Naomi Butcher follows her triumphant Tonbridge debut last November with an orchestral programme of high romance and drama in the stunning setting of the Chapel of St. Augustine, Tonbridge School on Saturday 19th February. The concert will begin with the Tonbridge premiere of Germaine Taillferre’s Overture, before Tonbridge Philharmonic Choir’s much-loved accompanist Jong-Gyung Park will take the stage to perform Rachmaninvov’s Piano Concerto No. 2. The second half of the concert will be dedicated to Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet Suite No. 2.
Following the performance of Fanny Mendelssohn’s Overture in the November concert, Naomi Butcher continues to shine a light on female composers, with the inclusion of Germaine Taillferre’s Overture to start the programme on 19th February. Tailleferre was a student at Paris Conservatoire in the 1920s. Taught by Ravel, she also fell in with the likes of Arthur Honneger and Francis Poulenc, becoming the only woman in the avant-garde group of composers known as ‘Les Six’. The Overture pour Orchestre was written in 1931. It is a short work lasting just over four minutes and opening with three distinct chords, before moving off with high energy.
There may be a number of contenders for the most romantic piece of music in the world but for most of us Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 is high up on the list! From those first insistent chords it is an unashamedly romantic piece that delivers fire and passion, along with gentle and consoling piano themes. Jong-Gyung Park contributed to Tonbridge Philharmonic Society’s programme of lockdown activities with a compelling 4-hand concert performance of the concerto alongside her husband Anthony Zerpa-Falcon. The performance is still available to enjoy on our website here.
In 1936, shortly after the Bolshoi’s initial decision to abandon Prokofiev’s ballet score Romeo and Juliet, he extracted a pair of concert suites from his full score. Each element of Suite No. 2 represents a scene from the ballet. From the famous Montagues and Capulets portrait (now known as the theme to ‘The Apprentice’) to the poignant sound picture Romeo with Juliet before Parting, it is a wonderful musical portrayal of one of the world’s most popular love stories.
Please join us on 19th February for an unforgettable evening – tickets available on the Events page.