Cobweb Orchestra News

from newsletter 46

Dear All

I’m saying only ‘Au revoir’ because although I’m handing over the main part of the administrative work for Cobwebs to Catherine, I’m going to keep doing the two home residentials,  Ridley Hall in the Autumn and Sedbergh in the Spring.  Catherine even has a formal name for me – Residentials co-ordinator.  So I shall still be emailing you and keeping in touch with you.

Alan, my husband, has always said that I only have one speech, and that’s ‘Thank you’.  And it has never been more appropriate than now.  For the last four years I have been Cobwebs’ administrator, and I have enjoyed (almost) every minute of it.  It hasn’t been setting up the systems we use, or counting the money, or recording the forms that came back (some never do), nor even playing music (because that has been hard and frustrating for most of the four years) that makes thank you appropriate.  It has been your support and friendship.  I am famous in my family for having the last word, so here it is;  The Last Word – Thank you!

Liz Carlile

(Who can mostly now, almost miraculously, play again.)

from newsletter 46

Two new things are happening in the coming months, one involving ‘cellist, composer and conductor Greg Pullen and the other with Director of the Sage Gateshead, Anthony Sargent.

Many Cobweb players will know Greg for his virtuosity on the ‘cello and may have played some of his popular pieces such as “Sir Bob and Sir Ted” or “Beethoven comes to tea”, but few will have been conducted by him… yet.

In September, Greg is starting up a regular weekly group in Spennymoor, Co. Durham, so if you know anyone who lives near the Spennyopolis conurbation, who would like to play in an orchestra and who is free on Wednesday evenings, tell them about it.

Establishing this group (our eighth) means that if you have the time and energy (and enjoy travelling), you can be part of a Cobweb Orchestra every weekday night of the week: Dalston or Middlesbrough on Mondays.  Morpeth (note the change from Newbiggin) or Tebay on Tuesdays. Wednesday is Spennymoor.  York or Consett on Thursdays. Then there’s always the Sage, Gateshead on Wednesday afternoons for people who prefer making music during the daylight hours.

Of course, that still leaves the weekends to fill up with opportunities to bow and blow. Here are some details:

Anthony Sargent has been conducting Cobwebs for many years now and we all benefit from his musical insights, sense of style and attention to detail. This year he will be delving into Mozart’s Requiem again and conducting it in a concert at Bishop Auckland Town Hall on Sunday 14^th November along with symphony no. 39 in Eb also by Mozart.

Of course, Cobwebs had been conducted by Anthony before and we’ve played at Bishop Auckland before. What’s new about this event is that we’re going to try and link together activities over two weekends to give more continuity and to aim at a more coherent final performance. Players often say “That performance could have been even better if we’d had longer to rehearse it”. So, we’ll be rehearsing the symphony in Gateshead Old Town Hall on Saturday 6^th November and the Requiem on Saturday 13^th November as well as both pieces on the day of the concert.

We hope that most players will be able to attend all three days so that they can get as much as possible out of the experience of being directed by someone as thorough and inspiring as Anthony. Three days over two weekends sounds expensive, but there’ll be reductions for people who sign up to the whole timetable.

Other weekends throughout the Autumn are also crowded out with Cobweb events covering the whole of our extensive geographical range and a huge swathe of repertoire from Schumman’s “Spring” symphony with Chris Griffiths to Light Orchestral Music with Peter Crompton, and English Baroque Music with Peter Wood to a melange of Haydn’s “Nicknamed” symphonies with Catherine Shackell. We’re also playing Beethoven’s 9^th symphony with soloists and chorus at Middlesbrough Town Hall.

Then, as usual, as Christmas approaches we’ll have the traditional “Do it yourself” residential at Ridley Hall and for the first time this year a Guinea Pig Orchestra musical party to which all are invited (you don’t have to be a guinea pig).

Details of all these delights are in the diary which accompanies this newsletter, and you’ll be sent regular reminders and enrolment forms by Catherine as the term progresses.

By Andy Jackson

from Newsletter 46

Dear Cobwebbers,

As many of you know, Liz is retiring after many years dedicated work as administrator for Cobwebs, and I shall be taking over the role in September (well, the 29th August at the Hand-Over Party in Dipton to be precise). Some of you already know me as Catherine Holbrook, but I thought I’d go and do something nice and confusing, like get married and change my name, and am now Catherine Shackell.  So now everyone’s equally muddled; Andy’s asked me to tell you a little bit about myself so here goes:

Cobwebs has changed so much since I first trudged through the door of Cobwebs with my bassoon on my back 14 years ago. There was just the one group, in Annfield Plain, and a handful of study days scattered throughout the year. 4 years after that my musical studies brought me down to York, but I managed to stay in touch with Cobwebs through composing and arranging for the group of which I had grown so fond. When I eventually emerged from University as a professional musician I found that Cobwebs had grown somewhat and was on the brink of going independent. I was delighted when in 2008 Andy asked me to set up a group in York. The York group has been running for two and a half years now, we have played some fantastic music and eaten a healthy variety of cake and biscuits.  As I prepare to take on my new role of administrator for the orchestra there are 7 regular groups with a new group ready and waiting to start in Spennymoor, and multiple events running most weekends. I can’t help but wonder what’s in store for us in the next few years…  One thing’s for sure though, with Cobwebs it won’t be boring!

I know Andy and Liz have planned a great term of events for the Autumn and I’m very much looking forward to preparing for them with you all. You’ll be hearing from me again in a few weeks with more information about each of the events as they approach, but in the meantime do have a quick squiz at the events list and get some dates in your diary.

Until next time

Catherine Shackell nee Holbrook

from Newsletter 46

I recently came across this quotation attributed to an early seventeenth century Italian writer and sometime composer – Pietro della Valle –

“ Playing on an instrument, no matter how well it’s done, when it goes on for a long time is boring; indeed it has often happened that a little bell has to be rung to make them stop”.

This made me think of what has become a central theme of Cobwebs, that music making is the important thing rather than listening to the results.

If an audience had been packed into Powell Hall at Sedbergh to listen to a complete run through of Bruckner’s third symphony there may well have been many little bells ringing (not that we would have heard them). Especially if listeners do not know the work, close to an hour of Bruckner could seem a very long time. Yet from the players perspective it flashes past.

Our 2009/10 season has included some very substantial works. In addition to Bruckner there was Mozart’s Requiem, Carmina Burana, Beethoven Piano concertos 3 and 4, Harold in Italy, Firebird, Planets, Schubert’s Great, Elgar cello concerto and Nielsen’s 3^rd Symphony. Having played in most of these I can remember extreme concentration, lots of effort, satisfaction on managing to navigate particularly tricky passages, pleasure at being in the middle of a wonderful sound, but never boredom.

Maybe the concentration span of the average Italian in the 1600s was not much superior to what it is today? Probably it comes down to the difference in involvement – passive rather than active. I imagine there are many different reasons why people enjoy Cobweb events but most will agree that playing a piece of music gives a greater insight than simply listening to it.

There must surely have been many opportunities to play music in Rome during his lifetime, but Pietro may not have had the confidence or ability. If only Cobwebs had been there to help him he might have been able to dispense with his little bell!

By Howard Rocke