Summer Music Concert 3
Razumovsky Ensemble
Sunday 8 July 7.30pm

David Alderman violin
Michael Whight clarinet
Ronan O’Hora piano
Oleg Kogan cello


Schumann Fantasy Pieces for clarinet and piano, Op 73
Brahms Trio for clarinet, cello and piano in A minor, Op 114
Messiaen Quartet for the End of Time

Biography   |   Supper Menu   |   Audience reviews

Rehearsal picture: Sunday 8 July 3.30pm

Oleg's answers to our 'Summer Questions'

Q Who or what always puts a smile on your face?
A My daughter Alexandra

Q What was your earliest childhood memory of summer?
A Azov Sea full of jelly fish which bite!

Q Are you going anywhere nice for your summer holidays?
A Switzerland and Marjorca

Q What is your favourite city?
A Istanbul

Q What are you reading at the moment?
A Russian modern detective novel

Q What music are you currently listening to?
A Messiaen – Turangalila

Q What is your favourite summer drink?
A Razumovsky water

Q Which composer would you most like to have met?
A Gustav Mahler

Q How would you like to be remembered?
A Razumovsky Academy

Quotes

‘Hearing the Razumovsky Ensemble in action is rather like observing a fleet of Aston Martins performing synchronised manoeuveres on a perfect race track… They brought irresistible zest and poetry with the most poised of phrasing … while the vivacity, rhythmic definition and sheer passion of the whole were out of this world. This was a phenomenal evening.’
The Strad

‘These players play together only occasionally, which means there isn't a hint of routine about their performances, just a vividly communicated relish for playing chamber music at such a high level of accomplishment. Nothing was taken for granted; everyone listened and watched what their colleagues were doing with a hawk-like intensity that never replaced instinctive musicianship.’ 
The Guardian January 2007

‘…they open a world of music-making fabulously rich in tone colours, ensemble precision, and lyrical sweep of a kind rarely met this side of paradise… Each Razumovsky member may be king of their chosen instrument, but they scale the heavens as a team.’
The Times

‘…this kind of insight and commitment would be remarkable for an ensemble who played together every day: that the Razumovskys manage it having all successful solo careers alongside their chamber music playing – is a minor miracle.’
The Guardian

Biography

The Razumovsky Ensemble has been founded by some of London’s leading string players, all of whom are outstanding soloists enjoying international careers. They have formed this unique ensemble of exceptional quality in order to explore the full range of chamber music. Their performances have earned them a significant public following and outstanding critical acclaim.

The Razumovsky Ensemble offers varied programmes involving a flexible number of performers and also invites distinguished guest soloists to collaborate with them. In an educational capacity, they offer recitals, open rehearsals and workshops at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and other institutions. Future plans include performances in London and numerous festivals throughout the UK as well concerts in Paris, Milan, Geneva and Moscow.

Michael Whight clarinet is principal clarinet with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He was principal with the Philharmonia Orchestra from 1990 – 1998 and since leaving has appeared as guest principal with all the London Orchestras, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and many in the rest of Great Britain. He was principal clarinet with Northern Sinfonia from 2000 – 2002. Michael appeared as soloist with the Philharmonia conducted by Leonard Slatkin in the UK and abroad, and recorded Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto with Robert Craft. In January 2000 Michael gave two performances of John Adams' concerto Gnarly Buttons in San Francisco conducted by Kent Nagano in the presence of the composer. He has appeared at the Brinkburn Festival with a performance of the Nielsen Concerto conducted by Paul McCreech and most recently gave two performances of Weber's second concerto with Northern Sinfonia.

In the field of chamber music Michael has worked with the Lindsays, the Medici String Quartet, the Schidlof String Quartet, the Razumovsky Ensemble, the Lyric String Quartet, Gidon Kremer and friends, Robert Cohen and Barry Douglas as well as recording the complete chamber music of Richard Strauss with London Winds for Hyperion and with the Wind Soloists of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe for Teldec.

Michael has recorded for the BBC including works by Steve Reich, Martin Butler, Alban Berg, John Ireland and Arnold Bax. He was the first British winner of the International Clarinet Congress Competition and also won the Royal Overseas League Competition (woodwind and brass). On the other side of the fence, he regularly helps to judge the BBC's Young Musician of the Year Award.

Michael was invited to play in the 2003 World Orchestra for Peace, an orchestra made from leading musicians from the world's major orchestras in St Petersburg and Moscow.
In 2002 Michael was appointed Professor of Clarinet at Trinity College of Music.


David Alberman violin was born in London, he received his early tuition from Mary Long, Sheila Nelson, Emmanuel Hurwitz and Vera Kantrovich, and received his LRAM diploma from the Royal Academy of Music at the age of sixteen. He studied the violin privately with Professor Igor Ozim in Cologne, and then studied classical languages and philosophy at Oxford University for four years before returning to music. Having been a concertmaster of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, where he led the orchestra under Claudio Abbado and Sir Georg Solti, a long-standing interest in contemporary music led him in 1986 to join the internationally renowned Arditti Quartet, who specialise in new music.

