MUSIC APPRECIATION GROUP
The Exeter Forum's Music Appreciation Group meets monthly in a member's home, usually on the last Monday of the month. At each meeting a programme of music is presented for those attending to comment upon. Usually the pieces selected will follow a common theme. Recently the group has been trying to widen the fields of music that we have heard and discussed.
Lately there have been programmes of more popular pieces such as "The Lamb that lay down on Broadway" by Genesis , some Folk Music and singing by Alistair, and musicals such as Les Miserables, and West Side Story. At the next meeting we had Jazz in the first hour and Classical Guitar to follow.
At a subsequent meeting a fascinating collection of African Music was played, followed by three pieces by 20th Century composers, all in the popular serious repertoire.
More recently the Group heard about the late development of music in Russia, due largely to limitations by the Orthodox Church. Music from France and Italy appeared gradually during the 18th century, but it was not until the 19th century that recognisable Russian compositions came to be heard. After 1856, when the Moscow Conservatoire was established, there was an explosion of music, much of which is enjoyed today.
We heard CDs from Glinka, who composed the first truly Russian opera, then Borodin whose String Quartet No.2 as well as his Polovtsian Dances were famously adapted for the stage in 'Kismet'. Mussorgsky's original piano version of 'Pictures at an Exhibition' completed the first half of the programme.
The second part started with Tchaikovsky's melodic Violin Concerto then Rachmaninov's stunning 'Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini' and concluded with part of Prokofiev's 'Classical' Symphony.
New members are welcome. Come with your ideas. We can often help in finding the relevant CDs or DVDs
The Exeter Forum's Music Appreciation Group meets monthly in a member's home, usually on the last Monday of the month. At each meeting a programme of music is presented for those attending to comment upon. Usually the pieces selected will follow a common theme. Recently the group has been trying to widen the fields of music that we have heard and discussed.
Lately there have been programmes of more popular pieces such as "The Lamb that lay down on Broadway" by Genesis , some Folk Music and singing by Alistair, and musicals such as Les Miserables, and West Side Story. At the next meeting we had Jazz in the first hour and Classical Guitar to follow.
At a subsequent meeting a fascinating collection of African Music was played, followed by three pieces by 20th Century composers, all in the popular serious repertoire.
More recently the Group heard about the late development of music in Russia, due largely to limitations by the Orthodox Church. Music from France and Italy appeared gradually during the 18th century, but it was not until the 19th century that recognisable Russian compositions came to be heard. After 1856, when the Moscow Conservatoire was established, there was an explosion of music, much of which is enjoyed today.
We heard CDs from Glinka, who composed the first truly Russian opera, then Borodin whose String Quartet No.2 as well as his Polovtsian Dances were famously adapted for the stage in 'Kismet'. Mussorgsky's original piano version of 'Pictures at an Exhibition' completed the first half of the programme.
The second part started with Tchaikovsky's melodic Violin Concerto then Rachmaninov's stunning 'Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini' and concluded with part of Prokofiev's 'Classical' Symphony.
New members are welcome. Come with your ideas. We can often help in finding the relevant CDs or DVDs
