Ensemble 360’s Family Concert and Sunday afternoon concert

With International Women’s Day and Mother’s Day in the same week,   Ensemble 360’s Sunday morning Family Concert introduced the works of three female composers to help the team engage with and help an enthusiastic young audience navigate the story of The Chimpanzees of Happy Town. Presenter, Lucy Driver was quick to indentify how important it is for young people to build confidence in their abilities. As chimp Chutney’s battle with the diffident Mayor of Drabsville developed, so the underlying message to the young listeners was one of  developing self-confidence skills to overcome the red tape of local government!! Indeed, the story ends with a very happy Chutney achieving success in gaining support from the local community to build new playgrounds and promote dancing in the streets of Happy Town! Seven year old Florence so enjoyed  the visit to her school by members of a string quartet with Leamington Music’s Education Programme, she was determined to attend her first public concert; she departed with the confidence to tackle future live music events.

Ensemble 360’s Sunday afternoon concert got to grips with Brahms, Martinů and Dohnányi.  Brahms composed two serenades, his first in D Op 11 employs ten of 360’s musicians with Naomi Atherton’s horn given particular promince.  A jubilant sonata-form first movement starts this 45 minute, six movement work, followed by a sombre first scherzo with Gemma Rosefield and Atherton leading the remarkably talented wind players – Robert Plane (clarinet), Julie Garner (bassoon), Claire Wicks (flute) and Adrian Wilson (oboe). The second scherzo leads quickly to the return of jubilant playing with a galloping rondo.

Martinů’s Nonet No 2 H374 employs a very busy double bass player (Ronan Dunne), requires bassoon entries to be backed by flourishes from the other wind players throughout the three movement work which is brimming with colour and texture  enhancing the trance-like moments. As the work gently fades away one wonders if the composer knew this was to be the final year of his life.

Tim Horton (piano) introduced 360’s final work, Dohnányi’s Sextet in C Op 37. The boistrous horn call of the opening precedes a chorale themed movement before Horton’s accomplished playing bounces around with themes epitomised by Tom and Jerry!