The Brickwall Music and Arts Society, founded in 1967, began its 50th season last Friday, October 20, in the atmospheric surroundings of the drawing room in 17th-century Brickwall House, Northiam, with a sparkling concert by guitarist Andrey Lebedev and mezzo-soprano Lotte Betts-Dean. The former is sponsored by the invaluable Countess of Munster Trust which does magnificent work supporting young musicians early in their careers and Lotte Betts-Dean has won many awards in her native Australia where Moscow-born Andrey Lebedev is now also resident. Both are significant students at London’s Royal Academy of Music and on the evidence of this concert have very bright futures before them.
In a programme including Dowland, Britten and de Falla, the two showed really impressive versatility Andrey, as well as giving outstanding interpretations in solo works, supported his vocal partner with sensitivity and subtlety and Lotte demonstrated a highly developed dramatic style and outstanding vocal control. To conclude the concert, the pair gave their very appreciative audience a most powerful piece by Lotte’s father, the Australian composer and violist Brett Dean, who has had a huge success at this year’s Glyndebourne festival with his opera Hamlet. The Gertrude Fragments of 2016 are related to that opera and these musicians ensured that it made a memorable impact on every listener, before lightening the tone with the bossa nova from the film Black Orpheus as a wholly deserved encore.
This was a wonderful opening to the Society’s 50th series of concerts and its four forthcoming events maintain this outstanding level. In December 2017 and February 2018, master pianists Melvyn Tan and Alessandro Taverna grace the Drawing Room and in April next year, it will be an honour and privilege to have the Allegri String Quartet, who, in 1967, gave the first concert in the Society’s history and also returned for its 40th anniversary. The Allegri are Britain’s oldest and one of its most respected chamber groups. Finally, in August, the fast-rising young Villiers String Quartet will present a fascinating mixed programme of unusual and familiar pieces. If you are a music lover and would like information on future concert dates and programmes, as well as details of ticket prices, please contact the Membership Secretary on 01797 225822.
Photo: courtesy of the artists