MANCHESTER CAMERATA: MOZART TO MENDELSSOHN AND BEYOND

Celebrating the work of classical greats Mozart and Mendelssohn, and a special piece by one of Cornwall's own, the Manchester Camerata arrives at Cornwall Playhouse on Tuesday 2nd May for its debut performance.

Founded in 1972, Manchester Camerata has gained international recognition for its innovative and dynamic approach to classical music performance. Renowned for its diverse programming, collaborative ethos, and commitment to community engagement, Manchester Camerata has become a leading force in the UK's classical music scene, captivating audiences with its exceptional performances and creative initiatives. Their short film, 'Untold - Keith' has recently one the storytelling category of the prestigious RPS awards, capturing the how dementia affects the everyday life of Keith, who lives with onset dementia, and his wife Joan, and how music provides light in difficult times.

Alongside the world premiere of a brand new piece from Cornish composer Paul Saggers, co-commissioned by Manchester Camerata and Hall for Cornwall, this concert features extraordinary masterpieces written by two great composers who both reached astonishing heights of creation and inventiveness in their short lives.

Mozart's Innovative Style...

Mozart’s great Clarinet Quintet dates from 1789, the same year as his opera The Marriage of Figaro and just two years before his untimely death. He wrote it for the Viennese clarinettist, Anton Stadler, the leading virtuoso of his day and a pioneer of the recently invented instrument. The clarinet is joined by a string quartet in one of Mozart’s most profound and beautiful pieces of chamber music. There are four movements, covering a wide range of emotions and dynamics, from intimate conversation between the clarinet and the strings to the joyful and elegant set of variations that form the finale.

Meets Mendelssohn's Musical Masterpieces...

Felix Mendelssohn wrote his brilliant and virtuosic String Octet in 1825, when he was just 16 years old. It remains one of the few masterpieces for this relatively rare combination of four violins, two violas and two cellos and has been described as “one of the miracles of 19th-century music”.  Mendelssohn’s own performance instructions state: “This Octet must be played by all the instruments in symphonic orchestral style; pianos and fortes must be strictly observed and more strongly emphasized than is usual in pieces of this character.”

The Octet’s four contrasting movements abound with melody, invention and counterpoint, culminating in a breathtaking fugal finale, which quotes part of the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah.

Listen to Paul Saggers as he talks about his brand-new composition 'Dear Nan'...

If you are searching for a evening of classical celebration with a Cornish flair, come along and submerge yourself in the spectacular sounds of Manchester Camerata, filling our auditorium with their breathtaking music on Tuesday 2nd May.

Learn more bout Paul Saggers, taken from his biography:

Paul Saggers (photo taken from www.paulsaggersmusic.com)

'Paul Saggers (b. 1985) was born in Cornwall. He started playing the cornet at the age of 12, more recently playing for the Camborne Town Band and the Flowers Band. At the age of 25 he decided to pursue a career in the Royal Marines Band Service and is currently based in the Plymouth Band. His interest in composition started later in life after enrolling in the BMus degree programme through the Royal Marines. His first work to be performed by a brass band, entitled The Great Storm Cat, was premiered by The Cornwall Youth Brass Band of which he was a former member. His work The Roar of the Khamsin was shortlisted for the 2017 RWCMD composer competition and was premiered by the Cory Band. In 2019, Paul became a finalist at the European Brass Band Association composition competition in which his work Ironbright was awarded 2nd place. Paul has written extensively for Wind Band and in 2019 completed an MMus in Composition through the Royal Marines in partnership with Plymouth University where he was tutored by English Composer Simon Dobson.'