Purcell - Dido & Aeneas (1689)

Although relatively brief (lasting barely an hour), Dido & Aeneas is undoubtedly one of Britain’s greatest and enduringly popular operatic works.  The strength of the dramatic recitatives, the lively dances - especially that of the witches - and the poignancy of Dido’s lament make for riveting theatre. 

John Frederick Lampe – Pyramus & Thisbe (1745)

This little opera is a hilarious parody of operatic conventions of the day.  The play-within-a-play from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, had its first modern revival in London in 1971 and has been performed occasionally since then.  This version is realised by David Owen Norris.

Nicolas Achten (conductor) has twice played continuo theorbo in South Creake summer operas and has been studying singing, theorbo, harpsichord and triple harp in Brussels and La Haye.  He has had his own period instrumental ensemble since his late teens and last year he directed Caccini’s Euridice in Flanders.  This is his first visit to Norfolk as musical director for what promises to be the start of a highly successful and varied professional career.  Jennifer Hamilton (director) lives in South Creake and has worked on all the Yorke Trust’s productions.  Abandoning the opera stage to raise a family some years ago, she now enjoys a varied teaching career, working both in schools with young children, and in a number of conservatoires where she is frequently invited as a guest tutor.  Whilst she was on the staff of the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, her productions won several coveted national awards.

Buffet Supper at The Old Chapel

This year the Trust is serving a post-opera meal in The Old Chapel, Burnham Road, a short walk from St.Mary’s Church.  The Old Chapel is part of the Yorke Trust’s Creake Centre where productions are rehearsed.  The buffet, prepared by Robert McNaughtan, a top London chef, will include a wide variety of locally sourced items.  Tickets for the supper at at the top of this page.

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Music and Dining Club 2007

Subscription Concerts

 and

Dinners

First series

April – November 2007

at

The Creake Centre, South Creake

As part of a continuing drive to offer a wider variety of events, The Yorke Trust is launching a series of gastro-musical evenings.  Membership of the Music and Dining Club entitles subscribers to book for a series of private concerts, each followed by a top-class meal at The Creake Centre in South Creake, prepared by a high-class professional chef.  The concerts last about an hour and feature both established artists and promising young musicians.  Numbers are limited.  Early application is advised.  B&B can be arranged at extra cost.  Please complete the form below and you will receive a booking form with full details of events. 

Twelve Month Subscription Rates:  £20 per person, £35 per couple

Tickets for each evening:  £35 per person

For details on how to subscribe please email the Yorke Trust.

Saturday 14 April 2007  A Franco-Belgian Spring Carnival

Jamie Walton cello & Adam Johnson piano

Concert:  Ravel Kaddisch and Habanera  Fauré Élégie and Après un Rêve  Debussy Rêverie and Beau Soir  César Franck Sonata in A major (1886)  Menu:  Soupe Tchantchès (Cream of young vegetable soup with vermicelli, garnished with chive and brunoise) – Crab caprice (Puff pastry cornetti filled with crab with a capricious garnish) - Lamb César Franck (Fillet of Houghton Lamb à la Liégoise, with carrot ribbons and dauphinoise potatoes) – Jamie Walton’s favourite Norfolk cheeses and Creakes chutneys – Chocolat Saint-Saëns (A chocolate-based sponge with brandy mousse, topped with crème fraîche legato, walnuts and tuile) – Coffee and a selection of herbal teas.  Jamie Walton, one of England’s most outstanding young cellists, has recorded Saint Saëns and Elgar with the Philharmonia.  Adam Johnson is not only a virtuoso pianist, but also composes and conducts.  www.jamiewalton.com

Saturday 12 May 2007  Echoes of the Austro-Hungarian Empire

Ruth Hollick & Kathryn Eves piano duo

Concert:  Schubert Sonata in B flat D.617  Dvořák Slavonic Dances in B maj and E min Op.72  Mozart Sonata in D K.381  Bizet Jeux d’enfants (part)  Menu:  Die Forelle! (Smoked trout paté with Melba toast) – Shepherd’s Delight (Warm wild mushroom and mixed green salad with a light goat’s yoghurt dressing) – Empire Chicken McNaughtan (Pan-fried chicken breast stuffed with a red pepper farce, served with a green bean parcel and crushed Ratte potatoes) – Sheep’s cheeses with pumpernickel – Sachertorte - Coffee and a selection of herbal teas.  The Hollick Eves Piano Duo won second prize in the Concours Grieg International Two Piano Competition in Oslo in 2004.  The following year they appeared in the Tunnell Trust Strathgarry Showcase.  This is their first visit to South Creake. www.hollick-evesduo.co.uk