In 1995, he formed a duo with the virtuoso pianist Rolf Hind. Since then, the Alberman/Hind Duo has played recitals in the major European cities including Vienna, Darmstadt, London, Stockholm, Oslo, Stuttgart and Brussels. In addition to recitals with the Duo and teaching (he is a Guest Professor of New String Music at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London), he became a principal of the London Symphony Orchestra in 1999, and has played as guest concertmaster in groups as varied as the London Symphony Orchestra itself, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Recherche Freiburg, Sinfonia 21, and the London Sinfonietta. He is a keen chamber musician, appearing with groups such as the London Sinfonietta, Nash and Razumovsky ensembles. He has appeared as soloist with, among others, the Orchestre de Lille, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra in Vienna. David Alberman plays on a Guarneri Del Gesu violin of 1736.


Ronan O’Hora piano studied at the Royal Northern College of Music with Ryszard Bakst. He won many awards as a student at the RNCM including the Dayas Gold Medal, the Silver Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians and the Concerto Prize. He has performed extensively throughout the world, playing concertos with such orchestras as the London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, BBC Symphony, English Chamber Orchestra, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Zurich Tonhalle, Indianapolis Symphony, Florida Philharmonic, Philharmonia Hungarica and Queensland Philharmonic.

He has performed in every major country in Europe as well as across the USA, Canada, Australasia and South Africa and appeared at many of the most prestigious music festivals including Salzburg, Gstaad, Ravinia, Montpelier and Brno.

He has given many performances on television and radio throughout the world including a televised recital at the Chopin Society in Warsaw, a televised performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 4 with the Netherlands Radio Symphony, two concerts of Mozart chamber music on BBC TV, as well as over one hundred concerts on BBC Radio 3.

Ronan O'Hora has recorded more than thirty CDs for the EMI, Virgin Classics, Tring International, Dinemic and Fone labels. These include concertos by Mozart, Grieg and Tschaikowsky with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, solo CDs of Schubert, Brahms, Schumann, Beethoven, Mozart, Debussy, Chopin, Mendelssohn and Satie, and chamber music by Fauré, Brahms, Dvorák, Mozart and Britten.

Ronan O'Hora has been a piano professor at the Royal Northern College of Music and Chethams School of Music. He regularly gives masterclasses and sits on competition juries throughout the world and has been Head of Keyboard Studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London since 1999.


Oleg Kogan cello won the All-Soviet Union Cello Competition in 1989. He has performed with orchestras including the Moscow Philharmonic, the State Symphony Orchestra of the USSR, Latvian State Symphony Orchestra, Geneva Chamber Orchestra and London Soloist Chamber Orchestra and has given  numerous recitals in France, Germany, Holland, Israel, Switzerland and the UK.

From 1994 to 1999 Oleg was a member of the Shidlof Quartet with a busy performing and recording schedule in Britain and abroad. In 1998 he became founder and artistic director of the Razumovsky Ensemble, a group of dynamic soloists and section leaders from world-class orchestras. He worked with artists such as Murray Perrahia, Bernard d’Ascoli, Yuri Bashmet, Iona Brown and Jack Brymer among others, recorded for Doron DRC in Switzerland, Opus 111 in France and Linn Records in the UK and broadcast on Radio France, Swiss Romande, Israel Radio, Classic FM and BBC Radio 3.

Oleg Kogan has appeared as guest principal with several British orchestras including the Philharmonia Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra. At the age of twenty-five, Oleg was the youngest associate professor at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. Since 1996 he has been teaching at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.  Many of his students have distinguished careers and have won many major awards and prizes at national and international competitions including the YCA in New York, the Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow, Lutoslawski Competition in Poland, Geneva International Competition and ARD International Competition in Munich. Oleg Kogan is a Professor of Margess International of Switzerland and gives regular masterclasses in Norway and Belgium.

Oleg plays a Rugieri Cello of 1685.

After concert supper menu 3

Beef olives with mustard and herb stuffing; spinach and cream cheese roulade; roast peppers stuffed with rice, herbs and pinenuts; tabbouleh salad; curried new potato and bean salad; green salad. Selection of breads. Orange and lemon cheesecake. Coffee/tea

If you wish to add your review to the concert please email your comments and they will be uploaded onto the website. Blackthorpe Barn reserves the right to edit comments submitted.

'Great concert last night: really enjoyed the Messiaen: an inspired bit of programming.'
Allan Gould, Settle, Yorkshire

'The Sunday performance was technically superb but the Messiaen was heavy going taking up half of the evening's performance. We are both very conscious of the great privilege to be able to hear such outstanding performers on our own doorstep.'
David Evans, Bury St Edmunds

'The Razumovsky as usual utter perfection and the Messiaen a particular favourite of mine and played as it should. Most moving.'
Rhoda Ormerod