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Paul Archibald – Sounding Out

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Paul Archibald – Sounding Out

Category Archives: London Mozart Players

The London Marathon (and my part in the Milton Keynes Marathon)

27 Wednesday Apr 2016

Posted by paularchibald in London Mozart Players

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imageIt’s that time of year again. An oversized teddy bear, a 6 foot Walt Disney princess dressed in pink, an NHS nurse with hairy legs, tattooed arms and a six-pack, a wobbly telephone box and a Star Wars trooper, all mixed in a sea of seriously focussed runners who have been training for months and working hard to raise as much money as possible for their chosen charity. It’s an awesome sight and it takes over central London for the day. It attract thousands upon thousands of loyal family members and friends who charge around the course as best they can to catch a few fleeting glimpses of their loved ones running, walking, staggering, hobbling toward the finish line accompanied by the adulation of the enthusiastic crowd.

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For an amateur runner there can be no other experience like it. A test of endurance, a public display of grit and determination and – judging by the atmosphere of the day – a sense of common purpose, community and a natural expectation that we, in our tens of thousands, support and cheer everyone. Most runners had their names printed on their vests. We shouted for Dave, Peter, Rachel, Fatso, Tina, Muhammed, Randy, Brian, Andy and screamed our encouragement, hoping to inspire these strangers to achieve the experience of a lifetime.

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People talked to each other. We laughed and swapped stories on the tube. A young woman showed enterprise by making wonderful bacon rolls and coffee at the bottom of her garden for a third of the price of Starbucks, probably much better too. We saw the best of everyone and we were generous, polite and appreciative in return.

My daughter Olivia was there. She had trained for months, religiously sticking to her personal plan, and looked cool in her orange top and Rayban sunglasses. She seemingly made light work of the 26 miles but perhaps Monday morning will tell a different story. We tube-hopped around the course to see her run culminating in an emotional hug for Wendy, her mum, 750m from the finishing line at Parliament Square, Westminster. An intimate, personal moment that was probably replicated hundred of times over as these heroic runners recognised a familiar face amongst the sea of anonymity that cheered them on.

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The scale of the event is enormous and, when it comes to these global sporting events, we Brits seem to do these things rather well. I thought I’d read up a little about the London Marathon itself. I was staggered at the scale of the organisation and the sums it raises for good causes.

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The company that organises the London Marathon is London Marathon Events Ltd owned by The London Marathon Charitable Trust. Aside from the London Marathon, London Marathon Events Ltd organises quite a few other sporting events including Adidas Silverstone Half Marathon, Vitality London 10,000, Vitality Westminster Mile, Standard Chartered Great City Race and Prudential RideLondon. Its income comes from sponsorship, marketing, advertising, entry fees and television rights and the good news is that 100 per cent of its profits is handed to the Trust which awards grants to leisure projects in London and other areas where London Marathon Events Ltd stages events.

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At £5.2 million, the profit from the London Marathon tops any other marathon in the world with runners in last year’s London Marathon raising more than £54 million for their own personal-choice charities. Since its inception in 1981, the London Marathon has raised more than £57 million and the runners themselves have raised in excess of £770 million. That’s a huge amount of money going to good causes!

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The same positive atmosphere gripped the country during the London Olympics in 2012. It’s an essential side effect of sport, music or indeed any community-based project, that impacts on the human psyche and generates warmth and generosity within us. Of course the success of any event is linked to our impression of it – had British athletes not had their most successful Olympics in 104 years coming third in the medals table it may not have received such a positive response by the general public. Or if most of the runners at the London Marathon failed to achieve their target of completing the full distance then perhaps the general mood would have been rather more gloomy.

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Certainly the sense of achievement the London Marathon runners will feel having set their training targets and painstakingly worked their way through them will be immense. As supporters we recognised this dedication and perseverance and willingly bonded with strangers fleetingly as they ran by, personalising their individual achievement by calling their name and sharing in their success.

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I’ve never run a marathon but the LMP Relay Marathon Teams who are participating in the Milton Keynes Marathon on May 2nd will certainly have set their targets and, individually, will be nervously hoping that they can play their part in completing the 26 miles, 365 yards to the finish line. You can read how I ‘volunteered’ to be part of the team here:
https://paularchibald.wordpress.com/2016/04/24/milton-keynes-marathon-vs-me/

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Apart from completing the arduous course, part of our goal is to raise essential funds for the orchestra’s charity, London Mozart Players Trust. We’ve set ourselves the task of training for the event, raising £5000 on the way, to support the orchestras initiatives. We’re getting close – if you can be part of our team by supporting our efforts then all our early morning runs will be worth it! We have an LMP Team Just Giving webpage https://www.justgiving.com/teamlmp so spare a thought for us next Monday as we give of our best and try and emulate the success of those incredible personal achievements that took place a week earlier in London.

Milton Keynes Marathon vs Me

24 Sunday Apr 2016

Posted by paularchibald in London Mozart Players

≈ 1 Comment

So…..this is how it happened….

