This is part 2 of an interview with the leader of the Wimbledon Symphony Orchestra, Charlotte Edwards. Conor Molony continues exploring Charlotte’s rich experiences with the orchestra over the last 40 years.
(Click here to read part 1 of this interview)
Charlotte, I would like to ask you about the solos, the soloists and the conductors. You have done some wonderful solos with the orchestra, do you have any favourites, and why?
One can emerge from the orchestral texture on one's own in so many ways ... sometimes gently commenting on what has gone before, sometimes with great panache like a Phoenix arising from the ashes! I always love having the chance to play solos, whether from within the orchestra or more formally as the soloist. Throughout the decades, WSO has most generously given me opportunities to play some of the more 'gentle' solos. The Vivaldi 4 Seasons, The Lark Ascending, a Beethoven Romance, The Meditation from Thaïs and a delightful concerto written by our resident composer at the time, Martin Prynn, for myself and the WSO which received its inaugural performance under his baton in 1996 and a further one in 2000.
The orchestra has sometimes gone on tour, I recall a wonderful concert in the mansion house some 15 years ago, or indeed playing in Cannizaro Park trying to dodge the rain. Where else do you remember?
From time to time we have performed away from our home venues in Wimbledon. My very first concert with the WSO was on the terrace of Cannizaro House (now the Hotel du Vin). We subsequently gave a couple of concerts in the Walled Garden in Cannizaro Park, the most recent being the one you refer to above when Aled Jones presented a programme of Welsh vocal music ... it poured with rain for the entire rehearsal and concert, our waterproof covering proving totally inadequate. Most of us, especially those on the outside edge of the platform were drenched!
Another concert day 'away from home' that I recall well was the one when we performed in Ely Cathedral (another venue with a 'leaky roof' problem!) We all travelled on a coach specially hired for the occasion, the journey being particularly memorable as it was the day when the Tall Ships sailed up the River Thames and we witnessed the glorious flotilla passing under the rarely-opened Tower Bridge.
In my time with the orchestra, there have been two occasions when we performed in auspicious London venues. The first, under the baton of Jonathan Butcher, at the Mansion House in the City, was to celebrate the WSO's 50th Anniversary. A very young Jennifer Pike was our soloist in the Max Bruch Violin Concerto. Not only did she play exquisitely, but she also acted as a glorious 'hostess' to orchestra and audience alike.
More recently we performed at the Cadogan Hall in Sloane Square. It was a charity concert in aid of 'Stroke' victims and the adventurous programme included Haydn's last mass (the Harmoniemesse) preceded by Beethoven's Choral Fantasy for piano, vocal soloist and orchestra. Robin Browning was our conductor. A most memorable occasion in a beautiful setting.
We have had many talented conductors steer us through some wonderful programmes, have you any special musical moments that you remember?
Spanning my 40 years with the orchestra I have happy memories of far more wonderful concerts than can be mentioned here. My first years under the sympathetic and soundly musical guidance of John Alldis are etched on my memory. We played some extraordinary repertoire and I shall never forget the piece by Charles Ives where different sections of the orchestra were playing simultaneously in different keys and different time signatures representing Ives' childhood experience of hearing two or more brass bands approaching from different directions and playing different pieces!
Slightly more conventional but none the less memorable were our collaborations with The London Philharmonic Choir in the Verdi Requiem and Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast. John had a particular affinity with the English repertoire (Vaughan Williams, Walton, Stanford etc) and our many performances of these composer’s works remain most fondly in the memory.
When John sadly had to retire following a stroke, we had a year of experiencing the artistic talent and conducting expertise of several aspiring conductors. This exposed us to many memorable moments and some most unusual programmes. Ultimately, we chose Robin Browning to succeed John. For more than 10 years, Robin enthusiastically continued the tradition of challenging programmes with a dazzling array of young soloists to delight ourselves and our audiences. These were the years of our engaging Paul Lewis, Guy Johnston, Young Musicians of the Year such as Laura van der Heijden, and James Bartlett and literally dozens of established and rising stars. Simultaneously, he skilfully guided us through many giants of the orchestral repertoire (many works by Strauss, Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky …).
This brings us to the present time when the orchestra finds itself with two inspiring and engaging young conductors at the helm, sharing our concert seasons. We have our delightful Andy Morley with a wealth of conducting experience behind him and who never fails to inspire us with his imaginative programming and his ever-present sense of humour. I shall never forget his masterly directing of the Manfred Symphony by Tchaikovsky (at very short notice) and his rehearsing of Malcolm Arnold's 8th Symphony where every drop of wit and humour was extracted from the score.
Andy shares the podium with our other young conductor, Leo Geyer. Leo is a multi-talented young man who is forging a great and varied career. As well as holding a position as cover conductor for the Royal Ballet, he is a highly sought after and prodigious composer with works performed on Radio 3 as well as many commissions by the likes of the English Chamber Orchestra and …. yes, by the Wimbledon Symphony Orchestra. He wrote a delightful concerto for Trumpet which the WSO premiered in June 2017 with the dazzling young trumpeter, Imogen Hancock. Leo is also the founder and artistic director Constella Opera Ballet, the World's only company dedicated to the fusion of opera and ballet.
We mentioned earlier (in the first interview) some of the incredible soloists that have played with the orchestra over the years. Are there any performances from rising stars in the recent past that stand out?
All our soloists have brought their own special flavour to our performances. More recently I have been particularly excited by the performances of Jennifer Pike (Korngold Violin Concerto), Jack Liebeck (Dvorak Violin Concerto), Benjamin Baker (Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2), Ben Goldschneider (Mozart Horn Concerto No. 4 ) and Huw Wiggin (Saxophone Concerto by Ronald Binge).
Finally, a huge thank you for your ongoing musical inspiration and leadership and we look forward to re-starting Wimbledon symphony rehearsals as soon as this devastating Coronavirus pandemic has passed, and in the interim hope that you and all of our players and audience remain safe and well.
I am most grateful to all the lovely members of WSO, past and present, who have so generously and warmly received what I have tried to offer. It all holds an incredibly special place in my heart. May the orchestra continue to thrive through the coming decades.
Thank you Charlotte, we look forward to sharing many more musical adventures with you in the years ahead.
CJM June 2020.