Author: psychicalwaysa53a93fa7b

Da Hee Kim, a friend of a Piano Club member, is giving a lunchtime recital at St George’s on Thursday, October 23rd, 1 pm. Her recital includes music by Liszt and Ravel. Looks like an exciting programme from an up-coming star of the piano world!

A record number of us, thirty-one actually, met in Cheryl and Bryan’s lovely Failand house for the September meeting. This was a very special event because we were saying a big thank you to Leo for becoming our president in January 2023 and then guiding us through a sometimes difficult transition period as the increasing popularity of the club forced a move to use the occasional external venue with all the extra administration that that involved.

And as if that wasn’t enough Leo initiated highly successful Club Masterclasses with mainly local concert pianists and teachers as tutors; community engagement events with Club members playing in Keynsham High Street, at Southmead Hospital and St Monica’s Cote Lane retirement home; and Keynsham Concerts – classical concerts in Keynsham locations with internationally known performers such as Nurry Lee and Leon McCawley.

Wow! what a huge achievement! We are immensely appreciative of Leo for all she has done, and for her huge personality, exuding warmth and welcome. And of course to Paul, her husband, who has been such a quiet bedrock of support throughout all these changes.

Leo and Paul will remain members of the Club and continue to attend and host meetings for which we are very grateful indeed!

And now a huge thank-you to Cheryl and Bryan and family for making such an enormous effort to host our mammoth meeting – providing their beautiful Kawai grand for us to use, finding thirty-one sitting places, and catering for the bring and share meal afterwards. A truly memorable afternoon and evening.

Bristol Piano Club September 2025
Performer	Composer	Piece
Chris	James Horner	For the Love of a Princess
Graham and Margaret	G. Hengeveld	Langzame Foxtrot and March
Cheryl	Manuel Ponce	Intermezzo no. 1
	Francis Lai	Emmanuelle II  theme
Peter	Debussy	La Terrasse des Audiences du Clair de Lune, no. 7 from Bk 2 Preludes
Kathryn	Janacek	The Barn Owl Has Not Flown Away (From An Overgrown Path)
Simon S	Reginald King	Tropical Moonlight
Simon H	F. Weatherly	Danny Boy
	Stanley Myers	Cavatina
Jean A	Albeniz	Sous Le Palmier
	Grieg	Halling
Gerard	Rachmaninoff	Elegie op. 3 no. 1
Brian	S. Lyapunov	Berceuse in F# major, Transcendental Studies no. 1
Boyang	Chopin	Nocturne in C# minor, no. 20 (post.)
Juliana	Chopin	Ballade in G minor, no. 1
Richard	Brahms	Intermezzi nos. 1 & 2 from Op. 119
Jonathan	Brahms	Intermezzo Op. 118 no. 2
Simon S	Reginald King	Song of Paradise

A dozen of us gathered at Len and Marion’s lovely house in Dursley to enjoy a couple of hours of fine piano playing, delicious food and excellent conversation under the parasols in their incredible garden. The weather was superb, as it has been for most of our Club meetings this summer. Our grateful thanks to Len and Marion for their wonderful hosting and, of course, Marion’s home-grown fruit crumble!

Playlist

Bristol Piano Club August 2025
Performer	Composer	Piece
Anne	Bach	Sinfonia in G minor no. 11
	Bortkiewicz	Pensees Lyriques no. 2
Graham	Maria Theresia von Paradis	Sicilienne
Richard	Schubert	Impromptu in Gb major op. 90
Simon H	Bach	Preludes in C major and B major Bk I, WTK
Ann Heymans & Liz Rymer	Vaughan Williams	Fantasia on Greensleeves
	Fauré	Berceuse and Tendresse from Dolly Suite
	Percy Grainger	Country Gardens
Margaret	Cecile Chaminade	Prelude – Album des Enfants op. 123 no. 1
	Tchaikovsky	No. 9 from Album des Enfants op. 93
Jonathan	Debussy	Arabesque no. 1
	Schumann	Arabesque, op. 18
Peter	Bartok	For Children V.2: Peasant’s Flute, Teasing Song, Mourning Song. Mikrokosmos V. 6 – Ostinata
Simon	Chopin	Fantasy, op. 49
	Ivor Novello	And Her Mother Came Too! , We’ll Gather Lilacs

Twenty five members of the Club met at Graham and Margaret’s lovely house and gardens in the countryside to the north of Bristol. Apart from a brief shower (when the marquees proved invaluable) the weather was perfect. The beautiful Bechstein was put through its paces with music ranging from Bach to Piazzolla and much in-between. With the French doors open the music wafted out into the garden. Folowing the ‘formal’ playing sessions members enjoyed a buffet meal at outside tables. Once again Graham and Margaret proved themselves excellent and kind hosts and we are very grateful to them.