A few months ago our lovely LMP office people – all young, fit, healthy-types, decided to do a fundraiser for the orchestra:

Me: ‘Great idea! What have you in mind?’
Fit-healthy-type 1: ‘Let’s do a marathon! It’ll keep us fit and help us raise money for our projects’
Me: ‘Brilliant! Go for it!’
Fit-heathy-type 2: ‘Yeah, we can have two teams, those that want to do the whole thing and we can have a relay teams of 4 runners!’
Me: ‘Brilliant! Go for it!’
Fit-healthy-type 3: ‘Fantastic! I’ll do the whole marathon, I’ll start training tonight! It’ll be great fun. There’s be loads of players from the orchestra who will join the relay team!
Me: ‘Brilliant! Go for it!’
Fit-healthy-type 4: I’d love to do it. We’ll have enough for two teams at least – Jenny, Julia, Sara, Paul…
Me: ‘Err…what’s that…?
Fit-healthy-type 3: …oh yeah, and Robert, Ann, Sarah too…
Me: But….
Fit-healthy-type 2: This is sounding great! So impressed you’re up for this Paul. It really sends a positive message about the orchestra.
Me: But…
Fit-healthy-type 1: Wow Paul, I didn’t have you down as a runner! I’m so impressed!
Me: But I’m….
Fit-healthy-type 2: Great! We’re sorted. I’ll register us straightaway. It’ll be such fun and we’ll be raising money for a really good cause. Who wouldn’t want to do this…?
Me: Err…yeah….right…great…sounds fun….kind of….

So with steely resolve and gritted determination I willingly join the LMP Marathon Team. Over the last three months I’ve been training relentlessly..well, a few hours a week… I can do this I tell myself. I can do this…

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The saying goes that the hardest part of any run putting your trainers on. No way! As I’ve spent my spare time pacing the tramac, early morning starts, buying that new expensive running gear, I reckon putting a pair of smelly old trainers is the easy bit!  But hey, it’s a great way to get fit so I’ve been told and I’ve signed up for it so let’s do this!

So…there’s a week to go. I’m looking mean, lean and determined. The six-pack is rippling. I’m up for a PB. Bring it on. It’s MK Marathon vs Me. Gulp…

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Here’s the story….

On 2nd May 2016, 10 members of the LMP will be taking part in the Milton Keynes Marathon to raise money for the orchestra. We’re taking this seriously. We have ambitious aims of raising £5,000 to help sustain the LMP’s ongoing work in the community, education and on the concert platform. We’re enthusiastic and we’ve pledged to complete the race. We’re not going to mess around with this. We’re all extremely passionate about the work we do with the LMP and this marathon is just one part of the team’s ongoing commitment to helping shape the orchestra’s future.

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Our runners are all from the LMP team

Full Marathon Runners
Michael Posner Viola
Cat Fuller Marketing Manager

Relay Marathon Runners
LMP TEAM 1
Jenny Brady Education Coordinator
Julia Desbruslais Executive Director & Co-Principal Cello
Sarah Posner Junior Blogger
Sara Gale Operations Assistant

LMP TEAM 2
Paul Archibald Principal Trumpet & LMP Chairman
Clare Hoffman Violin
Robert Manasse Flute
Ann Criscuolo Violin

SUPPORT OUR RUNNERS
It would be great if you could show all our runners support and help push them past the finish line by visiting the LMP Team Just Giving webpage https://www.justgiving.com/teamlmp

Any donations, small or large, are greatly appreciated. Your donation is really important to us. Join our team and we’ll keep you updated as to how we’re doing. For more information go to: LMP Team Runners http://londonmozartplayers.com/london-mozart-runners

Mozart / Stephen Oliver – Goose of Cairo

19 Tuesday Apr 2016

Posted by paularchibald in London Mozart Players

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The Goose of Cairo – what a ridiculous name for an opera – and what a ridiculous plot it turned out to be even by operatic standards! Stephen Oliver’s completion of Mozart’s unfinished opera The Goose of Cairo (L’oca del Caïro) received its British premiere by the London Mozart Players and guests on Thursday 14th April 2016 at St John’s Smith Square conducted by the David Parry.

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The plot has Don Pippo as a collector of rarities. His wife had disappeared and was assumed dead but to ensure that his daughter might not disappear in the same way, he has locked her up in a tower with another girl for company. In true operatic style both girls have lovers and Don Pippo has a bet with the men that they can’t get the girls out within a year. On the last day of the year matters are complicated by another proposal his daughter has from a stranger, Count Lionetto. Pippo wants her to accept, because Lionetto is offering a famous golden goose that belonged to Cleopatra (the Cairo goose) but the girls’ lovers set out to capture the goose and bargain for the girls’ release.

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Complete nonsense of course but Mozart’s music is sublime so Stephen Oliver, genius that he was, created a version that is more than just a completion of Mozart’s opera of the same title. He extended it and modified it slightly so that all of Mozart’s music is used and his own music is written within Mozart’s own orchestration. The final work is astonishing and shocking and Oliver’s own music – often dark and foreboding – lies in contrast to Mozart’s flamboyant brilliance.