Saturday 9 June 2007  The Harp in England

David Watkins harp

Concert:  David Watkins reflects on English harp music through the ages including works by Dowland, John Parry, William Croft, John Field, and Elias Parish Alvars, together with some of his own compositions and others that have been written for him.  Menu:  Mrs Alvars’s Special (Asparagus soup with watercress and wholemeal sour dough rolls) – Potted Shrimps (A glissando of potted Lynn shrimps with herb garden salad) – Field Duck (Rodney’s Redcurrant-glazed breast of duck, with buttered broad beans, roast potatoes and aged port jus) – An arpeggio of local Norfolk cheeses – Creake Trifle (A traditional English sherry trifle) - Coffee and a selection of herbal teas.  David Watkins played at Covent Garden for many years, then with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.  As a soloist and highly respected teacher he has travelled the world.  His many solo recordings have been issued by RCA, Meridian and Pyramid.

Saturday 8 September 2007  Edvard Grieg plays Edvard Grieg

Rex Lawson pianola

Concert:  Works written and performed by the late Edvard Grieg, with help from Rex Lawson, include In the Hall of the Mountain King from Peer Gynt, two pieces from Album Leaves, Op.28, Lyric Pieces Op.2 and Op.43, Humoresque Op.7, and Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, Op.65.  By way of contrast, Rex facilitates his ‘transcriptions’ of Stravinsky’s Shrovetide Fair from Petrushka, and Danse Sacrale from The Right of Spring.  Menu:  Solveig’s Soup (A spinach-based creation garnished with paprika oil and quail egg) – The Mountain King (Hare and leek tartlets with shallot marmalade) – Troldhaugen Salmon (Roast salmon with crayfish and dill sauce, served with a purée of potatoes and red cabbage) – Cheeses with cardamom biscuits – Gesine’s Pancakes (Apple pancakes with a red fruit coulis) - Coffee and a selection of herbal teas.   Rex Lawson is one of the world’s most experienced concert pianolists with many recordings to his credit.  He has worked with Pierre Boulez in Paris, and appeared at Carnegie Hall in New York, and at the Last Night of the Proms.  www.rexlawson.com

Saturday 6 October 2007  From Russia with Love – A Volga cruise

Gjorgji Cincievski double bass & Vyacheslav Sidorenko piano

Concert:  Serge Koussevitzky Four Pieces - Andante, Valse Miniature, Chanson Triste, Humoresque  Sergei Rakhmaninov Élégie, Vocalise  Tchaikovsky Notturno  Reinhold Glière Prelude, Scherzo, Intermezzo, Tarantalla  Menu:  Schci Volga (A hot Russian cabbage soup, garnished with sour cream and beetroot jus) – Blinis Koussevitzky (Smoked fish blinis with caviar and lime dressing)  Steppes Venison (Balkan style filet of venison with two pepper sauces and potato noodles, swede and turnip cake) – Various characteristic cheeses and pickles with rye biscuits – Bavarois Natalia (A classic bavarois flavoured with tea and chocolate) - Coffee and a selection of herbal teas.  Gjorgji Cincievski is from Macedonia and is currently a Junior Fellow in Double Bass at the Royal Northern College of Music where he met his Ukrainian duo partner.  They have performed in Japan, Austria and Germany as well as in their own countries. 

Saturday 3 November  Songs from the Forest with OgdenTANNER

Craig Ogden guitar & Paul Tanner percussion

Concert:  Music from the Tropic of Capricorn played by this outstanding Australian duo.  Subtle colours of marimba blend with the virtuoso guitar and a wide variety of instruments from Argentina, Brazil and other corners of Latin America.  Menu:  Gazpacho (A light Spanish soup, garnished with chargrilled chicken and green pepper, and served with pan casero) – Monkfish with tapinade and avocado mousse – Asado Antiguo à la Venezolana Mechado (Larded fillet of beef, pot-roast with capers, served with baked Cajun squash, shredded kale and spicy potatoes) – Cheeses with quince jelly - Nougat Parfait (An iced dessert served with cinnamon cream and pistachio biscuits) - Coffee and a selection of herbal teas.   Formed in 2000, OgdenTANNER take the title of this evening’s programme from their CD of the same name.  After studying in Australia, Craig moved to London and is now one of the world’s leading classical guitarists; Paul based himself in Perth, consolidating his reputation as a versatile percussionist, touring internationally to augment his diverse range of percussion techniques.  www.ogdentanner.com

CHEF:  Robert McNaughtan was trained in London five star hotels where his passion for haute cuisine led him to cook for celebrities, politicians, and executive dining.  He currently freelances in Norfolk and is setting up a catering business.