Archive for April, 2012
Wedding at the Vineyard at Stockcross, Berkshire
Yesterday was the third day in a row in which we were engaged to play as a string duo. Once again, the violin and cello option proved popular and Ali and myself travelled to Berkshire to perform at a wedding held at the Vineyard at Stockcross, near Newbury. The bridal couple had chosen to enter to the [...]
Wedding at the Frensham Pond Hotel, Surrey
Yesterday Emma (cello) and myself (violin) played for a wedding at the Frensham Pond Hotel in Frensham, Surrey. We started by entertaining the guests as they entered the ceremony room and took their seats. We then performed the entrance music as first the three bridesmaids, then the bride and her father made their way towards the registrars. The music [...]
Wedding at the Compleat Angler, Marlow
On Friday, Ali and myself performed as a string duo (violin and cello) for a wedding reception and meal held at the Compleat Angler in Marlow. As the venue overlooks the Thames, the bridal couple arrived at the hotel by boat and disembarked as we played Mendelssohn’s Wedding March. As the weather was changeable, we [...]
Wedding at Newnham College, Cambridge
On Saturday, Neil (violin) and myself on viola played for a wedding at Newnham College in Cambridge. As the bride is a lecturer here it was a perfect location as the college has a tranquility and spaciousness that would be the envy of many venues dedicated to weddings. We played prior to the wedding service (as a laptop [...]
Wedding at Hylands House, Essex
On Friday, Tony and myself travelled down to Hylands House, a wedding venue near Chelmsford in Essex. We were engaged to play as a string duo (violin and cello) for a lovely wedding in this beautifully restored stately home, set in hundreds of acres of parkland. We began playing before the ceremony to create an [...]
Live and let it be live….
A couple of years ago I remember listening to a live performance of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra performing Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. It seemed to be a rather constrained affair until there was a split note in the brass section. This seemed to bring about a palpable change in the players and from then on [...]
Telling a Story. . .
I was driving home the other week whilst listening to Radio 3′s excellent ‘Spirit of Schubert’ celebration (where they played nothing but Schubert’s music over 8 whole days of broadcasting). The whole event covered every detail of this great composer’s life and world (even including little vignettes about the type of coffee he may have drunk [...]
Wedding at Hawkwell House Hotel
Yesterday we played for another Thursday wedding, this time at Hawkwell House Hotel in Iffley near Oxford. We performed as a string duo with the combination of violin with viola and began by providing some soothing pre ceremony music to calm the nerves of friends and family alike. There was a discussion about the ceremony taking [...]
Music for a Military Dinner at Chicksands
On Saturday evening (after performing for the wedding reception in Richmond), Ali and myself drove up to play for a military dinner held at the Priory at Chicksands in Bedfordshire. This is a venue where we have performed several times before, mostly to accompany formal dinners or commemorative occasions. As usual, we were welcomed warmly and guests [...]
Wedding at the Bingham Hotel, Richmond
On Saturday, we played as a string duo (violin and cello) for a wedding held at the Bingham Hotel in Richmond, Surrey. This is another example of a venue where a string duo is perfectly suited for the intimate surroundings. The reception took place on the lower ground floor over looking the river Thames and [...]