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The cast of singers was outstanding and included Fflur Wyn, Soraya Mafi, Ellie Laugharne, Victoria Symmonds (standing in at the last minute for the indisposed Diana Montague) Robert Murray, Christopher Diffey, Alexander Baker and Quirijn de Lang.

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Staging this opera was an act of bravery by the LMP management team. We discussed its merits, baulked at the cost, worried about the ‘modernity’ of the music compared to our usual emphasis on the classical period and realised that this was a huge undertaking, artistically and financially, at a time when the orchestra was still completing its ‘transition’ to a self-governed orchestra.

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Only a homemade recording existed of the work and the score and parts had to be completely recopied. On top of all this our wonderful Marketing / PR team of Cat and Fiona had to ‘sell’ a completely unknown work – part Mozart, part ‘modern’ Oliver – to a public that wouldn’t have any idea what to expect! The beautiful golden goose that was the centrepiece of our operatic props was handmade by Cat – a brilliant piece of work in itself and an indication of the dedication our team gave to the task of making this performance happen.

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The Goose was a fabulous team effort by Jenny Brady, Sara Gale, Martin Sargeson, David Wilson and Julia Desbruslais who not only led to admin team for the opera but performed as co-principal cello. Thanks to the artistic team of Sebastian Comberti, Martin Smith and David Angel for their bravery in giving this wonderful project the thumbs up.

imageOur conductor, David Parry, was superb throughout. His knowledge of opera, his experience and his professionalism with singers and orchestra alike enabled all the musicians to focus and give of their best. He conducted the world premiere of the Mozart / Oliver version at the Batignano Festival in Italy in 1990 and so was familiar with the work.

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The London Mozart Players excelled in the performance with particular notable contributions from Lesley Hatfield (leader) and Anna Hashimoto (clarinet) who both made light work of fiendishly difficult cadenzas and solos along with some lovely horn solos by Caroline O’Connell. The performance was enthusiastically received and a wonderful start to our new LMP ‘brand – LMP Opera.
You can read a great review here by Rupert Christiansen from The Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opera/what-to-see/loca-del-cairo-st-johns-smith-square-review/

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Exciting Changes at the London Mozart Players

28 Monday Apr 2014

Posted by paularchibald in London Mozart Players

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20140428-080128.jpgI’ve been principal trumpet of the London Mozart Players for 18 years and I’m delighted that we’re now celebrating a new initiative – it is the first UK chamber orchestra to be player-led – and its members are now taking an active and enthusiastic role in developing innovative and creative projects.

Our team of players have been working hard since the new company, London Mozart Players Orchestra Ltd, took over the operational side of the orchestra. Martin Smith: 1st Violin, David Angel: 2nd Violin, Sebastian Comberti: Principal Cello, Julia Desbruslais: Cello, Gareth Hulse: Principal Oboe, Peter Wright: Sub-Principal Trumpet, Ian White Principal Trombone, Ben Hoffnung: Principal Timpani and I are developing some great projects for the future. Here are a few of them:

• Gala fundraising concert at the home of Sir Vernon Ellis, Chair of The British Council

• Gala fundraising event at Buckingham Palace in collaboration with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme

• New London Mozart Players website at lmp.org

• Tour of China May 2014

• An ACE / Croydon Council / Portsmouth Grammar School funded new commission from Jonathon Dove

• Lunchtime concerts with Howard Shelley at St John’s Smith Square 2014 / 2015

• Evening performances at St John’s Smith Square 2014 / 2015

• Sunday afternoon series of chamber concerts in the Fairfield Halls in collaboration with the Friends of the London Mozart Players 2014 / 2015

• New initiatives and collaborations with Sutton Arts

• More recordings during 2014

• Exciting new partnerships with promoters, festivals and venues planned for 2015

• New collaborations with conductors and concert agencies

• Closer links with leaders within the business community

• New initiatives in collaboration with St Martin-in-the Fields 2015

• Development of community and education projects in the South East

We have great support from Viv Davies, David Wilson, Jenny Brady and Martin Saregeson who help us steer the orchestra strategically and administratively and our offices are still based at the Fairfield Halls in Croydon. The Friends of LMP are committed and passionate about the orchestra and we have the support and good wishes of many professional colleagues. It’s a great time to be in the orchestra. It’s playing well, morale is upbeat and there are exciting times ahead.

Take a look at our new website – it really is quite beautiful – and I hope you’ll show your support by liking my post. I know all the orchestra will appreciate it…
lmp.org

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London Mozart Players

  • Exciting Changes at the London Mozart Players 0
  • Milton Keynes Marathon vs Me 0
  • Mozart / Stephen Oliver – Goose of Cairo UK premiere of a classical/modern operatic masterpiece 0
  • The London Marathon (and my part in the Milton Keynes Marathon) The LMP Relay Marathon Teams in action… 0

Personal

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