The concert room at Fairlight Hall was packed on Sunday morning March 19 with people eager to hear the music of four female composers, three of whom were born in the Victorian era. It was a stroke of genius to have invited Leah Broad, music writer and historian and author of Quartet: How four women changed the musical world, to speak about each of the them: her enthusiasm for her subject was palpable and she was entertaining and knowledgeable.
This set the scene before each composer’s works which were performed by Sholto Kynoch at the piano and mezzo-soprano Marta Fontonals-Simmons. She has been described as having a warm, velvety voice and the audience was appreciative of the wonderful rapport between the two musicians. The hour flew away and the listeners were left wanting more.
Mike Sarna and David Bottom, who both play in the Eastbourne Concert Orchestra, commented afterwards: “What an amazing experience it was to attend the Oxford Lieder recital at Fairlight Hall. Being Mothering Sunday, it was fitting to commemorate some amazing women composers – celebrated through an afternoon of music. It was fantastic to hear about these important and underappreciated women from the historian Leah Broad, who introduced the pieces with some context about the life and times in which these women lived, and the struggles they endured and overcame. Her storytelling helped us to connect with the pieces which were beautifully sung by Marta, accompanied by Sholto. Their interpretation elicited strong emotions within us and it is an experience we will not soon forget. We’re glad we had the opportunity to learn more about these composers and experience some of their works. There is a wealth of undiscovered beautiful music by composers and musicians who do not fit the traditional mould and we highly recommend discovering these composers and their works for yourselves.”
Sholto explained that Oxford Lieder have been putting on these concerts for five years. “In this time we have grown a really loyal following for song – which is often a somewhat marginalised art form – while introducing some wonderful young singers and showcasing some of the work we do at the Oxford Lieder Festival. We’ve found the same at Fairlight as at the main Festival; that people come to try it out and actually get quite addicted. It’s also an ideal setting: lovely and intimate, really up-close and personal, and an ideal way to put across words and music that is often some of the most personal work of the composers. And of course the cake…”
Image Credits: Kt bruce , Kt Bruce .