CONCERT pianist Anita D’Attellis brings back her Winter Recitals series to Wallingford.
The four chamber music concerts will begin next Saturday (January 15), having been postponed last year due to the coronavirus
pandemic.
They will take place at St Mary le More’s Church in Wallingford and will benefit the church and Sue Ryder.
The first concert is called Bring on the Youth and Anita will accompany two soloists, violinist Maya Fear, 19, and Conrad Spencer, 18, who plays organ and bassoon.
Maya won the Berkshire Young String Player of the Year award in 2019 and is currently reading music at Pembroke College, Oxford.
Conrad is studying the Basic Organ Course at the Royal Academy of Music.
Anita, who lives in Reading Road, Henley, has always taught in schools and coached young people or accompanied youth choirs, while performing herself.
She said: “It is always rewarding to work with young people because they have such energy and
commitment.
“I give young people a platform to play whatever they want. The youth concert will be a very diverse program.
The second concert, Trio Appassionata, on Saturday January 29 will feature a new work. Anita said: “This will be a recital celebrating the music of the composers.
“Clara Schumann, Lili Boulanger, Morfydd Llwyn Owen and Rebecca Clarke are not as famous as their male peers, but I have discovered some fantastic pieces written by them.
“The program is varied with some joyful and exciting pieces, others wildly passionate or simply beautiful.
“But I am very excited to play the first performance of Appassionata trio from Libby Croad, which I ordered in 2019 but due to the covid has not yet been played. It is a beautiful work for a trio with piano, violin and cello.
“Libby writes some really engaging music and plays her works on BBC Radio 3 and 4 and Classic FM. It is always special to be the first to perform a work. For this recital, I am delighted to be joined by Marian Givens on violin and Bryony Moody on cello. Both have performed at the Winter Recitals in previous years.
“Libby is planning to come so, it’s okay, she’ll be hearing the first performance of her work.”
The third in the Saturday February 19 series is Schubertiade, an evening of Schubert and poetry, featuring soprano Meryl Davies and George White on viola accompanied by Anita on piano and with readings from Hannah Downing.
The final concert on Saturday March 5 is titled Brilliant Brass, Virtuosic Brass Music to Blast Away the Winter Cobwebs with Ian Barlow on trombone, Dan Moss on trumpet and Anita on piano.
Anita chose to raise funds for Sue Ryder in honor of her late husband, John Downing, an award-winning Fleet Street photographer who died in April 2020.
Over John’s last few weeks, the couple have received a lot of life support from charity with nurse visits and counseling.
Anita said: “The very first winter recital was just to raise money for the church and then Sue Ryder took on a big role in my life because of John so I’m really happy the proceeds this time around. both.”
She added: “I am delighted to start playing in concerts again. Right before Christmas the Henley Choral Society concert was at St Mary’s Church in Henley and the church was packed, it was amazing.
“Yes, they were people wearing masks but other than that it was almost back to normal and very exciting.”
Wallingford Church is implementing appropriate covid measures for the series and tickets will be limited to 100 per concert.
The doors will be opened at intervals to facilitate ventilation and the seats will be arranged in groups with a social distance of at least 1 m, assigned by the stewards.
Members of the public are requested to wear masks when moving around the building and to use the hand sanitizer provided.
All recitals start at 7:30 p.m. and doors open at 7:00 p.m. Wine and soft drinks will be available before the recital and during the intermission.
Tickets cost £ 14 and are available at ww.ticketsource.co.uk/wrw22
They may also be available at the door (payment by card is preferred).
For more information visit www.anitapiano.com/wrw22
