www.clithsro0aiivertiser.co.uk Thursday,April2,2015


CLITHEROEADVERTISERSr TIMES I Thursday,Apnl2,2015 wvAV.ciitheroeadvartiser.co.uk VALLEYRIBBLESDALE CAMERA CLUB A sensational concert


REVIEW “Sensational" isan over-used word, but Clitheroe Concert' Society’s last concert ofthe winter was all that and more.


Award winning Alexandra Dariescu’s reputation as one ofthe finest young pianists in the world, and the best of her generation for the Romantic period of Chopin and Liszt,, promised a superb concert, but her performance went well beyond reasonable ex­ pectations.. Starting with the young


Beethoven’s jokey second . Opus io sonata; entertaining and lively musici she moved on the Romanian composer Lipatti’s Sonatina for the left hand. . •


'


There are various tales on how this came to be written,


' but Alexandra’s version was that Lipatti went on holiday with his family and he simply forgot to bring all his blank music sheets with him. In frustration, he decid­


ed to write a complete piano piece which would normally be played by both hands for the left hand only. This quirk makes no difference to the sound of the music and - as Alexandrapointedout-itcon- veniently frees-up the right hand for turning the pages of thescore! This must be music of the utmost difficulty, but it was flawless: Polish composer Karol Szy­


manowski’s first published work, his Nine Preludes, writ­ ten about 1900 when he was only 17, came next. Looking bothforward and back in style, it is the work of a master. After the interval, Shos­


takovich’s 24 Preludes was the first work. It is a series of short pieces, some of only’30 seconds, each being written


.


25


Countdown to Jazz Fest begins


TfieMayorandMayoressofRibbleVaIley,Coun.MichaelRansonandhis wife Janette, with pianist Alexandra Dariescu


in a day or so. The final work: played was Chopin’s Scherzo No 2, published in 1837. Schu­ mann admired it, saying it is “overflowingwith tenderness, boldness, love and contempt”. It was played to perfection, creating three-dimensional laceworkof sound. As the final sound died


away there was a. moment’s absolute silence before the au- dienceburstintoawallofclap-’ ping, bringing back Alexandra time and time again. She even­ tually played a short encore, receiving three curtain calls. As well as being a sublime


pianist, Alexandra enjoys in­ teraction with her audience, staying behind to chat with the audience and to sign CDs. A touching moment was when


an elderly lady who had trav­ elled from Manchester pre­ sented her with two crocheted ducks each containing a choc­ olate egg, Alexandra’s “weak­


ness”. The week after the Clithe­


roe concert Alexandra was be in Bucharest receiving the “Medal of the Romanian Crown” for services to her country of birth’s image and prestige. It was to be presented by


King Michael, our Queen’s cousin. It is the first time this prestigious award has been made to a musician, a wom­ an and to anyone as young as Alexandra, who has not yet reached thirty. As the guest of the Con­ certs Society, the Mayor of


Ribble Valley, Coun. Michael Ranson, said: “Clitheroe con­


tinually amazes me. How do we attract such an incredible international pianist as Alex­ andra to come here and play?”. . Alexandra will be play­


ing at the Ribble Valley Piano Week on July 17th. ; • The Society’s next con- cert will be on June 3rd at the


• Ribble Valley Borough Coun­ cil’s Chamber in Church Street, Clitheroe at 7-3opm. Entrance is by donation, so it’s a good opportunity to come along and hear what the Soci­ ety does. The Melandra Trio, with the very highly regarded harpist Maxine Molin Rose and clarinettist Lynn Thread- gold, will be playing. Ken Geddes


We’re less than a month away from the Ribble Valley Jazz Fest 2015, a four-day musical extravaganza over the Bank Holiday weekend from April 30th to May 4th. As part of a pre-festival


warm-up programme, Rib­ ble Valley Jazz and Blues Club is hosting the Arun Ghosh Quartet atTheGrand, in York Street, Clitheroe, next Friday, April 10th. Conceived in Calcutta,


bred in Bolton, matured in Manchester and now living in London, Ghosh’s musi­ cal style represents his rich cultural heritage. The clar­ inetist and composer, who will bring a healthy dose of rock’n’roll spirit, is a leading light in UKjazz. He was awarded “Jazz In­ strumentalist of the Year”


at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2014 and this is his first show in this area. His quartet, which also features Liran Don on double bass, John Ellis on keyboard and Dave Walsh on drums, will perform music from his three acclaimed albums alongside new material and some well loved and unex­ pected covers. The gig starts at 7;45 pm


(doors 7 pm) and tickets, priced £12.50 (£11.50 con­ cessions) are available on the door or in advance from


the box office (Tel. 01200 421599/www.thegrandve-


nue.co.uk) _ For more about Ribble


Valley Jazz and Blues Club, including the mammoth Jazz Fest, visit www.rvjaz- zandblues.co.uk


By Duncan Smith duncan.smith@jpress.co.uk @ClithAdvertiser


The end of Riblesdale Camera Club’syearseestheAnnual Competitions-an interesting and exciting time when the bestoftheyear’sjmagesare putagainsteachotherforthe year’s top awards.


