Preludes & Vollenteries 19 St Mary Abchurch
(Sir Christopher Wren 1681-6)
Thursday 4th April 2019 6pm
Peter Sheppard Skærved – Violins (Girolamo Amati 1628, Anonymous Brescia circa 1560)
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644 – 1704) – Rosary Sonatas
No 4. D minor Presentation in the Temple (Scordatura ADAD)
(Anonymous Brescia circa 1560)
No 16. G minor Guardian Angel, companion of Mankind
Johann Joseph Vilsmayr (1663 – 1722) – Artificiosus Concentus pro Camera
D Major Partita (Scordatura AEAD)
(Anonymous Brescia circa 1560)
Anon /Klagenfurt Manuscript (ca.1685) – D minor Suite (Scordatura ADAD)
(Anonymous Brescia circa 1560)
Hafliði Hallgrímsson – Klee Sketches (Book One) Op. 32 (2005-2019) (Dedicated to PSS)
(Girolamo Amati 1628)
Klee practising an accompaniment for a popular song/And now for the art of string crossing/
Klee experimenting with a new scale?Klee takes a legato line for a walk (version B)/Do not neglect your pizzicato, Herr Klee/Frau Klee is sleeping/Klee entertaining Kandinsky
Klee takes a legato line for a walk (Version a)
Peter Sheppard Skaerved writes: ‘It is a delight to bring Preludes & Vollenteries back to St Mary Abchurch. This series of concerts explores possible dialogues between the architecture of the rebuilt City of London, and the music made and heard at that time. A web of connections has emerged, between the composers, makers and composers of the period, and the new relationships with mainland Europe made and remade at the time. St Mary’s embodies one extraordinary collaboration which these buildings represent, between Sir Christopher Wren and Grinling Gibbons, who carved the astonishing reredos. Wren and Gibbons were introduced by Sir John Evelyn, who liked to dine at ‘Pontacks’, commonly known as ‘Pontack’s Head’, which moved to adjacent Abchurch Lane in 1688.
‘Hafliði Hallgrímsson’s exquisitely crafted solo works offer fascinating ideal counterpoint to this architecture, Salzburg compositions & Cremonese/Brescian instruments heard today. It has been my privilege to work with him for many years; the passionate sincerity and beauty of his work has been source of inspiration for me.
‘St Mary Abchurch is home to the ‘Friends of City Churches’. I would like to thank them for the encouragement which they have given me in development of this project. To find out more about their work, go to www.london-city-churches.org.uk
Thanks to Jonathan Sparey for the generous loan of one of the violins used in this concert.And finally, I am grateful to the team at Das Landesmuseum Kärnten for giving me access to the ‘Klagenfurt Handskrift’. This modest project has only been possible from such kindnesses.’
Upcoming concert: ‘Composition & Craft’ Fantasies by Telemann & David Matthews Thursday April 25th 730 pm – 397-411 Westferry Rd, Isle of Dogs, London E14 3AE
For films, recordings and writing: www.peter-sheppard-skaerved.com