David Childs - Recital at the Purcell Room, 7.1.04

[PeterBale]

For anyone who is interested, here are the details of the recital to be given by David Childs as part of the Park Lane Group Young Artists Series at the Purcell Room next Wednesday, starting at 7.30pm. Tickets are priced at £8, £10 and £12, available from the box office:
http://www.rfh.org.uk/main/events/102640.html?section=classical&file=index&month=1&week=1

Nigel Clarke . . . City in the Sea
John Casken . . . The Haunting Bough
Alfred Schnittke . . . Piano Sonata No. 2
Elena Firsova . . . New Work

INTERVAL

Dobrinka Tabakova . . . New Work
Ed Bennett . . . Staggering
Elena Langer . . . New Work
Elena Firsova . . . Hymn to Spring
Alun Hoddinott . . . Sonata for Euphonium
Simon Parkin . . . Skunk

David Childs euphonium
Harvey Davies piano
Evelyn Chang solo piano

The recital includes a couple of premieres, and another chance to hear Alun Hoddinott's Sonata, premiered by David at his Wigmore Hall concert earlier this year.

[PeterBale]

Reviews of the recital (two :shock: ) are now on 4barsrest:
http://www.4barsrest.com/reviews/concerts/con098.asp

Also,from yesterday's Times:
The euphonium player David Childs . . . managed to supply some of the best surprises . . . he proved himself a serious musician dedicated to raising his instrument's profile. . . Though none of these pieces alone is likely to transform the fortunes of the euphonium, players of the instrument will be grateful for them. Most of all, perhaps, for Elena Firsova's "Euphonisms for euphonium & piano" . . . which provides lively possibilities in the second of its four movements and spins lonely lines in the third movement. It also enabled Childs to demonstrate his superbly focused, glowing tone.

Ably supported by the pianist Harvey Davies, Childs found a further mixture of virtuoso and lyrical impulses in Simon Parkin's "Skunk" . . . Nigel Clarke's "City in the Sea" suggested some of the mystery surrounding the sunken city of Dunwich. Alun Hoddinott's "Sonata" meandered too generically for its own good.

As I said in the 4barsrest review it was an excellent evening's music-making, and really warranted a larger audience, although Wednesday evening in central London is probably not the best time to draw the crowds!