instantly recognisable themes in classical repertoire, perhaps somewhat owing to its orchestrated version.

Yuriko was then accompanied by Jack A for Munetsuga & Miyabi's Inochi No Uta ("A Song of Life"), a song which she explained expressed gratitude for life and concluded with the lyric "arigato" ("thank you") twice.

This was followed by a medley of songs from My Fair Lady (Lerner & Loewe) played on flute by Louise Moseley and accompanied by Alison, each instantly recognisable no less to its recent revival at the Chichester Festival Theatre (to which one in the audience who had seen it said "it was lov-er-ly!").

The evening concluded with an amusing rendition of both My Little Bottom Drawer (Harper, Haines & Fields) and I Want To Sing In Opera (David, Arthurs & Kern) by Hilary Platts, the perfect conclusion to another great season of entertainment.

Do you have a musical talent? Why not join the Bognor Regis Music Club, a close-knit community of professional and semi-professional classical music lovers, where membership includes the opportunity to perform at informal does like this one without being judged; discounted entry prices also apply. Join today or trial us by coming to one of our next season's events, or get in touch with the secretary via the contact form on our website to find out more!