Performer	Composer	Piece
Simon S	Eric Coates	Last Love
Mark	Rachmaninoff	Etude-Tableaux in G minor, op. 33 no. 5
Brian	Soloviev-Sedoy arr. Cliburn	Moscow Nights
	Rachmaninoff	Prelude in D major, op. 23 no. 4
Richard	Chopin	Polonaise in Ab major, op. 53
Charles	Bach	Fugue in Ab major (WTC Bk II)
Kathryn	Albeniz	El Puerto from Iberia (No. 2 Bk I)
Steve B	Gershwin	Somebody Love Me & Who Cares
Ernest (playing his own LH arrangements of both pieces)	Rubinstein	Melody in F op. 3 no. 1
	Shostakovich	2nd mvt from Piano Concerto no. 2
Simon H	Piazzolla	Milonga Del Angel
	Chopin	Mazurka in A minor, op. 67 no. 4
Peter	Zequinha Abreu	Tico Tico
Peter & Barbara (saxaphone)	Jerome Kern	All The Things You Are & Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
Boyang	Paul de Senneville	Mariage d’Amour (Marriage of Love)
Simon S	Scott Joplin	Solace
Jan	Bach	Gavotte in G minor (English Suite no. 3)

Around twenty five of us met at Simon and Jill’s for over four hours of music and food. The newly restored Bösendorfer was put through its paces and hugely enjoyed. Many thanks to Malcolm McKeand of Falmouth for his many weeks of hard work and superb craftsmanship which were much appreciated! Ernest will be receiving his birthday telegram from the King in a couple of months and a very special part of the afternoon was his playing of his own arrangements for left hand of pieces by Rubinstein and Shostakovich for which he received a standing ovation! Chopin featured especially strongly with performances of his Fantasy, G minor Ballade, a nocturne and mazurka. There was also music from China and Japan. Members were able to enjoy their meals at tables in the garden and listen to the music wafting out. Despite it being the hottest day of the year so far the usual high standard of music making appeared to be unaffected.

Playlist

Performer	Composer	Piece
Nancy	Ravel	Menuet from Sonatine
Peter	Beethoven	Bagatelle op. 119 no. 4 – Andante Cantabile
Boyang	Joe Hisaishi	Summer (from Kikujio’s Summer)
Mark	Mozart	2nd mvt Sonata in A minor K 310
Kathryn	Rachmaninoff	Prelude in G# minor, op. 32 no. 12
Ruth	Schubert	1st mvt Sonata in A minor op. post. 164 D537
Kay	Debussy	Rêverie
Anne	Tchaikovsky	October (from The Seasons)
Steve W	Debussy	Rêverie
Steve B	Chopin	Nocturne in C# minor, op. 27 no. 1
Cheryl	Francis Lai	Theme from Emmanuelle 2
Brian	Scarlatti	Sonata K69
	J B Lully	Gavotte in D minor
Jonathan	Zequina de Abreu	Tico-Tico
Simon S	Chopin	Fantasy in F minor, op. 49
Jan	Bach	Gavotte from English Suite in G minor
Ernest (playing his own LH arrangements of both pieces)	Rubinstein	Melody in F op. 3 no. 1
	Shostakovich	2nd mvt from Piano Concerto no. 2
Juliana	Rachmaninoff	Moments Musicaux in E minor op. 16 no. 4
	Chopin	Ballade in G minor op. 23
	Hailying Li (arr.)	Flute and Drum at Sunset (Chinese ancient song)
Simon H	Chopin	Mazurka in A minor, op. 67 no. 4

There are last minute places available at the Stowe Summer School for Pianists – just 10 weeks away. Join some of your Bristol Piano Club members there along with 60 others from all round the world. There are great tutors, you take part in three masterclasses with the options to perform in student concerts as well. Superb accommodation in the grounds of the old palace of the Duke of Buckingham. You will meet some very inspiring people and experience some amazing piano playing. Plus an opportunity to play on some Steinway grands.

http://www.pianosummerschool.co.uk

On a sunny afternoon fifteen of us gathered at Brian and Dorette’s Henleaze house for an afternoon of music on their two uprights (Broadwood and Bechstein). We do not have many opportunities for two piano playing in the Club and we are very grateful to Jean and Brian for providing suitable music, including one piece for eight hands! Following the formal playing we retired to the well-tended garden for food and drink whilst informal music-making continued in the background. We welcomed a new member – Boyang Yu, and Boyang bravely played for us on his first visit.

Once again, many thanks to Brian and Dorette for their fabulous hosting of a very enjoyable event.

Bristol Piano Club May 2025
Performer	Composer	Piece
Brian	Chopin	Nocturne in C# minor, op. 27 no. 1
Chris	Bach	Allemande from French Suite no. 4
Steve W	Satie	Gnossienne no. 5
Simon S	Berg	Sonata op. 1
Jean A	Scriabin	Poeme in F# op. 32 no. 1
Nancy	Schumann	Humoreske (extract) op. 20
Peter	Mozart	Sonata in Eb, K282, Adagio
Richard	Beethoven	Sonata in C (Waldstein), op. 53, 1st mvt
Boyang	Beethoven	Sonata in C# minor (Moonlight), op. 27, 1st mvt
Kay	Bach	Minuet I and II, Partita in Bb
Brian	Chopin	Nocturne in Db major, op. 27 no. 2
Nancy & Jean	Vaughan Williams	Fantasy on Greensleeves (2 pianos)
Brian, Nancy, Peter & Simon	Moszkowski	Spanish Dance no. 1 (2 pianos, 8 hands)
	William Gillock	Champagne Toccata (2 pianos)
Nancy & Brian	Rachmaninoff	Suite no. 2, Waltz (2 pianos)