The judge this time was Mr Harry Emmet from Accring­ ton. In the Open Colour prints section Stephen Robinson was exceptionally successful, get­ ting first and second against some strong opposition with his “Angles” and “Universal Gravity”. Steuart Kellington’s “Lismore Lighthouse” was third. Steuart also received a Highly Commended and no less than three of Peter Seavers’ entries were Com­ mended. . The Open Mono prints


Headline act ‘The Earlies? for Cloudspotting Festival


One of the county’s remotest locations will come alive with


Nlive music, arts and culture when the fifth Cloudspotting Festival takes place at Stephen Park from July 24th to 26th. . Set deep within Gisburn Forest in the Forest of Bow- land Area of Outstanding Nat­ ural Beauty (AONBj, Stephen. Park is a location known more to mountain bikers and hik- ers.


But for three days in July it ill welcome around 40 live


lusic acts, performance po- ;s; touring outdoor theatre, 1 outdoor food court and jer festival. With the first wave of art-


ts confirmed, this family- iendly festival looks set to


the main stage music line-up. •They will be joined by some great North West acts such as The Lovely Eggs, Good Foxy, The Dirty Tactics, Third


’ Thumb and The Ragamuffins. “We are drawing on the


be the biggest and best yet, as it celebrates its fifth anniver­ sary. The centrepiece of the live


• musicprogrammeisaspecial exclusive festival perform­ ance from The Earlies. The 11-piece band, whose core song-writing unit comprises two Texans and two Lancas­ trians, will perform as a full ensemble for the first time


since 2007, when they head- linedThe Green Man Festival. Co^organiser Helen Fico-


rilli said: “It’s a privilege to have The Earlies headline. They are still working on new music despite the distance


-between them and their rep­ utation, as a live band, is undi- minished. The fact they have not performed live for eight years adds to the intrigue.


“Cloudspotting is a festival


that supports emerging mu­ sic. The bulkofourline-upwill have an exciting edge to it and


' people will see some amazing performances and be intro­ duced to new artists, some­ times for the first time.”


' Dutch Uncles, Jane Weav­ er, Chicagoan Ezra Furman, The Wave Pictures and The Travelling Band are all part of


North Westmusicscenemore than ever before this year and that’s because there’s such a high standard of stuff com­ ing through right now,” Helen added. Aside from the music,


Cloudspottingwillbepresent- ing a variety of family-friendly arts, including touring thea­ tre fromTheFlyingButtresses and The Fabularium Compa­ ny.


Forest arts trails, wood­ craft workshops, interactive


music workshops and a docu- mentary cinema programme


also feature on a weekend full of activity and entertainment. “The magic of Cloudspot­


ting is the intimacy and se­


cluded nature ofthe location. Performerslovebeingable


to see the whites of peoples


eyes and it’s a really safe envi­ ronment for those with kids. Cloudspotting Music and


Arts Festival takes place be­ tween Friday July 24th and Sunday July 26th. Tickets (in-


. eluding three nights of camp- ing) for adults are £99, under


; 16s (£10 weekend ticket). f TinkptsfnrtheCloudspot*


werejudged second, resulting in a well-deserved first place for Sue Marsden’s “Street Food”. Bob Smith’s “High and Dry” - a small abandoned fishing boat- was second and there was a tie for third place between Steve Procter with “Another Rainy Night” and Graham Dudley’s “Skyline Geometry”. Record prints followed,


won by Peter Seavers’ “Na­ tional Tobacco Company. Headquarters, Ahuriri” fol­ lowed by Stephen Robinson’s “Victorian Signet Fob” and, in third, Clare Drew’s “Tree of Life Embroidery Panel, Gaw- thorpe Collection”. The Portraiture section


was won by Sue Marsden’s simple and charming por­ trait of “Georgina”. Clare Drew’s “Kuchipudi Dancer” was second and Steve Procter third with “In the Eye of the. Beholder”. The final section, Nature, although a small entry, had


some of the best prints. The


judge found it impossible to separate Steve Procter’s “Peregrine and Prey” from Stephen Robinson’s “Red Deer Stag” and awarded them joint first prize. Similarly the same two members’ “Red Squirrel on Ice” and “Red Grouse, Sun­ rise” were awardedjoint third place. Raymond Greenwood broke the monopoly with his “Bird of Paradise”, which was Highly Commended. The club is now working


towards an exhibition at the Stewards Gallery at Clitheroe Castle on the theme of “Crea­ tive Photography”. The entries into the an­


nual print competition were retained for this and also as entries into the area compe­ titions. For more about the club,


which meets in Grindleton and welcomes new members at all levels of photography, visit: www.ribblesdalecam- eraclub.org.uk


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